NUNN ON THE RUN
Tue. April 15, 2025 12:00 AM
by Jerry Nunn
Chicago kicked off a Brat spring over the weekend at McCormick Place Convention Center from April 11-13. The Brat Pack gathered together to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Breakfast Club classic film at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo and it was a rare opportunity for longtime fans to meet face-to-face with the ensemble cast.
This was just one of the many highlights curated by the ReedPop producers over three days in the Windy City. C2E2 began in 2010 with over 20,000 attendees and in 2025, it's grown to over 85,000 people. The popularity of the comic convention has risen because of many contributing factors like the growing appeal of dressing up as a character, onsite availability of unique merchandise and special meet-ups with celebrities such as the John Hughes stars. Other combinations of talent this year included cast members from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Futurama and Starship Troopers, among others. There were enough voice artist visitors, including the non-binary Morph character voiced by JP Karliak, to deserve a huge display for the X-Men '97 cartoon along the maze of booths.
Impressive costumes, where anyone can be a hero for a day, are a vital part of the experience of C2E2 and first place in the Cosplay Central Crown Global Champions competition went to Henchwench as Halsin from Baldur's Gate 3, a role-playing video game.
After passing through security checkpoints, guests entered the Show Floor area to explore sectioned-off areas such as Artist Alley and Writers' Block, a pop-up book shop.
Panels were conducted in conference rooms ranging from celebrities speaking about their previous work to future announcements such as the Immortal Legend Batman Elseworld series coming in August of this year.
Comic book collectors could have their prized possessions graded right on the spot for the right price and negotiations between sellers and buyers kept the energy active throughout the venue.
Superfan fast passes and memberships aided in time-saving perks and exclusive merchandise. This added more to the unpredictable amusement park vibe of the expo and minimized the frustration of dealing with long lines for many people. Neurodivergent individuals could avoid sensory overload and the challenge of large crowds by paying for these special services. The Americans with Disabilities Act has brought attention to those with needs over the years and ReedPop recognized this important law by providing ADA stickers for attendees to help them in this sometimes awkward environment.
Valuable organizations like Crying But Capable had supportive information for plus-size cosplayers and encouraged diversity from their booth along the route. For many, the hours dragged on, especially when wearing a furry costume, so the Food Court section offered some welcome relief in the form of tasty pizza and themed beverages.
To lighten the mood, the programming included comedy in 2025 for the first time and acts like The Second City held live improvisation shows. Comedian Grant Lyon provided interactive games at The Tavern to entertain onlookers throughout the day on Saturday.
The sky is the limit to what the programming could include in the future, concert performances and early movie screenings could only add to the festivities and make this Midwest pop culture convention even more marvelous.
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