C2E2 2013 Day 1 Photos

Day 2 of C2E2 2013 is here. Before I hit the floor, here are some pictures from day 1. Met some cool people and saw plenty of great costumes.

Spaced from Nerd Girls Eye View

Me and Olivier Coipel

Time for some day 2 fun. See you on the floor.

C2E2 2013 Live Stream

The 2013 convention season keeps rolling with the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, or C2E2. The annual event unites fans for three full days of pop culture fun. You can expect the best from the worlds of comics, video games, anime, television and movies. And what would any convention be without the awesome fans and great costumes? Well...probably not a good one.

Many people know about the spectacle that is C2E2, or any convention for that matter. But what about the people at home? You are not forgotten. So for those of you unable to make the trip to the Windy City, ReedPOP has teamed with Twitch.tv for the official C2E2 2013 live stream. Keep it locked here to catch the action from the show floor, panel rooms and queue hall.

Watch live video from c2e2 on www.twitch.tv

While you're viewing the excitement, connect with other fans in the chat below to discuss your favorite aspects of the show.

I'll be posting throughout the weekend as well as live-tweeting many of the events. So if you can't make the show, check back often here and on Twitter @GENOthaDRAGON. If you're looking for something specific, feel free to leave a comment or tweet me.

For more info on the show, visit the C2E2 website. See you in Chicago.

Original Comic Book Art Collection: The Activity

According to my Marvel Comics calendar, today is Good Friday. The item I received today certainly makes that true. The first page of original comic book art I've purchased has arrived. I've been interested in original pages for a while. One of the first times I remember developing an interest in original art pages was while I was talking comics at a restaurant with another fan. The owner overheard and told us how he was a fan as well. It was a great conversation.

A couple years later, here I am. From Indie publisher extraordinaire Image Comics comes page 10 from The Activity #10 written by Nathan Edmonson, drawn by Mitch Gerads, colored by Joseph Frazzetta and lettered by Jeff Powell. This series is focused on Team Omaha which operates within the ISA, the Intelligence Support Activity. This page features team leader Danny "Weatherman" Locke on a mission to [REDACTED]. Sorry, you'll have to read it find out. Check out Gerad's work.

I requested it be personalized to show my team membership, complete with codename of course.

Mitch also hooked me up with a signed copy of issue #10. Seeing as how I have two of those now, my first copy is up for grabs. I'll give it to anyone to read and see why I give this book so much praise.

This is without a doubt an expensive, but fun hobby. I do expect to pick up more original pages in upcoming years, so you'll see more of these posts. Let me know what you think. Thanks for looking.

Comic Cover of the Week

One of the biggest releases this week is Image Comics' East of West #1 from writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Nick Dragotta. Besides that and the other great books on shelves this week, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is in theaters (or theatres, if you'd prefer). Yes, I did see it. And yes, it is so much better than Rise of Cobra. Even though Rise of Cobra wasn't a great G.I. Joe flick, it was entertaining enough. But more on G.I. Joe later.

Let's get to some art. Check out Skottie Young's variant for Guardians of the Galaxy #1 featuring Groot and Rocket Raccoon.

How can you not like Young's art? His style is unique and a nice change-up from other artists. I will say I'm not the biggest Rocket Raccoon fan, but this is a fun image. The rocket t-shirt is a nice touch.

On the subject of art, check back later as I'll be showing off the first page of original comic book art I've ever purchased. It comes from one of my favorite books being published right now. Happy reading.

Comic Cover of the Week

Happy New Comic Book Day! There are so many good books on shelves today. My most anticipated comics are Ghost #4, Mind the Gap #8, Spawn #229, Thor: God of Thunder #6 and Uncanny X-Men #3.

Those books all offer some great visuals. The same goes for the cover of Fearless Defenders #2 by Mark Brooks.

Brooks is no stranger to my Comic Cover of the Week. You know what you're going to get with his name attached. Misty Knight, Moonstar and Valkyrie all look great of course. The big draw for me is the action figure look. I'm sure any action figure collector can appreciate this. The design looks just like a figure from the Marvel Universe line, of which I am a huge fan. I would buy Marvel Universe figures of all three characters. There actually is a Valkyrie figure coming, so keep an eye out for her.

Thanks for looking. Happy reading to you. And happy collecting as well.