Day Two of the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as C2E2, held an impressive array of big names and presentations.  In the Exhibition Hall, authors and artists signed books and did sketches for fans.

Sherrilyn Kenyon had a big presence at C2E2, launching her new manga series of books based upon her New York Times bestselling Dark Hunter novels.  Her booth was front and center with plenty of goodies for everyone.  Her name was on the convention ID tags, and she was accessible for book signings.  Her exuberant charm shone through as she chatted openly with fans in her subtle southern accent, laughing and exchanging personal stories while doing autographs.

Artists included Alex Ross, Jeff Smith, Jim Lee, David Nguyen, and many others.  David Nguyen bantered with fans as they lined up for sketches at the DC comics booth.  He drew a sketch of the Flash for me while I took a candid photo.  Artists Alley was packed with dozens of artists doing impromptu sketches as well as selling commissioned artwork.

One of the center attractions for the day was the costume contest.  There were a wide variety of costumes that included super heroes and science fiction.  Contestants ranged in age from about four-years-old through distinguished greying Watchmen.  Certainly one of the most stunning was the female character from Avatar who painted her entire body including her eyelids for a dramatically detailed effect.  There were Jedis, monsters, warriors, and villains, and everyone remained very in character throughout the day.  One group arrived as a DC Comics quartet of Batman, the Joker, Poison Ivy, and Superman.  A costume-clad Captain Jack Sparrow resembled Johnny Depp so much in appearance and mannerisms that many by-standers did a double-take just to make sure it wasn’t the celebrity himself.

The evening ended with a presentation by Neil Gaiman on behalf of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.  Keep an eye out for a separate article dedicated solely to that spectacular event.