The first cosplay pic we took this weekend: Vaggie and Alastor from Hazbin Hotel.
Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover: Each year when there isn’t a pandemic fully raging, my wife Anne and I love attending entertainment and comic conventions throughout the Midwest and occasionally a bit beyond. We’re fascinated by the spectacle of each and every in-person nexus of geek cultures that presents a confluence of comics, artists, cosplayers, hobby artifacts, rare collectibles, IP-inspired handicrafts, talented performers and celebrity guests with fandom connections of varying levels of dedication and/or awesomeness.
We just got home from the latest edition of the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Exposition (“C2E2″), a three-day extravaganza of comic books, actors, creators, toys, props, publishers, freebies, Funko Pops, anime we don’t recognize, and walking and walking and walking and walking. We missed the inaugural edition in 2010, took a break starting in 2020 even before the pandemic came a-ragin’, then returned to the fold in 2023. We were undecided for months because this year it was scheduled the same weekend as one of our hometown shows, Indy Pop Con. Ultimately Chicago lured us back.
While we recuperate and wait for our feet to forgive us for their punishment, please enjoy this collection of cosplayers who brightened our first day around the show floor. The jazz-hands photo ops and other obligatory details will be shared in the other chapters because everyone loves costumes. We regret we can only represent a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the total cosplay wonderment that was on display this weekend. We’re clearly not professional photographers, journalists, costume designers, or Oscars red carpet commentators. We’re just an aging geek couple doing what we can for happy sharing fun.
Enjoy! Please feel free to identify any characters we failed at recognizing!
Lucifer, also from Hazbin Hotel.
Darth Maultrooper.
The Mandalorian and Grogu, now starting for your Chicago Cubs!
Five more Chicago Cubs in a galaxy, far, far away.
An Ewok and an AT-ST, two mortal enemies who’ve found common ground.
Little Debbie all grown up.
Iocane buddies! The Dread Pirate Roberts and Vizzini.
The Addams Family.
HOLY COW! I’M HARRY CARAY! WILL FERRELL PLAYED ME ON SNL!
The scheming Fairy Godmother from Shrek 2.
Magneto; Miles Morales a.k.a. Spider-Man; and Spider-Punk, breakout star of Across the Spider-Verse.
A purple player from Among Us.
One of Starro’s victims from The Suicide Squad and various old DC comics.
Starlight from The Boys. (As it happens, I just finished season 1 the other day.)
Laszlo from What We Do in the Shadows.
A pirate queen welcomes you to C2E2!
Funko Pop made their grand C2E2 debut and brought a life-sized pilot to mingle with the thousands of fans who seemingly attended only to vie for Funko exclusives.
Just four dudes drinking beer next to a wall while their boombox blasted the King of the Hill theme on a loop.
…
To be continued! Other chapters in this very special miniseries:
Part 2: Saturday Cosplay!
Part 3: Actors!
Part 4: Artists Alley!
Part 5: And the Rest!
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