Party in Chicago! C2E2!

C2E2…and party at Reggie's!

First off, if you're buying tickets to Reed Exhibitions' C2E2—and you should!—you'd better do it through the Hero Website. Just click on the link you see over on the right side of the page, and use promo code: WL2X2. Do this, and Hero gets a cut of your ticket purchase at NO extra cost to you! Seriously, I'll be at the convention, and if you don't do this, I'll feel obliged to kick the crap outta you.

Okay. Now that you're at he con, make sure you spend your evenings at Reggie's Rock Club, 2109 S. State St.! It's only about four blocks from the convention center's North end, but FREE shuttle buses (with demons and skulls on ’em) will be running between the con and Reggie's! If you DARE leave the con for a lunch (or want to grab grub beforehand) it's the place to be all day long. The Bus from Hell will also be making courtesy runs to a few hotels and is happy to take to you the con.

Super-cool events include:

Saturday night only, 7:00 PM, the two most dangerous bands on Earth 1 perform: KIRBY KRACKLE and THE FUGLEES! Kirby Krackle features comic store owner and convention promoter Jim Demonakos, while the Fuglees are fronted by artist Andy Kuhn! They BOTH kick ass, and you MUST check them out! $5 cover at the door for this event, and worth every last penny, because after that, the party continues with live art and more DJs than can possibly fit on two turntables! And, oh yeah, the SHOJO SHOWGIRLS will be dancing around too. The party don't stop til the break o' dawn (actually 3AM, but you gotta shower sometime).

Sunday it gets even crazier with monster surf-band DAIKAIJU and ABSTRACT ARTIMUS!

All of this awesomeness takes a toll, hence you may feast on Hangover Brunch buffets and Bloody Marys all weekend from 11AM to 1PM, and prizes, parties and mischief all day Saturday.

On Sunday, the Custom PopCult Art Show features the work of SHAWNIMALS, JIM MAHFOOD, JOSH BLAYLOCK, STEVE SEELEY, JOEY POTTS, MIKE HUDDLESTON and a host of others, all doing their own custom versions of Drippy, the PopCult mascot. 25% of the money goes to Hero, and the rest to the hard-working artists, so buy up!

Everyone's favorite parody news source, THE ONION will be on hand with their Pop Culture trivia, and harvesting photos of volunteers for use in their articles. Yes, YOU could be "Area Nerd" in a future The Onion piece.

And Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab will hold a "Meet-’n'-Sniff"! Yup, the scent-makers at BPAL will be debuting a NEW Witchblade scent at C2E2, and even if you can't make the scene at the con, swing by to meet up with other Black Phoenix fans, and sniff and trade scents! Sunday, Noon to 2:00 PM.

Stay up to date at www.PopCultour.com as times may be subject to change. Life's crazy like that, y'know.

Jim McLauchlin