C2E2's New Mascots Include An Anime-Loving Bulldog Mech, Flying Hot Dog, and more!

10/10/2018 01:15 pm EDT

C2E2 has been a Chicago staple for 10 years, and to celebrate the 10th anniversary they've teamed up with Curse Words' Ryan Browne to debut 5 awesome new mascots for the convention.

Browne has created 5 very different types of mascots for C2E2, which you can peruse below. The new mascots include everything from an anthropomorphic bear named Ernie to a high-flying hot dog who is aptly named Frank, with several other mascots filing out the roster under the banner of the Chicago S.T.A.R.S.

"There's Tinley the mecha-Frenchie, Ernie the anthropomorphic bear, Frank the magical floating hot dog, Lincoln, and M.C. – a team of superheroes known collectively as the Chicago S.T.A.R.S – Science Tech and Rescue Squad," says C2E2 Event Manager Mike Negin.

As for Browne's favorite, that would be the puppy in a mech suit, Tinley. "Tinley the robo-french bulldog [is my favorite] --no question." says Browne. "I really like the idea of a super intelligent dog making a robo-dog costume in her likeness instead of some huge hulking mech. Plus it's really fun to draw so that helps."

Fans will see these new mascots in a bi-weekly comics series from Browne. "Fans can see these characters come to life in a bi-weekly comic written and drawn by Ryan Browne," Negin said. "The first page is set to be released first on November 2 when tickets to C2E2 go on sale, and then there will be a new page every 2 weeks after that up until the show. This is one comic you won't want to miss... there will be intrigue, suspense, epic superpowers, a dastardly villain, and of course – adventures and exploits at C2E2. In addition to this comic, you'll find these characters on collectible merch at ReedPOP Supply Co – the Official Store of C2E2. We'll also be hosting a fun scavenger hunt during C2E2, so don't miss that!"

It was important for each new mascot to somehow tie into Chicago as well, a challenging but entertaining process.

"We had a lot of fun working on these characters and finding fun little ways to make them all born and bred, rich with lore from Chicago," Negin said. "We specifically wanted to work with Ryan Browne because he's a local Chicago artist, and we're all big fans of his art style and work. In addition, each character has a little bit of Chicago flair built into their backstory. Ernie is a bear as a tribute to Chicago's sports teams, and his origin story has him as an original resident of the Lincoln Park Zoo. Tinley is of course in reference to Tinley Park. And Frank, well… you can't do Chicago without Chicago-style hot dogs – not to mention he's a big fan of Revolution Brewing's Galaxy-Hero, a local Chicago beer and the Official Beer of C2E2. Lincoln's name is a tribute to Lincoln Park in Chicago. M.C. stands for Michelle Carol, which is actually a reference to Michelle Obama and Carol Moseley Braun, 2 women from Chicago we wanted to pay homage to."

"I worked with the great team at C2E2 to find the perfect balance of influences for our crew," Browne said. "Not too superhero--adventurers with a sense of style and fun. Floating magical hotdogs are fun, right? As far as costuming, we wanted to incorporate the iconic Chicago flag colors and stars into the costuming for the whole team. It gave them a unified look while have quite a diverse cast of humans, animals, robots, and uh, magical hotdogs."

As for the comic, Browne took inspiration from two things specifically.

"I think my first instinct was Tom Strong with a touch of Fantastic Four," Browne said. "Adventures where the fun always outweighs the danger." "Each one of these characters, in their storyline, attended C2E2 2010, and that's how they ended up getting their powers," says Negin of the Chicago S.T.A.R.S. origin story. "There was some kind of cataclysmic event… more details on that are forthcoming… and poof, these 5 band together with their new powers and become the Chicago S.T.A.R.S. They each have their own favorite part of C2E2 too, which you can read about on their trading cards."

You can take a look at all the trading cards above. As for the bi-weekly comic series, it will be released on C2E2's official website and via the newsletter and their social media, and kicks off on November 2nd.

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