Illinois

Book fairs in Illinois run toward the fan convention, and C2E2 is the name readers here know. The state has no large rights fair of the kind held elsewhere, so the crowds gather around comics, graphic novels and the dealers who carry them. Expect artists, small presses and long boxes rather than a rights floor.

C2E2 is the one fair here, and it is a comic and pop culture convention rather than a trade floor for publishers. That is what separates Illinois from California, Texas and New York, where the big rights fairs sit. C2E2 draws readers who come for artists, small press tables and back issues, so you meet the people who make and sell the books directly. If you are hunting for a signed copy or a run you cannot find in shops, this is the room.