August 17, 2026 By Randall A. Golden in Conventions & Events Tags: Chicago, comic cons, conventions, cosplay, costumes, entertainment, Fan Expo Chicago, photography, photos, Star Wars

[Content warning! The following entry is rated ‘S’ for spoilers for season two of X-Men ’97, which just concluded August 12th. Reader discretion is advised.]

Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover:

It’s that time again! This weekend my wife Anne and I attended the fifth edition of Fan Expo Chicago at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in the suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. In 2022 they arose from the ashes of the late Wizard World Chicago, which we attended eleven times, and have expended tremendous efforts to maintain the previous showrunners’ geek-marketed traditions to keep luring in longtime fans and newcomers alike.

As is the MCC procedure, let’s start with mandatory cosplay photos! The humble duo here at MCC enjoys the panoply of costumes, and appreciates the makers and wearers who enliven every comic-con with their talents and their exaltation of various fandoms. 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, especially from cons like this where we spent far more time waiting in lengthy lines that ate up precious time we could’ve spent taking more pics. We’re just an aging couple doing what we can for happy sharing fun…

…so here’re all the cosplayers we photographed on Saturday when we weren’t trapped in lines, crushed in crowds, or fussing with two straight days of catastrophic photo-op failure. (More on that next time.) Enjoy again!

To be continued! Other chapters in this very special MCC miniseries:

Part 1: A Little Cosplay!
Part 3: Celebrities and Catastrophes
Part 4: Comics!
Part 5: [coming soon]