PICS & RECAP: NY Comic Con flies into Big Apple
NEW YORK — New York Comic Con, the annual fanfest at the Jacob Javits Center on the westside of Manhattan, featured tons of opportunities for fans, cosplayers and casual passersby to get their inner geek on. This showcase of all things pop culture was a must-endure event that saw thousands pack the convention hall to see celebrities, receive autographs, purchase exclusive items and enjoy good times with like-minded people.
Here are some of the best experiences from the convention, which took place Thursday, Oct. 6 through Sunday, Oct. 9.
Frank Miller was the guest of the convention, and he signed a limited number of autographs at the Dark Horse booth. He was there promoting the curator’s edition of Sin City: The Hard Goodbye, which was retailing at $175 (standard edition) or $275 (special edition). Purchasing the book gave someone a special VIP wristband to snag a scribble from the master, and other wristbands were made available to fans at the start of Saturday, Oct. 8.
Image and Skybound have perhaps the best location on the convention floor, directly between Marvel and Valiant. The Walking Dead dominates their merchandise table, as it should be, and Robert Kirkman, the creator of the zombie series, was the toughest autograph to grab. However, with some patience and fortitude, fans could also check out Greg Capullo (Batman and Reborn), Scott Snyder (Batman and Wytches) and the creative team behind Monstress, Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda.
Marvel and DC are the prominent exhibitors at the convention, for good reason. Marvel’s booth was centrally located, as it is every year, but they still struggle with crowd control. It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, they had the cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on the stage and gave away so many awesome comics, posters and Captain America shields throughout the weekend. DC has one of the oddest locations in the convention. They elect to be on the southern end of the lobby area, which frees up space and gives them that exclusive feel, but it’s also difficult to navigate the throngs and see some of their offerings.
Nickelodeon had one of the most creative displays, including a life-size replica of Olmec from Legends of the Hidden Temple, the hit TV gameshow that will become a new motion picture. Their long lines were for a virtual reality experience and trivia contest. Winners at the trivia contest were given prizes simply for lining up (either a Chucky hairpiece from Rugrats or Dora the Explorer bouncy ball), and if contestants answered a Nick trivia question correctly, they received Legends of the Hidden Temple pins.
Nick was also represented in the convention hall with the new Nick Box, a subscription package that features Nicktoons gifts.
Viz Media, Crunchyroll and Funimation commanded long lines for their merchandise and exclusives for Sailor Moon, The Legend of Zelda, One-Punch Man and other anime/manga titles. Double Take comics had a sweet booth that featured a spinning wheel that let fans win a graphic novel from their artistic offerings.
Bandai sold out of several toys, including a Red Ranger from the new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie and Dino Megazord figure. The Naruto Shippuden figure was also a must buy.
Eaglemoss sold their lines of Batman and Star Trek collections, and Hallmark offered exclusive ornaments from Star Wars, Batman and Star Trek (the Enterprise, which was available at the New York Star Trek convention a month ago, was a big seller). Geico gave away gecko plushes, and TBS’ People of Earth gave out free T-shirts.
Stan Lee made his last New York Comic Con appearance, and Bryan Fuller could be seen walking the convention floor on Sunday, Oct. 9. Nichelle Nichols, of Star Trek fame, signed autographs for adoring fans.
Cosplaying did not disappoint. Top costumes included Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Star Trek, Star Wars, The Avengers and Batman. A few scary clowns made appearances, and Sailor Moon was all over the place. C3PO and R2D2 stopped foot traffic, and Deadpool was everywhere.
The lines were looooooooong. Hollywood Soapbox needed to arrive hours before the doors opened at 10 a.m. each morning to get into the convention hall. Thursday was slightly better, and Sunday, because of rain, had a more manageable starting queue (however, the attendance grew).
The outside area included a walk-through South Park exhibit and haunted house from Ash vs. the Evil Dead, where fans could win buttons, T-shirts, foam chainsaws or hats.
Panels this year took place on the main stage, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden and Hammerstein Ballroom. And although the celebrities helped fill those venues, the real pleasure of New York Comic Con can be found among the comic book sellers, the cosplayers, the everyday people who come together to celebrate their diverse and fun-filled interests.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
