New York Comic Con – A General Feedback

A lot of apologies for the lateness of this post, I’ve done a pretty poor job of checking my email lately and I missed a link to a fantastic Comic Con Review done by WCDB Alum Herbert Shaw. We got him a pass for the convention and he came back with a full report of what went down!

Oh, so many lines!

Lines to enter the building. Lines to pick up your badge. Lines to tap your badge on the entrance tablet. Lines to get into the expo center. Lines to meet your favorite artist or celebrity for an autograph. Lines to sit for a panel. Lines to demo that new video game. Lines to buy your memorabilia.

It must be New York Comic Con weekend, formerly known as Columbus Day weekend. A time when stores and restaurants have special deals and offers, hotel rates are a little higher, and events like Tough Mudder and the Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge Race descend upon the tri-state region.

However, for a special limited group of people who all bought or otherwise obtained their tickets well in advance of the sold out expo at the Jacob K. Javits Center, this was the weekend they had been waiting for all year. Artists, authors, publishers, and illustrators came to promote their current, future, and past projects as well as those of the companies with and for whom they have worked. Exhibitors and vendors paid an exorbitant fee to get floor space to sell their products, market their brands, and expand their reach whether they be printing companies, movie companies, toy retailers, technology firms, cosmetics, or food and beverage enterprises. With members of the press free to roam and explore our own interests and those of our outlets.

And at the heart of it all, the fans. Men, women, and children who eagerly anticipate this weekend bonanza of fun-filled activities and money-grubbing impulse buys. Some came to see the latest and greatest in technology, like the Bionic Man recently featured on NBC’s Today Show. Some came for their first shot at the new games hitting stores this winter, like Wii U’s Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, or the recently released Pokemon X and Y for the Nintendo 3DS. Some came to meet their heroes, like Sylvester Stallone who offered a picture and autograph session at a mere $445 a pop, tax-free of course, or like me came to admire the people who gave them nightmares as children (covered in my next article which includes a panel on Chucky’s 25th anniversary).

As fandom does take many forms, a vast majority of fans attended while cosplaying as their favorite comic, TV, movie, anime, or video game character. No matter if they were showing off for other fellow enthusiasts or showing off for their 15 minutes in front of the news cameras to be forgotten just as quickly, most NYCC attendees were completely in their element.

The overall experience of this year’s New York Comic Con, and mind you I have been to eight including this year, was much more relaxed than previous years. The general organization of the event by ReedPOP Expo was incredibly more efficient compared to recent years that have included multiple fights, threats, and even an evacuation.

New York’s finest (that’s metro jargon for NYPD aka the cops) were on hand and seemed to be enjoying themselves, too. I happened to be giving out homemade blue rock candy dressed as Walter White, and three boys in blue were more than happy to pose for a staged “busted” picture for the “#heisenherb at Comic Con” album soon to be featured on my Facebook.

But all in all, the convention was fun without being overwhelming. Early years of NYCC left some feelings of doubt whether there could have been more to do, whereas recently the reverse was felt; not having enough time to do everything. But this year felt like a perfect balance of both worlds. There was not a whole lot to do that couldn’t be repeated over the course of four days, but that also means that there wasn’t too much to take in at the same time. The expo hall experience was terrific. Artist Alley performed its purpose to a T. And the general response was a positive and invigorating one. Along with many other fans, I happily look forward to New York Comic Con 2014!

original article here: http://theshawreport.wordpress.com/2013/10/18/new-york-comic-con-a-general-feedback/