New York Comic Con was held last weekend (October 8-10) at the way-enormous Javits Convention Center in fabulous downtown Manhattan...and IML was there! We had an awesome time, but our feet are still throbbing from walking up and down the cavernous main floor, hour after hour, meeting cool people, checking out the stuff for sale, and taking in the eye-dazzling sights. It was a fun way for us to check out some of the things you talk about on the You Said It pages, and get a sneak peek of what you might soon be talking about in the future.
What is Comic Con? NY Comic Con is the second largest comic book convention in the USA (only the all-powerful San Diego Con is bigger), with over 70 THOUSAND fans attending (that actually makes it the second largest event of any kind in NYC). But the convention is about more than just comic books. This year, fans from all over the world showed up to celebrate video games, sci-fi and action movies, fantasy fiction and graphic novels, vampire and gothic culture, steampunk, animation, role-playing games...you name it, they had it! And this year, the Con incorporated the New York Anime Festival, so there were thousands of dedicated anime and manga fans there too.
Describing everything we saw and did at NY Comic Con would take, well, almost forever. So we'll just give you the highlight reel of what we absolutely loved:
The Costumes. If you've been to a comic convention recently, even a small one, you know that one of the coolest parts of the whole scene is "cosplay," which basically means dressing up in costumes for the fun of it. We saw hundreds upon hundreds of amazing costumes at the con, from instantly-recognizable top-tier superheroes to really obscure video game icons and out-of-this-world fantasy warriors and monsters. We were impressed that a lot of them were homemade, rather than bought-off-the-shelf. Some were so elaborate and complicated that they looked like they took weeks, or even months, to construct. The comic and sci-fi heroes and heroines were awesome, but our faves were the Japanese anime and manga characters, with wild wigs every shape and color you can imagine, cool cloaks, capes and coats, and huge replica weapons. We particularly liked the tweens and teens who showed up in large groups, representing entire casts from their favorite shows and books.
Triumph of the Nerds. Have you ever been called nerdy, geeky, dweeby, or dorky? Well, at Comic Con, nobody is ever going to call you names...unless they do it as a mark of pride, as in: "We're all nerds here, and we LOVE it!" You see, events like Comic Con are opportunities for fanboys and fangirls to be themselves, and celebrate all the things that make them happy. If you're into sports, you have events like the Super Bowl or the World Cup. If you love music, you can have fun at a concert or band camp. But if you love to geek out with animation, manga, video games, and fantasy, cons are your chance to let your nerd flag fly, make friends, goof around, and just have a blast. And the really BIG conventions like this one show you that you are far, far, from alone in your hobby. Thousands of people are into the same stuff you love, and they're here to share it with you.
Fans of All Types. Fandom isn't limited to one age group, and this was easy to see at the con. IML saw infants in strollers, toddlers in costumes, tweens, teens and young adults having fun, and even a lot of parents and seniors enjoying the scene. We met comic artists and writers just out of college, and listened to stories from some of the giants of the golden age of comics who helped create iconic characters more than sixty years ago. All ethnic groups were represented, and judging by the national flags some people proudly carried, there were fans there from quite a few countries around the globe. We were even impressed by how many girls and women were in attendance! We're pretty sure there were slightly more guys in the crowd, but it probably won't be long before big conventions like this are equal parts male and female. The era of the fangirl is definitely upon us!
The Razzle-Dazzle. Late in the day, the crowds on the main convention floor actually got a bit too heavy, and it was difficult to move. There were times when we felt like tired salmon, pushing against a current of people. But the throngs of fans are part of the overall spectacle of Comic Con. Loud music, bright lights, huge video screens, giant banners reaching up to the lofty ceilings...big conventions are all about glitz and showmanship. The movie studios and publishing houses spared no expense to pump up the crowd and get everyone excited about their characters and products, and its safe to say that almost everyone got dazzled by something. We liked the deejays spinning tunes, the TV and movie celebs signing autographs, and all the fabulous merchandise for sale. The handmade steampunk goggles, toy weapons, and bizarre gadgets were particularly awesome.
Sneak Previews. Part of the fun of attending a big con is getting a glimpse at upcoming movies, TV shows and books before the world at large gets to see them. There were hundreds of previews for creative projects and products at this year's convention, but we were most excited by the new "Avengers" animated series and a soon-to-be-launched line of graphic novels from Disney.
The Indie Artists. Apart from the main convention floor, there is another huge room with booths from smaller publishers and independent creators and artists. Some of them are just individuals who self-publish and do all their own promotion! We chatted with many of these folks, and it was great to see that creating comics and characters isn't limited to the big, multi-million dollar companies. All it really takes to create something cool is an active imagination, a piece of paper, and a pen. We have to believe that a lot of people who came to the con as fans and then met these cool creators will go home determined to create something themselves.
Do you have a favorite character from the world of comics, graphic novels, anime, or manga? Tell us about it!
What is Comic Con? NY Comic Con is the second largest comic book convention in the USA (only the all-powerful San Diego Con is bigger), with over 70 THOUSAND fans attending (that actually makes it the second largest event of any kind in NYC). But the convention is about more than just comic books. This year, fans from all over the world showed up to celebrate video games, sci-fi and action movies, fantasy fiction and graphic novels, vampire and gothic culture, steampunk, animation, role-playing games...you name it, they had it! And this year, the Con incorporated the New York Anime Festival, so there were thousands of dedicated anime and manga fans there too.Describing everything we saw and did at NY Comic Con would take, well, almost forever. So we'll just give you the highlight reel of what we absolutely loved:
The Costumes. If you've been to a comic convention recently, even a small one, you know that one of the coolest parts of the whole scene is "cosplay," which basically means dressing up in costumes for the fun of it. We saw hundreds upon hundreds of amazing costumes at the con, from instantly-recognizable top-tier superheroes to really obscure video game icons and out-of-this-world fantasy warriors and monsters. We were impressed that a lot of them were homemade, rather than bought-off-the-shelf. Some were so elaborate and complicated that they looked like they took weeks, or even months, to construct. The comic and sci-fi heroes and heroines were awesome, but our faves were the Japanese anime and manga characters, with wild wigs every shape and color you can imagine, cool cloaks, capes and coats, and huge replica weapons. We particularly liked the tweens and teens who showed up in large groups, representing entire casts from their favorite shows and books.
Triumph of the Nerds. Have you ever been called nerdy, geeky, dweeby, or dorky? Well, at Comic Con, nobody is ever going to call you names...unless they do it as a mark of pride, as in: "We're all nerds here, and we LOVE it!" You see, events like Comic Con are opportunities for fanboys and fangirls to be themselves, and celebrate all the things that make them happy. If you're into sports, you have events like the Super Bowl or the World Cup. If you love music, you can have fun at a concert or band camp. But if you love to geek out with animation, manga, video games, and fantasy, cons are your chance to let your nerd flag fly, make friends, goof around, and just have a blast. And the really BIG conventions like this one show you that you are far, far, from alone in your hobby. Thousands of people are into the same stuff you love, and they're here to share it with you.
Fans of All Types. Fandom isn't limited to one age group, and this was easy to see at the con. IML saw infants in strollers, toddlers in costumes, tweens, teens and young adults having fun, and even a lot of parents and seniors enjoying the scene. We met comic artists and writers just out of college, and listened to stories from some of the giants of the golden age of comics who helped create iconic characters more than sixty years ago. All ethnic groups were represented, and judging by the national flags some people proudly carried, there were fans there from quite a few countries around the globe. We were even impressed by how many girls and women were in attendance! We're pretty sure there were slightly more guys in the crowd, but it probably won't be long before big conventions like this are equal parts male and female. The era of the fangirl is definitely upon us!The Razzle-Dazzle. Late in the day, the crowds on the main convention floor actually got a bit too heavy, and it was difficult to move. There were times when we felt like tired salmon, pushing against a current of people. But the throngs of fans are part of the overall spectacle of Comic Con. Loud music, bright lights, huge video screens, giant banners reaching up to the lofty ceilings...big conventions are all about glitz and showmanship. The movie studios and publishing houses spared no expense to pump up the crowd and get everyone excited about their characters and products, and its safe to say that almost everyone got dazzled by something. We liked the deejays spinning tunes, the TV and movie celebs signing autographs, and all the fabulous merchandise for sale. The handmade steampunk goggles, toy weapons, and bizarre gadgets were particularly awesome.
Sneak Previews. Part of the fun of attending a big con is getting a glimpse at upcoming movies, TV shows and books before the world at large gets to see them. There were hundreds of previews for creative projects and products at this year's convention, but we were most excited by the new "Avengers" animated series and a soon-to-be-launched line of graphic novels from Disney.
The Indie Artists. Apart from the main convention floor, there is another huge room with booths from smaller publishers and independent creators and artists. Some of them are just individuals who self-publish and do all their own promotion! We chatted with many of these folks, and it was great to see that creating comics and characters isn't limited to the big, multi-million dollar companies. All it really takes to create something cool is an active imagination, a piece of paper, and a pen. We have to believe that a lot of people who came to the con as fans and then met these cool creators will go home determined to create something themselves.
Do you have a favorite character from the world of comics, graphic novels, anime, or manga? Tell us about it!
