This past weekend was the annual New York Comic-Con, the time of year when fans of comic books, television shows, manga and anime, and pop culture as a whole come together and celebrate their fandoms. Some people cosplay, or dress up as their favorite characters, while others look to attend panels and see their favorite celebrities, writers, artists and industry professionals in person. As with most conventions, there is a lot to buy, a lot to see and a whole lot of walking around. This year was the first year I had gone all four days the convention is held, Thursday through Sunday (last year I had only gone on Thursday due to buying my tickets last minute). While my legs were sore from all of the walking, and the commute by train every day was less than desirable, I would be lying if I said I didn’t have the most fun I’ve had in ages.
To me, there’s something inherently wonderful about places where people who love pop culture, or any fandom, show, etc., can come together and share how much they love their respective niche. As I’ve written about in the past, I’ve had difficulties with showing my geekiness in public, but in a place like Comic-Con, everyone is as much a geek (if not more) then the next geek. It’s also fun to see how much effort people put into their costumes, and how many people love to dress up. There are also plenty of cosplays that I never even thought were possible (some examples include a “Ronald McDonald” themed Thor cosplay, and the “Haunted Shopping List” from an episode of “SpongeBob SquarePants”), which is always fun to see. Lastly, one of the big excitements on my end, is sifting through all of the comic book related merchandise. Every year, vendors bring their comic books, shirts, posters, and fan art to the convention for people to buy. Some of them are from comic shops in the city (with Midtown Comics having one of the bigger booths), others are t-shirt companies bringing their wares for people to buy. A large amount of them however are fan based and independent companies that bring their fan art to the conventions for people to check out, usually each artist has a following online, and their art sells pretty quickly (artists are also willing to sign their works for you free of charge).
One of the big highlights for me personally this year was going to see Adam West live at a panel on Thursday. The panel was essentially promoting the new Batman animated movie, “Return of the Caped Crusaders,” which was a reuniting of the living actors from the Batman show from 1966. The panel actually started with a world premiere of the movie, which was filled with the bad puns, innuendos, and leaps in logic the original show is known for. Afterwards, the crew behind the movie, along with star Adam West, took the stage to discuss the movie and answer some fan questions. Unfortunately I was unable to ask Mr. West a question, as the line was way too long and I was way too late. However, just being able to say that I was in the same room as a living legend, one that means a lot to me and my father who love that original show, was awesome. I met another living legend at the con on Saturday, but I’ll save that experience for another article.
The remainder of my time at the con was spent with friends, looking for long out of print comic books, as well as buying myself and loved ones merchandise for Christmas. Overall, I definitely had a fun time at the Con and despite the minor inconveniences of no sitting room, constant walking, and train rides from the underworld, it was an experience I’d happily relive as much as I can.
