In October of this year I left my native island of the
United Kingdom and made the long trip to New York City for NYCC – This was my 2nd
time attending the convention and my first time attending it without being
incredibly incapacitated by a Big Apple induced hangover.
I attended NYCC on Saturday, which is always the busiest day at any convention.
I attended NYCC on Saturday, which is always the busiest day at any convention.
The pro’s of hitting the Con floor on Saturday:
. The atmosphere is electric, the cosplayers are out in full
force.
. The sheer amount of like minded people makes you feel a
little less weird for getting excited over exclusive toys as a 25 year old man.
. The convention is full swing.
The cons of hitting the Con floor on Saturday:
. Its so busy that its hard to really get a good look at
what you want sometimes.
. You’ll queue for 3 hours for a $12 slice of pizza.
. The stereotype of comic geeks having a certain odour about
them are most definitely apparent.
Over all, I have to say, this convention is a breeding ground for real hardcore fanboys yet maintains more than enough exhibition and merchandise for any level of comic, movie, gamer, anime or Sci Fi fan. As testament, my girlfriend came along for the day and she couldn’t help but enjoy the whole experience. It’s no secret that the fat-cat studios and corps have kidnapped our beloved stories and characters for use on the big screen and gross over merchandising, but NYCC has managed to find the perfect balance between promoting popular culture and a truly geeky experience. For example, you can go and pick up your obscure 1st printing of Captain Britain in Spanish, an indie Manga book and some exclusive Transformers figures, all whilst dressed as a cyber-punk Hobbit and no one will bat a lash . . . but you can also go and pick up a limited Breaking Bad print, a Batman New Era Hat and all the popular Graphic Novels without Fanboys sneering at your lack of true fandom and absence of a homemade superhero outfit.
For me, the balance between these two different types of attendees were truly
brought together in “The Block”, this section of the Con took up a large
section of the floor. It was full of independent artists selling limited works and
adapts of past and current popular cult Film and TV shows, as well as selling
the latest in trending figures and statues, graffiti art and clothing. It was
clearly aimed towards the casual collector who wanted something special and
unique to take from the Con, whilst retaining its roots in anti-culture.
You can’t visit a convention without being utterly astonished by the amount Cosplayers. If you don’t what a Cosplayer is, its basically a more respectable word for the term for “Fancy Dress” Please don’t make the mistake of telling a Cosplayer you love their Fancy Dress, they will most probably swipe at you with there 6 foot paper mache sword or strike a violent pose relevant to said character. It seems that NYCC was no exception when it came to attracting the fantastical, overly happy and seriously dedicated costumed crusaders. Thousands of them . . . THOUSANDS.
Over all, I have to say, this convention is a breeding ground for real hardcore fanboys yet maintains more than enough exhibition and merchandise for any level of comic, movie, gamer, anime or Sci Fi fan. As testament, my girlfriend came along for the day and she couldn’t help but enjoy the whole experience. It’s no secret that the fat-cat studios and corps have kidnapped our beloved stories and characters for use on the big screen and gross over merchandising, but NYCC has managed to find the perfect balance between promoting popular culture and a truly geeky experience. For example, you can go and pick up your obscure 1st printing of Captain Britain in Spanish, an indie Manga book and some exclusive Transformers figures, all whilst dressed as a cyber-punk Hobbit and no one will bat a lash . . . but you can also go and pick up a limited Breaking Bad print, a Batman New Era Hat and all the popular Graphic Novels without Fanboys sneering at your lack of true fandom and absence of a homemade superhero outfit.
You can’t visit a convention without being utterly astonished by the amount Cosplayers. If you don’t what a Cosplayer is, its basically a more respectable word for the term for “Fancy Dress” Please don’t make the mistake of telling a Cosplayer you love their Fancy Dress, they will most probably swipe at you with there 6 foot paper mache sword or strike a violent pose relevant to said character. It seems that NYCC was no exception when it came to attracting the fantastical, overly happy and seriously dedicated costumed crusaders. Thousands of them . . . THOUSANDS.
Gender is no boundary.
Inanimate objects are no problem.
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| IRON THRONE COSPLAY - MUST WATCH |
Artist Alley this year was moved into its own hall. In it,
sat hundreds of talented pencil-man, creatives and writers. I had the pleasure
of meeting the creators of two of my favourite books. Chew and Revival. All
artists were happy to sketch, sign, chat and have a laugh. The mutual love for
comics and animation was apparent by the light hearted yet buzzing atmosphere.
Conventions in the UK seem to push the Artists to a back corner, literally, in
an alley. We should be taking a leaf out of NYCC’s book and give these guys a
prime spot, after all, they are the reason we are all here. They created the
Characters we have all grown to love and will create future titles, hero’s and
worlds for us all to obsess over.
In a nutshell, NYCC seems to have organised and staged an
impeccable place of pilgrimage for any fan, of anything, within the realms of
TV, Film and Comics. San Diego will forever be known as the “mecca”, but I can
safely say that if the organisers of NYCC keep this delicate balance of fun and
business. It will surpass your experience of any Convention by having nothing
but respect for its Artist’s and Fans that make it all so awesome.
I hope you enjoyed the read and this has made you think about taking a day out to visit a convention in your city. I'll be visiting the Majority of London based conventions in 2014, but if things come together nicely . . . SAN DIEGO!
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