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'Can I Bring My Sword?': Tips for Next Year's Comic Con

February 11, 2009 at 9:31 AM | by cmb | 0 Comments

Jaunted's contributing editor CMB recently attended the New York Comic Con in New York at the Jacob Javits Center. Here's the latest in the world of caped crusaders and masked avengers.

For comic, movie, video game and TV fans, comic cons are a chance to dress like their favorite characters, meet like-minded geeks, get free stuff and then wait in line. New York Comic Con, probably the most popular con behind the big show in San Diego, took place this past weekend and was quite the education for Comic Con virgins like me. I have to admit, this was the first time I attended an event where one of the frequently asked questions in the program guide was “Can I bring my sword?”

Waiting for autographs, panels and screenings is the name of the game at NYCC. It’s exhausting and often causes mass confusion. I was waiting in line to see Seth Green at the “Robot Chicken” Panel on Saturday with about 1500 other fans who had no idea where the line ended or how many of us would get in. An hour and a half later, the doors closed with about 500 of us still outside being shooed away. Other popular panels, like the Warner Bros.’s panel which featured a preview of ”Watchmen” and a Q & A with “Terminator Salvation” director McG filled up quickly, leaving latecomers out of luck.

I talked to a women (in a line of course) who waited more than three hours to get an autograph from Heroes’ Milo Ventimiglia, on hand promoting his own comic book, “Berserker”. Comic Book creator Bryan Lee O’Malley also had fans lining up for an autograph all day long on the convention floor. No one can say geeks aren’t dedicated.

The most popular costumes were the usual suspects, The Joker in all his incarnations, Spiderman, Storm Troopers and Rorschach (the guy wrapped in gauze from “Watchmen”). The best promotional piece at NYCC was definitely the “Dead Like Me: Life After Death” foam toilet seats. The straight to DVD release continues the saga of Showtime’s cancelled series.

One panel I did get into was MTV.com’s “Countdown of the Greatest Movie Badasses of All Time” which included an eclectic panel- Method Man, Judah Friedlander ("30 Rock"), Chuck Nice ("Best Week Ever") and director James Toback. “Dirty Harry” took the top spot which was no surprise as Chuck Nice said, "He was a rogue cop for the right reasons”.

The biggest surprise of NYCC may have come on Sunday when “Lost’s” Daniel Dae Kim showed up for a surprise signing. Rumor has it, Jon Stewart was also a surprise attendee on Sunday but not as a panelist, as a proud dad bringing his son to the show.

NYCC wrapped up with two big panels (literally big, there were more than 2000 fans in each) for “Dollhouse” and “Fringe”. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon was on hand to premiere a 10 minute clip from his latest project, “Dollhouse”, premiering on Fox this Friday. The show is about “the dolls” who have their own personalities wiped out and replaced with new personas so they complete any number of jobs from crimes to good deeds. The crowd was more excited to see Whedon then the clip, as he has a huge cult following.

Immediately following the “Dollhouse” panel, the entire cast of “Fringe” and the show’s executive producer, Jeff Pinker, showed a clip from last night’s episode and addressed some of the mysteries of the show. Pinker explained the strange images that pop up before each commercial break are clues to next week’s show and the overall meaning of the series. Immediately after the panel, the stars of “Fringe” signed autographs for fan, some of whom waited more than two hours, eventually being turned away.

So, as I reflect on my weekend at NYCC, my advice to next year’s crop of newbies is to bring a book, cards, your iPhone and snacks because you’re going to be waiting a while.

Related Stories:
· NYCC [Official Site]
· What You Missed at New York Comic Con [USA Today]
· Back of the Envelope Guide: New York Comic Con [Jaunted]

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