New York Comicon 2012: Blisters on my Blisters

So, I was in NYC this past weekend working for New York Comicon (NYCC). Here's my report!

Disclaimer: all thoughts and opinions presented herein are solely from the brain of me, myself and I and in no way reflect the views, opinions or concerns of those associated with New York Comicon or ReedPop or any other affiliated companies/individuals. Just saying.

Day one, Thursday :

Before I went to the Javits Center (where NYCC is held), I stopped at my favorite place for breakfast in NYC: Doughnut Plant. Thankfully my hotel was mere blocks from it. If you live in NYC and want to eat organic, hand-crafted doughnuts and drink excellent coffee, you should really check them out. (End mini food review)

Yes, that's right. I have no shame.

It's always a little slow, since Thursday is reserved for professionals and 4-day ticket-holders. Not much went on this day. I walked around the Artist Alley, a huge hanger-style building in its own corner of the Javits Center, said hi to some artists, walked some more, and met my fellow NYCC crew, including the man, the myth, the legend, Mighty Mike Negin. He runs the Artist Alley and also a genuinely awesome human being.

For comparison, here's the Artist Alley before we opened.

I took in a panel after my shift: "Power and Sexuality in Comics." It was a more scholarly panel than I was expecting. It was at times a bit dry but overall very enlightening. I learned about political Mexican comics and how surprisingly (or not so much, depending on who you ask) sexist Marvel is to their female super heroes.

Day two, Friday :

Friday is where the real action starts. The Artist Alley saw some foot traffic, and while it was busy, it wasn't insane as I'd predicted. Don't get me wrong, there were people everywhere, but compared to the insanity that was Saturday, it seemed trivial.

I also had a chance to see some more panels! One of my favorite authors, Kim Harrison, gave a presentation about her Hollows series, which is coming to an end in 2015 (she gave out "Don't Panic" buttons, in what I assume is a knowing wink to The Hitchhiker's Guide). She was an absolute delight, upbeat and just as excited about her novels as us fans. She also answered questions about the Hollows and on writing in general. As an author in the making, I found it very inspirational. The only thing that detracted from the panel was the location, the Unbound Stage. They might have called it the Stage that is Right Next to the Autographing Booths so the Ambient Noise is Dreadful.

The other panel I saw was on upcoming novels. Editors from each publishing house highlighted some new titles and talked a bit about editing as a profession (and it's something I'd totally be amazing at, just ask anyone from my writing workshops). The real reason most of the audience was there was the advance reader copies. Side note: I had so many books by the end of the weekend. My god, so many books.

 I know Emily Haines says we should never meet our heroes, but I respectfully disagree. Because I met Colleen Doran and it was the best thing ever! For those of you not in the know, Colleen Doran is an artist and writer, probably best known for her series, A Distant Soil. But she's done so many other things. I talked to her for a bit and she is such a lovely person.

I also chatted up the adorable Robbi Rodriguez, whose latest comic Frankie, Get Your Gun is my new favorite thing. If you're a fan of Tank Girl, you'll probably dig it.

Speaking of adorable, I visited the boys at Prism Comics and met Sean-Z (Myth, totally erotic and totally NSFW) and Tim Piotrowski (Kool-Aid Gets Fired).

Day Three, Saturday: 

I was fortunate enough to have Saturday off. So instead of hanging at the Con all day, I had lunch with a good friend of mine and walked around Central Park.

But I went back to NYCC later that day for Kim Harrison's signing on the Show Floor (where all the vendors, video game companies, and publishers set up shop). I don't know when I've ever experienced such a crush of people before. The Show Floor was a solid wall of people until I managed to break through the herd and into the center. Luckily I got there on the early side (and having a NYCC Crew pass didn't hurt, either) and I was about 10th in line for the signing, which also included authors Jocelynn Drake, Richard Kadrey, and Brom. Again, Kim Harrison is such a wonderful person. I got my book signed, chatted, and took a photo with her.

And then I died. The end.

I had toyed with the idea of hanging out at the Comicon for the rest of the day, but decided against it on account of all the people. And the sweltering funk of the Show Floor. Instead I had dinner with yet another friend, because I am quite the social butterfly.

Day Four, Sunday : 

After getting my caffeine fix, I went to my last shift at NYCC. Sunday is "kids day" at Comicon, which sounds worse than it is. It was actually a pretty mellow day despite all the people. I helped out a few artists keep their lines in control, including one of my new favorite people, Geof Darrow (no real website to speak of, but here's a tumblr of his work).

I talked to writer Erica Schultz, who, with artist Vincente Alcazar have created a super-cool and sexy spy thriller, M3. Erica also has fucking fantastic taste in boots.

I didn't go to any panels, since there weren't many that appealed to me. Instead I walked the Artist Alley after my shift and talked to/bought stuff from several artists, including Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman), Amy Reeder (Madam Xanadu, Halloween Eve), Peter David (X-Factor, Pulling Up Stakes, and about a billion awesome novels), and JK Woodward (Fallen Angel, man of my dreams). The Show Floor was less insane on Sunday, and I bought more stuff than I had any right to. 

After that, I hung out in the crew lounge until NYCC was officially over. I guess this is where I get all sentimental and talk about how much I loved everyone and yadda yadda yadda. I do feel those things, but I don't get all gushy...except when I'm talking about comic book people, apparently. I didn't get all mushy in my C2E2 recap, and I'm not gonna do it here. Okay, okay, NYCC was one of the best experiences of my life. And that is as mushy as I'm gonna get. Deal with it. 

Now here are some random pictures of cosplayers at NYCC. Enjoy!

One of the more impressive Lokis. And there were Lokis of every iteration.

Nova could boldly explore my...well, you know.

Captain Marvel (formerly Ms) worked it. Probably my favorite.

I think he was someone from Adventure Time? But who cares. Yowza!

Donna Troy, looking hawt.

This Wolverine. My god. Me want.

TANK GIRL. No comment necessary.