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As many of you know, this past weekend the Jacob Javits Center played host to the New York Comic Convention and Anime Festival! You would think the mere fact that some of the top talent in the comics industry being present would be enough to motivate me to go. But to make sure I would make the trip, our EIC Andy did threaten that if I failed to attend he would paint the Buffalo Bills logo on my car and on my kid. So with that, I was on my way to the biggest comic convention on the East Coast, in one of the greatest cities on the planet, in hopes of getting some autographs, meeting some great people, and to see what NYCC had to offer! Unfortunately, our last intern was silly enough to get himself eaten by zombies (I told him splitting up was a bad idea), so I would be doing this trip solo; which was cool with me, since I really didn’t like the guy anyway. So come with me as we get into the amazing day I had meeting creators, Cosplayers, and just having a damn good time!

With this being my first time attending NYCC, the anticipation and prep kept me up most of Friday night, which wasn’t too bad since I had to catch a 5 am train to get to the city (I was coming from the Albany area). Plus, I can sleep on the ride there, which is exactly what I did, and when I woke up my mp3 player was playing a song by Nas called Hero (which seemed very fitting), and I was in Manhattan! When I stepped out onto W 31st the first thing I saw was a large group of Anime Cosplayers getting into cabs, and “Spider-Man” sprinting down the street at full speed. I figured he ran out of web fluid or his spider sense was tingling, but either way it was just funny to see.

After getting a bite to eat, I made my way down W 34th, and soon I was at my destination: New York Comic Con 2010! And from looking at the line forming outside, I was so glad I had my press credentials, which I figured would speed things up for me. Alas, that wasn’t the case, as I was pointed in the wrong direction more times than I cared for. I actually stopped counting after eight. The staff on hand really needed to step their game up, but after a sweet old lady finally got me where I needed to be and I got my pass, I was then redirected to a line that wrapped around the OTHER side of the building. After another half  hour in line we were finally let in, and yours truly was all set to let his inner geek/fan loose on the con floor for the next several hours.

Making my way through the lobby at this point was pretty easy, since the onslaught of fans really hadn’t arrived yet. So, I figured this was the best time to scout the con floor and get my bearings. I grabbed my program and was on my way! It didn’t take too long to see why mostly everyone was gathered around the center of the con floor; there was a very huge and impressive Marvel vs. Capcom 3 display with multiple screens and gaming stations for fans to get a crack at the new game before it comes out next year. If you had any doubts about how this game plays or looks, than take it from me: you’ll be kicking yourself in the ass if you don’t pick this thing up! From this point on, I figured I would just focus on the comic related video games that were scattered about the floor and have some fun! Plus, I figured that since there was a larger Anime fan base present at the moment, that I had some time to kill before going to the various comic company exhibits. Less comic fans meant shorter lines…little did I know what awaited me later in the day.

Marvel had several screens showing off their upcoming Captain America video game, as well as several game stations showing off their upcoming MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game The Super Hero Squad Online. Both looked good, but my attention was diverted when a guy tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I would like to go with him, as he pointed to a door which led to a room. My facial expression must have given away how awkward he sounded, because he quickly told me that it was for a ten minute presentation on SEGA’s Thor. Not wanting to pass that up, I followed the strange man into the room and left minutes later excited about Thor!  In the time I was gone from the con floor, the place had definitely been filling up as it was a lot harder getting to the DC Comics exhibit. I was headed there because I heard a kid yell to his buddy that DC Universe Online was being shown, and since the bad news hit that the game was getting delayed, I figured this was as good a time as any to see what it was about. Since I didn’t get any hands on time, all I can say is that it looks nice! However, the guy standing next to me who smelled like alpaca ass and Axe body spray, turned his nose up to the entire presentation, calling it “cute.” I really wished he would have bathed before coming to the con to stand next to me.

After making it out through that guy’s thick cloud of B.O., I noticed that more and more comic themed cosplayers were arriving, so that also meant that more and more comic fans were arriving. I also knew that if I wasted more time that I’d have to play the standing in line game more than I wanted to when it came time to meeting creators or getting some artwork. So it was time to hit up some of my favorite comic distributors and see what I could come away with.

You’ll see how my ensuing hours play out tomorrow in the next NYCC installment! At that time you’ll find out how a Booth Rep (I hate the term “Booth Babe”) saved me, how Iceman pissed me off, and how my conversation with the legendary Jim Shooter went! ‘Till then I leave you with pictures of lines and an anti-hero with a serious dilemma!

For all things New York Comic Con, click here!

Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net