On Saturday,my budding artist sister and I attended the NYC Big Apple Con,a small but definately not shabby comic book/sci-fi convention. All sorts of vendors,artists and celebs were there,including a vast number of Jedi engaged in battle(you couldn't turn around without bumping into one). I must say that the Imperial Stormtroopers were very friendly and willing to pose for photos with folks.
It was abit crowded but not as insanely hectic as the first NYC Comic Con was at the Javits that time(since they were selling advance tickets for the next one at one of the booths on the weekend,I hope the spacing probelms have been resolved). A good number of current and former comic book artists were present such as Tim Sale,John Romita Sr. and Sergio Aragones,doing sketches and signatures for those eager to have them.
The main artists that we came to see were Stephen Lindsey and Lauren Monardo the mad genuises behind Jesus Hates Zombies which is now being published by Alterna Comics. The second reprint of the JHZ anthology,Those Slack Jaw Blues,will be available this December at a comics shop near you and it would make a great Christmas gift for your friends and family who possess a wicked sense of humor(my sister is one of the Slack Jaw Blues story contributors,so shameless plug alert!).
Stephen and Lauren were absolutely the coolest people we ran into that day,and I'm so happy that the JHZ series is being well promoted. Michael Bracco,another Alterna Comics artist,was there as well and I loved the design that he made for the official JHZ t-shirts,that I just had to get one(another holiday gift idea,folks!).
There were a number of celebrity signings,the biggest ones being Hayden Panettiere(Clare Bennett from Heroes) and Kristen Bell,our former Veronica Mars and current Livewire of Heroes,not to mention the unseen narrator for Gossip Girl. Since the lines to see Hayden were as long as the one Ralphie and his brother waited on to see Santa(plus,Kristen wasn't appearing until Sunday),I declined to join the throng. I did see her from a distance,which was good enough for me. Other celebs that were more easily available included the cast of What's Happening,several scream queens and wrestlers,along with Val Kilmer,who my sis tried to snap a picture of but was denied.
One of best parts of any con are the dealer tables,which give you plenty to look at as well as buy. The most expensive item I purchased was an autographed photo of Zachary Quinto(mmm...love that Sylar!)and the least would have to be a couple of small Batman Returns figures(The Penguin,under an open red umbrella and Catwoman). Speaking of small,I also grabbed a set of Joker and Harley Quinn DC Mini Mates and I would've gotten a Grindhouse action figure but alas,they had sold out of Cherry Darling. I was tempted to buy a Lost Boys Cult Classic version of David,but I barely have room for all of the vampire related collectables I have now. My vampire stuff also shares space with my Jane Austen shrine,so there you go.
There were plenty of decent giveaways,hawking everything from Beowulf to Lair(a new video game that the promoters kept trying to get random fans to have their pictures taken with the free posters). We picked up three different Sweeney Todd posters,a couple of Saw IV lollipops,I Am Legend hospital wristbands(which are hard to remove from your wrist,trust me),Golden Compass mini posters and a poster for Southland Tales. They were giving out posters for Mister Magorium's Wonder Emporium,but I had no use for that(and movie goers this weekend seemed to agree with me).
All in all,the Big Apple Con was really a blast and worth checking out. It's nice to have a comics convention during the fall(I know summer is more convienant for some but I can't stand the humidity)and in an easy to get to location. Everyone got along and had a good time sharing their mutual love of artistic imagination. Wish more such gatherings could happen more often,the world might be a better place for it.
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