For one thing, the ceremony and reception were held on West 37th Street, a short distance from the convention. As I exited the cab, I had to chuckle when spotting some light saber-weilding Jedi neophytes migrating east. Then during the cocktail hour, I was surprised to see the groom's cousin, comic book artist Judd Winick (yes, that was him on Real World: San Francisco), was also in attendance. What can I say? The nerd cred just materializes.
Though I'm sure I missed the best costumes and attractions on display at the NYCC on Saturday, I was still happy to bask in my comic book and Japanese toy obsessions on Sunday. As usual, it was great to gossip with friends in the business, see the latest movie trailers and people-watch. (For the full photo gallery, click HERE.)
And for those of you who are more word-oriented, here's a detailed recap of the trends and cultural anthropology that caught my eye as I made my way across the Jacob Javitz Center floor.
WATCHMEN FEVER
With the lawsuit settled and a firm March 6 release date in place, the biggest buzz at the convention was the forthcoming Watchmen movie. A panel and preview of the film was held before a capacity crowd, and people lined up for four hours in advance of artist Dave Gibbons' autograph signing. Bright yellow promotional items, deluxe-edition graphic novels, action figures, props and costumed conventioneers were everywhere.
How cool is this giant chalk drawing?
DUDES IN BODYSUITS
This look goes way beyond standard fanboy behavior—especially since most of the guys who dress up in tight, shiny costumes generally don't have the bodies to fit them. Trust me, seeing The Flash coming was a lot more painful than seeing him going. No homo.
As for the ladies, there were many a Baroness in the house... to various degrees of success [see below].
COSPLAY FAMILIES
I suppose the family that dorks out together, stay together—but the least they could do was pick a unifying theme and stick with it.
...Just like these guys! Blue is a theme, right?
FYI: The foam toilet seat cover around the girl's neck is a promo item for the full-length film version of the defunct Showtime series, Dead Like Me. Apparently its an obscure reference to a death scene in the pilot.
CELEBS LOVE COMICS
All weekend, the talk of the NYCC was about which NY-based celebs were seen perusing the aisles and making unlikely appearances. Everyone from Jon Stewart to Method Man were reported to be in the building. Shit, even the Mastodon dudes were spotted taking light saber lessons on Friday.
The only celeb I spotted was 30 Rock's Scott Adsit. Not too shabby!
SWAG & GIMMICKS RULE
Though I was too antsy to stand on line for a 15-minute demo of the Wolverine video game to get the bonus giant foam clawed hand that came with it, I made sure to get my hands on a Wonder Woman tiara from the DC booth (thanks, Vince!). Exhibitors resorted to all sorts of interactive stunts to grab the attention of the sold-out crowd, including Cinemax, who provided hyperbaric chambers in which anyone 18 or older could watch scenes from their softcore porn/medical series, Forbidden Science.
KID ROBOT STILL MAKES MY NIPPLES HARD
Though I'm balling on a budget these days, I couldn't resist picking up a mini blind-pack Kid Robot toy from their line with Portland artist Ryan Bubnis, Heroes and Heartbreakers. Appropriately enough, I got Lil Franky. I also picked up a Things That Hurt zipper pull (and got a money bag! Hopefully a good omen).
That's the wrap for '09. According to Reed, the company that runs the New York Comic Con, next year's festivities will be pushed back until October 2010. Will we be buzzing about the Preacher flick?
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