NYCC: The NEW YORK COMIC CON Guide to Awesome

San Diego casts one hell of a shadow. There is SDCC, “The Con” and then there are all the others like Wizard World (when they aren’t cancelled), Dragon Con, and New York Comic Con.

On the cusp of its 6th show at the spacious Jacob Javitz Center, NYCC offers fans access to a mix of personalities from TV, film, and comic books. The show also has a massive exhibition floor featuring numerous toy and collectible companies, studios, publishers, and New York/New Jersey retail heavyweights like Midtown Comics and Zapp Comics.

That’s all very impressive, really very impressive but though NYCC gives 100,000 east coasters a chance to wear astonishingly accurate Stormtrooper costumes and astonishingly unfortunate Leia gold bikinis there hasn’t been much to make SDCC attendees jealous, not until about ten days ago.

A showcase for shows and films that have vibrant, faint, and even non-existent ties to the comic book industry, SDCC is where “Gleeks” go to squee; its where Whedonites go to pray, and Trekkies go to pick fights with frackin BSGers.

Most importantly, SDCC is where THE events happen, like the initial debut of the cast of THE AVENGERS and appearances by Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford.

This year, however, it may, MAY be NYCC with the biggest event; an AVENGERS panel at the IGN Theater (the Hall H of NYCC) with fresh footage from the surefire blockbuster and CAPTAIN AMERICA star Chris Evans.

Now armed with a roster that includes panels from THE AVENGERS, THE WALKING DEAD, and TERRA NOVA; with concerts by Kevin Smith and Tom Morrello, and appearances by Chris Evans, Seth Green, Patton Oswalt, Felicia Day, and NO GLEEKS, New York Comic Con may finally be establishing itself as a viable alternative to San Diego.

THE AVENGERS (Saturday 6:30-7:30, IGN Theater)

Here’s the big show, the epic occasion, the dance of kings and all their noxious minions. THE AVENGERS panel, featuring Chris Evans, Chris Evans abs Tom Hiddleston, Cobie Smulders, and the guy from THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE.

The panel will feature never before seen footage and surprise guests. Will those guests be Sam Jackson? Maybe Joss Whedon? I know I’m praying to my dear and fluffy lord but it hardly matters since this is the impossible gauntlet of geeky sorrows and nearly none shall pass. Seriously, give unto me your faith for I speak only truthiness: You and I will not get into this panel unless we ride there on the gilded wings of a flying wish troll but try all you like and please, no stabbing.

THE WALKING DEAD (Saturday 5:15-6:15, IGN Theater)

This is one of those day killer panels that will require remarkable patience and epic bladder control just to gain entrance. Still, a chance to see footage from the almost here second season of the zombie drama and a chance to occupy the same piece of earth as Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, and Robert Kirkman (I don’t think Frank Darabont RSVP’d) might be worth a mild case of uromysitisis.

Jay and Silent Bob Get Old (Friday 7:00-9:00, IGN Theater ADDITIONAL TICKETS REQUIRED)

Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, aka Jay and Silent Bob, aka Gnome Diggity and The Uptown Flyer (that one has yet to gain a footing in the public consciousness) host a dramatic re-creation of their pod cast for your joy and your pocket change. Honestly the extra admission sucks but Smith never disappoints and Mewes is such a scamp so you should go and hear new and exciting curse words, sexual analogies, and further reasons why Bruce Willis kinda sucks.

ROBOT CHICKEN (Friday 5:15-6:00, IGN Theater)

Seth Green returns to NYCC with ROBOT CHICKEN to discuss the coming season on Adult Swim (aka Cartoon Network). He’ll be joined by co-creator Mathew Seinrich, as well as Doug Goldstein and Zeb Wells. This one is always hard to get into so go with God my child.

comiXology Open Discussion: Everything Digital! (Friday 5:15-6:15, Room 1A15)

This one is for capital G geeks who want to learn about the bright and shiny digital future of comics. I’ll have more on the digital future of comics and how it may be a 5 Finger Death Punch to the thorax of the paper comic industry following the festivities. I’ll also likely be in attendance for this one so if you’re there know that I charge $11 for autographs and I no longer sign body parts thanks to a nasty bit of pending litigation.

TERRA NOVA (Saturday 11:00-12:00, IGN Theater)

Series Executive Producer Brannon Braga and stars Jason O’Mara and Stephen Lang discuss the new Fox sci-fi epic. I’m told there will also be a fan Q&A, please be delicate when you ask why the dinosaur CGI on the show sucks so hard, Hollywood types have feelings too.

ATTACK THE BLOCK (Saturday 12:00-1:00, Room 1A22)

Director Joe Cornish and star John Boyega preview the coming Blu-ray and DVD for the critically lauded alien invasion/action flick from the producers of SHAUN OF THE DEAD. Everything at these events is tentative but I am as of now set to get a few words in with Joe Cornish prior to the panel so keep an eye out for that.

Random Anime Things (All of these days that the convention is running, many different places that are large and small)

I know absolutely nothing about anime but NYCC also doubles as an anime festival featuring all sorts of rad things I can’t pronounce or find joy in. Go here to learn more about all of that and if you are disappointed in my barren anime knowledge base we are presently accepting applications.

Dark Horse Presents: 25 Years of Publishing and Beyond (Friday 1:30-2:30, Room 1A15)

The house of Whedon comic book properties, Star Wars, Hellboy, and so much more; Dark Horse comics looks to the future with Brian Wood, Jeremy Atkins, Carla Speed-McNeil (golly I hope that’s her born name), and Senior Managing Editor Scott Allie.

Hasbro: Marvel Action Figures (Saturday 7:30-8:30, Room 1A03)

As a young, round, and tiny matzah ball, I fell hard for the Toybiz version of Spiderman, Iron Man, Captain America, and Howard the Duck (he may have been mail away or a mis-identified Donald Duck PVC) so the re-surgence of 3.75 scale Marvel action figures with Habro’s Marvel Universe line hits me in my happy.

Swing by the panel to see what new and exciting figures Hasbro will be adding to the lineup and if you hear someone let out a Banshee style yell know that an Emma Frost figure has been announced and I am sore throated but quite content.

Meet Me at the Arcade (Friday 11:00-12:00, Room 1A24)

Did you know that coin operated arcades, (like cigarettes, sex shops, and fun) are a thing of the past in Manhattan? Apparently and Henry Cen, Jamin Warren (if ever I change my first name…), Seth Killian, Kurt Vincent will host this panel that looks at the future of coin op gaming, and a bit from Vincent’s documentary, ARCADE. A Q&A will follow.

It’s also worth noting that NYCC has a ton of other interesting video game panels and exhibitors, I just felt like this one was neat-o.

THE HEART, SHE HOLLER (Saturday 5:30-6:30, American Airlines Theater, 1A06)

Man is this panel going to be full of pissed off WALKING DEAD fans. Still Cartoon Network has a live-action deep and dirty south soap opera starring Patton Oswalt and Kristen Schall (DAILY SHOW) and that’s just as good, well, its pretty good.

THE HEART, SHE HOLLER will air on Adult Swim later this fall and this panel promises Oswalt (a bit of a nerd king) and fresh footage from the show. I hear mulleted individuals get free admission to the panel, but they have to wait in line like everyone else, well…not like everyone else, they’re mulleted.

DC All Access: Justice League (Saturday 12:00-1:00, MTV Theater, 1A10)

DC will have a bunch of these All Access panels during NYCC but this one is as good as any to highlight. Featuring Jim Lee, Tony Daniel, and a boat load of other DC comic talent, the panel will discuss The Justice League, and DC’s New 52 universe. I won’t be at this one but if someone could please ask what the deal is with all the little collars I’d be grateful in words only.

Sunday is a classically light day and it’s also Kid’s Day at NYCC. So while few things can enrich the soul like the joy of a child they also tend to be yappy plague monsters and I have no desire to cosplay in a CONTAGION style clean suit so I’ll be avoiding Sunday.

With ALL of that said there are a couple of interesting bits going down Sunday that almost made me reconsider my stance; in particular a panel with the stars of box office hit performer CONAN (who I imagine are there due to contractual obligation) and a panel from Archaia on Jim Henson and his early works at 3:45 in room 1A15.

So you see Sunday isn’t a complete waste, just intimidating due to the free range tiny fisted individuals who always stare at my beardy, corpulent self like I have cookies or presents.

Not jazzed about the above list of panels? Check your pulse and then check out the hundreds, literally hundreds of other panels going down this weekend in Gotham. 

VeryAware has developed an exemplary record of live convention and festival coverage that I am going to surely fuck up in my first attempt at live convention coverage.

Armed only with a smartphone, and my wits I’ll be on the scene at NYCC to people watch, judge, attend panels, and pester the famous all in an effort to fill the barren spots in your existence. Want to feel like you’re on the convention floor with me? Well, you can watch out for the gaggle of articles written by me during the thin seam that will exist between my days as I suck caffeine from whatever source I can find AND you can follow both Very Aware (@VeryAw) and me (@jtabrys) on twitter for a constant, almost annoying stream of updates. If you’re going to NYCC and want to hang out with me, stop it, I don’t love you like that.