Last week New York City once again played host to the biggest pop culture gathering on the East Coast if not the entire country. From Thursday through Sunday fans of movies, TV, gaming, toy collecting, anime, movies and yes, comic books, gathered en masse to celebrate geek culture in all its many forms.
R!S!P! was there and over the next few days we'll be posting a few different Comic Con galleries - this one is the first, and it's basically a look at the size and scope of the show, the different vendors and displays that were set up across the entirety of the massive Jacob Javitz Convention Center and just a general overview of what goes on at NYCC and in turn, why it is such an insanely popular event.
Before the show itself opened, you could clearly see from inside the hall just how many people were waiting (with admirable patience and good cheer) to get inside once the doors opened at 10am. Kind of reminds you of something out of Dawn Of The Dead…
Moving around the venue, the main entrance was done up like the gates to Jurassic Park, the theme music from the movie series piped through the pavilion - kind of cool. There was more to the Jurassic Park tie-in than just that, but we'll get there soon enough.
Cruising through the main hall, we see a lone R2-D2 going for a stroll and then turn around to see the DC Comics set up. Here they were showing off different suits from the upcoming Batman/Superman movie.
DC also had an area setup specifically to attacked young female readers which you can see from this awesome painted staircase! Given that not that long ago seeing a female in a comic book store as akin to seeing a unicorn, it's great to see this. Comics have come a long way in recent years towards becoming more inclusive and this is definitely a part of that.
From there, we walked The Block - this is always one of the more interesting and unique parts of the show. Here smaller, independent vendors are set up selling toys, art and clothing that is a bit more off the beaten path. You're less likely to find Walking Dead shirts here than you are artiser bits and pieces. As we move through The Block and get closer to the main hall, things get more mainstream as made apparent by the BBC Doctor Who booth and the M&M's Star Wars booth (complete with M&M Darth Vadar).
Also in this area was a giant Batman!!
And then there's the WETA booth. With the Warcraft movie in the works, that was the focus of their display. The pictures kind of speak for themselves - amazing detail in the armor here and really fantastic design work. They were also promoting Krampus and Giant Killer Robots!
And then we hit the main hall. HERE you'll find Walking Dead shirts... more than any sane person could probably ever hope for.
And custom Katana's? You can get those too. Katana means Japanese sword.
More STUFF! A Giant inflatable Dalek resting atop novelty license plates, and then moving into the main hall the Magnet Releasing booth promoting films like House Of The Devil.
This charming young woman was peddling fine embroidered fezzes while around the corner was hanging an original Bugs Bunny piece by Chuck Jones.
Heading outside for some fresh air, on the inner roadway was setup a 'Fear Lab' promoting the upcoming Paranormal Activity movie and Ash's cabin to promote Ash Vs. The Evil Dead (for more on that click here).
Back inside and cruising around, it was hard not to stop and stare at some pretty amazing Jelly Belly Star Wars art! These were originally painted pieces and then some very patient soul adhered tiny little Jelly Belly candies in place over top.
More Jurassic Park! This Raptor was set up outside the main hall. If you got to close to him he'd react to you, snarling and jabbing at you.
I dunno what this was all about.
Upstairs there was a display promoting the upcoming release of the new TV series Spotless - all done up like a bloody crime scene!
There was also a Back To The Future display set up that was tough to get to - the crowds were constant for this one but you could see it well enough from the escalator.
One the way out, as you walked towards the subway, there was some neat advertising (rarely will you hear me use that phrase but this was kind of clever) promoting the upcoming second season of Daredevil on Netflix.
And there you go! More tomorrow. Until then, we'll leave you with this…