New York Comic Con was last weekend, and the CXF team was there, getting lost in crowds, taking selfies with creators and touching all the same surfaces as tens of thousands of people in a large, enclosed space! Below are a crapload of photos and some commentary on what we saw: the good, the bad and the ugly.
Cosplay
Dan Grote: As ever, the cosplay was inescapable (especiallly if you were press and had to walk through the River Pavilion cosplay corner to conduct interviews or just sit down for a little bit). Loki variants were everywhere, as were Super Mario characters, Mandalorians of all colors, Harley Quinns (but fewer Harley/Joker couples cosplays), Chuckys, Beast Boy/Raven couples cosplays, X-Men, Scarlet Witches, Street Fighters and Spider-people from across the multiverse.
Creators
Adam Reck: Artist’s Alley was the real highlight, with a solid selection of industry stalwarts and up-and-comers sharing their talents. Last year’s trend of paid signatures continued this year with most charging about $5 for their John Hancock. One notable improvement over last year was the ticketed line for Peach Momoko, which led to an orderly and sane wait. The Alley seemed to be drawing just as much attention as the show floor, causing Joe Quesada to move from his booth upstairs down to take advantage of the foot traffic.
Dan Grote: Adam and I both got to interview a number of creators, which you’ll hear soon on upcoming episodes of Battle of the Atom and WMQ&A: The ComicsXF Interview Podcast. I also sat in on a press room for Skybound’s Energon Universe featuring Robert Kirkman, Joshua Williamson, Daniel Warren Johnson, Lorenzo de Felici, Tom Reilly and Sean Mackiewicz. So if you want to know more about their plans for the Transformers and G.I. Joe, stay tuned.
Also, just as an aside, none of us here at ComicsXF were prepared for how handsome Batman artist Jorge Jimenez is in real life. Unfortunately, I don’t have a pic to go with that. HIS HANDSOMENESS BLINDED THE CAMERA.
Comics
Adam Reck: Comics vendors were in surprisingly short supply. You had your normal small batch of boobs-forward DIY pubs, but the established brands were largely absent. Marvel had the center of the floor on lockdown, DC was absent yet again, and no presence of Dark Horse, Oni Press, BOOM Studios and others, leaving Rebellion and Vault as some of the few pubs actually taking up real estate.
Dan Grote: I’ve been banging the drum a lot about how comics have felt more risk-averse than usual, but I think the publishers who chose to come to New York are the ones that are still looking to push the medium forward. Mad Cave was there pushing its middle-grade, young adult and traditional comics lines, plus making announcements about its licensed properties. Vault was promoting its upcoming Headshell line of music-focused projects, including its current Deathstalker project with Slash. Rebellion is making a play for the U.S. market (and low-key announced a couple upcoming collections you can learn more about in the pictures below).
And then … sigh … there was Marvel.
When I tell you the only things I saw people excited about in the CXF bullpen were Peach Momoko on Ultimate X-Men and a Jason Loo Infinity Comic about Marvel Pets, I’m not joking. Pepe Larraz, finally released from the clutches of Mark Millar, being wasted on a vampire event? Criminal. And is that the mansion I spy in the background of that Mark Brooks promo art for Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X? Boooo.
Crap
Adam Reck: Vendors ran the gamut from anime and gaming to your typical merch hawkers, but there were a few bizarre ones, including Ryobi selling power tools (ostensibly for cosplayers?); a booth selling “tactical urban backpacks,” whatever that is; and Lionel trains. Highlights included the Heroes and Villains X-Men themed booth (even if I didn’t love the clothes) and a preview of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day One Piece balloon (which looked tiny in the context of the space).
Dan Grote: I went to buy a brown-and-yellow hat from the Heroes and Villains X-Men display Sunday but was told the physical merchandise wasn’t for sale; you were expected you to scan a QR code at the “Register” and buy online. The display merch wouldn’t be for sale until after 4:30 p.m. Sunday, by which point I planned to leave. Which doesn’t explain why I saw people walking around in clothing from the display.
I also was hoping to buy something from the RSVLTS booth (aka real-life Dan Flashes), but the booth was, first of all, not listed in the program guide so it was impossible to find at first if you couldn’t get on the internet to look up the booth number. Once I finally found the place, I was disappointed to find none of the clothing was on sale, it was horribly organized on two lines of racks and anything I wanted was only available in plus sizes.
Always weird when you want to give people your money and they make it difficult to do that.
Crowds
Adam Reck: Crowds slowly built to untenable amounts by Saturday. Even by the end of Thursday it felt like full capacity. I don’t know what the fire code limit is for the Javits, but it seems like they’re pushing it.
Dan Grote: At its peak, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, it felt like being in ShopRite when it’s crowded. If you stop for an item you need, you’re in the way. If you need a second to remember whether your partner asked for Prego or Ragu red sauce, you’re in the way. You have to keep moving, but in doing so you’re pushed past anything you wanted to see. Normally that’s expected on the vendor floor, but even Artist’s Alley got clogged during prime time. I saw 77-year-old Walt Simonson get absolutely swallowed by the Saturday afternoon Artist’s Alley traffic jam. Hope he made it out of there!
Overall this is the first year where it felt like the Javits drew a pre-pandemic size crowd. Speaking of COVID, I’d say (generously) about 10% of people wore masks. So get tested if you feel crummy the next week or two!
Dan Grote is the editor-in-chief of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Winston Wisdom.
Adam Reck is the cartoonist behind Bish & Jubez as well as the co-host of Battle Of The Atom.
