New York Comic-Con 2026 – Friday

09 Oct 2026 3 Comments

by Clare in Books, Comics, Cons Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Friday saw me again traveling into New York City for my second day of Comic-Con this year. It was noticeably busier today even as people queued to wait for the doors to open. Once inside, I went directly to the Penguin Random House table to pick up a ticket for the book giveaways and signings I wanted. I made it there in plenty of time and received tickets for two of the books that looked the most interesting to me. Then I scanned a QR code at Simon & Schuster to enter their drawing.

Promotional banner for 'The Apothecary Diaries' featuring a character with blue eyes and long hair, set against a colorful background with flames, displayed at an event.
There is a lot of anime here. This is the show my husband is currently watching.

From there I went to wait in line for my first panel – cozy fantasy!

Let’s Get Cozy Panel

This panel focused on cozy fantasy and the first question asked of the panelists was on how they defined this subgenre and what it meant to them. They all mentioned similar themes: hope and joy, what it means to be happy, healing from past trauma, and finding your people and community. They want to be able to go to sleep without being stressed out about tension from reading a book.

Panel of six female authors at a Comic Con event, seated behind a table with books displayed, discussing literature.
Left to right: Sarah Beth Durst, Autumn K. England, Rachel Griffin, Morgan Elizabeth, Meg Cabot, and Jess Lee (moderator).

Each author was asked to reflect on some books they have read that were cozy fantasy before this was thought of as a genre. They mentioned The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip (my review is here), and Anne McCaffrey’s Harper Hall trilogy (paid links). Sarah Beth Durst stated that her idea of cozy fantasy is when you start with The Lord of the Rings but don’t leave the Shire and just have second breakfast.

The authors were then asked about how they create their worlds. Autumn stated that they are a strict outliner and plan a lot overall… except for the worldbuilding. They make that part up as they write and then smooth it out in rewrites. Rachel starts by thinking about her main character and how she relates to the world around her. The two more contemporary authors (Morgan and Meg) joked that they didn’t want to do worldbuilding and they just threw magic into our world. Morgan tends to set her stories in New Jersey and loves things that are relatable for people.

In contrast to these authors, Sarah Beth Durst wanted to be a fantasy author for her whole life and plunges deeply into her worlds. She loves the process of worldbuilding and has a rule of awesome in which she keeps adding awesome things to her worlds.

A group of six women posing together in front of a New York Comic Con backdrop, smiling and wearing badges.
After the panel

I wished they had had a deeper discussion of how to create conflict and tension within a story when you’re writing cozy fantasy, but what I did take away was to intersperse tense scenes with more cozy ones.

I took a break for lunch after this and visited the food trucks outside. Then I made a random circuit through the show floor once more before moving on to another panel.

Three books displayed on a dark surface: 'Silvercloak' by L. A. Steven, 'The Magic We Made' by Meg Cabot, and 'Meet Cute Magic' by Morgan Elizabeth, all featuring signed editions.
Silvercloak was from a giveaway/signing, and the other two books were by authors in the cozy fantasy panel.

Terry Brooks In Conversation

This next panel was focused on Terry Brooks, the author best known for the Shannara series. Several other authors accompanied him in this panel and it turns out they were all writers who grew up reading and were mentored by Brooks.

As an aside, I’ve apparently been pronouncing Shannara wrong for decades. Sha-naaar-a is how it has always been in my head. But the author himself pronounces it with the accent on the first syllable and then the rest of the word is said pretty fast. During the panel they surveyed the room to find out that my version was prevalent, and Terry Brooks has resigned himself to how the majority of the fans pronounce it.

A panel discussion at a comic convention featuring five speakers seated at a table in front of a branded backdrop.
Left to right: Katherine Arden, Sarah Beth Durst, Delilah S. Dawson, Terry Brooks, and Peter V. Brett.

Each author related stories of how Terry Brooks influenced their own journey into writing fantasy. Peter Brett read The Wishsong of Shannara in his parents’ attempt to have him enjoy something beyond comic books. When he sold his first book he was able to choose between a few publishers and chose Del Rey because that was who published Terry Brooks.

Sarah Beth Durst met Brooks at a poorly attended book signing and was able to spend 45 minutes quizzing him on how to write fantasy. Katherine Arden picked up Brooks’ novelization of The Phantom Menace without knowing anything about Star Wars, prompting her father (a huge fan of Terry Brooks) to show her all of his other books.

An elderly man smiling while sitting at a table with a microphone, during an event at New York Comic Con.
Terry Brooks

When asked how he came up with the world of Shannara, Brooks’ initial response was to deadpan, “I don’t know.” He then elaborated on how his entire family read a lot, but a stint in debate club drew him into becoming a lawyer, professionally. He didn’t enjoy this practice and started to write fantasy on the side. After an initial acceptance at Del Rey and multiple rewrites, The Sword of Shannara was a best-seller. His editor, Lester Del Rey, wouldn’t let him quit his legal practice until he had two more books on the best-seller list, so he kept writing.

His early writing was heavily inspired by Tolkien, but as he worked on later books, he created more unique aspects to his world that strengthened his books. Brooks shared that one of the greatest criticisms he received about The Sword of Shannara was that it contained few women. He took this to heart and worked to ensure women featured equally as central characters.

Finally, Terry Brooks’ final advice during the panel was to read a lot – both in the genre and outside of it – for anyone who wants to be a writer. He also stressed how important it was to support new writers (as evidenced by those on the panel). He always tried to engage younger writers by asking about their books, then later reading them and letting them know that he enjoyed them, even providing blurbs for their first books.

Last Few Acquisitions

The afternoon was open for me to wander and peoplewatch. This cosplay of Monoco (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) was amazing! I saw a ton of other great individuals and groups, but couldn’t get photos of most of them. I wandered for a while and had a passionfruit boba tea. Then I shopped a little more before finally sitting down to rest and type up some of this post.

A person in elaborate costume resembling a mystical creature, featuring a furry cape, a dark face with intricate designs, holding a bell and a staff, standing on a convention floor.
This Monoco cosplay from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was soooo good!

I went back to the show floor one more time to pick up a second book from a giveaway/signing. Somehow I ended up with four more books instead of one, but these things happen.

A stack of five books with visible titles and authors, arranged from top to bottom: 'Conform' by Ariel Sullivan, 'A Date with Death' by Kelly Creagh, 'Perilous Enchantment' by Sarah Clegg, 'The Sun and the Starmaker' by Rachel Griffin, and 'Beneath' by Ariel Sullivan.
Yes, there are five books. I forgot to put The Sun and the Starmaker in the earlier photo.
A close-up of a hand displaying two rings: one with a crescent moon and star design, embellished with blue stones, and another featuring small, clear diamond-like stones in a zigzag pattern.
A close-up of a gold chain necklace featuring a pendulum-shaped pendant with a dark gemstone, accented by two small purple stones at the base.
A few licensed items based on the books of Sarah J. Maas.

TORN and LotR Fan Club Party

After the events of the day, I went to a party and raffle sponsored by TheOneRing.net and the Lord of the Rings Fan Club. This was held at a nearby bar and had plenty of room for the group. I met a couple of other fans, bought raffle tickets, and examined the neat items in my gift bag.

I didn’t win anything in the raffle, but it was entertaining. I might have stayed to socialize longer but I was so tired that I needed to head home.

Various collectible items including 'The Lord of the Rings: The King's Gambit' Witch-King figure, an enamel pin, a Khazad-Dum National Park patch, and 'The Witcher: Wild Hunt' School of the Wolf keychain.
A man in a grotesque mask and a blue t-shirt holding a trophy stands beside a woman with long, wavy hair in a dark outfit and a cape, both posing for a photo at a costume event.
Some items from the gift bag. And awards acceptance required wearing the Lurtz mask. Sexy Gandalf was also involved.

After two long days I was exhausted so I’m almost glad I’m not going back for Saturday or Sunday. I’ll have to look forward to next year instead!

Were you at Comic-Con this year? Have you been in the past? Let me know in the comments.

New York Comic-Con 2026 – Thursday

09 Oct 2026 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Comics, Cons Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Thursday brought me into New York City for the first day of Comic-Con. I love Thursday at the con because it is the day with the fewest crowds and still has enought good content to be worthwhile.

Arrival and Priorities

I feel like either I arrived at the Javits Center earlier this year, or there were fewer people in attendance because I was closer to the front of the crowd than usual.

The opening queue on Thursday.

I thought that going to the show floor first would be a good idea, but it was actually quite crowded with the rush of people who wanted to get to specific booths for giveaways and demos. I had already researched the book giveaways, and the publishers have mostly changed their systems so that there is no need to wait in line ahead of time to get into the signings and giveaways you want. I scanned a QR code and put my email address in a form and made a note of whether I was interested in any specific signings otherwise. I missed the tickets for the T.J. Klune signing which is one I would have liked. Oh well!

Then I walked down to the family area to sign up for adult Jedi training. That was easy, with no line, and I bought some raffle tickets to support Make-A-Wish Foundation. I was happy that they let adults sign up for this sort of thing and not just the kids.

The gaming area was across the hall and I wandered in there to find that Dungeons and Dragons games were being held every 2 hours. I signed up for one at 7 p.m. The rest of the gaming area was rather deserted this early in the morning, although the Warhammer Experience was completely booked all weekend. They said that I could see if anyone failed to show up, so we’ll see if I feel like doing that at all.

I took advantage of the plentiful seating to have a pre-lunch snack and then wandered Artist’s Alley before a panel at 12:15 p.m.

Astarion / Baldur’s Gate 3 Panel with T. Kingfisher and Neil Newbon

I was excited to get into the panel for the new book by T. Kingfisher that is a prequel / backstory for the Baldur’s Gate 3 character, Astarion. In attendance were Kingfisher and Neil Newbon, the voice actor who gave life to Astarion in the game and was also brought on to narrate the audiobook.

The moderator had prepared questions (of course), and I’ll put the most interesting parts of the panelists’ answers below. One of the first things that they discussed was how the book came about and how they became involved in the project. Kingfisher was approached to write the book and took some time brainstorming the plot with the publisher and the Wizards of the Coast reps. She had to follow several ground rules and spent time digging into obscure D&D lore.

For Newbon, he wasn’t aware of the book until a few months ago. This was his first audiobook he has performed, but was the obvious choice for the narrator.

T. Kingfisher (left), Neil Newbon (right)

Kingfisher had to approach the character of Astarion differently than the one from the game. As a prequel set roughly 50 years prior to the events of the game, Astarion is not the same person that we meet there. She had to work to make Astarion less nice than she was naturally inclined to do, and she had to write his part as a more melodramatic character than her typical work.

Neal spent some time explaining his use of accents for the audiobook and how he was mentored by the great Roy Dotrice. He chose a more neutral accent for narration and then others for the secondary characters. He doesn’t choose favorites with his characters, but did say that Astarion meant a lot to him.                                 

Kingfisher talked about how she builds characters. She doesn’t write out character sheets but often first hears the characters in their dialogue. Her favorite character to write for this book was Rooftop Henry.

As anyone who has played the game knows, Astarion has suffered trauma before we meet him in-game. Kingfisher was not allowed to write a happy ending for the book because she had to make it work with how he starts the game. She did discover a lot of deep lore in regard to vampires and the undead in her research.

There was more, but I don’t think I can do justice to the banter and humor in the panel. I was entertained and time ran out before I knew it. I waited in line for the T. Kingfisher signing and then moved on to explore the show floor.

Wandering the Floor for Books

I browsed the tables at the main publishers that were in attendance, chatted with a friend, and then headed to pick up a giveaway that I had won.

By the end of the day I picked up only three books. Two were free ARCs and one was a book that has been highly recommended and was nominated for a Hugo for Best Novel.

The two ARC giveaways look like they are both variations on the romantasy genre. I’ll  have to squeeze them into by reading plans somehow.

These are the books I acquired on Day 1:

  • Soul Sworn by Kate Dylan (ARC)
  • The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
  • Merciful Carnage by Sara Hashem (ARC)

On to Become a Jedi

It was then time to head over for my session of Jedi training. This was an intro to the style of stage combat the the Saber Guild does and was a small class of eight people.

We were paired up and did some drills to explore the attacks and parries. It was fun and I had a good partner and I feel like we could have done some more advanced moves. However time went by and I had to move on.

More Wandering and Shopping

I had more free time before the D&D game so I wandered back to the show floor and did some shopping.

I picked up a pair of Eye of Sauron earrings, a cat necklace and earrings from a Japanese artist that I like, and this cute little plant. Not shown are the elf ears that I plan to wear on Friday.

Dungeons and Dragons to End the Day

It was already a long day, but I wrapped it up with a short game of Dungeons & Dragons as my last event at Comic-Con for the day.

The DM definitely rushed some parts of the adventure to get us through it, but it was fun and all the players were creative.

We defeated the bandits and their mage then vanquished the shadow monster in the basement.

By that point it was 9 p.m. and time to head home. I’ll be back for Friday!

New York Comic-Con 2018

13 Oct 2018 5 Comments

by Clare in Books, Comics, Cons, Movies, TV, Writing Tags: , , , , , ,

 

I’m finally recovered from my days spent attending New York Comic-Con this year, so I thought I’d write a quick recap.

Unlike last year, I only had tickets for Friday and Sunday, and ended up working on Saturday, so I missed a couple of panels and guests that I would have liked to see. I still had a great time with just two days!

Exploring on Friday

So for Friday, I only had two panels that I was interested in, and those were both late in the day. My train getting in to the city was delayed, but I wasn’t in a hurry. When I did get over to the Javits Center, I headed to the show floor first to scope out the book publishers. That didn’t take me long because they’re in the same general area every year. I found out who was going to be signing books and made decisions about which ones I’d be back for.

Then I explored the floor in a random pattern. Much of what is on display at Comic-Con is the same from year to year. In the past I had methodically walked up and down every aisle. This time, I just went in whatever direction interested me. I looked at some graphic novels from Stephen King (Gunslinger), Game of Thrones collectibles, superhero art work, porg toys, and some fun socks. In the end, I only bought three more of The Walking Dead collections on that round through the hall.

Crowd

Next up was a visit to Artist’s Alley. This location shifted again this year, and was in a much better place than last year: on the lowest level where they formerly had autographs and photo ops. This space allowed wider aisles to accommodate the crowds. I wandered through half of the aisles, met up with a friend, and then bought another comic I had had my eye on.

I headed out for a quick lunch, and for Friday, at least, the lines weren’t bad at all in the cafeteria. I even found a seat with a table! After that, I bounced back and forth between book signings, wandering, and people watching.

DragonballZ

The first book I picked up at a signing was Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, which is the first in a series. Second for the day was The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, also the first in a series. I made a pretty good circuit through the show floor in between these signings, and then headed to my first panel.

Day 1 of Panels

Art & Arcana: The Visual History of Dungeons & Dragons sounded interesting, but it was held in a small room where I couldn’t get a seat near the front. This was a promotion for an upcoming book, but I couldn’t see most of what they had on screen, so I was disappointed.

I ended up in another panel because I was in line early for A Discovery of Witches. This one was for Tell Me a Story, a new television show coming out soon on CBS All Access. This show takes three classic fairy tales and uses the ideas in those to weave a story set in our era in New York City. The panel consisted of a viewing of a short clip from the show, then a discussion with the cast. From the little that they were willing to reveal, this fairy tale won’t have a happy ending.

TellMeAStory

The next panel for me was for A Discovery of Witches. This is the name of the first book in the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness, and also a new television series. I’ve read the first book in the series and enjoyed it, but haven’t had time to get to the rest of it. Nevertheless, I’ve had my eye on the show since I first heard about it.

This panel was a viewing of the first episode of the show, followed by a brief question and answer session with the author. I liked the characters in the show and the details of the book instantly started to come back to me as I watched. It was a little slow to get started, but I was interested enough in the series that I wanted more. The series has already premiered in the UK, and will be available in the U.S. in January on both Sundance Now and Shudder.

Day 2 – More Panels and Shopping

I made it back to the Javits Center on Sunday for the rest of my Comic-Con excursion. I planned on two panels and a bit more shopping. I looked at book signings again, but no one that I was interested in had a signing at a time I was available.

Spidey

My day started out with more time in Artist’s Alley. Then I met a friend for a photo op before heading to my first panel: America’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers. This panel was intended to feature this year’s volume of the America’s Best series for speculative fiction. Guest authors on the panel included Carmen Maria Machado, Charlie Jane Anders, and Maria Dahvana Headley. Guest editor N. K. Jemisin and series editor John Joseph Adams rounded out the group.

Moderator Matt Kressel led the panel in a discussion of the process of choosing the stories for the anthology, the specific stories by the authors in attendance, and general questions about writing. I haven’t been reading many short stories lately, but I may need to check out this book.

The last panel that I attended was the Science or Fiction panel. This was advertised as a discussion of sci-fi movies, focusing on which aspects were science-based, and which were pure fiction. The guests on the panel included the members of the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast, as well as Bill Nye (the Science Guy).

I had seen Bill Nye last year, so I wasn’t desperate to get into this panel to see him specifically, but I was interested in the subject. Apparently everyone else also was, and it was a packed room. I was one of the last people to make it in!

Delorean

It turns out that the podcast regularly discusses science in popular media, and they rate movies on a system based around the film Prometheus. While many people liked this movie, I thought that it was so bad that I couldn’t even finish watching it. I agreed wholeheartedly with their system of ratings.

Several movies were mentioned in this panel: Gravity, The Martian, 2001, Interstellar, Armageddon, Star Wars, and Arrival. After the panel, I was able to pick up a copy of the panel’s new book, and had it autographed by all of them.

Overall, I felt like I was able to see most of Comic-Con this year, even though I only had tickets for two days. It helped that I was already familiar with how the even was run. I didn’t take as many cosplay photos this year, and I probably bought more books than I needed. But I’ll be back again next time.

Book Review – Artemis by Andy Weir

07 Nov 2017 1 Comment

by Clare in Books, Cons, Reviews Tags: , , ,

I had a chance to read an advance copy of Artemis, the new novel by Andy Weir, author of The Martian. Like his earlier book, Artemis is set in the fairly near future and is written with an emphasis on getting the hard science right. Unlike The Martian, Artemis employs a larger cast which gives the protagonist a direct interactions with other characters.

artemis cover

The story follows Jasmine (Jazz) Basheera, a young woman who has lived on the moon base of Artemis for almost her entire life. After an incident with her father and law enforcement, she is on her own, working as a type of courier, transporting goods around the base. Jazz is innovative and smart and has also set up a smuggling operation to help net her some extra cash.

When an eccentric billionaire asks her to destroy important equipment in return for a fortune, Jazz cannot refuse. Of course, her caper does not go as planned and there is more to the billionaire’s plan than she was told. The plot accelerates from there as Jazz is hunted by a vicious enforcer while trying to escape discovery by officials on the moon. Her personal life is also a disaster, and all of these aspects come together in a fast-moving and unpredictable conclusion.

I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and I particularly appreciated the scientific rigor of the moon base and the elements vital to the plot. The opening was slightly slow to set the stage for me, and everything kept going right for Jazz for a bit too long. However, her sarcastic personality kept me reading, and once things go wrong for her, they went massively wrong.

The book is structured with short letters between Jazz and her childhood pen pal interspersed with the rest of the narrative. These weren’t very interesting at first, but became a clever way to explain some of Jazz’s personal history, and eventually became relevant to the plot.

While the ending wrapped up the caper nicely, I think that it was somewhat unbelievable as far as Jazz’s resolution goes. If you’ve read the book, let me know what you think in the comments, as I don’t want to put spoilers up here.

I also had a chance to visit the Museum of the Moon while I was at New York Comic-Con last month. This was a promotion put on by Audible for the audiobook release of Artemis. They had some props from the book on display which I’ll share below. The museum also featured a gigantic realistic moon by artist Juke Jerram.

20171007_182200

Jazz’s EVA suit

 

20171007_182226

Most of the inhabitants of Artemis eat Gunk.

 

20171007_182627

The Moon – created with NASA imagery.

NYCC 2017 – Day 4 (Sunday)

09 Oct 2017 Leave a comment

by Clare in Comics, Cons, TV Tags: , , ,

Well, Comic-Con is over for another year and Sunday was a more relaxed day for me as I had already seen most of what I had come to see. However, I still found plenty to keep myself occupied.

Every time I had tried to browse Artist’s Alley, it had been too crowded to really enjoy it. But I went through on Sunday morning, and it wasn’t so bad. I was finally able to wander and see the art on display. I picked up a couple more comics as well (couldn’t help myself).

giftedpanel

The only panel I attended on Sunday was for The Gifted – a new television series on Fox, set in the X-Men universe. I had watched the first episode, so at least I was oriented to the series. Fans got to watch the beginning of the second episode and then hear from the cast. I’ll have more on this panel posted over at BSCKids later in the week.

scooby

I spent some time people-watching, taking photos, and then met up with friends for an after-party. NYCC was an amazing (but exhausting) weekend and I’m looking forward to doing it again next year.

NYCC 2017 – Day 3 (Saturday)

08 Oct 2017 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Comics, Cons, Movies, space, Star Trek, TV Tags: , , , ,

Whew, day 3 went fast! I felt better today, despite two previous days of riding the train, walking to the Javits Center, and exploring Comic-Con while carrying a bag of camera stuff, comics, and books.

artist alley

Today I had two must-see panels: The Shannara Chronicles and Star Trek: Discovery. I made sure to get in line in plenty of time for Shannara, which meant that I also saw the preceding panel: The Tick.

I used to watch The Tick animated show years ago, so I wasn’t unhappy to get to see that panel, even though I was not familiar with the television show. All the panels were fun and entertaining again today. I was able to get a sneak peek of the upcoming seasons/episodes for all of them.

shannara.jpg

I wish that I had had a chance to watch more of Star Trek: Discovery before attending that panel, but there are only so many hours in the day, and I just didn’t get to it. Despite that, the panel was fun, and Michelle Yeoh made a surprise appearance at the end, sneaking in as an attendee who was there to ask a question.

Of course I again spent some time wandering through the main exhibit hall and Artist’s Alley. To finish out the day, I went to The Museum of the Moon – an exhibit outside of the official Comic-Con activities. This was a promotion for Andy Weir’s new book, Artemis, but was not far from Javits. The museum features “props” from the book, such as a space suit, a collection of contraband, and Gunk – a flavored algae product that the poorer inhabitants of Artemis must eat. At the center of the exhibit was the moon. This was a 3-dimensional representation of our moon, made of high-resolution digital images of the surface, and incorporating the elevations on the surface.

the moon

There’s one more day to go, and I’m through. That’s okay though. I’m not sure my feet can handle much more.

NYCC 2017 – Day 2 (Friday)

07 Oct 2017 Leave a comment

by Clare in Comics, Cons, Movies, TV Tags: ,

Well day two is over, and I survived. It was another grueling day of walking, lines, panels, walking, and more lines. Although I think that moving some of the larger panels off-site has helped to reduce the crowds.

wwcar

There weren’t any must-see events for me today, so I spent some time wandering the show floor. I managed to snag a pre-release copy of Andy Weir’s new book, Artemis by using a tip from one of my friends (it involved a secret phrase).

Square Enix had a large booth, so I stopped by to investigate their offerings. I trialed some of their video games and then moved on to shop for comics. I picked up two more volumes of Saga and the first two Walking Dead comics. (I’m still working my way through Bone and recently bought Watchmen, so I have a bit of reading to do!)

robot

Finally I made my way to panels later in the day:

  • Hulu and Seth Rogen’s Future Man
  • SYFY Wire Fangrrls Presents: Badass Women of Sci-Fi

Both were good, but I was too tired to stay for more after that. Another long day awaits me on Saturday!

NYCC 2017 – Day 1 (Thursday)

06 Oct 2017 1 Comment

by Clare in Books, Comics, Cons, Movies, Uncategorized Tags: , ,

Today was the start of New York Comic-Con, held at the Javits Center, and this year – at several other venues around the city. I’m going to try to write a brief report on each day. But – I’m pretty tired already tonight, so this will have to be quick.

I had to skip NYCC last year, so I was curious to find out what had changed since I had last attended. This was also the first time I’ve been to NYCC on a Thursday. I expected it to be less crowded on Thursday, and I think that was a fair assessment. Lines were long, but not that bad.

show floor

I started the day at Will Call because my ticket never made it to me in the mail. I had heard horror stories of 4-hour lines, but I had no such problem, with no wait at all. Unfortunately, I had to then leave the building and walk around to another entrance to officially go in.

I went to a few panels today:

  • Todd McFarlane Talks Movies, Comics, and Toys!
  • Audible Presents: Artemis – A Conversation with Andy Weir and Rosario Dawson
  • Keanu Reeves Discusses Replicas

FF game

All the panels were good and kept me entertained. I don’t have the energy to go into more detail right now though.

The show floor at NYCC is enormous, so I spent some time wandering there. I bought some strange collectibles and scored a couple free books. After only a short line, I was able to see some of the props from Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I even caught a glimpse of Adam Savage (Mythbusters) at the end of one of his events for the weekend.

domo

Tomorrow is another day, and I’m sure I’ll discover more awesome things at NYCC!

NY Comic Con 2013

16 Oct 2013 5 Comments

by Clare in Cons Tags: , , ,

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to spend my Friday at Comic Con in New York City. I had attended smaller cons before, but this was my first chance to experience such a vast event. By the time I made plans, I was only able to purchase a single day ticket for Friday. Apparently if you want the three-day pass, you need to buy one by Memorial Day weekend. This was also the first time that I wore a non-renn fest costume to anything like this.

Entrance to the main floor.

Entrance to the main floor.

Comic Con is held at the Javits Center, a massive conference facility on the west side of Manhattan. I rode the train in from New Jersey, arrived at Penn Station, and stumbled out into daylight, hoping that I could find my way through the city streets. Fortunately, Batman was there to guide me. In fact, there were many cosplayers assembled outside of the train station. I knew that we were probably headed to the same place, so I followed Batman and friends.

The workers at the con guided everyone through the entrance lines, and I passed through prop check and into the Javits Center. I began my exploration by wandering like a lost puppy. There were overhead signs to guide you to the important rooms – the main floor, the autograph and panel area, the main stage, and artist’s alley. I found a lanyard and a program and drifted through the main floor, where booths stretched across a vast hall. There were so many things to see – comic vendors, toys and figures, artwork, and costumes. You could also find book publishers, video and tabletop games, and signings.

Zorg and Ruby Rhod from The Fifth Element

Zorg and Ruby Rhod from The Fifth Element

I had been forewarned that there would be a line for the panels or any special session, so I made my way over early to see Jerome Flynn who plays Bronn in Game of Thrones. The wait gave me a chance to flip through the program and orient myself as to what I wanted to see. An hour passed quickly and I found a seat. Jerome Flynn was running late, but soon arrived and kept the room entertained, providing a glimpse of his experiences on the show and answering fan questions.

You could buy a wookie bath robe!

You could buy a wookie bath robe!

 

 

 

I spent most of the day working my way through the main floor, people-watching, shopping, and just soaking it all in. The main hall was so large, that it was almost closing time when I reached the end. However, Artist’s Alley was open a bit later. I couldn’t leave without taking a look at that. While not as enormous as the main hall, this was still a huge space, and I wish I had found it sooner. Artist’s Alley was lined with rows of tables and was filled with small and independent comic artists and writers. I’ll have to plan more time to explore this area next year.

One thing that I hadn’t prepared myself for was to answer to my character’s name. It was rather amusing to be asked to stop for a photo with someone, then have them react to my character. I cosplayed Daenerys from Game of Thrones, and I received a lot of encouragement to seize the Iron Throne.

This Wonder Woman was spot on.

This Wonder Woman was spot on.

The only downside to my time at Comic Con was that I felt a little sad that I wasn’t more familiar with comics. I’m going to try to attend the con again next year, so in the meantime, what comics should I start reading. What are your recommendations?

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