Monday, February 26, 2007

Comic Con NY - Cause East Coast Geeks Need Love Too



For years, east coast comic book geeks have had to haul a$$ all the way out to San Diego just to get their X-Men and Incredible Hulk fixes at Comic Con. But all that changed last year, with the introduction of New York Comic Con. East coast comic freaks were thrilled, as it meant less money spent traveling, and more money spent on a life size bust of Black Cat (money well spent).

The second annual New York Comic Con took place this past weekend at the Javits Center in NYC, and it was bigger than last year. All the major players in the comics, movies, and toy world were there, including Marvel, DC, Amok Time, Mattel, and Lions Gate (full list here). You see, Comic Con isn't just about comic books - it involves all the major entertainment players. Over the years, the big companies have realized just how much money there is to be made in the comic universe. Unfortunately, that's meant that we've had to suffer through such mediocrity as Daredevil and Elektra, but good things, like the Spiderman movie franchise, have also come from it.

Some big news this year revolved around the 10th anniversary of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV show. Much of the cast, but not Gellar, showed up for a panel on Saturday, to interact with the fans and sign autographs. Some other notables at this year's convention included Stan Lee (wouldn't be a Comic Con without him), Stephen Colbert, Jason Mewes, and Hayden Panettiere - probably the first time a hottie TV cheerleader was within 10 feet of a comic book.

Notable by his absence was Kevin Smith, unless he was hiding somewhere in the back. Smith has been very involved in the comic book world over the years, although he's never really had as much time for it as the fans would like.

Unfortunately, Hasbro was too tied up with Toy Fair to have any major Transformers announcements at the show, but there's still plenty of time for more news to drop between now and July. But Comic Con International (in San Diego) will be in the end of July, after the Transformers movie release, so a large presence there probably isn't a good bet.

Check out all the details about this year's NY Comic Con at the official website here. And truthfully, that stuff I said about one or the other show is nonsense. You're not a true fan unless you hit both. So save those pennies, and sell that autographed hardcover copy of The Watchmen if you have to, but be sure to make it to San Diego this summer, and NYC next winter. Cause you never know when a hot TV cheerleader is going to be at the Con.

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