So, I went to New York Comic Con this weekend, courtesy of my BFF’s (their word, not mine…I use full words like BEST FRIENDS 🙂 ::HUG:: ) Seth and Erin. Seth was in Germany, doing German things, so I accompanied his lovely fiancee and soon to be wife. This is her in front of “Artist Alley.”
Artist Alley is probably my favorite part of any comic con. It’s where you can meet artists and writers directly, to see their work, buy their wares directly from them without the auspices of being marketed to by any of the big publishers. But I will come back to this. I have other reactions to things to run my mouth about.
There’s a dichotomy at comic con. Between the innocent.
Aaand, stuck together sheets. I don’t mean this in a prudish or conservative way. Purely as metaphor. There are people who come into comic con with an innocent love of characters, simply wishing to express that love in innocent ways of innocence through cosplay (dressing up as their favorite characters) or by buying up ever piece of merchandise with that character’s face on it (I have an extensive Deadpool collection).
Then there’s the folks who are total nerds, angrily masturbating ALL OVER THE PLACE. I apologize to anyone offended by that imagery. Well, no I don’t, cause it’s still part of the harsh truth. For every kid, for every person who is either sincere about a Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or Super Hero character, or the medium of comics, there is an equal amount of pervy pervy people. I saw a vendor with sheets decorated with naked underwater women engaged in all sorts of acts. Do you know who owns those sheets? No, I’m not going to go with “fat nerds who live with their mothers.” That’s easy, and that’s a rather glossy description of PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAD INSIDE. People who have lots of sex do not own those sheets. People who have the ability to love things do not own those sheets.
The other thing. The other thing that gets to me about comic con is the selling. Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, all the other comic book publishers. They’re there to sell the “Next Big Storyline That Will Change Everything.” Video game companies, along with a smattering of movie and television studios also join the fray. It’s obviously part of it, yeah, the selling and the marketing. But they’re losing focus. It’s a criticism that’s been lobbed at the San Diego Comic Con, and it’s something that’s becoming true of the New York Comic Con. DC gave away one comic book. For Arrow. A show based on a comic book. A show based on a comic book called Green Arrow, but apparently color adjectives don’t translate well to television so we get Arrow and a comic called Arrow to help promote a television show based on a comic book. It makes my brain hurt. The comics exist. Just throw in “Based on the comic _______” and see if people come. Don’t try and make one thing like the other, don’t try and be everything to everyone.
So. Artists Alley. It’s my favorite part. In the past, I’ve gone there and bought some independent comics, or some original art. I only bought a few things there this year. Part of it is, I buy digital comics now. The other part was, the focus seemed to be more on selling mashup art (Two recognizable pop culture things blended into one t-shirt or poster. Example: Family Guy + Walking Dead = hundreds of prints sold to people who think that’s hilarious. Full disclosure, I am a sucker for Lost/Gilligan’s Island mashups). There were people selling their books, but the vibe to me felt more like “buy my print” than “buy my book.” Here’s a sampling of what I bought.
A print of a Shining poster, along with posters for Monster Squad and Friday the 13th Part 3. I also bought Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees figures. None of these are comics or comic related. I bought a bunch of horror stuff, and while Comic Con can easily encompass a number of geek and pop culture things, I personally find it troubling that I didn’t really buy any comic book related items.
I had fun with my friend. And I saw some cool stuff. But I didn’t leave feeling excited towards anything comic related. I went into the day completely cold, hoping to find something new and exciting, but most of what I saw was more of the same. I’m not saying I won’t go next year, but I will likely need to plan things better so that I have a better chance of stumbling upon something. And that makes me feel a little weird.
But despite any bit of negativity to this post, I heart Lego Hulk so much. So do these childrens.
welcome to pdk enterprises 