"Do you feel loved?" - Bono
So.... that very special time of the year has finally come around again! This year's NYCC has definitely found itself on a vast scale like none other before it, possibly even approaching the popularity and scale of San Diego's Annual Comic-Con on the West Coast. This year has, by very far, been the biggest convention even I've ever been to.... and not to sound like an arrogant dick, but I've been to A LOT (A WHOLE LOT) of comic book conventions in many different states over the past decade and a half.
To start off: Preparing for this convention was the hardest of any other than I've previously attended because of the fact that the majority of my entire comic book collection is currently in storage due to the move from my old apartment last summer. But between having to dig out all of my comics at my lock-up yesterday, sift through the available comics from my room the day before that, and additionally having to adapt to the new train route between the Javits Center and my grandparents' home here in the Bronx, I ended up exhausted before the convention even started today.
And with all of that being said, the day started off pretty decent; I always enjoy listening to the sweet sounds of my most favorite bands - U2, Coldplay, and Nine Inch Nails - on the train ride to wherever I'm travelling to in this metropolis of a hometown. Although I ended up walking from 33rd street & Park Avenue all the way to the convention center on the west side of Manhattan, the long walk continued my yearly tradition of walking to the convention center from the train station.
Once there at the center, I ended up waiting on the line along with a few hundred of the other convention attendees (as I do every year), but after an hour on the line: The convention's inaugural day opened up. And before long, I was in "Artist alley" like a moth to the flame - just like every other convention I've ever attended. Just like a moth to the flame, so to speak.
Two of the high-points in the day came when I finally met former Batman and Nightwing artist Don Kramer (who's also been a MySpace friend of mine for a very long time) in person. He was a very nice man; even went out of his way to reminisce with me about our old conversations over the past few years. Surprisingly, he remembered my name! All in all, though, let's just say this: Two obsessive fans of Supernatural and The White Stripes can talk for hours!
The other high-point of the day came when I made my way over to Scott Hanna's table. A little thing about Scott Hanna and I: We go back a very, very, very long way; he was the very first comic creator I ever met. Ever since I was a little kid, he always made it a habit to draw me a free sketch, but this year it turns out that he'd worked on one for me weeks before the convention even started! As usual, we got to talking about our favorite comics of recent and to my surprise: We both enjoyed the final entry into the Supernatural comic trilogy, as well as the latest Batman Beyond mini-series.
By the of the day, I'd met Larry Hama (The creator of modern-day G.I. Joe), Ryan Benjamin, J.K. Woodward, and Dustin Nguyin for the first time.
In addition, it was really nice to see Amanda Conner once again also.... she's a real sweetheart.
But, yeah, I'm pretty tired right now; Of course, though, my fatigue won't stop me from watching the new episodes of Smallville (which has been surprisingly excellent so far this season) and Supernatural (which never seems to let my high hopes down), but all in all: I had a pretty good day today....
(More tomorrow)
So.... that very special time of the year has finally come around again! This year's NYCC has definitely found itself on a vast scale like none other before it, possibly even approaching the popularity and scale of San Diego's Annual Comic-Con on the West Coast. This year has, by very far, been the biggest convention even I've ever been to.... and not to sound like an arrogant dick, but I've been to A LOT (A WHOLE LOT) of comic book conventions in many different states over the past decade and a half.
To start off: Preparing for this convention was the hardest of any other than I've previously attended because of the fact that the majority of my entire comic book collection is currently in storage due to the move from my old apartment last summer. But between having to dig out all of my comics at my lock-up yesterday, sift through the available comics from my room the day before that, and additionally having to adapt to the new train route between the Javits Center and my grandparents' home here in the Bronx, I ended up exhausted before the convention even started today.
And with all of that being said, the day started off pretty decent; I always enjoy listening to the sweet sounds of my most favorite bands - U2, Coldplay, and Nine Inch Nails - on the train ride to wherever I'm travelling to in this metropolis of a hometown. Although I ended up walking from 33rd street & Park Avenue all the way to the convention center on the west side of Manhattan, the long walk continued my yearly tradition of walking to the convention center from the train station.
Once there at the center, I ended up waiting on the line along with a few hundred of the other convention attendees (as I do every year), but after an hour on the line: The convention's inaugural day opened up. And before long, I was in "Artist alley" like a moth to the flame - just like every other convention I've ever attended. Just like a moth to the flame, so to speak.
Two of the high-points in the day came when I finally met former Batman and Nightwing artist Don Kramer (who's also been a MySpace friend of mine for a very long time) in person. He was a very nice man; even went out of his way to reminisce with me about our old conversations over the past few years. Surprisingly, he remembered my name! All in all, though, let's just say this: Two obsessive fans of Supernatural and The White Stripes can talk for hours!
The other high-point of the day came when I made my way over to Scott Hanna's table. A little thing about Scott Hanna and I: We go back a very, very, very long way; he was the very first comic creator I ever met. Ever since I was a little kid, he always made it a habit to draw me a free sketch, but this year it turns out that he'd worked on one for me weeks before the convention even started! As usual, we got to talking about our favorite comics of recent and to my surprise: We both enjoyed the final entry into the Supernatural comic trilogy, as well as the latest Batman Beyond mini-series.
By the of the day, I'd met Larry Hama (The creator of modern-day G.I. Joe), Ryan Benjamin, J.K. Woodward, and Dustin Nguyin for the first time.
In addition, it was really nice to see Amanda Conner once again also.... she's a real sweetheart.
But, yeah, I'm pretty tired right now; Of course, though, my fatigue won't stop me from watching the new episodes of Smallville (which has been surprisingly excellent so far this season) and Supernatural (which never seems to let my high hopes down), but all in all: I had a pretty good day today....
(More tomorrow)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Montages, the artform thereof, and all subsequent works featured on this blog page are owned by DaiQuan M. Cain and are subject to copyright (#185729-V) under the U.S. Copyright Law of 1976 & the U.S. Library of Congress. Any thievery, unauthorized usage, or infringement of said work(s) and copyright(s) will result in a fine of up to $250,000 or more.