The first New York Comic-Con gets a thumbs-up from yours truly; the location is fairly convenient for us and the degree of costume-wearing is pretty low.
That's not to say that the convention was run perfectly. It was so oversold that Fire Marshalls and State Police barred entry by paid badgeholders for several hours on Saturday, including Your Humble Cartoonist. But being well attended is far from the worst problem a con can have, and things went well for the most part. I did notice a high turnout from networkers and business-types; people were definitely there looking for new properties to exploit. For those of you who enjoy exploitation, this would be the con for you.
Highlights:
- People kept bringing Andy action figures to draw on. This man is leading a charmed life, I think.
- We dragged the BLC guys out for beers and miniburgers at Puck Fair and managed to personally insult just about every one of them. Brad, please accept my apologies for my boorish behavior, I am sure that your acid-washed jeans will soon be at the height of fashion once again. I applaud your forward-looking sense of style.
- Someone came by the booth and reminded me about Liz Groenveld's Stuff Sucks. Ms. Groenveld's beautiful artwork and tight, clever writing are worth checking out.
- We drank a metric shitload of Red Bull. Dumbrella needs a Red Bull sponsorship, methinks. A couple of cases per month per artist would probably be a good start.
- The panel with the BLC guys was tons o' fun and seemed to be attended mostly by literary agents.
- I got to see a copy of Raina Telgemeier's new Baby-Sitter's Club graphic novel, and it is gorgeous. I think it is safe to say that I am more excited about this Baby-Sitter's Club book than any other BSC book previously.
