Comic Conventions

[Lantern7]

Wow . . . that's a longer trip than me going from New York to San Diego. Have you ever been to New York before, Valerie? And will you be going to all four days of NYCC?

[BizBuzz]

I am so happy this thread is here!!!

 

I am taking my 14 year old (15 on the 2nd of October) to Wiz Con in Nashville the end of this week.  This was her choice for our vacation this year, and I have absolutely no idea what to expect.

 

I went ahead and splurged for the VIP tickets to see William Shatner, and my daughter is dressing up as Spock on that day to meet him.  What a hoot.

 

Like I said, never been to one, so have no idea what to expect ... wondering if I could get some ideas from you folks on any tips and tricks?  I am a planner by nature, but I can't seem to find anything online that tells me what times things are supposed to take place so I feel like I am going blind. 

 

Help?

[Monty]

I found the programming list for Wizard World Nashville. I advise you to make a big list of all the panels you want to see, and then forget about most of them because you found something else to catch your eye. But It'll be there for when you need to sit down.

[BizBuzz]

I found the programming list for Wizard World Nashville. I advise you to make a big list of all the panels you want to see, and then forget about most of them because you found something else to catch your eye. But It'll be there for when you need to sit down.

 

You are a saint.  I am usually good at this kind of stuff, but this one is stumping me, I am skeered.  ::giggle::

 

Thanks!

 

Any other tips?  Eat there?  Bring my own food?  Do I need to take an autograph book or do they have some cool ones there to purchase? 

 

Also, it looks like it is till evening on Friday and Saturday, and then stops on Sunday at 5?  I can't find the hours.  I know, I know, I am a newbie.

[Lantern7]

Here's the show page, BizBuzz. And try to remember to have fun. The last thing you want to do is drag your keister all over the show and be bored, like I did in Toronto last month. Remember to pace yourself. I've never been to Nashville, so I can't tell you about food or tourism. My experience is that convention halls overcharge on food, so you might want to bring your own snacks to save a few bucks. I hope that helps.

[scarynikki12]

Bring your own food as downtown won't have very good options. I can make some recommendations if you're willing to go outside that area.

[BizBuzz]

Bring your own food as downtown won't have very good options. I can make some recommendations if you're willing to go outside that area.

 

Please!  I would love some suggestions, you can PM me if you like.  I hate standard foods, I love the hole in the wall places that the locals go to.  So if you have anything like that, it would be grand!

[Lantern7]

It's a week to NYCC. Who else is going? Maybe we could meet up, exchange stories, have lunch, etc.

 

BizBuzz . . . how was your convention experience?

[Lantern7]

My first day at NYCC. I had a good time. I just have to pace myself, physically and financially.

 

Photos from NYCC. These are from my older camera, which was giving me grief by not turning on. I'll upload pics from my Bloggie starting tomorrow. I hope.

[scarynikki12]

You saw Towlie!

[Lantern7]

Indeed I did. I have all of the pictures up on the link above, you can read about my trip here,  and I wound up getting twelve sketches. It's probably going to be a while before I go to another show . . . which is a shame, since I'm four pages shy of completing my sketchbook.

 

ETA for those con-goers such as myself: what is the most unbelievable cosplay you ever saw? I swear, I saw a guy dressed as Captain Chaos from Cannonball Run. Also, there were the Rule 63 Sailor Scouts. *shudder*

[Vikitty]

re: rule 63. There was a team of genderbent Sailor Senshi who were completely badass with full-on armour. And the Neptune was carrying around a dog dressed as Galaxia. Here's a picture I got with him!

 

It was my first time at NYCC (and my third to NY). It was hectic, crazy, but so much fun. Wish there had been better wifi at the Javits center but whatever. I met Gillian Anderson, participated in the Sailormoon photoshoot, saw Arthur Darvill on the show floor, and bought some pretty cool stuff. Made new friends, all that jazz.

[BizBuzz]

BizBuzz . . . how was your convention experience?

 

So sorry it's taken me a while to get back here.  After the con, I went and visited friends, got home and then got sick, just getting to myself now.

 

We had a blast!  My favorite part of the whole three days was sitting and watching all the costumes, and the panels, I LOVED THE PANELS!!!  William Shatner was awesome!  And sitting in a room with The Next Generation peeps was surreal.  I loved it all.  My daughter?  OMG, she had so much fun and wants this to be our vacation every year.  We are thinking Mega Con next year.  I am even considering dressing up.  ::giggle::

 

My biggest takeaway was how incredibly FRIENDLY everyone is.  You are standing in lines waiting for photos or autographs and you are meeting people from all over with amazing stories (I am a people watcher so this THRILLED me).  I sat down cause my feet hurt at one point, met a family and my daughter got to hang with a couple of girls that she just met and had so much fun and made new friends!

 

All in all, worth every single penny I paid.  Loved it.

[Lantern7]

Valerie . . . glad you had fun. And I think your Rule 63 Sailor Scouts made ComicsAlliance today. They beat the R63 Scouts I saw, though your mileage may vary.

[ShadowDenizen]

Did anyone attend (or try to attend) RHode Island comic-con a few weeks ago?

Apaprently, it was QUITE the debacle....

 

The attendance at most major cons seems to have skyrocketed in the last few years, and I think most con producers/promoters can't seem to get a grip on it yet....

[Lantern7]

Just curious . . . what conventions are you guys planning on attending in 2015? I'm registered for three shows, though I'm not sure if I can make a big event outside of NYC this year.

[Lantern7]

So . . . who got badges for Comic-Con today? I tried my best, even though getting access would be the least of my troubles (compared to going the 3,000-plus miles and finding a room), but the event sold out in roughly an hour. I guess I should be happy with getting to New York Comic Con, which is a lot closer to home for me.

[Lantern7]

Bumping up to see if anybody in the NYC area is going to the Big Apple Con on Saturday. It's a one-day show, but a lot is packed into it. I figure that I'll get sketches and browse trade paperbacks. Hopefully, the snow will be manageable by the time the event rolls around.

 

ETA: My schedule for the next few months: Big Apple Con, East Coast Comicon next month, Special Edition NYC in June, and AnimeNEXT the week after that. And I'll probably get access to New York Comic Con while at Special Edition. ECC might be a misfire . . . it takes place on the same weekend as the MoCCA show in NYC, which I recommend for anyone who wants a taste of the indie scene. I didn't realize the conflict until it was too late.

[house864]

I have a question for my fellow posters. My hometown is having a small comic/sci-fi convention but has labeled it as only suitable for ages 18+. I just wonder what your opinions are I disagreed with it on the Facebook page saying we should be encouraging the love of comics in kids and got blasted for having that opinion and was told that other than megacons no comic convention is kid friendly which I know to be untrue since I've been to quite a few that have all been kid friendly as far back as 1993. So I ask what's your opinion on this?

[Lantern7]

I think caution should be exercised. Not like every booth is going to be filled with questionable yaoi, but some people might be a little too "adult" with their tastes.

 

Anybody else going to Special Edition NYC next month? I got my weekend badge in the mail today.

[Lantern7]

Speaking of Special Edition . . . turns out I'll have to get there extra early to get a shot at NYCC. The October con sold out quickly yesterday, and I didn't find out about it until it was too late.

[Lantern7]

Update: I wound up spending four hours on line yesterday at Special Edition in order to get access for NYCC in October. I'm thinking of reevaluating my approach to conventions in general, because I feel wiped out after two days of pounding pavement . . . and I have a three-day con in AnimeNEXT coming up next weekend. I'm contemplating not going anywhere big this year like I did with Toronto in 2014. There's a Doctor Who-themed con in November on Long Island that I might hit up, but I should start thinking of taking it easy, con-wise.

 

Here are my pics and sketches from Special Edition.

[Lantern7]

Bumping up because I got a mailing from NYCC with Cinemax shows (Banshee and Outcast) representing. Also, the panel schedule will be up tomorrow. With the con taking place at least a month from now, I'd say it would be too early.

 

Also, I made a three-day commitment to L.I. Who. It's my first Doctor Who con, and I'm looking to see if it'll be cool. Hopefully, Paul McGann will be the fourth Doctor that I'll meet face-to-face.

 

ETA: I got my badge today (9/4). They're still using The Walking Dead on the badges. I got Michonne for four days.

[RodLu]

Yup.....

LOOOOOVE ComiCons.....


Costuuuuumesssss....... XD

<3

#HalloweenYearRoundYay!

[Lantern7]

Here are my pics from NYCC. I wound up going all four days. Thankfully, the new subway station at Hudson Yards saved me a lot of walking. Did anybody else here go?

 

I got two cons on the horizon . . . LI Who in less than two weeks, followed by New Jersey Comic Expo the week after.

[Lantern7]

Heads up . . . Comic-Con to sell tickets this Saturday. This messes up the con I'm going to (Long Island Who). Maybe I can get in as a member of the press.

 

ETA: Turns out the sale is for people who attended the latest CCI. My bad.

[scarynikki12]

It's still a good idea to keep an eye on the site, though, because they'll be staggering the sales over the next few months.  Returning attendees was this weekend, then press, professionals and exhibitors before volunteers and regular attendees around February. 

[Lantern7]

Thanks for thinking of me. I get tipped off by Bleeding Cool. It would be nice to go back.

 

I'm coming off LI Who, with New Jersey Comic Expo next weekend. Here are the pics I took over the weekend.

[Lantern7]

Comic-Con tickets go online tomorrow. Anybody else wanting to take a shot? I might, even though I don't know if I have the money to make the trip to San Diego. I should probably focus my energy on getting to New York Comic Con.

 

ETA: Got shut out again. Oh, well.

[Ubiquitous]

I was unable to attend DragonCon last year, but now that my cataracts are fixed and I can see, I'll be attending this year. What smaller cons are taking place before DragonCon? I think I need to do a few "test runs" before the big one! :-D

[Lantern7]

I got my account of this year's Big Apple Con published last week. I think that I'll have to "settle" for NYCC being the big adventure for me. I got at least three shows in the coming months to keep me active, including the MoCCA show I've missed for the past few years and a new anime convention taking place in NJ.

[Lantern7]

Catching up . . .

 

1. I went to MoCCA for the first time in three years. Got to write about that as well. Here's the prelude, Saturday and Sunday. I'm about two weeks away from Anime Fan Fest in NJ. I'm hoping it'll be as fun as its predecessor.

 

2. This month, I'm taking part in the A-to-Z Challenge. I'm writing about sketches I've gotten at conventions and events. Check it out.

[Lantern7]

Wrote about Anime Fan Fest. Needless to say, I was a little jaded because of the con it had replaced. I wound up getting some nice sketches out of it, though.

[Lantern7]

I'm getting into NYCC. It'll be my eleventh year. Right now, I'm looking for a show to fill the time. There's Heroes & Villains in Secaucus . . . no guests beyond celebs, but the list is packed. Check it out here. I'm not an autograph seeker, but I'm finding it harder and harder to pass that up.

[Lantern7]

Bumping up to see if anybody else has plans. I will be attending Heroes & Villains in July, and I bought a three-day ticket to an anime con in NYC in August.

[Lantern7]

Trying to resist the urge to look up the CCI program schedule. I'm just going to get mad . . . even though NYCC is every bit as big, the panels aren't as diverse. I'd be interested in any accounts of folks here who will be attending. I know one person in particular who's going so far.

On the up side, I attended Heroes & Villains last weekend. Here's my takes on the prelude, Saturday and Sunday. I only met four stars, but that was enough for me. And I got some nice sketches of Diggle, Alfred and Malcolm Merlyn.

[Lantern7]

I succumbed. And now I'm mad because there's going to be a panel spotlighting Christopher Priest, who was the driving force of two great comics of the late Nineties/early 2000s: Quantum & Woody and Black Panther. I was legit surprised that he popped up in the "Thanks" credits of Captain America: Civil War. Oh, and I'm just on Thursday. Grrrrrr.

ETA for anybody heading to CCI next Sunday: John Barrowman's panel is scheduled for 2 p.m. I got to see him at Heroes & Villains two weeks ago, and it was an experience that I won't soon forget. Even if you never got into Doctor Who, Torchwood or Arrow, I still recommend it.

[Lantern7]

NYCC is five weeks away. I can't be the only person here going. Hopefully, I can have fun and get work done. One stumbling block is that there's going to be stuff near MSG, and I dunno if I can swing that. Apparently, the gang from Doctor Who will have a panel there, and they were absent from CCI.

[scarynikki12]

Until next year's trip to San Diego, I'm going to focus on the smaller cons closer to home.  So, that means GMX Halloween weekend and Heroes/Villains Fan Fest in July to start.  I'm debating some of the show specific ones that will be within driving distance but those are the plan for now.  Should be fun.

[Lantern7]

I got excited that @scarynikki12 was coming to my neighborhood until I checked the H/V site. Apparently, the show in NJ is scheduled for what would be the same time as NYCC . . . the weekend before Columbus Day.

I have to figure out which panels I can attend and/or write about. One of the big ones for me is that the mangaka for Assassination Classroom will be there. Minimum, I'd like to show him this sketch of the main character I got a few weeks ago.

ETA: At the very least, Priest will be doing three panels, including one for Black Panther's 50th anniversary. That excites me a bit.

[Lantern7]

I'm almost recovered from NYCC. Wound up getting eighteen sketches and several interviews. You can check out my pics here.

What's next? I was thinking of going back to Long Island for another Doctor Who convention . . . but if I miss that, I can attend the Jewish Comic Con in Brooklyn. The weekend after that, I'll go to NJ for New Jersey Comic Expo.

[Lantern7]

I reckon that I'm done with cons for the year. Wound up having a good time at NJCE, even if the crowd was a bit sparse. So much room in the panels. Here are pictures from Jewish Comic Con and NJCE, as well as the nine sketches I got in those two weekends. I am now on my ninth book. And I think this show will be my first stop for 2017.

[Lantern7]

Bumping up to see what everybody's convention plans are for 2017. Right now, I'm not flying anywhere or planning a road trip. The Black Comic Book Festival was fun, but I didn't get any sketches. That's probably not going to be the case at Big Apple Con in two weeks. It might get cramped . . . not only is Stan Lee coming in, but Frank Miller was just announced for Sunday.

[Lantern7]

Bumping up again to see who's going to Comic-Con in two weeks. I'm a "go" for NYCC in October, so I'm not that butthurt.

[Lantern7]

Bumping up next again due to the approach of NYCC. I don't have much of a game plan going in, but I'll try to maximize my time there.

[Lantern7]

For the first time since 2015, I’m paying to get into New York Comic Con. Wound up online for fifty minutes before getting four tickets, one for each day.

General question for anyone reading this: what is your ideal con? I still regard Comic-Con (the one in San Diego) as “Geek Mecca” because every fan should make one trip, and I got press access to NYCC the last few years due to FOMO, because it was too damn close to me not to attend. But is there a show for you guys that’s big enough with minimal hassles?

Edited June 11, 2018 by Lantern7

[Lantern7]

Is anyone out there going to shows in the near future? It would be nice to chat about tha. Right now, I’m probably going to get admission to FlameCon. I had conflicts the first few years, but I’m curious about it.

[BK1978]

I have never been to a comics convention, I have always wanted to go the local one in Providence or maybe NYC or Boston.  But for some reason I just never go. 

I have only been to two fan conventions on was a Dark Shadows convention in NYC in I want to say 1995 or 94. The other was a Doctor Who convention in Boston in the 1980's.  I got to go into Tom Baker's Tardis, which for a kid was really cool...hell who I am kidding as an adult it would still be cool to me.

[Ubiquitous]

I haven't been back to DragonCon since 2016, when I had to leave on Saturday to clean up after hurricane Hermine back home, but I spent a day at MegaCon last year with some friends.

[Lantern7]

Just wondering who else is going to New York Comic Con in less than three weeks.

ETA: I wrote a general essay about going to conventions.

Edited September 17, 2018 by Lantern7