Geek seeks New York Comic Con advice

September 4, 2012 7:32 AM

What can I expect from New York Comic Con?

I'm planning a trip to NYC in October, coinciding with New York Comic Con. I'd like to set my expectations at an appropriate pitch so that I'm not disappointed, and can balance the con with the other fun stuff I hear exists in New York.

I have been to Fan Expo in Toronto a few times and have always been a little underwhelmed by the programming. I am hoping that the publishers put a little more effort into events in their home market. I like attending panel discussions with creators, and would love to get into sneak previews of shows/movies, etc. I'm not really big on formal autograph sessions but I like being able to say hi to favorite authors/artists and thank them for their work.

Any and all advice for an NYCC noob is welcome. Is the 4-day pass a good investment for NYCC? Is it a fun convention? Good places to grab lunch near Javits Centre? etc.

I am a big homo so any insight specific to queer content would be much appreciated.

posted by sevenyearlurk to travel & transportation around New York, NY (9 answers total)

If you plan to spend all four days at the con, and then hanging out in bars with con people (esp. professionals, who are shaking hands with fans all day long) expect to get con crud.
posted by griphus at 7:35 AM on September 4, 2012

I've attended every year since its inception. NYCC tends to have pretty good programming — lots of comics panels, even it seems like they're broadening into ridiculous areas by doing things like getting one of the hosts of Chopped to do one.

One thing that's great about the show is that there are lots of actual creators there in a very robust Artist's Alley section. (There's also the fact that Artist's Alley is cordoned off into a completely different space than the rest of the show, but hey. You pick your battles there.)

One thing to note: it's more crowded and loud than San Diego, which is saying something. I definitely recommend doing the show in doses and getting away for a while when you can. It's only a four or five block walk away to relative calm, to decent coffee shops and not so many giant swords.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 7:41 AM on September 4, 2012

Be prepared to lug around loads of stuff if you're so inclined. When I went there was a truly ridiculous number of free books being given away at the publishers' booths.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:45 AM on September 4, 2012

Well for one thing, jedicus and I will be there promoting our new book, The Law of Superheroes. We've got an IRL event set up for it. Our panel is at 5:00 on Friday.
posted by valkyryn at 8:52 AM on September 4, 2012 [2 favorites]

The Javits Center is in the middle of nowhere (relatively) so you'll need to do some planning and research about good places close by -- don't just think you can wander until you find something, unless you have a few hours. The food at the center is, no surprise, not very good and way too expensive. There's no convenient subway access to Javits, either, so plan on the bus or a cab. (I am not a fan of the Javits Center.)
posted by chowflap at 9:16 AM on September 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

There's a lot of good restaurants on 9th Ave., between 43rd & 46th street if you want to grab some lunch.
posted by cazoo at 11:18 AM on September 4, 2012

I've been to NY Comicon a few times over the years, and I'm kinda luke-warm on it as far as the major media panels go. There's only one really big room, and since they don't clear it between panels it's difficult to get into for just one specific event, since you pretty much have to get on line the moment you make it into the building (which takes hours on the Saturday morning), and sit through the preceding panels until yours comes up. But a lot of the writer/creator panels end up in the smaller meeting rooms, so, it's not as much of a clusterfuck to get in, since you can judge from the size of the line whether you've got a chance.

I do think the 4-day pass is a better investment than a single-day, since the schedules at any con are always subject to change. And I see they're going to have a mobile app, so that should cut down on the confusion. I haven't made up my mind yet whether I'll buy a pass this year, or just volunteer for a shift to work our office's booth and then hang out for the rest of the day. (I wish NY Comicon wasn't so soon after Dragoncon. I love going to Dragoncon so much, NY Comicon is pretty 'meh' in comparison)
posted by oh yeah! at 6:34 AM on September 8, 2012

FYI to anyone watching the thread -- the three and four day passes have already sold out :(
posted by sevenyearlurk at 12:47 PM on September 15, 2012

Forbidden Planet still had 3-day tickets for sale this morning, as do some of the other stores listed on the NY Comicon site. Locals (or out-of-towners with local contacts) can still get tickets if they hurry.
posted by oh yeah! at 9:40 AM on September 17, 2012