First time at NYC Comic Convention.

 I don’t know how many of you have gone to NYC Comic Con in the past but I haven’t.  I’m an old veteran of the Chiller Theatre and have a lot of friends in that scene but I just haven’t had the motivation to pay the crazy tolls, parking, and ticket prices.  Even though one of my closest friends, Nelson DeCastro, is one of the comic book artists featured there, I STILL have not made my way across the river to check this thing out.

 Anyway, this year, because of the radio show, cousinjoeshow.com, and plarawkstar.com, I decided to get a press pass and see what it’s all about.  I’ve heard, in the past, that movie releases and video game releases are announced at shows like this so I figured it was right up my alley.

  I missed the first day due to who the hell knows but Saturday afternoon I decided to head in.  Rightfully so, I was thinking that driving in would be a mistake and that I should take the train.  DON’T drive in unless you’re independently wealthy.  I knew I would have to drive, because there was no way in hell I was lugging my laptop and recording equipment through the P.A.T.H. and NYC subway system.

On Saturday I got to the Javits Center around 2pm, parked across the street and paid $50.  DON’T PARK ACROSS THE STREET!  They charge you Fifty Dollars!  I decided to get food at the dirty water dog places outside of the Javits Center, which was a very good idea.  MUCH less expensive.  Within minutes of walking in I found friends of mine.  Comic-Con is NOT as congested as other conventions I’ve been to although it IS congested. 

The first thing I noticed was the lines to meet the “famous people”.  To hell with that, I took a walk around to see what else the show had to offer.  Lots of sexy girls dressed up in comic book character clothes.  I love sexy women who are geeky enough to dress slutty just to show how much of a fan they are.  Couple of guys dressed up too, didn’t like them so much.  And then I saw the video games. 

Of course, I headed straight for the demos.  You can check out any game reviews by searching plarawkstar.com.  After spending 3 hours getting my ass kissed by all their PR people, because of my press pass, I decided to move on. 

On a side note, while I was taking at look at the new, unreleased, Incredible Hulk game, I noticed a guy whose pass said Morristown, NJ High School.  It seems that, English Teacher, George Lavigne stopped by the convention because he likes to relate the heroes of ancient Greece to comic book heroes of today.  I couldn’t help to think, how better off we’d be as a nation if all educators were as innovate in their approach to teaching.  Hell, I went to the “Presidential School District” of Union, NJ, and it’s extremely apparent, by reading any of my articles, that my teachers weren’t able to instill proper grammar across to me as effectively as I’m sure Mr. Lavigne does to his students.  Mr. Lavigne, have fun ripping this article apart with your students.  I’ll expect a graded one sent back to me after you’re done.

After walking around for a bit you start seeing the remote famous person checking out the show, like the actor who plays the producer guy on the NBC show 30 Rock, Scott Adsit).  You start to see that this thing is so popular that everyone comes out for it.  Rich, poor, famous, infamous all in one place because of their love of the comics and the stories they tell. 

 I stopped by Artist Ally, where that furry little Brazilian guy Nelson was signing autographs, selling his original artwork from comics like X-men, and doing sketches for people.  Some of the artists there were phenomenal.  Since I was a kid I wished I had the ability to put an image in my head, down on paper.  The talent there was beyond compare.  These guys were doing sketches in front of your face that would blow your mind.

I didn’t spend as much time at Comic-Con as I wanted to but I’ll be back next year to try and catch some of the things I missed.  And BTW, who the hell cares?  CHILLER THEATRE IS IN TWO WEEKS!!  May 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th,www.chillertheatre.com.  If you can find me and I’m not passed out drunk in a corner some where I’ll show you what a party convention is all about.  Oh, and if I remember any of it, I’ll let you know about the debauchery that will, most definitely, take place.