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| By the subway a tie in for the Daredevil series |
The other reason there isn't a ton of coverage here has been that there wasn't a ton of film related stuff going on. Yes there were lots of things to see and do if you liked books, TV and of course comics but film wise there wasn't a great deal. I was going to cover the GOOSEBUMPS panel but the crowds were so awful on Sunday that I went home instead of trying to fight my way across the floors to the panel room.
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| Waiting to get in before 10am |
If there was one story about the Con this year was that the crowds were kind of too big. Yes the problem of the uncivil crowds of two years ago was no where to be found, but this year on Friday, Saturday and Sunday things were nigh impossible to get around at times. How bad were they that one journalist friend making her first trip to the con said that she would never come back. I kind of feel the same - but I freely admit that the problem for me was that where in years past there was tons of film related panels there was very few this time out.
I do have to say that I loved that everyone was civil and that this was the one place in NYC where people regularly apologized for bumping into you.
I did for the record poke my head into a couple of panels but they meant nothing to me- I was into rooms on subjects and shows I knew nothing about.
SO what are my thoughts/memories/comments on the con?
I was disappointed in the cosplay this year. Yes there were some great examples of it but at the same time there didn't seem to be as much as in years past. There was lots of Harley Quinns, Black Cats Captain Americas and Jokers.
A most of the cosplay was choice but again it didn't seem to really be as much as in the past.
They had the costumes from BATMAN VS SUPERMAN. Two batman suits, a Superman suit and the Wonder Woman suit above.
There was a crappy energy drink that left Hubert feeling woosy and eventually....
...dead. Yes Hubert was killed by an energy drink that tasted like bad vitamins, plastic or a weird Asian berry in a synthetic form depending on which of its flavors you tried- and we hit most of them until we decided to just cut our loses.
There was tons of Jurassic World stuff at the con.
One Entrance was decorated as the entrance to the park. It also was where they blasted music from the movie at volume all through the convention. It was so bad Thursday and Friday that you could hear it over the din of the crowd- which means it was way over rock concert levels.
AT another point there was another set up but they kind of weren't thinking when they put the Bare Bears totem pole right behind it.
This was the place where they would periodically bring out a person dressed as a velociraptor to take pictures with people.
The weirdest thing was how the press reacted to the M&M costumes- they would run over enmass to get their pictures taken with either the Jedi or Darth Vader M&M when ever they entered the press area which was on the way to their dressing room.
I don't know how things were other days but Friday I bought food at the food court and the people around me were complaining it was under cooked- specifically the hamburger place. I got a plate of spaghetti and was fine, but the other people at my table seemed unhappy.
I don't have a picture of it but Thursday there was one guy who made himself a great costume with a three or four foot long nose. It looked great- the only problem was he couldn't walk anywhere with out banging into something. When I saw him he was so frustrated he finally was tearing it off his face- cursing loudly about the waste of time and money.
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| From the IFC film THE HALLOW |
I had lovely discussion about film and strangely the New York Film Festival with someone from IFC Films. She was there promoting her stuff and we fell into a talk about NYFF. I will not repeat anything said because I think it was best off the record.
I had a long talk with the gentleman manning the booth for the Nightmare Collection masks. He had been brought in to handle the convention presentations and was having a great time. He said that the reaction was great and despite the high prices (they run several hundred bucks each- but are worth it) he said they were making sales. He also said that he's seen whats coming for next year and they are even better.
I got into a animated discussion with a woman promoting the new Takashi Miike film YAKUZA APOCALYPSE. She loved the film and was taken aback that I found it outside of the fights dull. While we both walked away solidly in our own places it was nice to find something film related on the floor.
I don't know what else to say. It was an off year- I mean I spent just over $150 on food and stuff at the con this year and if I didn't get a couple of gifts it would have been under 100. I know that doesn't mean much but usually I'll pony up for a sketch or an autograph or something special and this year there was nothing. I'm about 500 buck a head of where I usually am.
I'm planning on going again next year. I've been going every year except the first. The blah-ness or blandness to me is just another twist in the long evolution of the Con. Despite my dislike of the crowds I do like going. All thats left now are memories and pondering what next year will bring.
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