NYCC '13 Day Three Recap

NYCC is one of my favorite times of the year, but I am not a fan of Saturdays. All the coolest stuff happens on Saturday because that's when all the working people can come. It makes sense, but it also makes for a very crowded con. So, instead of walking the floor like I had been doing the past few days, I decided to make Saturday my panels day.

My day started with the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary panel, which was filled with writers, podcasters, and comic book artists discussing all things Who. It was a great panel, but it wouldn't be a Doctor Who panel without a Doctor. The 6th Doctor himself, Colin Baker crashed the panel, along with Big Finish Productions chairman and co-executive, Jason Haight-Ellery, and the man you never want to hear say, "EXTERMINATE," Nicholas Briggs.

Next, I ran to the J. Michael Straczynski panel, only to remember a couple minutes later that I needed to be on the other side of the Javits, trying to get into the Once Upon a Time panel. I left Mr. Straczynski in the middle of an interesting conversation with a fan about radioactive residue in Canada to hurry over to the Empire Stage. I went into the Marvel Video Games, got the scoop on what's coming up, got to geek out over the new stuff coming to Marvel Avengers Alliance and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, then settled in for the Once Upon a Time panel.

The Once Upon a Time Panel wasn't the most exciting panel I went to that day, but it was extremely informative and a good time was had by all. We got to see the first act of this week's episodes of Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time: Wonderland, and we were treated to a surprise guest - Jennifer Morrison.


After that, I decided to take a food break. I ran across the street to the St. Marks Comics eatery. It was the fastest place to get a bite. Then I decided to try and get Neil deGrasse Tyson's autograph. His was the only autograph I really wanted, so I tried to get on the line early, but I found out that people started lining up for his autograph far earlier than anyone expected, and they tried to cap the line... at 2 pm. His signing was scheduled to start at 4 pm. In the end, they let all the people lining up try for an signature, but the line was so crazy that I made a tough decision and left the line. I went to Marvel's Cup O' Joe panel instead. It broke my heart to leave, but the chances of me getting a signature were slim. Who knew Neil deGrasse Tyson was such a rock star? (I did and so did the masses)

The Cup O' Joe panel was great because that's when Joe Quesada gets a panel of Marvel's creative staff and they answer all things Marvel. I learned a lot about what to expect in the upcoming year. The panel after that was DC: The New 52. I haven't been following it like Wilderowens has, but I was curious as to what was in store for the DCnU. While they gave a lot of information, the part I liked best was when they were asked tough questions regarding subjects like "Why aren't there more characters of color?" or "Why aren't there more women working for them?" the panelists didn't shy away for them. I might not have fully agreed with the answers given, but they weren't stock answers. I believed they meant what they said.

But I'll be honest, as great as all that was, I was in the Empire Stage for one reason and one reason only: John Barrowman. His Q & A was the highlight of the day and possibly the con. The man knows how to entertain. He answered the questions, was funny and gracious, he sang and did a little dancing... there's nothing that man can't do. I could have listened to him for another couple of hours. If you ever get a chance to go to one of his panels, take it. You won't be disappointed.

The only downside to yesterday (not getting the autograph aside) was my phone died. Epically. It had all my photos of the day on it. I'm hoping to get it fixed before NYCC opens up on Sunday, but who knows. So instead of all the photos I took, here's an awesome pic of Riddick Wilderowens took.

As for Wilderowens, she also had a pretty packed day.  She started her day way too early so she could attend the Archer and Superman 75th Celebration panels. Then she got autographs from Community's Dan Harmon, Dino Stamatopoulos and Yvette Nicole Brown. She also spent time in artist alley with Sean Von Gorman, Ron Randell, Cully Hamner and Yasmin Liang. Then she ended her night attending the Futurescape panel with James Woods and the premiere of NBC's Dracula.

Next up is Kids' Day and the last day of NYCC. I'm always left with a bittersweet feeling on the final day. I'm happy it's over because my feet hurt, and I need to get back to my regular life, but it's Comic Con. Who really wants it to end? Here's to a great fourth day!