NYCC '13: The Wonders of Artist Alley

By Reboot

Borrowed from panelsonpages.com

I was fortunate enough to spend all four days over at NYCC this year, and the vast majority of it I spent in Artist Alley. Having talked to many convention goers and people in and around the comic book industry, I often hear that Artist Alley is the heart of any comic convention. Not the Verizon booth or the GEICO booth, but Artist Alley (shocking, I know). That's not to say that those sort of things shouldn't be welcome as they do bring in a lot of money for the convention as far as paying for exhibitor space, but you get what I mean.

Here we go again at NYCC! Day One Highlights!

NY Comic Con kicked off today with a floor full of awesome. The best part is the floor wasn't crazy crowded. Nice and easy to walk, which is rare. The other bonus was that NYCC used the construction to their advantage this year. The tunnel between sections of floor was transformed into the TMNT sewer. Very fun and I'm glad I got to see it before its packed full of people.

It looks cooler in real life, I swear.

When we got inside, both Wysefyre and I went our separate ways immediately, covering different sections of the floor. She checked out "The Block" which is the designer section (you may remember it as the cultyard). After more wandering, she checked out the Justice is Served panel, featuring a ton of amazing authors, including Myke Cole and Amber Benson. Wysefyre promises to give complete details after her shoulder regains feeling from all the freebies she got!

On my journey, I checked out the main comics and gaming for a bit, while I waited to do some interviews. My favorite had to be the Assassin's Creed III preview I got to see. I'm no hardcore gamer, but the graphics and storyline seem fantastic. It's definitely going on my list. I also got the ultimate picture of the day at the bandai gaming area!

Just love Gaming Abe

Then I got a chance to speak with the director of Silver Circle, a new animated film and graphic novel followed by a fun interview with the new Editor-in-Chief of Dark Horse Comics, Scott Allie!  I ended my night taking a quick jaunt around the crazy big Artist Alley!! This is huge and a great excuse to try out the panorama function on my phone. Can't wait to go back with some cash in my pocket to spend!!!

Until tomorrow....



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Art Spotlight

As you can see, I'm no artist (Microsoft Paint is my medium). However, I am frequently jealous of artists who can create beautiful works. At conventions, I spend a ridiculous amount of time wandering through Artist Alley, looking at everything displayed and chatting up the creator. Since everyday I see some wonderful piece of art posted online, I decided to share that creativity with you. I plan on this being a monthly piece for now.


If you found something you want us to feature, email us at insertgeekhere@gmail.com.



This is one of the few times it's OK to judge a book by its cover. The intensity of this matches the Savior 28 story exactly and is a great way for this series to start. This cover, drawn by Mike Cavallaro, is one of my favorite pieces of comic art, not to mention one of my favorite books.



This is a Batgirl that was drawn by Mike Maihack during a meeting. If he keeps turning out awesome art like this, I want him in more meetings like that!



The best part of working at IGN? Getting to see Jim Mahfood's Geek Crossover mural, of course. This is just a small portion of its awesomeness, and you can see more of it here. Yes, I have a soft spot for Robocop.

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What I Am Looking Forward To At NY Comic Con!

 With less than one week to go, we're working out our final "plan of attack."  We have different things we are going after, so we're sharing our top 5 picks.

Wilderowens Picks

1. Mike Cavallaro - The Artist for The Life and Times of Savior 28
I never enjoyed a comic book like I enjoyed Savior 28.  This book tells the story of the fall from grace of the worlds favorite Superhero.  The art reminds me of classic Action Comics or Captain America and the story is a haunting portrayal of what happens to those we admire, especially in America.  This is the comic book that I truly enjoyed and can't wait to thank him for it. 

2. The V Panel
One of the panels I wanted to see at San Diego Comic Con that I just didn't make it into.  I think this is an awesome show that pushes some boundaries, especially for network TV.  Since the show doesn't come back until November, there may be some great spoilers for the new season. 

3. The Unbreakable Panel
This movie is my favorite Shamalayn movie, so celebrating it during con is a highlight for me.  Yes, I know that this isn't really recent but sometimes it is a good thing to remember the past enjoyments.  And, considering all those involved in the film, those "special surprises" could be pretty awesome.

4. Artist Alley
The best thing at NYCC is Artist Alley.  It is huge, filled with artists from every area of the comic world and they are all willing to hang out with you.  Every year, I pick up amazing pieces of art from artists that I love and artists that I just met.  If you want to connect with the heart of the comic world, spend some time in Artist Alley.

5. The Cultyard
I am not really sure how this will turn out but I am excited.  It is being billed as a eclectic grouping of vendors with a lot of artistic talent.  With all of the vendors there, I foresee myself spending a lot of money.


Wysefyre's Picks

1. Stan Lee, John Romita Sr. and John Romita Jr.
I don't think I need to explain much about this. These men are icons and their words and art showed me a different way to tell a story and ultimately set me on the path to geekdom. I am willing to wait outside all night, if it means I get a chance to say thank you to any or all of these men. If not, I'll settle for seeing them in panel.

2. The LXD featuring John. M. Chu
The LXD are some of the most amazing dancers you will ever see and if you're a Gleek, you'll recognize Harry Shum, Jr. (Mike aka the other Asian)as one of their dancers. The dance series can be viewed on Hulu or their website. Director Jon M. Chu (Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D) will be showing a sneak preview and answering questions.

3. Anime Press Your Luck
I grew up watching games shows and this was by far, one of my favorites. It was the Whammys. They got me every time. While I'm not a huge anime fan, I think it's a perfect fit for Press Your Luck and I'm really excited to see how Sonic Whammy Enterprises pulls this off.

4. Intro to Animation Voice-Over Acting with Stevie Vallance
As someone who's studied acting, voice-over work interests me for a variety of reasons. I'm dying to know more about the process and the chance to turn myself into a "Toon" and watch others do so is going to be fricking hilarious.

5. Bruce Campbell
The man is finally coming to NYCC. Not only is he the star of the Evil Dead movies and currently co-starring on Burn Notice but he's done oodles of movies, tons of voice work and is an accomplished author. He's Bruce Campbell. baby. Need I say more?


What are you excited about and what do you think we are missing?