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The ninth annual edition of New York Comic Con descended upon the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, filling the venue with fans of popular culture — from comic books to movies and TV shows to anime. Major highlights included a sneak peek at the final Hobbit movie, the 75th anniversary celebration of Batman and the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Here are the top 10 things you had to experience at this year's con:
10. R.L. Stine
The writer of the book series Goosebumps and Fear Street — the latter of which he's bringing back — spoke on a panel Thursday, Oct. 9, with other authors about monsters in fiction. The panel discussion included topics like world creation and what fear tells about us. After the signing, he autographed Goosebumps books for fans.
9. Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos
Trash talk TV legend Springer was on hand Sunday, Oct. 12, signing autographs for fans, as was his former stage security guard Wilkos. Wilkos currently has his own talk show, which is taped in Stamford, Connecticut, along with Jerry's and Maury Povich's. The signing was held at the Stamford Media Center booth, which was giving away free tickets to Maury.
8. Lloyd Kaufman
The co-founder of movie production company Troma Entertainment and co-director of The Toxic Avenger (1984) was on hand to sign autographs for and take pictures with fans. Toxie, the film's main character, spawned a comic book series and a TV cartoon. Kaufman also promoted a Friday, Oct. 10, midnight screening of the movie in Manhattan.
7. The Block
A unique section of the show floor, The Block "brings together art, design, collectible toys, pop-tech and fashion of the underground pop culture scene," according to the convention program. Everything from art to toys to food were being sold. Some of the standout booths were Einhorn's Epic Cookies, a company that sells packages of cookies with comic books detailing the adventures of unicorn warriors; B.Duck, which makes gifts inspired by rubber duck toys; and Tenacious Toys, which specializes in urban vinyl and designer toys.
6. "Weta: Creating Conceptual Art for Film"
Paul Tobin and Nick Keller, conceptual artists for the New Zealand-based special effects company were present to discuss the company's work on the Hobbit movies. Specifically, they focused on how they brought the elves and dwarves of Middle-earth to life, and how doing so differed from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
5. "DC Entertainment: Batman 75th Anniversary"
The Caped Crusader turned 75 this past May, so DC Comics brought together Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman on Batman: The Animated Series; Jim Lee, DC's co-publisher; Scott Snyder, the current writer for Batman; and others for a discussion on the history of Batman. They touched upon major comic book and TV milestones in the history of the Dark Knight. Fans in attendance were also treated to two specially commissioned cartoon shorts.
4. "Lord of the Rings: The Music of Middle-earth"
Composer Howard Shore was interviewed about his work scoring the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. He revealed that African and Japanese drums and Chinese cymbals were used in composing the scores. He also said that he read and researched a lot in order to write the music.
3. The Cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation
The cast of the hit 1987-94 TV show was on hand to sign autographs for and pose for photos with fans. Cast members in attendance included Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander William Riker), Brent Spiner (Lieutenant Commander Data), and Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher). Stewart also participated in a panel to talk about his career, and 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer and comedian Rob Smigel, who performed as Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, stopped by the Trek autograph table to film a segment.
2. "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies — An Unofficial Look!"
Members of the fan site theonering.net showed a trailer for the upcoming movie — set to premiere Dec. 17 — and recapped what happened in the second film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. While recapping, the panelists speculated on what would happen in the final chapter. Will Fíli, Kíli, and Tauriel die? At what point will Smaug face his end? Which five armies will take part in the title battle? What exactly will become of Thorin Oakenshield? Major plot and character points were discussed, and rumors and conjecture were either dispelled or corroborated. Want to know more? Wait until December ...
1. Cosplaying
Pop culture fans showed off their creativity and imagination dressing up like superheros and TV and movie characters. Some of the more popular garb were of the Marvel character Deadpool, Batman villainess Poison Ivy and Disney's Maleficent. There was also a fair share of anime thrown in. Geek pride is alive and well.
Here's looking forward to next year's con, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 8, to Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015. Comment below if you're planning to attend, and on what you'd like or hope to see and who you hope to meet!
