As a veteran of making the yearly pilgrimage to San Diego for the king of all cons, San Diego Comic Con, I was curious to hear that New York Comic Con was quickly becoming the east coasts version of the massive event. Having never attended the event I was ready to see for myself, so I made the train ride up to the Big Apple and walked into the Javits Center for the first time, and I am so glad that I did.
First off, this con is very much a fan event, first and foremost. Walking into the gates you find huge banners of upcoming seasons of fan favorite shows as well as some new, interesting shows gathering buzz around the fandom. The landscape is wide open for your cosplay viewing pleasure and it seems that the event coordinators have filled each area with something interesting to keep the traffic flowing to every square foot of the convention center. My favorite booth, by far, was the Cafe 80’s replica from Back to the Future II. Complete with video board and Delorean, fans had their chance to take photos with the car as well as try their luck at the Wild Gunman video game for a chance to win one of a limited amount of Pepsi Perfect replicas made by Pepsi to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the franchise. Unfortunately yours truly didn’t get a chance to play, but the kids loved it!
Starz was among the exhibitors to bring to life their newest show “Ash vs Evil Dead” for fans to walk thru Ash Williams trailer and win some cool prizes. Other featured props came from Jurassic World, who brought an animatronic Velociraptor for fans to take pictures with and Warner Bros., who featured the costumes of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman from the upcoming film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The vendor floor and artist row were filled with amazing pieces of original art as well as chances to purchase some rare and highly sought after collectibles.
After a few long hours of gazing at the sights, it was time to head into one of the many panels that this con had to offer. From comic book writers to television stars, there was something for everyone one to enjoy. For me, it was the television panels, most importantly, Fox’s “The X-Files” Season 10 debut. Creator Chris Carter and stars David Duchovny and Mitch Pileggi were on hand to take fan questions and to show the season 10 premiere to the lucky fans in the audience. As a long time fan of the show I can say that the episode was outstanding and exactly what fans were hoping for in this return event series. Seeing Mulder and Scully together again brought back so many wonderful memories from the shows hayday and the actors haven’t missed a beat. The wait til January is on!
Starz presents “Ash vs Evil Dead” panel brought cast and crew to the Hammerstein Ballroom for a Q&A session hosted by Kevin Smith. Director and creator Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell introduced the pilot episode to the crowd of thousands of fans eager to see a glimpse of the new show. The pilot didn’t disappoint! The comedy and over the top gore that made the Evil Dead trilogy so beloved was present and the new cast of characters add a new dimension to the show. After the viewing the cast and crew took fan questions and some interesting tidbits as to what to expect from the upcoming season were revealed. One of the most welcome comment came from Campbell himself who announced that Starz and the creators are hoping that the show runs for as many seasons as fans want. “Ash vs Evil Dead” is here to stay people and it’s…groovy!
Netflix panel featuring Marvel’s “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones” was another highlight of the weekend. Rumors were abound that we could be getting the world premiere of the pilot episode for “Jessica Jones” and sure enough, Marvel delivered! But before that, we were graced by a panel for “Daredevil” Season 2 which featured the first teaser of the season featuring a first look at Elektra and The Punisher! Nothing ground breaking was revealed but the cast and crew are very excited to bring season two to viewers in 2016. Up next was what the audience was waiting for. A quick introduction of the cast and crew of “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” lead into the world premiere of episode one. The episode was dark, gritty and sexy which was a welcome surprise. The actors, including lead actress Krysten Ritter were wonderful and the tone of the show appears to allow for the each actor to explore their characters without constraint. David Tennant’s Kilgrave was lurking in the shadows for much of the episode and truly adds that a level of creepiness that will no doubt make “Jessica Jones” the must see show of 2015. “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” premieres on Netflix on November 20th at 12:01am.
As New York Comic Con comes to a close, I have so much appreciation for all the hard work that went into making this show as wonderful as it was. From the vendor floor to the panel line organization, everything was first rate at NYCC. As this show continues to gain steam, I can definitely see it being talked about in the same breath as San Diego, and rightfully so. NYCC, you have gained another fan, see you next October for round 2!
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