NYCC 2017 |OT| Now with more MSG
- Thread starter fallengorn
- Start date
It's been a hell of a weekend that I'm still reeling from and processing. We hit 200K attendees according to ReedPop Staff and boy did it feel like there were more more than 200K attendees; Artist Alley was hammered all weekend, show floor was hammered in numerous booths, panels were crowded as sin too.
I had far too many people asking where to get the Syfy bags, asking about JDF and Austin St. John, private autograph sessions that were actually located at the River Pavillion and not in the Autographing area. My first year as one of the managers in the area was quite fun. A bit stressful at times after we made some goofs but nonetheless fun because we're human.
Some of my personal weekend highlights include:
-Going to the Mr. Robot Party and gorging on food and watered doing mixed drinks as well as the Kotaku/Io9 party even if I didn't see any Kotaku writers there.
-Shaking Vic Vignona's hand yesterday after Autographing closed down for good and telling him and I was a fan of FMA/Brotherhood. He was really appreciative for all the hard work Crew did and thank me and the two Crew left.
-Meeting Nolan North yesterday because I payed the 40 bucks to have him sign my copy of Resonance of Fate. He was bummed out that there wasn't a sequel because he too thought like many people that it was a great game with really good game mechanics. My face lit up when he "All we have are raisins!" He said that the animation for that scene had already been put in place by the time he did voice work for it. I was going to have him sign my copy of Alpha Protocol but retracted it. Also another fun fact: there's slight modulations in voice between his Deadpool, Steven Heck, and Vashyron voices.
-Meeting Iga even if I didn't really geek out and kept my cool. I saw him again yesterday morning with his translator/artist for Bloodstained and said hi to him.
-Seeing John Leguizamo at Artist Alley even I didn't speak to him
-Spotting David Yost while I was on the line for Iga and noticing that people were oblivious to him as he made his way to the Loot Crate booth with his blue ranger helmet wrapped in bubble wrap.
-Of course spending time with a bunch friends I haven't seen in a year by helping make the show awesome for you all.
Biggest regret: Not spending more time at Artist Alley this year because I didn't have sketchbooks to show to artists and artist friends. The smaller space made it feel more overwhelming to me with all the bodies. I'm curious as to how it was for the rest of you from an attendee POV?
I had far too many people asking where to get the Syfy bags, asking about JDF and Austin St. John, private autograph sessions that were actually located at the River Pavillion and not in the Autographing area. My first year as one of the managers in the area was quite fun. A bit stressful at times after we made some goofs but nonetheless fun because we're human.
Some of my personal weekend highlights include:
-Going to the Mr. Robot Party and gorging on food and watered doing mixed drinks as well as the Kotaku/Io9 party even if I didn't see any Kotaku writers there.
-Shaking Vic Vignona's hand yesterday after Autographing closed down for good and telling him and I was a fan of FMA/Brotherhood. He was really appreciative for all the hard work Crew did and thank me and the two Crew left.
-Meeting Nolan North yesterday because I payed the 40 bucks to have him sign my copy of Resonance of Fate. He was bummed out that there wasn't a sequel because he too thought like many people that it was a great game with really good game mechanics. My face lit up when he "All we have are raisins!" He said that the animation for that scene had already been put in place by the time he did voice work for it. I was going to have him sign my copy of Alpha Protocol but retracted it. Also another fun fact: there's slight modulations in voice between his Deadpool, Steven Heck, and Vashyron voices.
-Meeting Iga even if I didn't really geek out and kept my cool. I saw him again yesterday morning with his translator/artist for Bloodstained and said hi to him.
-Seeing John Leguizamo at Artist Alley even I didn't speak to him
-Spotting David Yost while I was on the line for Iga and noticing that people were oblivious to him as he made his way to the Loot Crate booth with his blue ranger helmet wrapped in bubble wrap.
-Of course spending time with a bunch friends I haven't seen in a year by helping make the show awesome for you all.
Biggest regret: Not spending more time at Artist Alley this year because I didn't have sketchbooks to show to artists and artist friends. The smaller space made it feel more overwhelming to me with all the bodies. I'm curious as to how it was for the rest of you from an attendee POV?
The bottom of the escalator and the first 20 feet or so into Artist Alley were a death trap. Other than that I thought the crowding wasn't too terrible.
I remember pretty much having my arms pinned against my body as I went around the floor a few years ago - Mattel had a big line wrapped around their booth that was like 15 feet from the main escalator onto the floor.
Highlights from me were all of the commissions as usual.
Also the Mortal Kombat 25th Anniversary panel was great - Keighley moderating and I'm not even sure of the last time Tobias and Boon were interviewed together.
fallengorn
Bitches love smiley faces
Here is the Beat's coverage of the NYCC Q&A panel: http://www.comicsbeat.com/nycc-2017-nycc-staff-qa-lots-of-good-but-could-always-be-better/
Thought AA was pretty terrible this year. It can get congested in the North Pavilion but I don't think there was that much continuous congestion in aisle. Also, having little to no ventilation just compounded the problems.
The Mr. Robot event was great. The Westworld event was cool. The orcs at the Shadow of War booth were fantastic. Very entertaining.
Post them commissions, MG! Still need to take pics of mine tonight.
Thought AA was pretty terrible this year. It can get congested in the North Pavilion but I don't think there was that much continuous congestion in aisle. Also, having little to no ventilation just compounded the problems.
The Mr. Robot event was great. The Westworld event was cool. The orcs at the Shadow of War booth were fantastic. Very entertaining.
Post them commissions, MG! Still need to take pics of mine tonight.
Yeah, the ventilation was a problem. I think they did well given the smaller size. Seemed like a lot of artists sold through all of their merchandise too.
I put the commissions up in the Comics thread
Commissions 1 http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=251203100&postcount=1106
Commissions 2 http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=251400875&postcount=1457
Auction winnings http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=251406407&postcount=1463
Artist Alley looked like a perpetual fire hazard.
I literally went down the escalator and then immediately turned and went back up the escalator. It didn't look safe, let alone fun.
That must have been either towards the beginning of the auction or the middle of it when I stepped out. I'm shocked how you guys have so much money to blow on commissions and art but more power to you guys. I guess the jobs must pull in enough money to have disposable income. I was damn near tempted to bid on the Ricardo Lopez Ortiz page and the Stranger Things watercolor piece because they sold for a range that I would have bit on. The Darth Vader piece was amazing too but way out of my range.
Non-stop radio chatter came from Artist Alley requesting more bodies managing lines for Capullo, Snyder, or some other big name. Every Artist Alley Crew I spoke to said it was pretty bad. We all saw those blocked up escalators coming way before the show began so not surprised. One of the crappy AC's was by the Info table and even that was barely functioning. How was your StreetPass experience if you check it at all? I didn't even bother with it and just used it passively for games.
A lot of the suggestions from the ReedPOP Q&A were valid, common sense complaints. The idea of having a day or a few hours dedicated for Pros is a pretty damn solid idea because they're so much into the spectacle part of it. It would basically be like Games Com in Germany. Hammerstein was so strict about letting stuff in that I heard that even umbrellas weren't allowed inside which is crazy.
EDIT: Holy crap! I just realized that I'm Facebook friends with the guy who wrote the ReedPOP Q&A panel summary article above. I actually met him at C2E2 earlier this year because he stayed in my hostel and we had a long conversation. I knew he was a writer and covered comics but I didn't know nor ask which website. Go figure! He's a cool guy.
fallengorn
Bitches love smiley faces
Haha, I think we're in the same FB group. (Although I pretty much just lurk there.)
That Jen Bartel is a steal.
I'm pretty much just setting a credit card on fire once a year and then hopefully paying it off by next year's NYCC.
fallengorn
Bitches love smiley faces
Sunday photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm5s2Wzn
Awesome update and pics man!
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Does anyone know the headphones the squaresoft or the Bloodstained were using? I was pretty impressed with how well they blocked out the sound.
What did you end up seeing? I'm curious.
As for the lack of tabletop stuff, yup you're at the wrong con. If you want a con that solely scratches that tabletop gaming itch, you should check out PAX Unplugged in Philly next month. It's from 11/17-11/19.
I have no idea. That would be a good question to ask SE on social media or post a pic of the booth on Reddit.
I thought there'd be at least a little bit of tabletop stuff - what with all the anime and game of thrones everywhere, I figured it was more than comics related.
I was in line for a while for the MKX 25th panel but it filled up like 10 people in front of us. Mostly just walked around the booths and artists.
I just don't think cons in general are for me - just a packed venue and lots of things for sale, at a time where I don't really need more 'stuff' in my life.
Pretty much. It must be a sign that you're getting old and aren't into the same things you were into when you were younger. My brother also shares your sentiment and he was working at the Shadow of Mordor booth and Marvel booth as a production assistant. Conventions have and always will be big business as they grow. I'm surprised that a con as disastrous as Borough Con is coming back next year for reference.
Personally I wasn't really into it this year as I was previous years but that's partly because I felt overwhelmed and didn't go crazy with impulsive purchases. Almost everything I buy at cons these days, it's to sell. I still love the artist portion so if Special Edition NYC ever comes back, I would attend.
An attendee tried to get some "crazy" work stories out of me but to be honest, all the stuff I've experienced in 7 years of working/volunteering/attending cons are pretty mundane when I look back.
Did anyone notice Junot Díaz at Marjorie Liu's table? One of my friends working at Artist Alley didn't even know who he was nor that that they were a couple. She said that many people didn't even notice him. I'm bummed out that Sana Takeda didn't turn out this year.
The thing my brother got him to sign made him crack up. "No one has ever had me sign that. Ever."
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Thats a good idea, Ill have to see if I have a picture. Took a bunch but didnt specifically take any of the headphones.
Lmao! Of course no one has ever had him sign that because even he repressed it from his memory from how awful it was. Is that painting? It definitely doesn't look like a print.The thing my brother got him to sign made him crack up. "No one has ever had me sign that. Ever."
If anything, I'm sure NYCC took a bunch of high quality pics of the booth too.
That's amazingThe thing my brother got him to sign made him crack up. "No one has ever had me sign that. Ever."
fallengorn
Bitches love smiley faces
Here's my pick ups from this year. Even though I said to myself I wasn't going crazy this year... I ended up going crazy.
Cheetah - Yanick Paquette
Gigan - Andrew MacLean
Log Lady - Soo Lee
Man from Another Place - Billy Fowler
Phillip Jeffries - Gabriel Hardman
Cap - Ryan Meinerding
Hela - Jae Lee
Sniper Wolf - Scott Blair
Red Skull - Ben Caldwell
Killer Bob - Rod Reis
Angel of Death - Shane Pierce
The kicker is I'm still waiting on three pieces because the artists couldn't get it done by NYCC.
Cheetah - Yanick Paquette
Gigan - Andrew MacLean
Log Lady - Soo Lee
Man from Another Place - Billy Fowler
Phillip Jeffries - Gabriel Hardman
Cap - Ryan Meinerding
Hela - Jae Lee
Sniper Wolf - Scott Blair
Red Skull - Ben Caldwell
Killer Bob - Rod Reis
Angel of Death - Shane Pierce
The kicker is I'm still waiting on three pieces because the artists couldn't get it done by NYCC.
BoogieWoogie
Banned
Damn those are straight fire. Was that Angel of Death one a commission??
fallengorn
Bitches love smiley faces
Yup. $300 for an oil painting. Insane bargain.
Speaking with Shane, I think he's going to move away from doing "darker stuff" soon. People look at his portfolio and they keep commissioning skull characters.
BoogieWoogie
Banned
Damn! Does he have a website??
fallengorn
Bitches love smiley faces
BoogieWoogie
Banned
Thanks man! Yeah if this guy does commissions outside of shows, definitely picking one up.
I think that's my beef with commissions: an artist must get tired of drawing the same thing over and over again. If I ever pony up money to commission an artist to do something, it wouldn't even be comic book characters or whatever series they are working on. In my mind, it would be stuff I hold dear to me e.g. God Hand or original stuff.
Depends on the artist, John Timms is th artist on Harley Quinn and he was super happy to be doing all different kinds of Harley.
Damn, some of you guys go all out. I'm jealous lol. Guess I'll post the few things I ended up walking away with this weekend outside of a couple kid robot figures and a few comics.
Delta Red Cammy from Edwin Huang
page from Morning Glories - Joe Eisma
Was pretty excited to stumble upon this when looking through his book since it's from possibly my favorite scene of the entire series.
Guile from Bordin Marsinkul (Hyperbooster Studio)
This guy was one of the more impressive things I've seen this weekend. He does quick <10 min sketches for $25 of a character of your choice. Even jumps into some off-mainstream (not guile of course) characters without using references and can hold a conversation basically the whole time.
Gotta throw in my Westworld hat souvenir from their exhibit too. Didn't even know they were doing this until Saturday evening despite being a big fan of the show and specifically looking for their panel on the list. Figured I'd give it a shot and got really lucky by walking towards an intersection just as a couple employees from the exhibit walked by and followed the small crowd they attracted to a #20 or so spot in the line. Got absolutely drenched waiting over an hour in the rain for the appointment signup but it was all worth it for that 20-25 minutes or so of feeling like I was part of that world.
Barely got to any panels due to lack of interest and being late for the Runaways/Mythbusters ones but overall it was another great weekend. Was bummed that there was no Stranger Things or Venture Bros panels since those were the two I was hoping would have some presence at least. Been going there every year since 2010 except for one and I hope to be able to go another 7 times.
Delta Red Cammy from Edwin Huang
page from Morning Glories - Joe Eisma
Was pretty excited to stumble upon this when looking through his book since it's from possibly my favorite scene of the entire series.
Guile from Bordin Marsinkul (Hyperbooster Studio)
This guy was one of the more impressive things I've seen this weekend. He does quick <10 min sketches for $25 of a character of your choice. Even jumps into some off-mainstream (not guile of course) characters without using references and can hold a conversation basically the whole time.
Gotta throw in my Westworld hat souvenir from their exhibit too. Didn't even know they were doing this until Saturday evening despite being a big fan of the show and specifically looking for their panel on the list. Figured I'd give it a shot and got really lucky by walking towards an intersection just as a couple employees from the exhibit walked by and followed the small crowd they attracted to a #20 or so spot in the line. Got absolutely drenched waiting over an hour in the rain for the appointment signup but it was all worth it for that 20-25 minutes or so of feeling like I was part of that world.
Barely got to any panels due to lack of interest and being late for the Runaways/Mythbusters ones but overall it was another great weekend. Was bummed that there was no Stranger Things or Venture Bros panels since those were the two I was hoping would have some presence at least. Been going there every year since 2010 except for one and I hope to be able to go another 7 times.
Nice! I need to get something from Jae Lee next time.
That's some really cool stuff! I always forget that there's folks that don't charge $100 for stuff. That's good to know next time I volunteer at a con. My bro is a huge SF fan so I would get him a Dan commission because that was his main in USF IV.
I never really go to any of the panels either at Main Stage or otherwise because I don't have time nor interest for anything that screams must see. I took a peek inside the main stage for the Eastern Cosplay Championship but ended up going to the auction. Carrying a huge travel bag on Sunday morning in the rain was a pain in the ass for me but I pushed through.
As a quick side note: I noticed that people brought Uncharted PS4s for Nolan North to sign and one female attendee teared up upon meeting him. I kept a straight face the entire time but found it amusing.
Shrennin
Didn't get the memo regarding the 14th Amendment
I had an awesome time at the con. I got Mark Hamills autograph and picture. Hamills autograph was a tough sell, but I love Hamills work and hes a legend in the industry to me. I got Hamill to sign the original Star Wars poster that Spiderweb Art (Greg Hildebrandts company) was selling. It included a Darth Vader helmet sketch and a signature by Hildebrandt as well. That was my big purchase. Also, I got the NYCC exclusive LEGO BrickHeadz from the standby line. I didnt think I would get that.
Rick and Morty stuff seemed to be the big deal this year. I started my pin collection by getting all the NYCC exclusive R&M pins too!
I geeked out at Kevin Conroy. He was so awesome and nice. Plus you cant beat an autograph and selfie for $40!
Rick and Morty stuff seemed to be the big deal this year. I started my pin collection by getting all the NYCC exclusive R&M pins too!
I geeked out at Kevin Conroy. He was so awesome and nice. Plus you cant beat an autograph and selfie for $40!
Ya I'm always on the lookout for something that's memorable while being cheap or free. Just going is pretty expensive so I can't spend a whole lot while I'm there. Still consider myself fortunate enough to be able to spend 300-400 every year and would definitely spend a lot more if I could swing it.
Felt like that show really blew up over this past year. I remember going to the panel they had in 2014 and just walking in. If they did it now it'd probably need to be moved off site lol. I don't think I could swing a bat without hitting some R&M merch or Funko Pops.