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Nerds in New York – Comic-Con 2012


New York Comic-Con 2012


Copyright ©2012 PopEntertainment.com.  All rights reserved.Posted: October 14, 2012. 

If  President Obama or Mitt Romney really considered “getting out the vote” all they would need to do is pay a little visit to Comic-Con in New York City. Yes, that little geek fair that attracts tens of thousands of people every year in October. I mean couldn’t you just see the President dressed as Batman and Mitt Romney dressed as well… Two Face…. or vice versa… depending on your political perspective?

The hoopla that has become Comic-Con unraveled on Thursday to a very large and colorful crowd. Getting there early and casing the joint was the plan. Thursday was just for VIPs, press and those lovable geeks that had no choice but to buy a four-day pass. It seemed the tractor beam of comic book hysteria sucked them all in.

But Comic-Con is much more than a comic convention filled with plastic sword welding geeks and cute young girls donning elves ears. It’s big business. And like all big business the window is narrowing as profit margins have shrunk. However, you couldn’t tell if you paid a visit this weekend to the all-things-geek show.

Make no mistake.  Comic-Con is a spectacle. It is spread out in the cavernous Jacob Javits Center on the West Side of Manhattan and I must admit once I entered, I didn’t know which way to turn first.

Walking the aisle I noticed lots of people signing autographs. I caught wind of a Playboy model speaking to a couple of guys in front of her table. One of them was asking what he would get for 20 bucks. She replied a picture of her together with them. Strangely enough just 10 blocks north and 30 years back that $20 would have gotten that group something different all together.

Could I bear the brunt of walking the halls of this event for four straight days? Many people I spoke to were going to load up on Red Bull to get through the walk, panels, screenings and anything else that was thrown in their way. One lady dressed as cat woman told me “superheroes never say die.”

The con organizers had everything grouped together in very attractive fashion. Comics occupied the back end of the show while gaming dominated the front section.  The amount of activity surrounding gaming was astonishing. Nerds and geeks did battle for the ultimate prize. No… not cash… but to see who would be crowned the best in the world.

The eclectic mix of hot chicks and overweight men in full costume drew interesting contrast. I mean where but Comic-Con can you see the Scooby-Doo van, The Bat Mobile (circa 1960’s) and the Back to the Future DeLorean parked conveniently in one area for mass consumption? At any given time you could expect to wait on a line better than ten minutes for food, the bathroom and for autographs of fan favorites Lou Ferrigno or Sean Astin.

Comic-Con NY can certainly rival its San Diego counterpart; now if we can just find a way get our candidates there in full costume.

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