#NYCC2019 - Books & Sadness
Maya Hanks
This year was something else. I know it’s always a matter of perspective, but to me, this was a rough year to slough through. Normally going to New York Comic Con is a joy, but looking at the ticket prices this year compared to other, smaller conventions made me reexamine my priorities. However, due to my boss here at Region 99 being awesome I was able to go on Saturday and take my little nerd holiday. I was able to meet independent artists, get autographs, and take pictures of a ton of cool cosplayers! I went to a couple of informative panels and now know of some geek communities in my area! Additionally, Netflix’s Castlevania panel was one of my highlights! The writers, directors, and voice actors were fun and if the panel wasn’t so pressed for time I would have loved to hear them talk more. I even managed to see a clip of season 3! No release date had been announced, but I’m not too concerned. Just knowing they worked on it gives me delight! The panel was promoting the Castlevania season 2 DVD coming to Blu-Ray November 11th. Now, we all know the series is on Netflix, but the DVD has all the behind-the-scenes footage and fun extras that come with DVDs today. I even picked up some comics that I have been dying to read, re-read, and I also picked up one funded by the musician Steve Aoki that I’m really enjoying!
The Adventure Zone
The books I picked up this year varied, ranging from sci-fi to horror to fantasy, and all totally worth checking out! Some I’ve never read before, and others I remember having in high school but was lost in the passage of time. I grabbed The Adventure Zone volumes one and two, Beyond Wonderland, and even a comic series featuring and produced by Steve Aoki called Neon Future! With Adventure Zone, I’ve always wanted to get into Dungeons and Dragons and this comic adaptation of The Adventure Zone podcast, voiced by the McElroy brothers, really piqued my interest even more. The campaigns are so wild and the characters are out of this world and totally hilarious to watch and interact with! I’m hoping my first D&D session will be just as fun! A New York Times bestseller, The Adventure Zone is a fun read for anyone of any age! Now I’m familiar with role-playing games so following the level progression and quirky abilities of the characters was not too hard for me to grasp. If this were someone’s first venture into the world of Dungeons & Dragons I would recommend taking your time and embrace the randomness.
Beyond Wonderland
Beyond Wonderland is the complete opposite tonally. It’s a series rated M (Mature) and it will not be for everyone. Produced by Zenscope, and part of Grimm Fairy Tales Presents, there are no surprises for how dark this story can be. The series takes the Wonderland mythos and adds horror, macabre, and a truly twisted take on Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass. As is true for many Zenscope stories, there are plenty of fan service shots of women in skimpy outfits, blood, body horror, and nightmarish versions of your favorite Disney characters. If you remember American McGee’s Alice in Wonderland video game, take that and add Splatterhouse, with a touch of Lovecraftian eldritch abominations, and you have a packed story. It does feel bloated at times with the colorful cast, but stick with it and in the end you’ll be satisfied.
Neon Future
Neon Future is a comic series featuring and produced by Steve Aoki. We get a dystopian future where the government bans all advanced technology and Steve’s character runs a resistance group trying to overthrow the oppressive system. The art is gorgeous and the storyline is interesting. If you’ve seen any media where humans are integrated with technology, then this is that. The question of how human can we be if we start implanting ourselves with more and more technology is a common trope in our current science fiction, but it is no less compelling. It is popular enough that a second issue is in the works and I like supporting my favorite musicians in their creative endeavors.
Personal Sadness
Despite my love for NYCC, I truly can’t say I had an absolute blast this year. Ultimately, it always comes down to money. From ticket sales to transportation, special events, autographs, after parties, and food, a convention can take a lot out of you if you don’t plan accordingly and now it’s not even trying to make you feel better with free merchandise. Tickets have been at their highest cost I’ve seen in a while and this is without access to a 4 -Day pass for general admission! Add this along with the cost of limited access special events, selective pre-paid autograph sessions, and after con parties, being a pop culture fan is really expensive when you want to keep up. I was able to sit in on a couple of panels that had some interesting topics such as ‘How to Make Your Fandom your Side Gig’, or ‘How LGBTQ Views Have Changed in Pop Culture Today’. Both are really good subjects and I wished I could have had a roundtable discussion afterwards, but I had to keep moving due to the mass amounts of tables I had to see and screenings I had to catch. With all the hustle and bustle, the magic of New York Comic Con is starting to fade.
New epilogue limited series "Steven Universe Future" from Cartoon Network.
All the important announcements regarding future MCU movies and Disney+ programs had been made at San Diego Comic Con back in August. Plus, Twitter more or less keeps the fandom informed daily. What should have been big news such as the dub for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Vento Aureo or a preview of Steven Universe Future should have been a big moment for companies and voice actors to present and talk to fans. Yet everything that should be exclusive is posted online for all to see. Even games are in too much of a rush to release gameplay footage on YouTube, as was the case for the Square Enix’s Avengers game revealing Ms. Marvel as a playable character the morning of the convention. Even getting an autograph from Umbrella Academy actors required an extra pass. I think after comparing my first NYCC in high school to now, I’m seeing some trends that are turning me off of “the East Coast’s Biggest Convention.”
All in all, this year’s New York Comic Con left me feeling underwhelmed. I felt like I had to spend more money to get my money’s worth and that’s never a good feeling. I met some cool people for sure, but now it’s feeling routine. Maybe I’ve just been going too long, or maybe next year just needs something special to blow my mind out of the water. Only time will tell.
