Nostalgia: New York Comic Con 2018 - My Lovely Comic, Cosplay and Toy Heaven!!!
So, it’s the holiday season and if you’re still looking for gifts for the kids or possibly yourself, hopefully my nostalgic reflection of NYCC 2018 will help you. NY Comic Con 2018 was amazing as multiple figures, video games, cosplay and the sneak peak of the New Dragonball Z Super: Broly movie were present for viewing and playing pleasure. As you read, hopefully this will either help you in your gifting choices, movie choices, or just persuade you to save up and plan for next year’s NYCC 2019!!!
#Swag-Lyfe
Last year when I went to New York Comic Con 2017 I wrote about how it was my first time and didn’t know what to expect. In the end I expressed my joy and how I couldn’t wait for next year. Well, this year for NY Comic Con 2018, I expected to see the same stuff as last year, but with minor changes. Now while I was right for the most part I still found myself amazed at all the awesome paraphernalia 2018 Comic Con had. Comic Con is definitely the place to get some awesome swag and do a lot of fun activities. For me, it was like a kid in a candy shop. Here is a list of some of the things I did and accumulated as I attended NY Comic Con 2018:
I took a photo with the cast of Titans (sort of) and got a free comic for Titans and Teen Titans Go!!!.
I played the new LEGO DC Super Villains game and got a free LEGO Bat Jet (Which I plan on giving to my cousin)
I got some buttons from the DC Panel
A free comic book for the new Aquaman movie and took some pics of products promoting the movie as well. As well as some awesome Aquaman Cosplay.
A free comic for the Shazam movie coming out next year and a cosplay of Shazam
I also bought two rare Rick and Morty comics which are in protected sleeves and I don’t plan on letting them out in the wild in the near future
SoulCalibur 6 Gameplay 50 minutes of Gameplay. Courtesy of Shirrako
I played several video games including My Hero Academia: One’s Justice, Jump Force (my personal favorite), God Eater 3 and Soul Calibur VI. Soul Calibur came out on 10/19 for windows XBox one and PlayStation 4. Soul Eater 3 comes out on 12/13 for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows. One’s Justice came out on 10/23 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows. Jump Force comes out in February 2019 for XBox one, PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows. For the review on One’s Justice, fellow writer Josh B. will be providing that synopsis very soon.
I had the chance to relive my childhood and went to the Yu-Gi-Oh! section of the con and played some duels using the Duel Links app and I even entered a tournament (ranking second I might add), took a photo with one of the protagonist and turned into a card. Don’t worry my soul wasn’t taken.
The Marvel app Battle Lines was also there. Marvel Battle Lines is a verses card battle game in which players can build decks of their favorite Marvel characters and battle each other. The game has some strategy to it and in addition to selecting marvel characters, there’s equip cards used as well. How the game works is that each character has a certain amount of HP (Health Points) and attack strength and can only be played when certain conditions are meant. Understanding the concept of the game is easy and after I played a couple of rounds I was able to adjust and even won a few matches. Because I was a beta tester I even got a few honorary pins. Marvel Battle Lines is definitely worth downloading.
Steve Cardenas
Finally, and this was probably the part of my experience at Comic Con that I loved more than anything...I met Steve Cardenas who played (Rocky) in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Power Rangers Zeo. He played the Red Ranger and Zeo Ranger 3 Blue. In addition to meeting him, he also signed the 25th anniversary Blue Zeo Ranger action figure. It was pricey, but it was worth it to meet one of the first Rangers who built a successful franchise two decades later.
Cosplay 2018
One of the best things about NY Comic Con is the amazing cosplay that comes through and this year was no different. The best part about cosplay is that there are so many characters from different movies, video games, television, comics, anime and manga to choose from. Now I can tell you all about the cosplay I saw but it would be easier to just show you:
Duan King (Joker) & Brian Messick (Scarecrow)
I even had the time to interview some cosplayers as well. My interviewees were Duan King ‘DK’ (Heath Ledger-Joker) and Brian Messick ‘BM’ (Scarecrow) from Denver, Colorado:
EM: Is this your first Comic Con?
(BM): Yes and No; First time in Colorado and we’ve been to San Diego Comic Con
EM: What’s the difference between this Comic Con and others you have went too?
BM: San Diego has tons of celebrities and a lot more panels
EM: Tell me about your Cosplay?
BM: I’m Scarecrow and I have my venom needles and Injector as well as my mask
EM: Why did you go as Heath Ledger’s Joker?
DK: He just stole the show, he had a small part, but his personality and how he just took over the role, he owns it.
EM: What advice can you give to people who want to get into cosplay?
BM: Just have fun
EM: What’s your favorite thing about cosplaying?
BM: The children’s reaction whether their happy or scared their reaction makes it all worth it.
I also interviewed Joby Bongco (JB) from North Jersey who was cosplaying as Minoru Mineta from My Hero Academia.
EM: Why did you decide to cosplay as Mineta?
Joby Bongco cosplaying as Minuro Mineta
JB: When I try to cosplay as anything I always try to go by a certain criteria. First, if I can pull off the character for example I’m not gonna go as the Hulk because I’m not that big of a guy. Also I wanted to be a character that people would recognize, but also not many people would be. I don’t see a lot of ‘Minetas’, I see a lot of ‘Bakugos’ and ‘Dekus’. I’ve seen some ‘Todorokis’ and a few ‘Tokoyamis’, but I have yet to see one of Mineta. I thought that it would be really cool. I wanted to be a fun character so when people look they would be like ‘oh my god it's that guy’. I always try to be that guy. That’s always something that I aim for every year.
EM: What do you like about Mineta’s character?
JB: In any anime you gotta have that character that is very lustful towards women, but for Mineta it’s done in a way where it’s comic relief. While some characters call him creepy and with him it is, but it isn’t and then it’s just funny because it never works out for him. It’s always one of those things when he gets what he deserves like when he got stabbed in the eye by Jairo’s earphone Jack or something around those lines, but I find him really entertaining.
EM: What do you hope to see from Mineta in the future?
JB: The show is very good at giving the side characters a chance to shine and while I haven’t seen the movie yet, I heard he actually plays a big part. I would love to see Mineta get some more screen time. It’s just nice to see a little bit of back story from other characters so I’m hoping to see more of a heroic side of Mineta rather than his perverted side. He just needs a little more depth and I think he would be a great character to get that from.
For me, cosplay is an art that lets the imagination run free. Cosplay allows people to express themselves in any way. Therefore I encourage anyone that’s looking for ways to express themselves in any way without judgment; I highly recommend cosplaying.
‘Dragonball Super: Broly’ Hype is Real
Although it is December and NY Comic Con since ended; I feel the need to discuss the hype surrounding Dragonball Super. When I went to NYCC this year I saw many vendors and many promotions for various shows, movies and video games. But not one compared to the particular area I always found myself returning to throughout the con and that was the Funimation section promoting the new movie Dragonball Super: Broly.
Dragonball Super: Broly
Now for those of you who know me or have read my profile I love anime and Dragon Ball Super and its previous installments make it one of my favorite anime of all time. As a child I loved coming home from school and turning on the TV to watch Toonami and looked forward to new episodes of Dragon Ball, Dragonball Z and yes-even Dragon Ball GT (don’t judge me on that last one). In other words, it holds a special place in my heart mainly because it was my very first anime. Now back to the Dragonball Super.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is expected to hit Japan’s theaters December 14 and expected to hit movie theaters in the US early next year (January 16th, 2019). Not only will this movie be the first movie under Dragon Ball Super, but this is expected to be the first canon movie in Dragon Ball History.
The hype for this movie was all too real. Every time I visited the Dragon Ball Super section there was always a crowd of people. The amount of attention this movie is getting is so great that not only did it get its own section where fans was able to bask in all things Dragon Ball, they were also able to check out the entire history of Dragon Ball and vote regarding which Dragon Ball characters contributed more to the success of the manga and the anime.
For a taste, below is the second trailer for Dragon Ball Super: Broly
The second trailer for Dragonball Z Super. Courtesy of Kami Style
Dragon Ball Legends has dropped a banger. Gogeta vs. Broly Official Reveal
and because of the timeline in writing this I also have the Gogeta trailer on here as well.
If you have seen every Dragon Ball Z movie then you will also be aware of how certain changes were made regarding how Goku came to Earth and how Broly and Paragus motives changed from their original appearance. While some of you may have issue with this, I still have complete faith in the writer's ability to not go completely away from the original material while still offering something new and fresh.
As the clock is ticking down for the premiere, movie theaters and fans are super excited for this movie and I got to talk with one fan that had no qualms expressing his joy for the upcoming movie as well as all things Dragon Ball. Meet Anthony Musumechi.
Anthony Musumechi: Master Roshi
This is Anthony Musumechi (AM) cosplaying as Master Roshi. Below is the interview I had with him where I asked him his hopes and thoughts regarding the Dragon Ball Super movie.
EM: Why did you Cosplay as Master Roshi?
AM: At 25 years old I was already bald, so I figure it would be the easier cosplay to do. I already love Dragon Ball Z and I figure why not Master Roshi.
EM: What about Dragon Ball Z do you love so much?
AM: I grew up watching it and it inspire me to go to the gym to workout and look my best.
EM: Is Broly a favorite character of yours?
AM: Broly’s awesome!, he’s not one of my favorites, I’ve always been more of a Vegeta guy, but I am really looking forward to the new movie and I hope it inspires Akira Toriyama to continue the series.
EM: What are you most looking forward to Goku and Vegeta in the upcoming movie?
AM: Maybe a fusion seeing Vegito would be awesome, but I’m really looking forward to seeing Broly in the new animation.
EM: With Broly now being apart of the main timeline, do you you think that other movie villains will have the opportunity to become apart of the main timeline as well?
AM: I hope so, honestly I always consider the movies a part of the same universe, I know the timelines don’t add up, but as a kid with an imagination it all works out in the end.
I also saw some cosplay of Android 17, Majin Vegeta and Super Saiyan God Vegeta.
I’m lucky to have been to Comic Con once, but to go there a second time was a blessing. What made this year’s Comic Con better than the last year was the fact I managed to travel around this time. When I went to Comic Con 2017, I was overwhelmed by everything, saying to myself ‘dang I wish I had done that’; but this year was different in every way. I managed to go to every section of the con and did everything. I did everything in the DC section and Marvel section; I saw and took part in a lot more of the anime and manga panels; I played several of the hottest video games coming out next year. I took some phenomenal photos of cosplay and purchased many souvenirs including some rare one of a kind comics and toys as well as meeting many great people who share similar interests to my own.
Regardless if you’re into TV, Movies, Comic Books, Video Games, Anime or Manga Comic Con will have something for you. Therefore I recommend going even if you can only afford to go for a day. It will be an experience you will never forget. Also, mark your calendars, Comic Con 2019 will be on October 3-6, 2019.
