Saturday, February 24, 2007

Day 2 - Done

I know there were less posts than yesterday, and that several are duped,
but that's the downside of liveblogging at a non-fully-DVD event. But I
did get interviews with Mike Mignola and Tad Stone, the crew behind Afro
Samurai and Stan Lee himself, and I'll be posting those soon.

Tomorrow is Kids Day, so I don't expect the same turn-out, which means I
may not turn out, but I still have a couple of notes to share.

I Have a Bork Bork

Kevin Smith did his usual great job of making a massive crowd laugh
their asses off. For those wondering, if he could put together any
fight, it would be the Swedish Chef versus Martin Luther King, Jr.

Stan Lee vs. The Screen

Holy crap, I almost saw Stan "The Man" Lee injure himself not once, not
twice, but three times. Coming on and off the stage during a panel for
his animated films Mosaic and The Condor, he tripped over the leg of a
screen, and went flying three separate times, but collected himself
brilliantly, despite breaking the lens out of his glasses. There are few
people who can captivate and entertain an audience the way he can.

One of the Beatles vs. Stan Lee

One of the Beatles will be starring in an upcoming Stan Lee presents
animated film, and doing the music as well. It's certain to be an
All-Star affair.

Forced Dieting?

Or just a massive rip-off? Considering the incredible cost of anything
at the Javits Center, I give great thanks to Transcontinental for their
lounge.

Media Blasters Update

Expect some new Toho titles soon and Frankenstein Conquers the World
will be available in a few months.

Bigger Than Last Year

The line curls around inside the building and then around the building,
and the cosplayers are out in force. I believe the tickets are already
sold out. At this rate, next year's show could rival San Diego's (except
for the weather.)

On Today's Schedule

I'm planning a sit-down with the creators of Afro Samurai, and have time
set up to chat with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and legend Stan Lee. If
I can, I'll be checking out the Stephen King presentation as well.

Sweet, Sweet Swag

Swag (stuff we all get?) is always present at these conventions, be it
comics, sci-fi or erotica. This show has it's share, but it was mostly
of the poster, pin and sample comic variety. Of the swag that sticks out
most so far, it would probably be the nifty animated bookmarks the
Number 23 movie folks were giving out, the Gojira DVD samplers, and the
tiny Ghost Whisperer T-shirts (mainly because I couldn't understand what
the slogan "Ditch Him" meant.) My favorite was the "I rocked the mic"
tees given to those who visited the Sony Playstation area and did just
that with Singstar.

Of course, they all couldn't hold a candle to an innovative independent
creator in the Artists Alley who handed out free booze. Though I didn't
partake (I'm something of a teatotaller), it certainly got me to look at
their stuff.

The Word of the Day is MFing Cold

I was in Vermont earlier this week, and it wasn't as cold as it is today
in NY. I can't imagine what it's going to be like at the convention
center, which is down by the water.

Day One was a relatively quiet affair, a testament to the improvements
made by the organizers after last year's fiasco. Things are much more
organized and the new multi-floor layout is excellent, though it seemed
to create less traffic for the artists in artist's alley. I'm sure that
will change today, with it being a full day for fans.