Scapers, Trekkers, and geeks lend me your eyes for I have been to Comic Con and seen the future!
Today was the first day of New York Comic Con 2010, and while Friday may not be the sugar high congested frenzy of Saturday; I'm still writing this with HotHands inside my socks on the bottom of my feet. This will be my second/third time going to NYCC, but I'm only now getting the hang of it. NYCC is excellent because it appeals to every aspect of the geek/nerd culture: gamer, cosplayer, movie buff, comic collector, sci-fi reader, artists, table-topper, figure collector, fantasy lover - NYCC has them all and the props to go along with it.
I started with the gaming area. Let me start by saying I am not a gamer. I am a sci-fi/fantasy fan with a ever-increasing interests in comics and graphic novels; but, I started as a Trekkie with a gaming interest when I was about 7 with my Nintendo (note: there is no "Super" before that title). I eventually pared down my interest due to sheer finances and parental guidance - fantasy and sci-fi books cost approximately eight dollars a book, and you don't need a new system to enjoy each volume. However, as I now have more disposable income, I am going for more active escapism, and RPGs seem the most practical step. Every inch was covered with black and neon blue advertisements for the new Intel. So much so that my first thought was that the entire area was a Tron reference. There was also a uber-awesome looking mouse to go along with the beautiful systems. I tried out StarCraft II and Star Trek Online. I couldn't figure out either, except for running, and when I asked people around me they couldn't decipher the working of the game controls either; but, whether that is due to my lack of experience, or says something about the game, I don't have the knowledge to judge. Either way, I liked what I saw and would definitely be willing to devote more time to learning them in the future (read tomorrow and Sunday).
After I got tired of feeling like an oyster in deep water, I went to the Stan Lee/ NHL Guardians panel. I like new franchises, but entered this panel less-open minded than usual. I have nothing against Stan Lee or the NHL, but when I see two franchises with such specific target audiences working together, "MARKETING" is what comes to mind - a skill which I respect, but of which I do not like to be an obvious pawn. The panel directly confronted this issue, stating that the comics, due to the fact that one of the driving factors behind the partnership is to spread both hockey and comics to a larger international audience, would focus mostly on the heroes and not the game so as to prevent alienating anyone. As such, I expect the NHL marketing will be light-handed a la Josh Trager and Sour Patch Kids (Season 1). The graphics and the motion-capture animation will probably be excellent and along the quality of "Astonishing X-Men", if not better (think of all the money and 8 years preparation for this). My only concern is, where are the women? I realize they will probably be there as non-superheroes; but, to have women as only sidekicks in an comic endeavour that is claiming to be creating some of the most memorable characters in the history of comics (the panel's words, not mine) would be insulting and a step backwards. The National Women's Hockey League no longer exists; and, the current NHL, each of which the 30 new superheroes represent, is strictly male. I won't judge yet as we have to wait until 1/31/2011 to see - but just food for forethought.
Next, I walked around the booths. I have a weekend pass, so there was no necessity to see everything today; but, I was too excited to not try and at least glance everything to plan my Saturday and Sunday attack routes. I saw some beautiful artistic works, but I'll get to that later as I didn't have a chance to really investigate that today. As I was picking up new comics, buying books to prepare for the zombie apocalypse, and generally geeking-out, I came across an excellent booth which has the potential to embody everything I believe comics (and the geek/nerd pop culture in general) lacks: minority representation.
"Majestics" is the new kid on the block, and they are making their presence known. With their own DJ, two booth's worth of space, and posters reminiscent of old-school X-men (fully clothed, attractively young, slightly thick, and physically able) the orange-yellow fire of the encircled "M" shined bright as they drew a steady crowd throughout the afternoon. I was lucky enough to speak to one of the company members, and she gave me a brief rundown of the story. It begins with the massacre of a family while at a family reunion. Unseen, three cousins survive to become the only remaining members. Unbeknownst to them, they have also inherited super-powers which go back generations - a family heirloom which has been passed down since the time of the Middle Passage. Reminiscent of Milestone comics, the main characters are Black-American with a universal story. I am excited for this franchise, and hope that the comic world is ready for it - as they were not with Milestone. I also hope that it lives up to the path that Milestone started and eventually represents other minorities as well. Tomorrow, the first issue will be for sale at the NYCC booth, and I plan to buy one. The story sounds very compelling, and comics with family at the core can make for great, intense, and sometimes more realistic, storylines.
Following NYCC, I continued my escapist weekend extravaganza with "Fellowship!" (aka The Musical Parody of The Lord of the Rings). For a quick review: FOUR of FOUR STARS, but that's a blog for another day . . .
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