So finally, the biggest event of the year for me arrived, and I must say, I am disappoint. Not that I didn't have fun, but it's all that went down in between the fun. First off, it was actually a hassle, just to get tickets for the convention itself. These ticket prices are too damn high! My first time going to NYCC was back in 2010, and three day tickets were just a measly 50 bucks. Shouldn't be too hard to save up that much. The year right after, the price spikes up to $65. Of course you may thing, well what's an extra fiteen bucks? Everything! That extra $15 should be going to metrocards to you can actually get to the blasted place. New York's not cheap to travel around in you know.Luckily though, I won a raffle and got a free three day pass. After three tries mind you. I would've tried going for press passes, but that was another hassle in itself. You had to sign up for an account on their website and give all your info, only for them to send you some form you had to print and give in the SAME EXACT INFORMATION!!! They apparently don't even like independent producers like me, cause they ask for an assignment letter from your boss. Who the heck am I gonna get a letter from? Eric Schmidt!? So I said screw it, and decided to look into other methods. So all that's out of the way, now it's just time to prepare for the day of.
Friday comes, I'm walking along 34th street, to the main entrance, I'm told to head over to 38th street. "S'cuse me?" Well, I figured, maybe it's just construction. Happens. No. They've blocked off all but entrances, just so it'd be easier for them to monitor who's coming in with a pass or not. Not a smart move, when you've got tens of thousands of people coming in and out of here guys! Honestly, you couldn't think of something better? Come on. Get with the time. Install scanners or something! Not like you don't have the money!!!! Geez! I understand, it's been way too easy to get into these things. There are even videos on youtube and online forums on how to get in no problem, but this was ridiculous. Thing is, according to what I heard, people were still able to get in. So, FAIL!!!!!
Anyways, rant done, no onto the important part. Like I said, the convention was great. The cosplay keeps getting better and better, though there are still some oversaturations. I tried to get as few mainstream comic book super heroes and anime characters as possible. Sure some look greater than other, but we've already seen it. Come on. Where are my Limbo kids, and Superior's. How about some classics, like Ronin Warriors? Unfortunately, my camera broke, and I wasn't able to get too many pictures, especially on Saturday. Wound up having to borrow a cousins for Sunday, and just took pics of whatever.
I got to play the Wii U a little. I can't see myself using the tablet controller for action games, like Ninja Gaiden, and Monster Hunter, but slower games, like Pikmin, or games that make it a necessity are fine. It totally feels natual in your hand though. You don't really notice at first that you're holding this huge tablet in your hand, compared to your typical controller. The graphics didn't wow me at all, but neither did PS3 and 360 when they first launched. Just gotta take time for developers to get used to the new technology, so they can take better advantage of it.
I played Marvel Heroes. It's just Diablo. Nuff said. That Avengers game is still atrocious. Injustice looks great, though it's still a re-skinned Mortal Kombat. Lines were waaaay too long for DMC and GOW Ascension, though I'm show they weren't really show stoppers. Darkstalkers looks absolutely terrible in high resolution. Seriously. You might as well just emulate it on your PC. Otherwise, everything was just the same old same old. The ones that actually caught my eye at least.
I went there, really hoping to find a job as a colorist for whatever comic book company would have me, so I spent a good portion of the time in Artist Alley, looking to some of my favorite artists for tips. Let me tell you about finding the damn place though! It's not on any map, and some of the workers didn't even know where it was themselves. This year, it was actually on the ground floor, in some random corner by the entrance. Who the heck is gonna find that, considering that area is normally non-accessible? Well, of course a lot of people did, but still. Why keep moving it? 2010 it on one side of the second floor, and then the moved it to the complete opposite end. Why!? But anyways. Got to meet a bunch of artists.
No one really had anything bad to say about my work. Paulo Rivera's always one of my go to guys, since he's pretty much the second coming of Alex Ross. He didn't have much to say, just that Marvel typically prefers cel-shading, as opposed to the digital airbrushing I do, but they're not really looking for any colorists at the moment, so I'd probably have a tough time getting a call from them. Honeslty, I pretty much told him, screw Marvel and DC, and I wanted to see some independents. So he just wished me the best of luck. Met with a few other people, but I was most glad to see Stanley Lau a.k.a "Artgerm" I really get most of my coloring inspiration from him. He actually told me I was too influenced by typical comic book work, and basically put my lights and shadows wherever. Wasn't 100 percent sure what he meant, but I'll take it all into consideration.
Food was too expensive as always, and this time they totally forced you buy from them, since you were pretty much trapped inside, unless you wanted to wait in a long line, just to get outside, then to go through the hassle of coming back in. No thanks! Didn't really check too many panels. I used to check all the ones from Marvel, but all the nonsense that going on, I couldn't care less. At the end of the day, it all came to me and some friends hanging out, which turned out to be more fun than some of the stuff that went down at the con.
So for my final verdict, I'd have to say the con was mediocre at best. I'd still go back of course. Not like there's anything at all better to do in New York anyways. Everyone has their parties and nightclubs. I have my Con. 'Nuff said.
For more photos, check my full album on G+ https://plus.google.com/photos/112592061344713212836/albums/5798626337973239873
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