{Originally appeared in The C.W. Post Pioneer's Loomings}
Excelsior true believers! And whatever it is that's DC's catchphrase. Mike Natale here checking in from New York Comic-Con 2011. I know what you're thinking: Didn't you tweet about doing press for Robot Chicken? And seeing the Avengers panel? And the Walking Dead cast? Which article is this? Well, folks, your ol' Uncle Mickey decided to condense it all into one article, since the school has only provided us with a limited amount of print space for the coverage. (Cause Assistant Editor Tom Lorezo gets two pages to cover Max Payne 3, and I get only one extra page to cover the whole con. Stupid campus events taking up print space. I'm talking to you, bake sale!) The deal is if there is enough feedback for this year's coverage, we get more space next year (and will probably qualify for a real, genuine press badge, but more on that later).
So, for those of y'all not in the know, I bet you're wondering what is this New York Comic-Con (herein abbreviated as NYCC) we're talking about? Well, to put it simply, its Disneyland for the pop culture lover. Though the name connotes comics, NYCC is about much more than that: movies, TV, video games, literature. You name it, they've got it, and some of the biggest names in the industry, to boot. How big? Well, how about some of the biggest names from what is guaranteed to be one of the biggest movies of the summer, The Avengers? Yep, Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Cobie Smolders (Maria Hill, but let's be real here, Robin from HIMYM) and in a surprise typical of the biggest East Coast entertainment convention, Mark Ruffalo (the newest actor to play The Hulk) all came out to promote the film. To list the celebrities who appear at this convention would take more print space than we can afford, that's just how jam-packed the roster is. Essentially, what I'm driving at is that Comic-Con is not something to miss.
Nor is it something to merely observe. It is indeed something to experience. I've attended the Con for the past three years, ever since I started my education here at Post, and I honestly have seen it grow even in that time, getting better every year, rivaling even the best cons the world has to offer (Yes, I'm talking to you, San Diego Comic-Con. No, I'm not trying to start an East Coast-West Coast Comic-Con rivalry like the rap wars of yore. But...you know...it'd be cool). You don't just get to meet celebrities, you get to sit in on panels chock full of spoilers, sneak previews, behind-the-scenes info and occasionally awkward Q & A where fans get to talk to the folks they love. You can play demos of upcoming games, purchase NYCC exclusive toys and apparel, take in a live show or two from the newly added New York Anime Festival, and even (to my childish delight) stand inside a life-sized Star Wars Action Figure Package. It makes life worth living.
Now, as for the specifics of the weekend, I did the best I could, dear reader. Since our magazine had never covered a convention before, we weren't granted press passes initially. Though through the sheer kindness of the hearts of NYCC, we were granted access to press events for certain panels, including one for my favorite stop-motion show since Moral Orel, Adult Swim's Robot Chicken. In the room full of press and RC co-creator Matt Senreich, I was granted one question, and I had to make it a good one (not wanting to be that jerk who asks "So, what is Robot Chicken about?" Come on, bro, do your research. Really.) I felt compelled to ask a question that may not enthrall all my readers, but that had always fascinated me. Robot Chicken has countless guest stars providing voices, most of whom can be traced back to co-creator Seth Green's vast acting career, from Sarah Michelle Gellar (from when Green played Oz, a young werewolf on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) to Scrubs' Donald Faison (who appeared alongside Green as a member of a fictional boy band in 2001's Josie and the Pussycats, which I referenced to Senreich in passing prompting him to immediately recall the name of the band, Du Jour. Senreich would later bring up the idea of "A Du Jour reunion" during the full panel, and I took silent, likely unwarranted, pride in inspiring that); yet one guest appearance on RC always stuck out to me. For one episode, Green and Senreich had called upon the voice talents of Tony- and Emmy-winning actress Kristen Chenowith, who to my knowledge had never worked with anyone involved with the show before. When questioned about this, Senreich stated that Chenowith was hired based on Seth Green's (and to an extent Senreich's) love of the Broadway musical Wicked, in which Chenowtih originated the role of Glinda the Good Witch. In fact, Senreich stated, that musical inspired one of RC's most beloved sketches, The Emperor's Phone Call, which attempted to humanize Emperor Palpatine of Star Wars fame. My question meeting the approval of the room afforded me the opportunity to ask another, piggybacking off of the Star Wars reference. Since the previously mentioned Emperor Palpatine sketch had resulted in 3 full Star Wars themed episodes, I inquired as to whether any other sketches had inspired full episodes around a particular theme. Senreich simply teased "Wait till the panel", and after fielding another question (a hard-hitting, no-nonsense journalist who endeavored to uncover the truth about whether he could get a job working for Robot Chicken), left to attend said panel.
After waiting in line for the panel (standing next to an extremely attractive blogger because, well, the press pass has its privileges), I finally scored a seat just in time to hear Senreich reveal to the assembled mass in the IGN theater that Robot Chicken would soon be doing an episode devoted solely to lampooning the heroes of the DC universe. The revelation excited the fanboy in me, while a nearby fellow journalist lamented that Senreich hadn't given them the scoop in private at the press session. Yet to me, that summed up NYCC. It wasn't about the press. It was about the fans. Sure, they want to get the word out about the convention, and to provide us journalists an opportunity to ask serious questions without having to wait through the hour long praise-questions of fanboys at Q & A's, but once those doors open on the Jacob K. Javits Center that magical Friday morning (or, for the first time this year, Thursday), its all about the fans. Hell, for the rest of the Con, all the "inside info" I got came from attending the public panels, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Don't get me wrong, I love my role as a journalist, tape recorder in hand, rushing to meet a deadline. But when I heard the news that Michonne was going to make an appearance in Season 3 of AMC's The Walking Dead, I'm glad it wasn't with a few select, bitter newsmen getting ready to Wikipedia the name, but rather with a roaring crowd who, like myself, fell in love with the daring, original comic book series by creator Robert Kirkman (who attended the panel along with members of the cast). The panel was moderated by none other than Nerdist founder, Talking Dead host, and personal hero Chris Hardwick, who took some time out of his busy day to offer me pointers on my own journalistic skills, and even offered me an exclusive bit of personal info never before revealed in any interview: His favorite type of toast is rye.
Sure, Tom got to check out Max Payne 3 and the upcoming Black Dynamite cartoon (his articles to come), but I got to sit in on a Q&A for The Avengers where every giddy girl in the crowd got up to the mic just to praise Tom Hiddleston (Loki from Thor, and a damned fine F. Scott Fitzgerald in Midnight In Paris), but enduring all the missed opportunities for quality questions was worth it when I was one of the select few (i.e. of the full Comic-Con attendees. There were still quite a lot of people in the IGN theatre for this panel) who got to see footage from Joss Whedon's superhero epic, and much like when Dante arrived at Paradiso, to try and describe it would not do it justice. It was too beautiful for words. But let me promise you, dear reader, the Hulk was done right.
Tragically, this is all I have room for. I pray to the university and the gods of NYCC that I return again to bring you updates from the Con next year. Live tweeted, hourly blogging, whatever hot new internet tech is big next year. And of course you'll find it all in the pages of Loomings magazine, Post's only source for Comic-Con info, when all is said and done. Though the best way to get all the info at Comic-Con is to go. I have for the past three years, and will continue to until the day I die Which would be kind of awesome if it happened there. Be 80 years old and croak inside that giant Star Wars action figure box. Yeah, that'd be sweet.}
