Dec 30 2008
Convention Profile: New York Comic Con 2009
For all you convention goers in the North East, this convention profile is for you! New York Comic Con (NYCC) is rolling into town February 6 - February 8, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Midtown Manhattan. This convention is still relatively new, having just been founded in 2006. (It should be noted that this convention has no relationship to San Diego Comic Con.)
One of the nice things about this convention is the wide variety of accommodations available. You can get a room ranging from $159 - $259 per night. The convention’s website offers information on multiple ways to reach the convention center via public transit, and will also be running an official shuttle bus. More info about travel and hotels can be found here.
Tickets for this event can be purchased in advance, or at the door. If you pre-register, a weekend pass will cost you $50. If you buy one at the door, that price increases to $65. Based on reports from NYCCs of years past, you can probably expect a decent line if you wait to purchase your ticket when you arrive. It is one of the biggest pop culture cons on the East Coast. Similar to Ikkicon, you can purchase a “VIP” membership, which will get you a dedicated entrance to the show floor, a special lounge, discounts on show exclusives, and “sweet swag.” This special membership will set you back $150.
Of course, I imagine the big draw for this convention will be Mike “Gabe” Krahulik and Jerry “Tycho” Holkins of Penny Arcade fame. That’s right East Coasters, you can FINALLY have a chance to meet the guys behind Penny Arcade and the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) convention.
The guest list, to be frank, is absolutely HUGE and there’s no way I could list every single name here. I will, however, give a few more highlights: Peter Mayhew (Chewy, Star Wars), Lou Ferrigno (Hulk, The Hulk), and Peter David (Star Trek novel and comic author). You can see the entire guest list here. Yeah. I told you it was massive.
As with most cons, NYCC features a vendor area and an artist alley, as well as contests and panel discussions. The official programming schedule isn’t up yet, but you can view last year’s on the website.
If you are at all into comics, this is definitely a convention for you. Many conventions that started out as comics based conventions have since moved more towards anime and general fandoms, and this convention definitely maintains a strong comic book focus. It even has corporate sponsorship from DC and Marvel.
I’m not much of a comic book fan, but after seeing the guest list, I’m tempted to jump in the car and attend this thing myself!
As always, if you do attend, please feel free to come back and post pictures and/or feedback!
