Reminiscing on NYCC 2013 - Part 1

A sea of people.

It has been exactly 3 months since I attended New York Comic Con (NYCC) with a press pass, and boy, do I wish that I could back already.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with NYCC, allow me to elaborate a bit. The convention is the second largest of its kind in the country, right behind the big one in San Diego. In 2013, it's estimated that it was attended by around 130,000 people. NYCC attracts fans of all sorts of entertainment other than just comics, from film to YA novels to...wrestling? But more on that later... (and for more information on NYCC, click here)

Anyway, this past October marked my second trip to the convention. And what an adventure it was. Over the next three days, I will detail some of the highlights of each day of the con.

Friday -  Dressed as Reaping Day Katniss (at least, my best approximation), I got off the train at Grand Central Station carrying an over-stuffed backpack and a Hobbit tote stuffed to the gills with my "NYCC survival kit." While I know the city decently well, I still latched on to the first group of costumed crusaders (some Assassin's Creed fans, judging by their cowls) that I spotted, for safety's sake. As we walked, the group grew; by the time we all reached the Javits Center, there were at least fifteen of us.

After getting through the Press entrance, it was all a matter of checking my knapsack and locating my friends before I could start to enjoy the convention. I found them by the same meeting spot we picked out last year - right across from the bathroom with the shortest line, and just a short walk from the food court. We focused on the important things, obviously.

I started the day out with a peanut-butter-banana-honey-bacon sandwich. Yes, you read that right. After that, we wandered. The Javits Center is huge--something like 760,000 square feet--and NYCC is spread out across the whole thing. There's the vast exhibition hall, the autograph hall, and the artist hall, not to mention dozens of theaters and panel rooms in various sizes.

We creeped on celebrities in the autograph hall, standing on our tiptoes to see over the crowds. I accidentally fan-girled Catherynne M. Valente, who was very kind about it. I then stood in line for forty-five minutes to meet Max Brooks, writer of World War Z (one of my favorite books), and son of Mel Brooks (one of my favorite directors). I told him that my dad was his dad's biggest fan, and he responded by saying: "If my dad was here, I'm sure he would be so happy to hear that."

Other highlights of the day include meeting "Lola," Agent Coulson's beloved car from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., watching people get knighted by the fellows from Medieval Times, and looking at a display of Superman suits from over the decades. I tracked down F. Paul Wilson, writer of the Repairman Jack series, and favorite author of my old roommate. He was more than happy to write a nice little note for her, which I am happy to say made her year when I gave it to her (or at least her week).

Friday ended at my friends' apartment with Chinese food, Disney movies, and a heck of a lot of sewing to prepare us for Saturday...

A Bit of Explanation

Dear As-of-yet-non-existent readers,

Sunday is going to be my "day off" for blog posts. Why? Well, I have several good reasons. There's the good ol' day of rest excuse, seeing as I am a college student who stays in bed a little too late on Sunday mornings. And then there's the fact that my weekly articles for the school paper are due every Sunday night, and they must take priority.

But since I'm writing anyway, here's a teaser list of topics to expect to pop up in my posts over the next few weeks...

-Why Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace has more merit than you might think...
-10 Films that I discovered a few years (or decades) too late...
-Hobbit v. Hobbit: A Tolkien nerd's take on the first two films in Jackson's trilogy
-A review of BBC's Merlin (provided I finish the final season)

Are these exciting topics? I think so. And I hope that you, non-existent readers, thing so too.

-TMN

Welcome, One and All

This is the moment, ladies and gentlemen. The moment when I take initiative and kick my lazy butt into action. For a while now, I have been planning on beginning my own "nerd&geek culture" blog, and here, finally, it is. 

I suppose that I should tell you all a little about myself before I begin. My name is Alanna (aka "The Masked Nerd") and I am a soon-to-graduate college senior. A good chunk of my non-academic time is dedicated to rulin--I mean, running the school Science-Fiction club, writing for the Arts & Entertainment section of the school paper, and playing D&D with my friends. I spend the rest of my time playing the harp and singing. 

It's a good life. A good life that will soon be thrown into disarray by the looming behemoth of graduation.

One thing I will miss a lot about college is getting to write for the newspaper, which over the years has provided me with many invaluable things: new friends, journalistic writing experience, several coffee mugs, and a shiny press pass to New York Comic Con. More importantly, I know that, by writing for the paper, I brought joy to other people; I received many emails from students and teachers who had found their new favorite films because of my recommendations, or who were happy to know that someone out there shared their interests. 

This blog will allow me to continue writing about the things that I love--things that I am sure other people love, too. Even if there's only one person who reads it regularly, I will be content in knowing that my words are having the desired effect. 

There are several features that I have planned, and I hope to post at least five or six times a week. Expect reviews of new and throwback books and films, recommendations of Netflix Instant Queue gems, pictures of the most nerdtastic merchandise the web has to offer, and of course, top ten lists. I love making lists. Get used to it. 

In return for sort-of-objective-but-let's-face-it-it's-a-blog posts, I will ask that if any of you decide to comment on anything, follow the golden rule: do not say unto others what, deep down in your heart, you would not want others saying unto you. Constructive criticism and friendly debates are always fine, but those who insist on mean-spirited remarks and trolling will have houses fall on their heads. 

I hate trolls. Except for Detritus. 

(Anyone who gets this reference deserves a cookie.)

Anyway, that is all that I have to say in this introduction post. You'll hear from me again tomorrow!

-TMN