Hank McCoy (Before the Fur)

Comic Con happened- in New York, anyway. This one's been up and coming for a while. Omnicomic has kind of had the privilege of seeing the NY Comic Con go from seeming like a one-room sideshow to raking in a crowd and interest in the same league as San Diego.

I’ve never been the type to just sit around and criticize for no reason. In fact, just the opposite- I’m usually so enthusiastic about everything happening that I can’t even make up my mind about how I want to spend my time (or money). So why am I just feeling so…blaise, about the con?

I can’t really say it wasn’t well supported or that it didn’t have a bunch of incredible stuff to see. From Knights of the Old Republic and Transformers Universe to the release of The Avengers trailer, the con was filled with ‘get in on the ground floor and see it first’ kind of stuff. Not to mention all sorts of excellent collector’s items.

But there’s just something going on here where I just feel…lost, I guess, at this thing. It’s sort of like it’s filled with video games, props from movies, and whatever. So why do I feel like I walked out of there feeling like I don’t know a damn thing about what the next year of Marvel or DC comics are going to look like? Something’s gotten decentralized about the con.

It’s sort of like the information that you think would be commonplace--about comic books--is just buried in this sea of dressed up cosplay actors and video game demonstrations. You’d be lucky to even find the room that information is being given in, let alone wade through the line to enter it at the appointed time and place.

That's not to say that I’m knocking on video games, anime and other stuff at the con. I love that that stuff is at the con! Like a lot of conventions, New York Comic Con is sort of celebration of all things pop culture--not JUST comic books. When you walked into the center this year, the staircase was painted to have a promo for Final Fantasy XIII-2 on it. That’s cool!

The Marvel and DC areas? There were some signings going on there, with some incredible names. If you wait in line you might get a chance to chat with Jim Lee or Rob Liefield for just a few minutes. And I’m not knocking that. But I feel like that’s it. I mean I guess I don’t know what I expect, really.

There’s no five-page promos of comics coming out in two months, there’s no plot summary analysis of past X-Men crossovers. I don’t know. Maybe I’m not sure what I want.

I went to a gaming convention when I was younger. Not one of the big ones; just a local one. Still, it was decked out with interactive events. I mean it makes sense, if the convention is about gaming, right? So there were sealed deck Magic tournaments for prize money that you could register for. There was a Battletech model painting workshop and competition. There was playtesting for role playing and board games that hadn’t hit the stores yet.

I guess, for some reason, I want stuff LIKE that at the con. What am I saying? I’m not sure. Because what kind of interactive event is there for comic books other than to…you know…read them? Maybe like a roundtable discussion or something like that?