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It's Amazing What Happens When You Pursue What You Love – The Sights And Sounds Of New York Comic Con(VIDEO)

By Shawn Perry

The joy of New York Comic Con 2014 was exquisite and thanks to the miracle of modern media production I not only have the prose but video evidence to prove it! Over the course of three-and-a-half insanely awesome days I got to hang with legendary artists & writers, attend incredible panel after incredible panel, enjoy the eclectic offerings of diverse exhibitors and people-watch far more cosplaying members of the geek tribe. In short, NYCC was… the shit.

In short, if you weren't there the only thing you need to know about NYCC is… you should have been there and you really need to consider getting on that next year. But don't take it from me…take it from this half-naked cos-playing Iceman.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRtPHlj-awA[/youtube]

One of the most wonderful sights at NYCC this year was the presence of so many beautiful fangirls. Now this is not exactly news, however, anyone that has been around for over a decade can attest that this culture has not always been known for its equality so the presence of so many female members of the geek tribe was a wonderful sight to behold for a number of reasons that stem from the on-going evolution of media, culture the human race. While on the subject there was a great panel on Friday featuring Enrica Jang (The Cask of Amontillado) and Jennie Wood (Flutter) called "Marry, Do, or Kill" that centered on the state of female roles in comics and was one of the most intellectually-satisfying panels I heard all weekend. Inspired by the panel I asked a number of passionate fangirls for their thoughts on the state of geek culture in regards to gender equality.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giKI6spu-4k[/youtube]

Something else that was awesome about NYCC was the diverse range of exhibitors on the show floor – and I don't just mean the friendly neighborhood shop owners who subsidized my hotel costs by buying my old comics but also the entrepreneurs who displayed their unique craftsmanship with class and creativity. One of my favorites was Beefy & Co., which was established in 2011 by creator Menh Voong and produces a unique brand of merchandise inspired by generations of comics, animation and pop culture. Not only is Voong a gifted artist with good taste and insight into geek culture but he is also a strong motivator as I have been to the gym several times since I got this awesome body-shaming Colossus t-shirt.

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Another one of my other favorite vendors was Vivarin, a health and wellness outfit similar to five-hour energy only less expensive and with significantly less sugar, who were on-hand to provide cosplayers free samples of their product. Personally, that 'three o'clock feeling' hit me pretty hard after a day at New York Comic-Con so it was a great surprise to find their booth and, since then, all of their free samples have really come in handy.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFrH6dwIWuA[/youtube]

One of the most fascinating vendors I encountered was film distribution company GKids Films. The organization handles the North American theatrical distribution for Hayao Miyzaki's famed Studio Ghibli library of films and was on-hand to celebrate the release of The Tale of Princess Kaguya – which, incidentally, currently holds a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Personally, I found it very interesting to learn how different GKids Films was compared to other film companies, as GKids Films representative Chance Huskey explains;

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8VUCZLbN7s[/youtube]

"GKids is a little different from the average animation [distributor] because we work with such a wide-array of international studios. There are some distribution companies that specialize in anime, whereas anime is just one part of our business. I would like to think that all the films we have no matter what country they're from have very unique artistic sensibilities…whether it's A Letter to Momo which is a sort of deliberately-paced heartfelt trauma or The Tale of Princess Kaguya which is like an ode to humanity told through one of Japan's oldest folktales you get something that's really original, really imaginative and really provocative. That's what makes it so different…we have animation that is for every audience…not just children, not just families, not just art house…there's more to animation than 3-D CGI films you have all sorts of aesthetics, philosophies and artistic sensibilities that really thrive out there and we're hoping to get those stories to the people who really want them."

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Last but not at all least I got meet heroes of the geek tribe at tables, panels, parties and press events. First I was able to meet Garth Ennis and ask questions about his excellent series: Crossed.

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Later I got share a Shiva-Blast with the capacity crowd at the The League panel and can proudly say that I am now forever unclean. After screening an instant-classic from the new season showrunners Jeff and Jackier Schaffer introduced the entire cast including; Stephen Rannazzisi, Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll (who flipped off the entire audience on his way in), Jon Lajoie (who I now believe to be a method actor), the lovely Katie Asleton, Paul Scheer and America's Sweetheart: Jason Mantzoukas who, in typical Raffi fashion, claimed to be rock hard throughout the entire panel. One particularly funny note from the panel: apparently some of the NFL stars aren't entirely prepared for the hijinks the cast get into on the show and their reactions are often candid, or as Mantzoukas explained in regards to Deion Sanders' experience walking into his and Seth Rogen's mime-themed porn: "That was not acting".

Finally, the ultimate highlight of the trip for me was meeting one of my all-time favorite directors and members of the geek tribe, Kevin Smith, as well as the cast of AMC's Comic Book Men. They were awesome and you can read about my experience here if you'd like but the bottom line is that I can honestly say New York Comic-Con was one of the most incredible and awesome experiences of my life and its all thanks to my association with the bloody coolest site on the internet.

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Some might say its crazy to spend so much time writing about the things you love for the simple pleasure of being heard, but to them I just say it is truly amazing what happens when you pursue what you love with no expectations other than experience. God only knows where it might lead me next…

Beat on against the current Bleeders!

Shawn Perry is a proud geek striving to be here now. He currently resides in East Hartford, Connecticut. Tweet him @thesperry and email him at Shawn.Perry88@gmail.com.


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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