NYCC 2023 - October 12th - 15th - Javits Center - New York, NY. 3 3

[Buzzetta]

Scrolled back and did not see a thread for this.

[Buzzetta]

First order of business was that Larry Hama announced that he was not invited this year and his panel was not approved.  GI Joe is at the highest popularity it's been in almost a decade with the classified line.  Amazon, Walmart, and Target are embracing the line.  Every single Haslab has made it into production which is something the Star Wars team cannot say, and Hama is no longer relevant as a guest or to host a panel?

On top of that, GI Joe is relaunching at Image Comics with issue 301 being written by Hama...  

Edited August 25, 2023 by Buzzetta

[MikeRN]

Will CGC be there accepting submissions for sure?  

[CGC Mike]

On 8/26/2023 at 9:16 AM, MikeRN said:

Will CGC be there accepting submissions for sure?  

Yes.

[AaraavAPuri]

Is it okay to purchase NYCC tickets from vividseats? they have a cheaper price than lyte but I am unsure how exactly it is delivered as it just says special delivery as the delivery method. if thats not a good idea how are tickets from lyte delivered?

[Buzzetta]

On 8/26/2023 at 10:56 AM, AaraavAPuri said:

Is it okay to purchase NYCC tickets from vividseats? they have a cheaper price than lyte but I am unsure how exactly it is delivered as it just says special delivery as the delivery method. if thats not a good idea how are tickets from lyte delivered?

I am pretty sure that NYCC has its own fan exchange for excess tickets. 

https://newyorkcomiccon.lyte.com/

If you do not see what you want there, I would not trust anything else but StubHub.  In all my years buying tickets on that platform I only had one problem and that issue was taken care of immediately by Stubhub which had my back and fully backed the ticket.  

[Cocomonkey]

On 8/25/2023 at 6:58 PM, Buzzetta said:

First order of business was that Larry Hama announced that he was not invited this year and his panel was not approved.  GI Joe is at the highest popularity it's been in almost a decade with the classified line.  Amazon, Walmart, and Target are embracing the line.  Every single Haslab has made it into production which is something the Star Wars team cannot say, and Hama is no longer relevant as a guest or to host a panel?

On top of that, GI Joe is relaunching at Image Comics with issue 301 being written by Hama...  

Wow...weird and sucks about Larry Hama. Given the general uncertainty/unlikelihood with other panels and guests due to the strikes, I'm surprised they bounced him.

I'll be there as I usually am for the 12th(? I think) time, enjoying it in general and also trying to pick off some more of the last 46 UXM books I need for my run. Also taking my brother-in-law for one day for his first NYCC experience (and only second con of any kind, gonna be a big shock for him from the first one, which was a ~150 table-sized con). Might've also talked a co-worker into going on Sunday with his kids...gonna be fun.

If there are any first-timers attending that have any general questions on going (and/or getting around NYC), this thread is always a good place to ask to get answers!

[Buzzetta]

My usual words of advice... 

While we are at it... 

 

Certain city rules to consider for those unfamiliar with the subway. 

1. If the subway is crowded and you see a car that is mostly empty, there is a reason it is probably empty.   Eyes and ears open at all times.  For all you know the car is empty because a few people have turned it into their own campgrounds.
2. Look before you sit.  Yes, I have seen people sit in someone else's feces stain.  Disgusting but true.  Our homeless sometimes cannot hold it in.  They release.  They wipe on the seats leaving a brown stain on the blue seats.  If the seat is discolored, stand.  
3. If standing, look before you touch the bar.  There is nothing worse in the world than touching the support bar or anything else in the subway and then wondering why your hand is wet and then praying that it is water.  I stand. 
4. When you get to your stop, walk out the doors... and keep walking.  Don't take a step out and then start to check your phone to see where you have to go next. There are others behind you trying to get off.  You will get shoved.  
5. Do not pet any animals.  Yes, you read that right.  Do not pet any animals.  There are people that are crazy enough to bring their dogs on leashes on the subway during rush hour.  These poor animals are weirded out enough by all the new sights and smells.  They are tolerant and some do not want to be touched.  Don't put a dog in a situation where the dog is being a dog and snaps at you to keep away.  I've seen that and then they blame the dog which is sad.
6. If you have anything of value keep it in your front pockets or securely in your bag.  Don't talk about high end deals or what others are spending. 
7. Don't draw negative attention to yourself.  

New for 2023

1. There is absolutely nothing you need in to do in the very heart or crossroads of Times Square unless you are familiar with Times Square.   The place is not like it was when Disney first moved in especially in the evening.  We now have people doing burnouts and wheelies driving through crowds while some are intermingling amongst the crowds so they can take advantage of those who are unsuspecting.  
2. Watch when crossing the street.  That goes doubly these days and look both ways even on one way streets.  Since last year the unlicensed scooter game has at least doubled.  NYPD is doing what they can having confiscated a flatbed truck's worth this summer but the place is swarming with them.  They can and will ignore traffic rules.  Saw another screw of dirt bikes and ATV's going at least 40mph on the Grand Central Parkway on Saturday night doing wheelies and weaving between traffic.  

Anyone want to add any others. 

[Buzzetta]

(Waitaminute)

Edited September 6, 2023 by Buzzetta

[Cocomonkey]

On 9/5/2023 at 8:48 PM, Buzzetta said:

1. Watch when crossing the street.  That goes doubly these days and look both ways even on one way streets.  Since last year the unlicensed scooter game has at least doubled.  NYPD is doing what they can having confiscated a flatbed truck's worth this summer but the place is swarming with them.  They can and will ignore traffic rules.  Saw another screw of dirt bikes and ATV's going at least 40mph on the Grand Central Parkway on Saturday night doing wheelies and weaving between traffic.  

 

Just want to emphasize this one, especially on one-way streets. Way, way too many bikers, scooter-riders, dashers, etc. completely ignore the driving laws they're supposed to also obey, and will go the wrong way down a one-way street (I've been hit by a biker doing this before when crossing). They'll plow through red lights, going against traffic, and ram right into you before you know it. They also love to ride down sidewalks, even though that's blatantly illegal, so keep some awareness even on sidewalks as well.

Also second the Times Square thing. If it's your first time, sure, stop by and take a picture during the day...just be aware that it will be massively crowded, and mostly filled with people in poor costumes (you'll see 1000x better than all of them at NYCC anyway, lol) taking pictures for money, groups dancing for money/posting on socials, and other random stupid spoon. (Yeah, I'm jaded at TS...I'll literally walk blocks out of my way to go around it, no regrets!)

If you're coming in from out of town, in order to get to Javits by subway, you're either getting out at Penn Station (if you took the A/C/E, the blue lines, or 1/2/3, the red lines...or LIRR/NJ Transit/Amtrak) or 34th St-Hudson Yards (if you took the 7 train). The 7 stop is the closest to Javits, and when you get out, you can't help but get easily funneled right to the convention either with the crowds or by volunteers holding signs. It's literally like two blocks away, and there's usually a large crowd and plenty of volunteers outside the station exits as early as like...7? So you can't get lost. If you come out at Penn Station...odds are, there will also be a crowd/stream of people, and you can likely follow them. If not, just remember that street numbers go up as you go north, avenues go up as you go west, and you're heading pretty much straight west from MSG/Penn Station, so just find a street (you'll be between 30th and 34th, pick any one) and start heading west. You can orient yourself quickly by looking down the block to the next street...if it's a higher number, you're facing north, so swing left (west) and start walking. As long as the next avenue you hit isn't 7th, you're going the right way. It's about a 10-15m walk from Penn Station if I remember correctly.

It also helps to check the MTA's website for planned service changes on the subway (and LIRR), especially if you're leaving the convention later at night (10 or later) and also for both weekend days. The subway does...weird things on the weekends and overnight, and the train you took to get there in the morning may not be stopping at the same station to go back, or it may be running on a different line, or it might have decided it wanted to be a shuttle bus that day, or...who knows what sometimes.

[the blob]

Can we stop trying to scare people about the subway? My clueless 11 year old rode the subway in Krooklyn half an hour each way and into Manhattan occasionally for the last year and never got mugged, assaulted, molested or covered in feces.  Keep your eyes open and be alert. 99.9% of the people on the subway are just going about their business. That .1% can be a problem though. Then again, I have lived here for 51 years so my danger radar is very sensitive. As for Times Square, agreed, sort of. Virgil's BBQ is pretty good though and I know Board folks have met there, although I can only imagine how expensive it is nowadays.  And there is a pretty good Brazilian all you can eat place near there. I say this as someone who had to go there for 8 years for work, but rarely go back now. Absolute nightmare to walk through, too many people. 

[GrandInquisitor]

I was going to be in Baltimore on a vacation this weekend but was derailed by family issues and I'm thinking about rescheduling everything and going to NYCC, but I'm not sure if it's worth it (it's pretty of a vacation, but still 12-14 hours away from home).

 

I'm really only into the comics side of cons and I don't really do much in terms of paying for pictures/autographs.

 

I'm just curious if those familiar with the show would consider it worth while to travel to as a part of an East Coast vacation.

[Buzzetta]

On 9/10/2023 at 12:25 AM, the blob said:

Can we stop trying to scare people about the subway? My clueless 11 year old rode the subway in Krooklyn half an hour each way and into Manhattan occasionally for the last year and never got mugged, assaulted, molested or covered in feces.  Keep your eyes open and be alert. 99.9% of the people on the subway are just going about their business. That .1% can be a problem though. Then again, I have lived here for 51 years so my danger radar is very sensitive. As for Times Square, agreed, sort of. Virgil's BBQ is pretty good though and I know Board folks have met there, although I can only imagine how expensive it is nowadays.  And there is a pretty good Brazilian all you can eat place near there. I say this as someone who had to go there for 8 years for work, but rarely go back now. Absolute nightmare to walk through, too many people. 

Want me to start taking pictures of what I see every day on my morning commute from Penn Station to Brooklyn?

I already take a bunch because my coworkers and I have a group chat to warn what to stay away from. 

• Wednesday at Penn Station there were two people at the Southbound A,C,E platform engaged in an intimate act under their blanket while another guy was urinating in the corner.  On the L train, a woman walked on at 8th in a city parks opportunity program uniform and just decided to lay down on the floor.  I posted her picture in the Water Cooler. 
• Thursday there were two again doing drugs and injecting needles into their ankles on the platform by Penn on the Southbound platform by the A,C,E, line at 6:30am.  There were no incidents on the L Train.
• Friday there were no incidents or anything to mention on the Southbound A,C,E, but I presume due to the heat, there was a naked homeless man laying across the benches on the 8th Ave L train stop. 

While I appreciate that your son may not have witnessed these things in his travels they readily occur on a daily basis and at all hours as I see the same stuff between 6:00 t0 7:30 am each morning that I see at 2:30 - 4:00 pm in my round trip commute.   I was even looking at last year's NYCC photos and remembered, (because I took a picture of her) the homeless prostitute on 34th between 8th and 9th sitting on a blanket soliciting for sex acts as con goers were walking toward the Javits. 

 

BTW, on one of the days, I found this guy waiting at the top of the Subway steps.   He may have lost his shoe, but he will not lose his drugs, as they are crumpled and tied around his wrist on a makeshift bracelet.    

Cue Alicia Keys... 

 

[TegrityComics]

Please stop scaring people about NY. I have lived here my whole life and take the subway all the time. Yes, you will see things you probably have never seen before but chalk it up to new and unusual experiences. I see down and out people all the time and everywhere in my travels and NY is really not that far off from plenty of other places in this county. 

P.S. I would rather take the subway than a Taxicab anytime. Those to me are disgusting. 

[Buzzetta]

On 9/10/2023 at 8:41 AM, TegrityComics said:

Please stop scaring people about NY. I have lived here my whole life and take the subway all the time. Yes, you will see things you probably have never seen before but chalk it up to new and unusual experiences. I see down and out people all the time and everywhere in my travels and NY is really not that far off from plenty of other places in this county. 

P.S. I would rather take the subway than a Taxicab anytime. Those to me are disgusting. 

I stand by everything I have said and report what I have seen.  If people are scared by that, then .  I am not scared by it as I still continue to commute through and work within the city but I am definitely aware of it so I am alert and maintain my own personal safety.   However, the people who are coming in from out of town should be aware of it all (especially the insane scooter issue that is presently going on.)

 

EDIT: I disagree... 

Uber > Taxi > Subway > Bus... 

You could not pay me enough to get on a city bus.  I would rather walk fifty blocks. 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Buzzetta

[TegrityComics]

On 9/10/2023 at 9:01 AM, Buzzetta said:

I stand by everything I have said and report what I have seen.  If people are scared by that, then .  I am not scared by it as I still continue to commute through and work within the city but I am definitely aware of it so I be alert and maintain my own personal safety.   However, the people who are coming in from out of town should be aware of it all (especially the insane scooter issue that is presently going on.)

 

EDIT: I disagree... 

Uber > Taxi > Subway > Bus... 

You could not pay me enough to get on a city bus.  I would rather walk fifty blocks. 

Never the bus....

 

[the blob]

On 9/10/2023 at 7:41 AM, Buzzetta said:

Want me to start taking pictures of what I see every day on my morning commute from Penn Station to Brooklyn?

I already take a bunch because my coworkers and I have a group chat to warn what to stay away from. 

• Wednesday at Penn Station there were two people at the Southbound A,C,E platform engaged in an intimate act under their blanket while another guy was urinating in the corner.  On the L train, a woman walked on at 8th in a city parks opportunity program uniform and just decided to lay down on the floor.  I posted her picture in the Water Cooler. 
• Thursday there were two again doing drugs and injecting needles into their ankles on the platform by Penn on the Southbound platform by the A,C,E, line at 6:30am.  There were no incidents on the L Train.
• Friday there were no incidents or anything to mention on the Southbound A,C,E, but I presume due to the heat, there was a naked homeless man laying across the benches on the 8th Ave L train stop. 

While I appreciate that your son may not have witnessed these things in his travels they readily occur on a daily basis and at all hours as I see the same stuff between 6:00 t0 7:30 am each morning that I see at 2:30 - 4:00 pm in my round trip commute.   I was even looking at last year's NYCC photos and remembered, (because I took a picture of her) the homeless prostitute on 34th between 8th and 9th sitting on a blanket soliciting for sex acts as con goers were walking toward the Javits. 

 

BTW, on one of the days, I found this guy waiting at the top of the Subway steps.   He may have lost his shoe, but he will not lose his drugs, as they are crumpled and tied around his wrist on a makeshift bracelet.    

Cue Alicia Keys... 

 

When they aren't moving, like that, they are the least of my concerns. He's just taking a nap! At least he isn't taking up 5 seats on the subway. Admittedly, since blowing out my achilles two months ago I have not been commuting, but before that I'd probably see one crazy a day on my commute. Totally manageable! I take 2 trains each way into Manhattan. It's just not THAT bad. I go for walks during lunch (Wall Street area) and it is practically sterile. And in the last 15 years I have avoided sitting on the subway maybe twice due to mystery substances. I try to avoid holding the handrails (or wear a glove or have a paper towel) in the subway not for the reasons you suggest, but because non-homeless people are also disgusting, sneeze into their hands, half wipe it off on their pants, and then hold the handrail. Yuck. But yes, be ever vigilant. I do have eyes in the back of my head after so many years here, growing up in the heroin 70s and crack 80s/early 90s, so I don't have the terror of a suburbanite when i come here. Heck, my son's Long Island (Suffolk Co.) girlfriend's parents w**ke up to all their tires being slashed, bad stuff can even happen in the burbs! With that said, I live in a big Brooklyn house in a "diverse" neighborhood and aside from a couple of package thefts and one time someone stealing a pair of sunglasses out of a friend's unlocked car in my driveway, nothing in 17 years here. And some crazy neighbor dug up and stile some mums in the middle of the night. And sure, some middle aged well dressed white guy decided to sodomize himself in front of me at the end of my driveway on our fence post and take a selfie and run off giggling after I threatened to kill him. Pretty normal stuff. Aside from that I can't count how many times I've left the car unlocked accidentally or forgot to close a window and even left my keys in the front door! I did find the most polite homeless guy ever rummaging around on my porch once when someone left the front porch door open, he walked away with the shoes I was going to give to goodwill anyway. In sum, don't be afraid of NYC and if you are in the market for a pied a terre with 11 foot ceilings and incredible Hudson River views in a luxury doorman building on the Upper West Side give me a call.

Edited September 11, 2023 by the blob

[the blob]

can you believe the site censored "w*ke" up to??

 

[jjonahjameson11]

On 9/10/2023 at 8:41 AM, TegrityComics said:

Please stop scaring people about NY. I have lived here my whole life and take the subway all the time. Yes, you will see things you probably have never seen before but chalk it up to new and unusual experiences. I see down and out people all the time and everywhere in my travels and NY is really not that far off from plenty of other places in this county. 

P.S. I would rather take the subway than a Taxicab anytime. Those to me are disgusting. 

[dbcn]

Question on in person signings: I'm planning on attending NYCC and have a few books I'd like to get signed by attending artists: Fiumara, Artgerm, Sienkiewicz, etc.

When I go to the CGC table to get a witness, can that person come to witness all of the signings of the different artists at once, or do I have to do it one at a time, ie, go with the witness to the Artgerm table, then return to the CGC table for paperwork or whatever, then go back to the Sienkiewicz table with the next books, etc. ? 
 

thx - this will be the 2nd con for me & my funko obsessed kiddo 👍