NYCC ’07: DAY 1 COVERAGE INDEX/DAY 2 PREVIEW

[MattBrady]

The New York Comic Con kicked off with, by all accounts, a successful Day 1 on Friday. Newsarama was there, of course, covering all the major panels, sponsored by Comicraft's ELEPHANTMEN #7, on sale right now from Image Comics . An index of all of our coverage follows below, along with a preview of Saturday's LIVE! panel coverage.

As for Friday's action, the crowds for New York Comic Con began forming at midnight the night before Day 1.

No, really.

NYCC’s Greg Topalian told Newsarama that guests looking to attend the Slayer Tales With Xander, Kendra and Drusilla panel (the opening panel on Saturday) arrived late Friday night and camped outside the Javits Center in order to be the first to get into the hall and the panel on Saturday morning. By 8:45 am, the line to enter the center was at least 500 people long, and growing steadily – in 20-degree New York blustery weather.

Inside, however, a controversy was already brewing, as some guests had managed to get inside the building and were already in line outside the hall where the Slayer Tales panel was to be held. The crowd erupted into shouting when NYCC staffers told them that the people who had been outside since midnight would be allowed in first, and then the people who had managed to get inside would be allowed into the panel, if there was still room.

Topalain said he understood that people would be upset with the decision that was made, but he felt, under the circumstances, that it was the fair thing to do, admitting that there was no way to make everyone happy in such a situation. He added that the number of people who were waiting outside for the Buffy panel were known to be there for that specific panel, as they had been talking with the security staff throughout the night, as they tried to stay warm.

A similar situation had occurred on Friday, Topalian said, when fans were lining up at 7:30 am in order to get a limited number of tickets for autographs. Originally, NYCC announced that the tickets would be distributed beginning at 3:00pm, but given that they already had far more people in line than they had tickets, the call was made to distribute the tickets to those who were in line early.

“Again, we felt it was a fair thing to do, but yeah, there was no easy way out of it,” Topalian said, explaining that they were between two very difficult decisions: ask the people who had been in line since 7:30 am to leave and come back, or to distribute the tickets early, and prevent a huge line from growing throughout the day, when the number of tickets available would be far outstripped by demand.

Also causing confusion were exhibitors and press who were told that they could not enter the building by any other entrance than the main one, which put them into the same line with guests, forcing them to wait to get inside.

By 10:15 am, there was still a healthy line to get into the main floor, and moving slowly. At 10:45am, the line ran the length of the Javits center and then turned. The line then goes down 40th street and is moving, but growing. Both private security and on duty NYPD are keeping the line moving, making sure it doesn’t block any streets.


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In case you missed any of the Friday action, below is a handy-dandy index of all our coverage.

What to look forward to Saturday? We’ll have our patented LIVE! coverage of the DCU: A Better Tomorrow panel at 12pm EST, Marvel’s Stephen King’s Dark Tower – The Gunslinger Born immediately following at 1pm EST, and then the you-can’t-have-a-con-without-one Joe Quesada’s Cup ‘O Joe panel at 5:30 to 7:30pm EST.

Plus, more panel coverage and feature stories in-between and after. We’re just getting warmed up…


Day 1 Index

Marvel’s Post-Civil War/The Initiative Panel

DC Nation Panel

Marvel’s Post-Civil War/The Initiative Panel

UPDATED: Matt Fraction Talks Marvel’s The Champions

Barry Kitson Exclusive to Marvel

UPDATED: Marvel’s World War Hulk Panel

Paul Jenkins on World War Hulk: Front Line

Top Cow Goes Digital

DC’s Vertigo Panel

George Perez Spotlight

The Editor’s Buzz Panel

Capturing Female Readers Panel

DC’s Captain Carrot Limited Series Press Release

DC’s Countdown Pin-centive

Marvel to Go Digital?/Comics Publishing: Review and Outlook Panel

NYCC ’07 Day 1 Report with Greg Topalian

New York Comic Con 2007 coverage brought to you by Comicraft's ELEPHANTMEN #7, on sale right now from Image Comics!

[rwsmith]

Will Marvel have X-men and Ultimate centric panels? If so, does anyone know when?

[The Spirit]

Poor people....

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

NYCC’s Greg Topalian told Newsarama that guests looking to attend the Slayer Tales With Xander, Kendra and Drusilla panel (the opening panel on Saturday) arrived late Friday night and camped outside the Javits Center in order to be the first to get into the hall and the panel on Saturday morning. By 8:45 am, the line to enter the center was at least 500 people long, and growing steadily – in 20-degree New York blustery weather.

A similar situation had occurred on Friday, Topalian said, when fans were lining up at 7:30 am in order to get a limited number of tickets for autographs. Originally, NYCC announced that the tickets would be distributed beginning at 3:00pm, but given that they already had far more people in line than they had tickets, the call was made to distribute the tickets to those who were in line early.

Nice examples of fandom insanity.

[The Guvnor]

Cup O Joe should contain a few interesting titbits.

[Lex]

Wasn't there supposed to be live DC panel coverage before the Stephen King panel?

[OM]

Also causing confusion were exhibitors and press who were told that they could not enter the building by any other entrance than the main one, which put them into the same line with guests, forcing them to wait to get inside.

...Egads. What *idiot* made -that- decision? Exhibitors are always allowed to go directly in the main doors without having to wait in line with the fans/customers, or at least allowed access through a side or rear entrance - especially if they're bringing in merchandise and propaganda. The Press, at the same time, have carte blanche to go in and out whenever they please, and unless the security guards were hired from Retards'R'Us, they'll know not to interfere with anyone wearing a press pass.

Granted, there's not that much you can do about 500 freezing fanboys other than to be generous and rent a few space heaters, but the gaffe with the Exhibitors and the Press was just plain stupid...

[comic-man346]

I have a question about the Con. This will be my first convention, and I bought my tickets online. Are those pictures of people in line waiting to buy tickets or waiting to go in. I was just wondering because I figured if I bought them online I would not have to wait but now I feel very wrong. So any information would really be appreciated.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by OM

...Egads. What *idiot* made -that- decision? Exhibitors are always allowed to go directly in the main doors without having to wait in line with the fans/customers, or at least allowed access through a side or rear entrance - especially if they're bringing in merchandise and propaganda. The Press, at the same time, have carte blanche to go in and out whenever they please, and unless the security guards were hired from Retards'R'Us, they'll know not to interfere with anyone wearing a press pass.

Granted, there's not that much you can do about 500 freezing fanboys other than to be generous and rent a few space heaters, but the gaffe with the Exhibitors and the Press was just plain stupid...

Agreed.

[Bflorio12]

hey, that's my left shoulder in the bottom right of the last picture! The one with the leather jacket! I knew that photographer was taking pictures behind me.

(A photographer taking pictures? Who knew?)