Pictures of my little adventure are on the way. (I promise)

• #6 Play Games - There is a dedicated section of the Comic Con that has multiple tables for participation in various games. Comprising of mostly RPG’s like Dungeons and Dragons and card games such as MAGIC. There are tournaments that take place and the winner takes home some cool prizes (including cash). But its not just limited to just Role Playing Games. There are video game tournaments as well. This years convention featured games like Super Smash Brothers, Metal Gear Solid 4 Online, Quake Wars, and Iron Man.
• #7 Watch Previews – This is where they show extended trailers of upcoming movies. Dark Knight Returns, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk were in full rotation this year. You really can’t hear any of it because of all the commotion. But I don’t think it will matter to us fans.
• #8 Meet B-List Celebrities – Some stars from the show Heroes made an appearance, and so did Lou Ferrigno. If you are willing to wait on long lines to meet them, then go all out. But be warned, you may be asked to pay a fee meet them. I wanted to just take a picture with the Incredible Hulk himself. But I took a glance at the sign and they wanted to charge me $30 to just take a picture. Now I wouldn’t mind paying money to take a pic with a celebrity I guess. But $30 for a guy who’s last acting job was as a neighbor on the King of Queens (for only 3 episodes)?…I don’t think so.
• #9 Meet the Real Celebrities – Theses are the creators of the comic book characters we all know and love. And the best part is they don’t charge you for shaking their hand. I got to meet the creator of the Joker character, Jerry Robinson there. The man is old…but he can still draw with best of them. I also got to meet the creator of Ghost Rider, Gary Friedrich. He’s currently suing Marvel and Sony over the movie of the same name.
• #10 The Artist Alley – This is probably the best reason to go to this convention. A section of the floor is dedicated to “the starving artist”. There are so many artists with great ideas just waiting to be discovered. I know I haven’t visited all of them but when I will showcase some of them on this site when I get all my souvenirs in order. Not only do you meet the artist and writers, you can even meet the models that they were based from. Some of them give you their art for free or for a low price just to get their name out there. Very very innovative stuff.

On Saturday April 19th, 2008, I attended my first Comic Book convention in New York. On my adventure I began noting some of the things I enjoyed and not enjoyed through it. With these notes, I created a list detailing how to get the best out of a Comic Book convention. This is aimed mainly at newcomers, but if there are more that should be posted, feel free to comment on them.

Pictures are on the way.

• #1: Enjoy the Art – There are so many vendors out there displaying the sculptures of superheroes and movie icons that it would be almost a sin to miss out on them. The amount of detail and work they put into some of them are uncanny. Even if collecting statues / action figures is not your pleasure, you would be doing yourself a disservice by not checking them out.
• #2: Check out the Costumes - Just like what I said above, it’s fun to see the amount of people who put their hard work into creating these costumes.
• #3: Read / Buy Comics – It wouldn’t be a comic book convention without comic books right? There are plenty of vendors selling them at much discounted prices. You can catch up on all issues you may have missed, or get entire story lines for a cheap price. It ranges from 25 – 95% off the cover price. Pretty Snazzy eh?
• #4: Watch for Scammers – When viewing the art of that the vendors displayed, I was becoming more and more tempted to buy one of them. Lo and Behold there was the most beautiful statue staring at me. It was a chrome plated 12″ statue of The Silver Surfer.
  The way he was meant to be displayed. When I asked the lady how much it was, she had the nerve to say $4000. Yes, you read that right…FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS (in American currency). Now I’ve seen better looking models for much less. There were other items there that seemed largely inflated. My advice, do your research first before putting a down payment on the item in question.
• #5: FREE Giveaways – Yes, free giveaways. There are always people out there willing to sell you a product by giving away a sample of it. Prizes can ranging from comic books, DVDs and toy props. Take advantage! You know the old saying, “There is no price better than free”.

This Includes:
- Blood Elf Paladin: Quin’thalan Sunfire • 8.5” h
- Dranei Mage: Tamuura • 9.5” h
- Undead Rogue: Skeeve Sorrowblade • 6.5” h
- Human Priestess: Sister Benedron • 7” h

Although they wont be on sale until the holiday season, I’m sure they will make an appearance at the upcoming NY Comic Convention less than a month away.

Source: toynewsi.com