2009 BIG APPLE CON REPORT

This past weekend was the first Wizard Big Apple Con in NYC. I was really, really sick before the convention and kept hoping I'd get better before it started. Unfortunately, I only got worse. My nose was huge and red and all I wanted to do was sleep. But, as they say, the show must go on.

The big talk of the Con, before the doors even opened, was that Wizard is planning to do their Big Apple show on the same dates as the Reed NYC Comic Con next year. This is totally crazy. First, the NYC show is pretty established and everyone that I know that has gone there has had a good show. The same can definitely not be said about Big Apple. Second, the NYC show is the second biggest show in the country. What makes Wizard think they will be able to do as good a show? Insanity. All I can think of is that they will have some lame celebs and a lot of wrestlers. If that's what people want at a comic show, then I guess they'll be happy at Big Apple. But I don't see how they will get many people to attend.

Although I had a good show (besides feeling like crap because of my cold) and I sold books and art (still shocked my sketches sell even a little), it wasn't as great a show as before. Supposedly, Wizard was now running things, but I saw all the same rude Big Apple people all over the convention. The main reason I decided to do this show was because of Spat Oktan. Spat is a super nice guy and totally professional. In the past when I had done Big Apple, they moved me all over the place. One day I'd be one place, the next another. At many cons they even moved me multiple times. That's why I stopped going (and because of the rude people working the show). But, the one thing that really was great this year was that Spat Oktan was the organizer for the Artist Alley folks and he did a great job. That said, lol, it was still a dirty show. The floors were gross. The bathrooms worse. And some of the things being sold there made me think I was at a flea market.

Jamie Fay, Rey Arzeno and Greg Mayer were all there too and they all had a great show. This seemed to be the con for getting sketches. There were a lot of artists there and it was fairly easy to get a sketch from most of them. I myself got some really great ones. It was great having Greg Mayer hang with us this time. He hasn't been to many cons yet and was always happy and upbeat. Being so sick, it was nice to see that kind of attitude and have him around.

There were also a lot of Deviant Art artists there and it was cool getting to chat with them and old returning fans of SENTINELS. Thanks to everyone who stopped by at the show!