So, as promised, this pic-tastic post is a visual hooplah of my experience at the 2013 NY Comic Con where I had the honor and the pleasure to be interviewed by my editor whilst handing out copies of my book amidst some of the very finest offerings made to some of the very best fandoms anywhere.
Bottom line: I had NO idea what to expect.
It started out quiet. Very quiet. I was there super-early in an attempt to be professional, but in all honesty it was more because I have a debilitating horror of being late and I knew taking a ton of public transportation would put things thoroughly outside of my control, so in order to stop my inner voice from screaming itself hoarse, I was there with my exhibitor pass before they'd even unwrapped the floor. It was kinda errie and kinda cool, like the lone sheriff come to a deserted town. All it needed was some glossy, plastic tumbleweeds rolling by.
My shadow falling across a lonely red carpet by the light of an early morning sun.
Then the crowds came. And the costumes. (And more costumes. And more costumes!) I was delighted and astounded by the work that went into these things and equally so by the sheer numbers of people coming into the electronic maze of booths, ad hoc buildings and interactive displays. To say it was "overwhelming" might be an understatement, but I'm a veteran of Chicago Jazz Fest and Disney so I could handle it! I think my favorite thing was watching when genres collide (for example getting a shot of Kick Ass and Wonder Woman together)--so much fun!
I know these photos fail to convey the energy of the place, but it was as if they'd concentrated all the happy, goofy, exuberant fandom of years of comic-/TV-/movie-/gaming-/genre-loving hearts and lit it up with sparklers, leaving everyone gasping over the shiny, colorful, wild creativity on the shelves and each other, filling the aisles, jamming on consoles & dancing to Just Dance 2014 in full costume. It was *definitely* all about getting your geek on and the smiles were completely contagious!
There were cars. And games. And artists. And silly things. Dr. Who and Firefly and South Park and X-Men, and personal faves from Elfquest and Saga to Kami Garcia and Stan Lee! There was certainly enough things to make your head spin as opposed to just the people themselves. I walked around and soaked it in, snapping pictures everywhere I went.
S.H.I.E.L.D., consoles & Walking Dead, oh my!
Firefly board games, Weeping Angel bobbleheads & Unicorn Poo-scented candles (?!?)
There were real stars and fake stars and famous authors...and me.
X-Men's Mystique, a Dr. Who + his TARDIS & the real Cookie Monster!
Piece of advice: when posing for an official shot, always let your editor hold the gun.
At the Twitch booth, I was interviewed after being wired for sound (quite a trick given my massive amounts of hair). It was a quick 11 minutes of chatting and laughing in my Zoe-inspired outfit while sitting on a very white couch and blinking up at the cameras and then it was over and I was free to roam the floor, exchange hugs with friends and head out to lunch (and eventually return to buy myself a magenta pigtailed wig which totally made my day complete)! All in all, I had a fabulous time being another fangirl in the mob, smiling and laughing along with the crowd.
But I knew that I had been there as a guest author at one of the greatest Cons in New York, which felt kind of "WOW!" and left me giddy all the way home.