Yes it is the latest and lamest con report ever after hundreds of bloggers have already had their say. What can we say? We’re old and sick and we just couldn’t hack it. But there are a few points that no one has brought up(!) that we thought were still worth mentioning.

• CROWDS CAN BE CONTROLLED: As just about everyone has noted, the rioting and roaming death squads of last year were done away with this year, and people went about their business peacefully for the most part. The biggest problem seems to have been long waits in line outside in the cold, but next year’s move to April should fix that. True, Artists Alley was a miniature of last year’s show, crowded and slow moving. Ironically, there had been many worries that the crowd would not find its way to the off the beaten path Galleria space where the artists were located. Instead it was like what happened when you squeeze a tube of toothpaste: everything goes into the cap. Luckily, this problem is easily solved with next year’s floor layout reuniting eveyrone in one happy room.

• CROWDS DIDN’T SPEND THAT MUCH MONEY: I’ve read a lot of stories about NYCC, but I don’t think anyone has actually talked to the vendors who were there, and saleswise, it was a mixed bag. A few people were effusive about how much money they made, but otherwise it was all over the place, including some big exhibitors who depend on shows for a living. This reaction was widespread and covered both large and small companies. This will be the biggest problem moving forward: As the show doubles in size again next year prices for booths are going to go up, and if people aren’t going to make money, they are not going to exhibit. Artist Alley prices went up to $400 for early registrants, according to a commenter here. Many would say that if you can’t make $400 at a huge show like NYCC you shouldn’t exhibit, but this is still a nickel-and-dime flea market for lots of folks. With next year’s big floor we’ll probably see the giant booths from the toy, video and movie companies that go to other shows. It’s incumbent on the smaller retailers to get their sales pitch out, but the show needs to support the consumer/collector part of the show.

•THE OTHER PROBLEM THIS YEAR WAS COMMUNICATION AND THE WEBSITE: Reed really needs to improve the website. A single page where you could see all the panels, like every other convention does would be a good start. There were a lot of minor, annoying snafus this year: Several panels were canceled because none of the panelists showed up because they never knew they were on panels. AA exhibitors were given pro badges instead of exhibitor badges which meant they couldn’t get to their booths. The system for who gets a pro badge needs to be rethought. Etc etc etc. These were all relatively minor problems given the size of the venture, but they need to be addressed for next time.

•INDIES WERE GIVEN LITTLE ATTENTION: This is really my biggest disappointment. Without Fantagraphics and D&Q the whole “bookstore” vibe of the show is missing a big component of what has been driving the success of the graphic novel category for the last five years. More worryingly, guests from the indie field were treated like second class citizens compared to superhero grunts. In the short term this is great news for the MoCCA Festival — everyone will continue to set up there and make lots of dough at a show that is proven to target their demo. But if there was one show that had the potential besides San Diego to be a big tent happening, it was NYCC, and it looks like that won’t happen. Too bad.

•IF YOU FEEL LIKE CRAP DON’T GO TO THE SHOW: Really, if you feel sick just stay in bed until you feel better, then go to the show. On Sunday I made the mistake of dragging myself to the con to have lunch with a bunch of fabulous lady cartooners, only to find when I got there that I was sick to my stomach and missed out on lunch anyway. I actually found a big Anvil case behind the PW booth and lay on it for a little while, trying to catch up on the missed sleep. Of course by 3 o’clock I felt way better, but by then the damage was done. Anyway, as we all get older, we need that sleep. I was sick as a dog going into the show and gutted it out on sheer heart for most of it, but missed so many things… lunch with Carla Speed McNeil, breakfast with Wes Craven, the DC party. Likewise…

•HOMETOWN SHOWS ARE THE MOST GRUELING OF ALL. With so many people living in NYC, the nighttime events were spread out all over town, so it was an endurance test just to hit a few of them. Also, two nights in a row I came home to find cat puke where I didn’t want to find it. That never happens at the Hyatt.

•I’M SORRY IF I DIDN’T SAY HI: With my energy issues and multiples duties, I had to concentrate on getting the things done that had to be done and missed out on talking to a million people. But that’s how it is, I guess.

•I PAID A TERRIBLE PRICE AT THE SHOW: Dude, I lost one Batman glove. You know how when you buy nice cashmere or leather gloves you are bound to lose one in about five minutes? Well my Batman gloves cost $2 at the salida store, but I couldn’t lose them. Three winters they lasted, and got compliments from everyone from gay waiters to nerd homeboys.  Three years is a long time to own a $2 pair of gloves but I will miss them forever and ever and ever. And of course I still have one to make me remember how much I loved them. Oh well.

•NYCC IS NOT A GOOD PLACE TO LOOK FOR AN INTERNET DATE: Remember The Hey Lady, who went to the show hoping to score a cute nerd boy? It didn’t turn out so well.

As we’re waiting outside, I run into someone I actually know from another life. How exciting. For a second, I feel normal. I introduce him to the iFaboys just as some fans decide to talk up the web-famous boys once again. Ron introduces me to this one kid, and he says, “I know you. You’re the girl from Digg.”

I go completely red-faced. At this point, I’d pretty much given up my mission and was wishing I could put the whole thing behind me. “Uh, yeah.” So, there it was, I was recognized. I’m glad we got that out of the way. I mentioned the kid is young, right? Really young. Like, not-legal young.

This is turning out to be a horrible idea.

The bottom line: NYCC is here to stay and it is the #2 show in the nation. People love comics; people love cartoonists. The Nerds won out yet again.

Looking at this slideshow from a PHILADELPHIA TV station looking at the New York Comic-con you begin to see just why everyone wants to cover it: so pervy photogs can take pictures of half naked girls and cute anime chicks.

Meanwhile, Vertical’s Anne Ishii delivers the final word in a MUST READ NY Comic-Con 2007 Report:

My problem ain’t the fans though. Seriously. I am as inclined to argue with a DM over my wizard powers as I am to sit in a conference room discussing market share. My problem, was the idiots. Like the dude who tried to “steal” Vertical’s giveaway tote bags. I had to pretend I couldn’t see him, though being three feet away from me, wearing a bright green lantern shirt and tip-toeing like a pansy are details hard to miss. I mean c’mon. If you want a tote bag, the least you can do is make eye contact with me. You don’t gots ta jank that, dawg.

Also, the convention floor is NOT the place to hit on an exhibitor. And even if you felt like you had to, the way to do it is NOT by taking my business card without asking, giving me yours without my wanting it, and saying “I want you to call me,” make sexual eye contact, and then walking away backwards while maintaining that eye contact. Friend- unless you played Batman in any of his last three big screen incarnations, I will never call you.

Mopping up yet more images, thoughts and generational moments from NYCC ‘07.

The New York Observer weighs in with a sharply written piece that captures much of the vibe:

“This is penetration!” said Stephen Colbert, as he pointed to a poster of himself as Tek Jansen, the hero of a soon-to-be-released comic book. It was Friday afternoon, and he was sitting in a booth on the third floor of the convention center, delivering a few choice Colbertisms before signing a bunch of autographs.

“To hell with television. This lasts forever” he said. “You can’t put a television in a clear plastic wrapper and put it in your collection. This, you can!”

The fans cheered, hollered, hooted. One woman asked him to sign a pair of pink I ❤ New York underwear—which he did—then left clutching them.

Clutching was a common motion at the Comic Con.

Even better, Michael Kupperman captures it in pictures for the Observer:

§ Chris Duffy introduces the Nickelodeon Comic Carousel at NYCC.

§ Trish Mulvihill captures the chicken-headed hijinks at the DCU party on Thursday.

§ ComicMix captures David Letterman’s goofing on the con.

[Unbelievably, in all the rush these photos were supposed to be posted on Saturday, and they weren’t. Oh well.]

Not much chance to take pictures on Friday alas, so these are even more random than usual.

Looking out from the rear of Artist’s Alley, through Podcaster’s Alley.

Molly Crabapple and friend.

We spotted Scott Lobdell and Rob Liefeld. Rob is one of the Beat’s biggest fans and we always appreciate his kind words.

System of a Down guy’s drum kit!

At MoCCA, Stan is interviewed.

Several cast members from WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO showed up at the Stan Lee opening. Here’s Jim Salicrup, Fat Mama, and MoCCA President Ken Wong.

Crowds, sunlight and stormtroopers. What more could you want to create that eaux-de-comic-con? More pictures in the jump.
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Tom has a huge link dump for the just completed second New York Comic-Con, and when we were down and out and too sick to go on we knew it would be okay because afterwards we could just read about what we missed online. Almost better than the real thing. Anyway, you are probably already linked-out but here are a few to grow on:

Alison Bechdel, whose name was misspelled throughout the hall, has had perhaps the most quoted reaction :

Man, the Comic Con was intense. I thought the Angoulême comics festival last month in France was overwhelming. But that was a spa in the desert compared to this shindig. Here. I tried to capture a brief moment for you in film. To get the full effect you should attach your computer to some industrial strength speakers and turn the volume up full blast. I was confused for a while. It wasn’t just comics. Every other person was dressed like an Imperial Storm Trooper, or Princess Leia. There were video games, World Wrestling Federation champions, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. It was a hellish melange of popular culture at its most nerve-shattering.

cNet News has a very informative article on the show and the future of digital comics

It raised the question of whether the practice of collecting and reading comics stands a chance in an age in which the younger generation has so much else to choose from. The comic industry, after all, is a mature one–most of the NYC ComicCon attendees perusing the classic comic books and tie-in toys were clearly grown-ups. I stopped to speak with two thirty-something men who were ogling a display of Marvel superhero figurines and asked them which they were interested in. “The little ones,” one of them said. “We both have kids now.” But the majority of under-18s (under-25s, even) at ComicCon focused their attention elsewhere. “That generation is lost,” said Vincent Zurzolo, chief operating officer of New York-based comic retailer Metropolis Collectibles. “They like playing video games.”

The great Cheryl Lynn dsicusses Wizard:

Let’s talk about Wizard and how I was mildly impressed by them. Why? Because they were asking people to fill out a very detailed survey at the NYCC. Wizard knows they ain’t been doin’ right, folks. And it looks as if they are really trying to make an attempt to fix things. The only problem is that I don’t believe that the people working at Wizard have any idea how to go about fixing things. They simply know that things need to be fixed. The survey contained a great deal of questions about the usual topics (age, gender, race, class, hobbies, purchasing habits). It seems as if the company is actually trying to find out about all of the different types of people who read comics and what kind of magazine would interest those readers. That’s a huge step forward for a magazine that spent an exorbitant about of time catering to sexually repressed fanboys who abhor any type of change.

New blog ComicMix had much coverage, but seemed to take the most critical online stance like this from Mike Gold:

I’m glad to say the 2007 NYCC was better. Just that — better. Not good enough for the east coast, and not good enough for New York City, the roots of the American comic book medium. But better.

Reed booked twice as much space at the Javitz Center, but then they decided to have maybe four times the events. Stephen King, an anime festival, Stan Lee, all kinds of bells and whistles that would make for a great show if they only had the space.

ComicMix panel coverage is also biting

At the NYCC “DCU: A Better Tomorrow – Today” panel, DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio may have let the cat out of the bag. DiDio was asked if in the Countdown teaser image The Flash was Barry Allen and Red Robin was Jason Todd. DiDio got flustered before answering “yes.” This drew icy stares from the rest of the panel members and applause from the crowd. DiDio’s mic was taken away for the remainder of the panel. The final question for the panel was “Who would you like to kill during Countdown?” and Greg Rucka closed the panel by looking at DiDio and saying, “I’m looking at him.” A good time was had by all.

ComicSnob has the WORST time although this level of hate is a distinct minority.

Tim Leong was impressed with the Ameircan Anime Awards:

We wound up doing about 40 interviews, as well as covering the red carpet at the first-ever American Anime Awards. Now, I’ve been to the Eisners and I’ve been to Harveys when they were at MoCCA, but neither awards show came close to how well-produced the American Anime Awards were. The show opened with his hypnotic Japanese drum performance that was absolutely amazing. How was it different than the comics award shows? First off, it only lasted an about an hour, where the others seem Oscar-like in length. Second, this had very cool motion graphics and video clips for each nominee. I freely admit that anime is not really my forte, so what really amazed me about the whole event was how excited the fans got. They were screaming and cheering and going wild each time a nominee was announced. Gotta love that passion.

Finally, CHUD’s Devin Faraci has other things on his mind:

Hayden Panettiere’s ass stops me dead in my tracks. I’m on the phone, standing outside the Special Events Hall at the New York Comic Con Saturday night and this vision in blue shimmies by, the globes of her butt cheeks rolling back and forth together as she walks through the corridor, flanked by red-shirted Comic Con volunteer goons. They gave her the wrong superpower on Heroes, but whoever put her in that cheerleader outfit is a man after my own heart.

A few more regular Beat pals with things to say:
Chris Mautner
Whiteney Matheson:
MK Reed
James Urbaniak
Steve Bunche

Alive and more or less in one piece. We had a Black Plague relapse which prevented us from doing much at the con yesterday. We’ll have fuller comments later on, but the major log line is no big disasters, a few smaller ones, and everyone pretty much happy. Attendance guestimates we heard were somewhere in the 50K range, with 20,000 people on Saturday.

Reporting live from the press room at New York Comic-Con. The line this morning was long, but everyone seems to have gotten in. There are traffic jams near Marvel and DC as there would be at any convention, but osmosis has created a fairly consistent density of people throughout the rest of the hall. It’s crowded but not dangerously so. Basically, there is a LOT of crowd control going on — people aren’t being let in to the Special Events hall for the Seephen King panel without tickets, but one entire side of the room is empty. Apparently a lot of people tried to get in without standing in line this morning and were upset that they had to go back outside and wait, but we haven’t heard of any major disasters.

If you do not have a ticket DO NOT COME DOWN. We just asked a Reed red shirt person if they would be selling more tickets today and he said the word was still no.

Artists Aerie upstairs is VERY crowded. Mixed reports on how people are doing — popular artists doing better than non-popular. No surprise there.

But now, a new threat: the sun is out and is hitting the glass ceiling of the Javits center. Beginning to heat up a bit. People glowing. More later.

Not much time to blog this morning. Still at home, but just got a call from someone on the scene who says the line to get in stretches to 40th Street and the West Side Highway.

From yesterday, so far no disasters. People were lined up at 7 am to get in, and there was a line around the convention center by the time the doors opened to the public at 4, however from what we saw the line moved smoothly and without glitches. There were bins EVERYWHERE with badge holders and lanyards so that people who had pre-registered could simply grab a badge holder and walk in.

The trade-only part of the day was smooth and productive by all accounts. Due to our mutliple hat juggling we didn’t have time to really cover the show the way we usually do. One of the oddities of the floor plan is that Artists Alley is located in a separate location — the Gallery upstairs. We were a little worried that traffic would be low up there, but we heard from one artists that it was jammed from 4 on, to the point where they did have to stop the line from going in there.

No reports on sales yet.

We moderated the blogging panel with Chris Butcher, Ron Hogan and Johanna Draper Carlson. Tip: with Chris and Johanna on a panel, there will never be an awkward silence. There was a great blogger representation in the audience, including Elayne, Manga Blog’s Brigid, Brian from the excellent new blog The Daily Cross Hatch, and Blog@Newsarama’s Chris Mautner. Hopefully we will be able to get more blogging voices on the panel next year.

Later on, we moderated the “Mothers and Daughters” panel with Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Alison Bechdel and Miriam Katin. All three talked about various levels of maternal disapproval over their work; in Katin’s case, her mother is in her 80s and still worries about that kind of thing. Bechdel said that this was the first big comic book convention she had ever been to — after some 24 years of cartooning. Aline and Alison had apparently never met before so that was kind of cool.

A bunch of people took pictures after the panel — can someone email me one?

After the panel, we grabbed from dinner with Nisha from EW and Elissa and Janna from Diamond , then went over to the Stan Lee reception at MoCCA. We were too late to see what had to be the highlight — Stan walking around and reacting to the pieces in the show. He was reportedly greatly moved by some of them. The show itself is small but fascinating — there are pages of notes for a Dr. Strange story from Steve Ditko, and Kirby pages with the notes intact that show how Lee worked with both of them. For instance, on one FF page, Kirby’s note says that Doom should be angry at the Thing, but in the lettered story he’s raging against Reed Richards. There are other art pages, mementos, and artifacts like the poster from Lee’s 1972 appearance at Carnegie Hall (!). Co-curator Peter Sanderson has written extensive and informative notes for all the exhibits.

After that we were super exhausted, and grabbed a beer near home with a few peeps, before collapsing. There were a bunch of parties going on, but we haven’t had a chance to hit ANY of them other than the MoCCA one. Maybe tonight.

Although NYCC 07’s physical territory is really not all that big, with the amount of stuff going on, and the people involved it already has the same kind of overwhelming feeling that San Diego gets. We won’t be able to get the big picture until later.

PS: There is plenty of news being announced at the show of course. Check out Wizard, Newsarama and CBR for mainstream updates, and PW Comics Week’s daily mailers for book news.

New York Comic-con may well be the first convention in history to sell out before a single fan has been let in. The Saturday of the show is SOLD OUT, as in there are no more advance tickets available. We heard that tickets for Saturday were selling for $75 on eBay but haven’t seen the listings ourselves.

However, since you can walk up to even a sold out concert and get a ticket if the price is right, we know that some New Yorkers will be showing up on Saturday without a ticket anyway. Will they get in?

We asked NYCC organizer Greg Topalian this directly. He says that the capacity of the show is around 50K. Are they expecting that many people? He declined to give any prediction of attendance but said that like last year he was quietly optimistic. As for buying tickets on site Saturday, it will be up to the Fire Marshal. At noon, Saturday there is a POSSIBILITY that tickets will be released for sale IF the Fire Marshal says it is safe. IF.

So…should you line up? This is New York so people will line up no matter what. There are no guarantees that any tickets will be sold, and the line will be monitored closely. Anyone who was there last year knows that the state police who have jurisdiction at Javits won’t let any funny business go down. So…please, whatever you do, act sane, stay safe and just don’t be a jerk. If there’s any good karma for tickets to be had, that’s the only way to make it happen.

Just a few to whet your appetite.

Calvin Reid (Publishers Weekly), Larry Gonick (Cartoon History of the Universe), Marisa Acocella Marchetto (Cancer Vixen), Thomas LeBien (Hill + Wang) and George O’Connor (Journey into Mohawk Country) at the non fiction panel. We got the chance to meet Gonick afterwards and he is quite the personality.

O’Connor, Rivkah and Calvin yukking it up at the Transcontinental Blue Martini reception after the conference.

We snuck upstairs and snapped a few pics of the hall before it opened. The area is MUCH larger than last year. Here’s the Marvel booth which spotlights FF2.

Many shall remember what befell beneath the ass of Pokémon!

The hall is clean.

As you can see the aisles are wider than last year.

This is where it will all go down…REGISTRATION! Seriously, the area is much bigger than last year, and plans for dealing with lines are already in place so everyone hopes there will be no repeat of Nerdpocalypse.

Another part of the registration area, and a MySpace banner.

The whirlwind of New York Comic-Con kicked off yesterday with the ICv2 graphic novel conference. Attendance was up from last year, according to organizer Milton Griepp, with a mix of cartoonists, publishers, librarians, retailers, agents, buyers, and other folks from Graphic Novel World. While there were a few people from what Griepp referred to in his remarks as “American genre comics” drifting in and out, perhaps from the booth set-up going on upstairs, the day was mostly given over to the world of bookstores.

According to Griepp’s white paper, graphic novel sales have now surpassed comics periodical sales, a momentous event that took place in 2005, based on newly projected numbers. In 2006, graphic novel sales were at $330 million for the year, a quadruple increase from 2001.

He put up some charts which we jotted down. Past years sales are as follows:

2001 $75 million
2002 130 million
2003 195 million
2004 245 million
2005 295 million
2006 330 million

The rate of growth slowed a tad in ‘06 — perhaps partly due to the Suncoast bankruptcy early in the year — but was still more than healthy. He also provided a breakdown by channel:

Comics shops Bookstores
2001 43 32
2002 50 60
2003 60 105
2004 67 140
2005 78 167
2006 110 220

It might be well to stand back and ponder these numbers for a minute. Think back to the dark days of 2001, when the industry was thought a goner for sure. Since then, graphic novel sales have increased in comics shops three fold, and in bookstores SEVENFOLD. Much of it is due to manga, but that was old news at today’s conference. A session about graphic non-fiction with folks from Larry Gonick to Thomas LeBien showed–and comments from the buyer’s panel which followed backed up–sales in the non fiction and “literary graphic novel” categories were a significant source of growth in 2006. (Yaoi was the other hot genre–go figure.) Part of the increase was due to the appearance of material that appealed to adult women. The usual suspects were named over and over again in talking about the growth — Persepolis, The 9/11 Commission Report, Fun Home, American Born Chinese — but they are good diverse usual suspects, and welcome additions to the backlist pantheon. (Well, the 9/11 Report has its problems — we hear that at least one sequential art teacher at SVA uses it as an example of HOW NOT TO DO COMICS. Oops.)

The manga panel covered the censorship/ratings concerns. Basically the message from all was that because publishers have been proactive in being sensitive to the dangers of the material — and in some cases even drawn attention to the potential trouble spots — they have largely avoided the kind of witchhunt that many have feared. As the uproar over the mention of a “scrotum” in a kids book rages, it’s clear there is endless potential for problems ahead — especially with yaoi — but that bullet is still being dodged adroitly.

We didn’t have a huge takeaway from today. There was no “Ah ha!” moment of triumph, but rather the kind of security and quiet confidence that comes from knowing that graphic novels are here to stay. It was fun to chat about best selling authors doing comics with big time agents, and cool to see generations and genres cross as Steady Beat’s Rivkah chatted with Cancer Vixen’s Marisa Acocella Marcheto.

Marchetto and Larry Gonick appeared on the non fiction panel as veterans of the long struggle for bookstore legitimacy. Gonick recalled an ABA in 1984 when he tried to get Rip Off Press and his mainstream publisher for CARTOON HISTORY interested in talking to each other, fruitlessly it seemed, as neither would visit the others part of the hall. Marchetto recalled her 1994 graphic novel WHO THE HELL IS SHE, ANYWAY? which came and went with all the sound of one hand clapping.

In our coverage on this conference last year we noted that “For years, the mood in comics was ‘we can’t’. The mood at NYCC is ‘How can we?’”

The mood in 2007 left “we can’t” so far behind, your head was spinning. It was all about growing — with comics for kids and women, with fiction, with non fiction, with American Genre Comics backlist, and on and on. The secret word is “Yay!”

Chris Butcher has his thoughts on Day 0 along with a report on the next big thing: All Ages Comics:

Following the manga censorship panel was mine, “Buyers Panel—Graphic Novels, the Next Three Years.” I think it went really well. I talked about yaoi and books for children, and I was mean to independent publishers probably? Not mean, but sort of brutally honest and realistic. Essentially, “If you want your books for children to sell, you must be at least this good, and you probably aren’t.” Examples included W.I.T.C.H., KINGDOM HEARTS, and BONE. Actually, it was a lot of fun having so many librarians in the room, because I kind of get the impression from my peers in retailing and the internet as a whole that no one knows that W.I.T.C.H. sells amazingly well. Or even what it is.

More in link.

Finally, we’ve blogged the hell out of New York Comicon, just so you know what is going on. but as we sit back in wheezy, queasy exhaustion, perspective begins to rear its ugly head, and we remember that what is really important about this show is the basics: getting jiggy.

For instance, blogger “Hey Lady” seeks a Geek Date figuring the socially awkward males of comics will be easy pickins.

But really, Comic Book Conventions should be a great place to meet guys. We’re talking about a virtually untapped market. In theory: for a smart, (somewhat) attractive girl, getting a date should be like shooting fish in a barrel, no? Thousands of men are gathered in one place (granted, some of them are taken; some are gay; some, undoubtedly, live in their mothers’ basements) with a very small proportion of available women around. The statistics alone would lead us to believe there have got to be a few good men in this crowd.

And this is where my challenge begins.

MY STATS:
5′ 6″
30 years old
Copywriter
Single

MY GOAL:
To get a date at Comic Con

WHERE: New York Comic Con 2007, Jacob Javits Center
WHEN: February 24-25

You can see pictures of the lady in question in the link, which we found via ComicMix (which still doesn’t have an RSS feed!)

Irrepressible Frazier Irving put it in even simpler terms that all could relate to in an Engine thread bemoaning pros having to pay for badges.

Main reason I’m going to the con is as an excuse to indulge in a week of sex-in-fancy-hotel-rooms and the tourist thing with the missus.

There you have it. Perspective.

Evan Dorkin
Brian K. Vaughan:
Steve Niles
Colleen Doran
Joanna Estep
Cecil Castellucci
Act-i-vate
Tania Del Rio
Rivkah

Tokyopop is set up at booth #731 with creators including Eric Wight, Rivkah, Svetlana Chmakova, T Campbell, Amy Mebberson, Joanna Estep, Melissa DeJesus, M. Alice LeGrow, Federica Manfredi, Shannon Denton, Dan Hipp, June Kim, Frank Marraffino, Stuart Moore, James Barry, Joshua Ortega, Drew Rausch, Amy Hadley, Megumi Cummings, Steven Cummings, Jamar Nicholas, Rob Steen, and Armand Villavert. They’ll be having panels right at their booth, and signings. Schedule in the jump.
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Image Comics has scheduled a fine crew of comics creators during the New York Comicon, February 23-25, 2007. Featuring industry heavyweights like Kyle Baker, Brian Haberlin and Mike Oeming, as well as hot new creators like Rick Spears and Jonathan Hickman. Listed below are the times you can show up to get your books signed and talk with some of the best in the business!

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Signings by folks like Bob Fingerman, Tara McPherson, Arvid Nelson and more highlight Dark Horse’s booth schedule. Times and details in the jump.

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Where will you find Naruto, the nation’s #1 comic, at NYCC? Why at Viz!

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announced a bevy of activities, events and new anime and manga offerings for all the hot properties fans are excited about at the 2007 New York Comic-Con show.

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In addition to showing off their manga line, Del Rey is bringing a bunch of prose authors to the show including,
* China Miéville (Un Lun Dun)
* Timothy Zahn (Star Wars: Allegiance)
* Drew Bowling (Tower of Shadows)
* Joe Schreiber (Chasing the Dead)
* Charlie Huston (No Dominion) and
* Tom De Haven (It’s Superman!)

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Markosia is coming to New York with a giant monkey!

This weekend in New York, the second annual New York Comic Con will be occurring - and Markosia will be right there in the middle!

As well as creator signings, artist sketches, portfolio reviews and comic sales, Markosia will also be hosting the LIVE CONTRACT SIGNING for the comic adaptation and ongoing series of KONG: KING OF SKULL ISLAND, the bestselling book by critically acclaimed creator and illustrator Joe DeVito.

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Attendees of the Second Annual New York Comic Convention are invited to attend the Second Annual Indie After Party on Saturday February 24th from 8-11 PM at The Twins Pub in New York City. Last year the party took place on the upstairs level of the bar. This year we have the entire venue and will feature free food, cash bar, a gallery of comic book art, and comics for sale.

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As you may have heard, MySpace has launched a comic book…area, I guess you could call it. Friend up, Cowboy! MySpace is also sponsoring the New York Comic-con, and we’ll have to leave you to write the punchline for THAT one, since we take money from both Reed and NewsCorp.

MySpace.com, the leading social networking and lifestyle portal, which recently announced the launch of the MySpace Comic Books profile (www.myspace.com/comicbooks) will take an active role in promoting its new community at New York Comic Con (NYCC). The new profile will be the official community for manga, graphic novels and comic books on MySpace.

MySpace will be one of the official media sponsors of NYCC which takes place at the Jacob K. Javits Center, February 23 – 25. MySpace events include:

* Friends can meet face-to-face at the “The Official MySpace Meet Up Point.” MySpacers can meet offline at Fox Atomic booth #553. This area will contain computer stations for users to check their MySpace profile, enter the “The Hills Have Eyes 2” / 15 Gigs of Fear music video mash-up contest, as well as meet talent including Wes Craven, Steve Niles, Jimmy Palmiotti, and more.

* MYSPACE MYSTERY PANEL. This panel will feature three mystery guests – all top creators in the world of comics– to be announced on the day of the panel. The www.myspace.com/comicbooks and www.myspace.com/nycomiccon profiles will reveal clues on the identity of the mystery panelists leading up to the event.

* MySpace member to serve as show correspondent. MySpacer Olive Panter will cover all Comic Con action and report back to the MySpace Comic Books’ community via video reports from the convention floor after Comic Con has wrapped up.

Fans and friends of MySpace Comic Books can check out the community to find the latest comic book news, interviews, special features, contests, exclusives and more. MySpace Comic Books will spotlight the most exciting projects, creators and events in the industry including user generated comics by MySpace members themselves.

Get free 3-D glasses as Nickelodeon Magazine presents a Comic Carousel on Sunday February 25th at1PM in Room 1E16

Carousel: A series of cartoon slide shows and other projected pictures, presented by an array of comic strip makers, visual artists, performers, and other characters. Plenty of gags, goofiness, audience participation and 3-D action! Definitely for kids and alt-comics-loving adults. Hosted by cartoonist R. Sikoryak, and Nick Mag editors, Chris Duffy and Dave Roman.

Artists scheduled to appear include Sam Henderson (Scene But Not Heard), Michael Kupperman (Tales Designed To Thrizzle), Karen Sneider (Pony Up!) and Bill Alger (Cartoon Block Party) vs. an “advanced” cartooning super computer!

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Todd Allen is one of the more vocal proponents of making money through webcomics, and he’ll be introducing a new book on the topic at New York Comic-Con even as he starts making all kinds of guesses about Marvel and DC’s moves into webcomics, which he thinks could make a LOT of money for the publishers.

“All of a sudden, web comics are a hot topic, aren’t they?” writes Professor Todd Allen in the introduction “The Economics of Web Comics,” the second edition of his study on the business side of digital comics. “In October, Saheli Datta, a reporter from Business 2.0, made a number of phone calls to people involved with web comics, asking questions from a financial perspective. You may not have seen the article, and that may be because it’s been put on hold.”

Allen, an Adjunct Professor in the Arts, Entertainment & Media Management Department at Columbia College Chicago, goes on to describe DC announcing a mysterious web initiative scheduled for December 2006, causing Business 2.0 to sit on the article. An initiative that seems not to have happened, although DC Vice-President of Creative Services, Richard Brunning, has been added to the Web Comics panel at the New York Comic Con on February 23. Could a major announcement be planned?

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