- HOME
- This Just In
- Bonus
- sessions
- Blogs
- Events
- social
- Video
Nikki M. Mascali
I sport a free Hellboy mask at NYCC.
I wasn’t much of a comic-book fan growing up, beyond the few “Archie” comics I adored for some reason.
But, like any good little kid, I always loved the superheroes: Batman, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and above all others, Captain America. (Superman is omitted for a very good reason: Even as a child, I despised him.) As an adult, I loved the graphic novels “Priest” and “300,” and their subsequent movies.
When the opportunity came up to go to New York Comic Con, held last weekend at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, naturally I jumped at the chance to see its sights. And the fact that “300” writer/illustrator Frank Miller and Chris Evans, who brought Captain America to life on the big screen this past summer, were going to be in attendance sure didn’t hurt.
Bedlam is probably the best way to describe NYCC; crazy, fun bedlam.
As a first-timer, I didn’t know where to look or what to do first with the thousands of comics on the showroom floor, the many panels offered, new video games like “Max Payne 3” to try out and just watching the hundreds of costumed con-goers traipse by in their very best. I saw an incredible Bumblebee from “Transformers,” zombies, dozens of Captain Americas (much to my delight) and anime characters and one sight that I will never unsee: A hairy gentleman Wonder Woman, which was kind of brilliant actually.
Understandably, Mr. Wonder Woman was a Comic Con highlight, as was discovering the Dark Horse graphic novel, “Evelyn Evelyn: A Terrible Tale in Two Tomes.” The novel tells the peculiar story of conjoined twins Evelyn Evelyn, and it’s dark, sad and amazingly told thanks to writers Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley and illustrator Cynthia von Buhler, who was on hand to sign our copy.
Another wonderful discovery was the adorable Vamplets. These precious “Baby Vampyres,” with names like Cadaverson Nightshade, Lily Rose Shadowlyn and my personal favorite, Count Vlad Von Gloom, hail from Gloomvania and are the brainchildren of G-Ra, a former freelancer for Disney and Hasbro.
“It was too much cute,” she said of working for those two companies. “I had to balance my dark side with all that cute.”
And thus, the Vamplets, complete with their baby bottles of blood (which you can buy as an accessory) and sharp little teeth were born. Find out more at www.vamplets.com.
By the end of my two days of Comic Con, I was exhilarated, exhausted … and already planning what to wear to next year’s because there’s no way I’m attending without a costume. Which will probably be something related to spring 2012’s “The Avengers …”
< previous | next >
About the Author
Nikki M. Mascali began her career at the Weekender as an intern in 2005 - and holds the honor of being the oldest intern the paper ever had. She received her degree in journalism from Luzerne County Community College in 2007 and joined the Weekender staff full-time in 2006 as staff writer/designer before becoming associate editor in 2010. In March 2011, she was named editor.
Nikki has interviewed everyone from Gene Simmons to Richard Simmons, and her articles have run the gamut from local and national theater to music and in-depth reports on the radio industry and negativity in NEPA.
Nikki enjoys writing, quoting movies, traveling and being a diehard foodie - which is why she pens our weekly food and drink column, "Dish."
Archives
|