Superheroes & Superfans
October 28, 2010 • 4:30 pm • POSTED BY anna hartleySticky-fingered children have Disneyland.
Travel junkies have mountaintop temples in Nepal.
Elvis impersonators have Graceland.
Comic book nerds — as well as a lucky few from 160over90 — have Comic Con.
Comic Con, a mecca for anyone who’s ever picked up a comic book, figurine, or video game console, attracts tens of thousands of fans and fanatics every year. Naturally, with the influx of zombies and monsters and vampires in the media these days, a few of us from 160over90 attended the conference in the name of (ahem) research.
Our time at New York’s Javitz Center (filled to the brim with the curious hordes) was a remarkably analog-meets-digital experience: one that simultaneously honored where comic books have been, and where they’re going. On the one hand, there are the old school comic books set up on tables covered in vintage superman sheets, sketching artists with their portfolios on display, and the dueling monstrosities: Marvel vs. DC Comics. On the other hand, there’s the audio-visual overload: Michael Jackson-themed video games, multi-player garage band competitions, lectures on gaming techniques, a fake bog where you can perform a black light search for a lost yeti, a seven-foot tall transformer who stalks his way across the convention floor.
Among other things, comic books have taught us that sometimes pictures get the job done when words aren’t necessary. So rather than listening to us ramble on, check out our photos instead. (courtesy of Justin “Aqualad” LaFontaine)
THE OLD SCHOOL:
THE NEW SCHOOL:
All good things must come to an end:
Wow, good post. I adore stuff like this.
Booyah, good post. I am interested in like this.