At this year’s New York Comic Con, BlumFest returned with a bang, delivering its biggest slate of films yet.
On the first day of New York Comic Con 2024, directors Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame, The Gray Man) joined stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt on stage to give fans an in-depth look at their upcoming Netflix film, The Electric State.
New York Comic Con, a highly anticipated event for fans of all things pop culture, experienced some unforeseen challenges during its recent edition.
One prominent issue that surfaced was related to internet connectivity. As attendees flooded the Jacob K. Javits Center, the sheer volume of people attempting to access the internet led to significant congestion. This resulted in slow and unreliable connections, making it difficult for many attendees to utilize their devices for various purposes, including accessing event information, sharing their experiences on social media, and staying connected with friends and fellow fans.
In the experience of attendees at the event, Artist Alley was notably devoid of activity. Many talented artists were displaced from Artist Alley to accommodate more renowned and costly comic artists on the show floor. Consequently, several convention-goers missed out on encountering talented artists simply because they were unaware of their presence on the show floor. During the event, they had the opportunity to engage with an outstanding artist, Kelly McMahon, who shed light on the fact that most artists had to actively contend for a spot at Artist Alley, revealing the competitive nature of securing a table at the event. It was also a bad time for the center’s wifi to not work as many artists had QR codes displayed on their desks along with the payment swipes. The problem is, the bad connection affected their sales tremendously.
Another hiccup at the event was the difficulties some attendees faced when trying to access QR codes. QR codes are commonly used for various purposes at conventions, from ticket scanning to accessing exclusive content. However, it was reported that several attendees had trouble scanning these codes due to technical glitches and network issues. This inconvenience, though not universal, did disrupt the smooth flow of activities for some con-goers, highlighting the importance of reliable technology infrastructure at such large-scale events.
On a rather bizarre note, the event also witnessed an incident that left attendees baffled. Reports emerged that an individual defecated on the show floor, creating an unsanitary and uncomfortable situation for everyone present. This incident not only marred the convention’s overall atmosphere but also raised questions about event security and the behavior of certain attendees. It served as a reminder that maintaining a safe and respectful environment at conventions like New York Comic Con is essential for the enjoyment of all participants.
This year’s New York Comic Con left some attendees feeling a bit underwhelmed in terms of the vendor presence. While the convention traditionally boasts a diverse array of vendors offering a wide range of merchandise, there was a noticeable shortage of vendors in comparison to previous years.
Additionally, some felt that there was an overemphasis on anime-related content, which, while exciting for fans of the genre, may have overshadowed other facets of pop culture. Furthermore, the show floor appeared strikingly similar to what attendees had experienced in previous editions of the event, with little to no discernible innovations or unique attractions. Overcrowding was also an issue, as the convention was bustling with attendees, leading to long lines and congested walkways, making it a challenging environment for many to navigate comfortably.
This contrast with San Diego Comic-Con was particularly evident in the available activities and experiences for attendees. Many participants felt that New York Comic Con offered fewer engaging and unique opportunities compared to its West Coast counterpart. San Diego Comic-Con has earned a reputation for its immersive attractions, exclusive panels, and high-profile celebrity appearances. In contrast, some attendees noted that New York Comic Con lacked the same level of excitement and innovation in its programming. The striking difference in the scale and diversity of activities between the two conventions became quite evident for those who had experienced both.
Overall, the combination of the ongoing labor strikes and a perceived deficit in offerings at New York Comic Con contributed to a less satisfying experience for some attendees. While the convention still provided a platform for fans to connect and celebrate their passions, the differences between this year’s New York Comic Con and other major events in the fandom world became quite apparent, leaving attendees and enthusiasts looking forward to more robust and engaging experiences in the future.
The 2022 edition of New York Comic Con came in full force this year compared to its return in 2021.
Whether if its Funko, gaming, cosplay, or the panels, there was something for everyone at the four day convention. In my ten plus years of covering New York Comic Con, I think this year’s show was the most crowded i’ve ever seen. I will dive more into that a few paragraphs down. With that out of the way, here is my review for this year’s show.
At last year’s New York Comic Con, the Javits Center’s expansion was completed in time for the show to take place. Gone are the days that I would have to rush to Madison Square Garden or at another place just to cover a panel. There were some panels at the expansion building last year, but it was the 2022 edition where all the panels and press rooms took place. I just wish that somebody told us sooner that there was a second press lounge.
I say this because the area where the press rooms took place at the second floor of Javits, was not there. I was caught off guard with the surprise and I had to ask around about the new location. Besides that, I think the new location is much better. But for the attendees to go to the panels in that area, it was hard to navigate.
New York Comic Con always had an issue with overcrowding and this year’s show looked like it was overcrowded no matter where you went. Last year, Funko did not have a presence at NYCC so it was easier to walk the show floor without the Funko booth and among others. Funko returned this year and the lines were extremely massive. In fact, the line at the Ebay booth was so poorly managed that in the middle of an escalator, cosplayer Mitch Drucker suffered a seizure and a heart attack, and paramedics arrived around 20 minutes later, but to no avail. I was wondering how could this happen and how poorly managed the line was.
There was some good that came out of this year’s panels. At the Titan’s panel, the cast revealed Beastboy’s new suit. For The Walking Dead’s last panel, Scott Gimple revealed the that The Walking Dead: Dead City will premiere in April 2023. On the Back to the Future panel, we got a nice reunion between Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd had a great reunion that was years in the making.
As far as the booths go, there were a large amount this year from various retailers. Several of them were not giving away free swag. I totally get it since the pandemic hit them hard. But it used to be great to leave with something. Also to add, thank you Reedpop for adding the carpet back! It was severly missed from last year’s show and the past two C2E2 shows that I covered.
With all of it out of the way, I will always enjoy covering New York Comic Con! Below are some of the press interviews that I have conducted!
Cast members of The Walking Dead arrived at Paleyfest this past weekend to promote the final 8 episodes of the series.
Before they took the stage, they were greeted by fans outside that were eager to see them for the final time on the show. Cast members such as Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Norman Reedus, Lauren Ridloff, Lauren Cohan, and more showed up at Paleyfest hours after appearing at the Museum of the Moving Image as there is also an exhibit there with props and costumes from the series.
The Knockturnal got the chance to catch up with cast members Norman Reedus, Eleanor Matsuura, Lauren Ridloff and The Walking Dead’s Chief Content Officer Scott Gimple to talk about the final episodes. They were all ecstatic about the direction of their characters for this final half.
For the last episodes of The Walking Dead, The Commonwealth took control of the communities and the team of Daryl, Maggie, and more are not only trying to get them back, they are also going to have conflicts as The Commonwealth is not an easy adjustment for everyone.
After the red carpet took place, the cast went in for the panel prior to heading to New York Comic Con.
Saturday afternoon, The Walking Dead’s cast and crew descended upon Manhattan to celebrate the series’ final appearance at New York Comic Con before next month’s finale. It all comes together,” said inscrutable Walking Dead brand manager, Scott M. Gimple. “All these characters reach their conclusions.
AMC has already confirmed several spinoffs featuring major characters – including Negan, Maggie, Daryl, Rick, and Michonne – but Gimple assured fans that the eleventh season will wrap up the sprawling undead saga that began over a decade ago. As he added, “We do tell the end of the story of The Walking Dead.” “Yes, there are other shows, but bringing all of this together makes sense.”
It’s been one hell of a f—ing ride.” Those are the words Jeff Dean Morgan used to describe his experience: “I hadn’t expected Negan to make it this far.
The mystery spinoff (which does not yet have a name) will take place in France, feature many familiar faces, and sport a brand new aesthetic, Reedus said. He described it as epic in scale.
“It’s f—ing epic. I’ve been on location scouts over there for a bit, I’ve been talking to sound people. It’s crazy what we we’re gonna do over there. I think France is gonna have a f—in’ heart attack, which is good; which is what I want. It has a different look, it has a different feel, it has a different sound to it. It has all the things you like about the show, but new people experiencing them in a different kind of way … It’s gonna very cool.”
“Frace gives Daryl the opportunity to experience things he hasn’t before in his life and with walkers,” Gimple explained, confirming that the spinoff is directly connected to the stinger featured in World Beyond’s Season 2 finale, in which French scientists were implicated directly in the walker outbreak.
Gimple announced onstage that Dead City will premiere in April (production stills were also shown). As he hinted, “It’s a very, very, very different world in the apocalypse in New York City.
AMC premieres new episodes of The Walking Dead every Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern. They can be accessed a week earlier by AMC+ subscribers.
During the HBO Max panel at New York Comic Con 2022, Velma’s first episode was screened and its new cast was announced. Among the other voices in the series are Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Sam Richardson (The Afterparty), and Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat), respectively, who will play Fred, Shaggy, and Daphne. Executive producer Mindy Kaling will voice the titular character
TV Guide Magazine’s Damian Holbrook moderated the panel during which the voice actors of The Gang (aside from Howerton and Richardson, who zoomed in) and showrunner Charlie Grandy answered a variety of questions about what we can expect from the 10-episode serialized series.
It wasn’t done before for an adult audience, so Kaling found Velma appealing because it was not your typical Saturday morning series. “We just thought these characters would make a great adult version,” Kaling said.
As Kaling describes it, Howerton’s Fred is much more normal than the usual characters he is assigned to play. However, Kaling does not believe that the characters in the original series were defined by their whiteness other than Fred. Due to his comedic chops and humanity, Howerton was perfect for the role.
In addition to exploring the lives of high schoolers, Kaling promised the series will also feature murder mysteries. In addition, Kaling teased that many of the characters will have sexual tension with Velma. Kaling said she was drawn to the project because of Velma’s journey of self-discovery, but she wouldn’t say if Velma and Daphne will hook up.
Velma will debut on HBO max in 2023.
A themed activation based on the setting of S.T.A.R. Labs was part of HBO Max’s celebration of Season 4 of Titans at New York Comic Con, designed with cult followers and new fans alike in mind to ensure that both will clamor to this mysterious place in the midst of the New York Comic Con. It has been designed for a fan-oriented experience and to provide takeaways for the fans.
There was a clear objective for HBO with the Titans activation as it was to generate buzz and increase attention on the Javits Center floor, especially since the cast of the series were also present at the activation and had a panel during the event. Through a series of interactive fan moments located around the lab, attendees were invited to dress up, play and act like Titans heroes in a variety of ways.
I had the opportunity to witness this activation and speak with some of the creative geniuses behind it. It was explained to me by a spokesperson that the planning, constructing, and design of the facility took a good six to eight months. Their delight at seeing this come to fruition for the attendees to experience was a result of their hard work.
As soon as the activation process was completed, I was given a pin for each pin that was available.There is no doubt that the DC fans are looking forward to the next season of the show coming to the small screen.
Ever wonder what David Harbour’s life was like before Stranger Things? It may not be what you would’ve expected.
Success as an actor is often hard to define. Sometimes critical acclaim or commercial profitability are the metrics used to define success. However, there’s another lesser attained category that only a few actors ever get the honor of being – a cult classic. Thanks to Stranger Things, David Harbour has certainly hit that mark. He hasn’t always been the household name he is today and chances are most fans wouldn’t have known his life prior to the culture defining Netflix series. But judging from the response at New York Comic Con this year, they certainly wanted to know more and David was happy to share about his life prior to the show.
For starters, he grew up in New York in the East Village and stayed there for much of his life as he pursued a career as an actor. However, he wasn’t exactly dominating the big or small screen in any capacity. His appearances were mostly confined to recurring roles on short lived TV series and doing off Broadway plays. It got to the point where he was started to worry about where next month’s rent would come from. He was on a tv series that had just shot its first season and he needed it to get renewed to ensure he’d be fine financially for the coming months. He waited by the phone and hoped to get the good news, but when the phone rang, it didn’t go the way he wanted.
As you can imagine, he was saddened by the news, but it was relatively short lived. Not too long after, he got a call to audition for a certain Netflix show – Stranger Things. After auditioning though, he wasn’t exactly encouraged. He figured at first that someone with a better track record or name would get selected as it was a fairly large role and he was right. Someone else did get selected but ended up rejecting the role. Who passed up on that opportunity, we may never know, but the rest, as they say is history.
It was really great getting this story and many others like it from David and other cult classics at Comic Con. Be sure to check out the other coverage here on the Knockturnal for more interesting stories like this.
Rob Van Dam’s twenty five plus year career in the world of professional wrestling speaks for itself. His first break came in Extreme Championship Wrestling back in 1996 when he made his debut. RVD’s unique high-flying style and his character resonated with the hardcore fans. This lead him to win the ECW Television Championship in May of 1998. He held the championship until the year 2000. What is fortunate for him, is that he signed with WWE (Then WWF) in 2001.
His success did not stop there as Rob Van Dam headlined several WWE shows and won numerous of championships on the grand scale. He won his first WWE Championship in 2006 when he defeated John Cena at WWE’s version of ECW One Night Stand.
In early 2021, WWE announced that Rob Van Dam would be an inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame! With his career going from ECW, to WWE, to Impact Wrestling, Rob Van Dam is a perfect candidate for this prestigious honor. Rob Van Dam was officially inducted during the week of WrestleMania 37!
This past week at New York Comic Con, I followed up with RVD and his wife and occasional wrestler Katie Forbes as we talk about New York Comic Con, his action figure collection, and his induction. It was RVD’s first appearance at New York Comic Con and he and Katie Forbes were excited to see the fans!