NEW YORK COMIC CON 2013 Survival Guide
New York City Comic Con is here. Panels have already started. Booths and vendors are ready to sell you whozits and whatzits galore. Some of your favorite celebrities and personalities are trickling in from where ever it is they're coming from.
Here are some tips to get the most of your NYCC Experience:
- Bring cash
Take care of this before entering the Javits Center. Sure, there will be plenty of vendors that have a credit card swipe app thing for their iphone or ipad, but with SOOO many people at the convention tweeting and facebooking and other vendors using this app, connectivity can be an issue.
Also:
"What panel is this super long line for?"
"Uhhh...this is the line for the ATM"From NYCC '2011 - Wear comfortable shoes*
NYCC and being in NYC involves a good amount of standing and walking. The Javits Center spans several city blocks and you'll be maneuvering through lines and crowds and spinning and pivoting trying to get to where you want to be.
*If you're cosplaying and your character is wearing high heels or is barefoot, you can go ahead and ignore this* - Food
Protein bars, Lunchables, water, sandwiches: stuff you can eat quick without making a mess and doesn't make the area 20 feet around smell like your kitchen. Javits Center food is just like any other convention center food - EXPENSIVE. So bring it with you or go to a restaurant - Bring Your SmartPhone Charger
You will constantly be opening and closing apps, looking for signal, using the camera, texting and calling friends to meet you somewhere. Bring a charger. Sure there will be some charging stations here and there, but you'll probably find a random outlet somewhere where you can sit and relax a bit. - Sharpies
Bring a couple of these - Black and Silver are usually safe bets - you MIGHT be able to catch someone on their way to or from a panel or booth that is willing to sign something quick for you. Or you can just doodle on something that needs a doodle. - Backup plan
You might not get the panel you really wanted to go to. go to the panel you only kind of wanted to go to and know how to get there.
Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano of DC/WB Animation
Good Attitude/Etiquette:
- Sure you paid money to get into the convention, but that doesn't entitle you to anything other than getting through the front door.
- Taking a pic of a cosplayer? Ask first. No one likes having a picture taken while eating, yawning, slouching, etc. Nor does anyone want a picture of their ass on your Facebook or Instagram without their permission.
- Also, not cool to take a picture of a cosplayer who's body type doesn't exactly go with the character and then throw up a snarky caption or hashtag
- Chill out with the grabby hands and lewd comments
- COSPLAY ≠ CONSENT
- Don't question someone's knowledge of a comic, show, movie, book series, etc. This is not your place to do this... unless you're the host of a game show. That's just elitism
- In the words of Wil Wheaton, "Don't be a dick."
We'll see you there!
