As I promised, I’ve compiled some of the videos and images of my trip to the New York Comic Con into a video for my YouTube Channel, Jack’s World. Please note that this is only a fraction of the footage I took. There was just so much to see and so many people to meet. There was just no way I could fit it into one video, but I did my best to make sure it captured the experience. Enjoy!
Tag Archives: new york city
Post-New York Comic Con Afterglow Setting In
Yesterday was a damn good day. Defintely a true return to form for the New York Comic Con. After two years of dealing with COVID-19, this felt like a truly complete Comic Con experience. For that, I cannot thank the fine folks who make the New York Comic Con experience possible every year. And I cannot thank enough the wonderful people who attend these conventions to make them so special.
From the comic book creators to the cosplayers to the celebrities to the food vendors to the security guards, I thank you.
This was truly special. As I’m typing this, I am nothing short of exhausted. Between navigating the Jacob Javits Center to traveling to New York City to finding appropriate lodging that won’t render me broke, it’s always quite challenging. But it’s still so worth it.
This year, I had a chance to meet a few of my favorite comic book writers. I managed to get some autographs, as well as a few special variant comics that I fully plan to frame. I met some amazing cosplayers who had some truly remarkable costumes. I also met a major celebrity. I won’t say who it is, but you’ve probably seen him in a several major blockbuster movies.
I’m going to take some time to rest and relax from it all. Then, at some point, I’m going to take the footage I captured and put it in a YouTube video for my channel, Jack’s World. I’m looking forward to sharing it. I’m also already looking forward to attending New York Comic Con next year, as well.
Heading To New York Comic Con 2022!
It’s finally here!
I’ve been waiting all year for it and with more anticipation than usual!
The New York Comic Con is finally here!
As I’m writing this, I struggle contain my excitement. It’s a familiar feeling I experience every year I’ve gone, but I’m still not tired of it. This year promises to be extra special.
After two years of being bogged down by the COVID-19 pandemic, New York Comic Con is set to return at full strength. That means no reduced capacity and no limited vendors. That means I’ll have to plan extra carefully in order to attend all the panels and get all the autographs I hope to get. But I’m willing to make that effort.
I even have a new costume this year that I can’t wait to show off. It cost me extra to get it customized, but I already feel it’s worth every penny.
So I hope New York is ready for me! Because I’m so ready for this.
New York Comic Con 2022, here I come!
New York Comic Con 2021 Afterglow
I don’t have much to say this morning. I’m still exhausted after all the festivities, but in the best possible way. We may have lost a year because of a global pandemic, but I can safely say that the New York Comic Con is as awesome as ever.
There’s a lot I’d like to share.
I have plenty of awesome pictures.
I also have some souvenirs that I can’t wait to frame and mount on my wall.
For now, though, I’m just too exhausted.
Thank you, New York Comic Con!
Thank you for putting this on after such a rough couple of years!
We needed it.
Filed under New York Comic Con, superhero comics, superhero movies
On My Way To New York Comic Con 2021!
It’s finally here! After an agonizing two-year hiatus, as well as a global pandemic, the big day is finally here. The New York Comic Con has arrived!
As we speak, I’ve got my costume laid out. I’ve got my stack of comics that I want to get autographed ready to go. Words simply cannot do justice to how excited I am. I’ve already belabored how agonizing it was to see the New York Comic Con cancelled last year. After today, I hope I can completely put that behind me.
If you also lucky enough to go, I hope you’re as excited as me. I intend to get plenty of pictures to capture the moment. For now, though, I’m off to the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
New York Comic Con, I’m on my way!
It’s Official: I’m Going To New York Comic Con 2021!
I’ve been sitting on this news for a while. In my defense, I needed some time to make sure it was real and make the necessary plans. I make no apologies because I’m just too excited to announce this.
I got my ticket to New York Comic Con 2021!
Just typing that put a big smile on my face. Words cannot do justice to the joy I felt once it sank in.
Now, I’ve been to New York Comic Con before. I’ve shared my experience on this site on multiple occasions. It has been my favorite annual tradition since I started going back in 2013. Being in that big convention hall, surrounded by so many spectacles and people who share my love of comics, is such a thrill. Every year, it seems, I find another reason to love it.
However, last year was nothing short of heartbreaking for reasons I don’t want to dwell on. Even though I expected it, the news that the New York Comic Con was cancelled was just devastating on so many levels. It felt weird in those first few weeks of October, not dressing up and spending time in New York City. I had serious concerns that I might go another year without going to a comic book convention.
Well, I can set most of those concerns aside for now. I have my ticket. I made my travel plans. I’m even making plans to wear a different costume this year. Again, I cannot overstate how excited I am for this.
It’s not just a sign that the world is healing and things are steadily returning to a sense of normalcy. It’s a chance to make up for what was lost last year. Every year I go to New York Comic Con is special, but I’m more determined than ever to make this year even more special.
I’ll be sure to share some of those plans as they materialize. I don’t want to confirm anything now, but you can be certain I won’t be able to contain my joy, more so than usual. Also, if anyone else is going to the New York Comic Con this year, I encourage them to follow that same spirit.
Last year sucked.
This year, more than most, is worth making extra awesome.
Filed under Current Events, Jack Fisher's Insights, real stories
It’s Official: Decriminalizing Sex Work Is Now A Campaign Issue
Not long ago, the idea of any politician running on a platform of decriminalizing marijuana was unthinkable. By not long ago, I mean only 10 years. It really is remarkable how much things have changed on this particular issue. It’s no longer a fringe issue for Libertarian candidates and hippies.
These days, most politicians won’t pay too high a price for saying they’re fine with decriminalizing marijuana. If anything, favoring its continued decriminalization is now a liability. It’s legal in so many states and has so much public support that supporting continued criminalization is on par with supporting gay marriage bans.
It’s just not popular and could tank an aspiring candidates career before it even begins.
We’re getting to a point where marijuana is no longer a hot-button issue. It’s almost past the point of no return in that regressing at this point would be more trouble than it’s worth. However, there’s always a place for social issues in politics. It’s just a matter of time, trends, and circumstances.
Now, like weed before it, we might be seeing a new social issue fill that void. This time, it’s decriminalizing sex work. It’s something I’ve talked about before. I’ve even speculated on how it’s likely to affect other social trends. It seems some of that speculation was accurate.
According to The Appeal, there’s momentum building for decriminalizing sex work in New York City. It’s gotten to a point where it’s now an issue in this year’s race for Manhattan District Attorney, one of the most important legal positions outside the federal government.
The Appeal: In Manhattan D.A. Race, Momentum Builds to Decriminalize Sex Work
New York State appears to be on a trajectory of expanding the rights of sex workers. On Feb. 2, the state repealed its “walking while trans” ban, an anti-loitering law that critics said the police were using to harass trans New Yorkers. Many advocates are pressing for the passage of legislation that would decriminalize sex work.
But most of the candidates seeking to be elected as Manhattan’s next district attorney this year don’t want to wait for the legislature. If they win, they say, they would take the DA’s office entirely out of the business of going after consensual sex work.
Six of the eight declared candidates told New York Focus and The Appeal: Political Report that they would stop prosecuting charges involving sex work, whether against people who are selling sex or against buyers.
The relative consensus is a measure of how quickly attitudes on sex work have shifted since even 2019, when only one out of seven candidates for Queens DA, Tiffany Cabán, supported the full decriminalization of sex work. A coalition of activists, known as Decrim NY, launched in 2019 and has strenuously championed change since then.
For those who don’t live in New York or follow their politics, it may not seem relevant. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a small issue in a political sphere with a limited scope. However, that’s how all issues begin.
Same-sex marriage was once a fringe issue. In the late 90s, it only affected a couple of states that started by offering benefits for domestic partnerships. It was not full-scale legalization, but it got the ball rolling. Once one state took that step, it snowballed from there.
Sex work probably won’t follow the exact same path, but there will be similarities. It just has to start somewhere outside the most rural parts of Nevada. Manhattan, one of most densely populated areas of the Country, would be a very high-profile site. If just one of these candidates can succeed on this issue, then that opens the door for others.
It helps that attitudes towards sex work have changed significantly in recent years. On top of that, decriminalizing sex work has become closely associated with reducing the stigma and harassment of the transgender community, as they often are disproportionally targeted under the current laws.
In addition, the very concept of sex work has changed considerably in wake of the pandemic, as indicated by the rise of those utilizing sites like OnlyFans. Those changes aren’t going to be automatically reversed once the pandemic is over.
There are many factors in play with this issue. It’s an issue that affects sexual attitudes, minorities, poverty, feminism, and so much more. That issue is sure to change even more once things like sex robots enter the picture. It won’t happen all at once, but this could be the beginning. Where it goes from here, only time will tell.
Filed under politics, prostitution, sex in media, sex in society
New York Comic Con 2020 Is Cancelled (And Everything Is Worse)
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In case I haven’t made it clear enough, this year fucking sucks. I want nothing more than to purge the year 2020 from my memory. Every week, it seems, a new brand of awful emerges to crush our collective spirits. Most of it stems from the global pandemic that has cancelled damn near everything we love.
Some of those cancellations hurt more than others. Personally, I can endure going a year without the NCAA basketball tournament. I can even endure NBA and NHL playoffs getting pushed back. Those are painful, but they’re bearable.
Then, there’s the New York Comic Con. Losing that is a different kind of pain. Losing that hurts me on a level that I cannot put into words. I’ve been bracing for it ever since the San Diego Comic Con got cancelled.
Finally, it became official and still, it hurts. As bad as this year has been, this just makes it utterly irredeemable.
Verge: New York Comic Con is Cancelled
New York Comic Con’s physical presence is canceled this year. The annual convention typically takes place in Manhattan’s Javits Center. Organizers announced today, however, that “it likely comes as no surprise that NYCC 2020’s physical event at the Javits will not be able to run as intended.”
Because of the pandemic, all major events this year — including Google I/O, E3, and SXSW — have come to a stop. Organizers canceled San Diego Comic-Con in April for the first time in 50 years in favor of an online event. NYCC will follow suit with an online-only event, taking place October 8th-11th, through an online portal dubbed New York Comic Con’s Metaverse. “We are partnering with YouTube to bring to life four days of incredible content from the biggest studios, publishers and creators in the business,” organizers said.
Although digital is the best effort any event can safely make, events like Comic Con are social affairs. The fun for many fans is dressing up, seeing favorite celebrities in person, and spending time with fellow geeks. Online events are also ripe for logistical problems; SDCC’s online event, which took place late last month, had streams taken down due to copyright claims or required fans to have access to several streaming platforms.
I’ll say it again and I’ll belabor it as much as I damn well please. This hurts me. This hurts me a lot. I don’t care for some live “virtual” event. That didn’t work for San Diego. It’s not going to work here, either. Having a virtual comic convention is like having a virtual massage. It’s just not physically possible.
I’ve been going to the New York Comic Con every year since 2012. I’ve documented some of those trips. What makes it worth going to has less to do with the news that often comes out of these conventions and everything to do with the experience. You cannot replicate that with a fucking livestream video that cuts out and gets interrupted by shitty insurance commercials ever 20 minutes. You just can’t.
You go to congregate with your fellow fans.
You go to share a colorful, engaging experience with people who share your interests.
You go to meet new people, bond over your hobbies, and enjoy the many activities that you can experience in New York City.
Now, I’m not the most socially capable person on the planet, but at the New York Comic Con, I feel like I can connect with anyone. I can make new friends, flirt with cute girls, and share memorable moments. It’s an experience surrounded by spectacle. There’s just so much to see and do. The idea of not being able to do it this year is just soul-crushing.
I get why it can’t go on. Given the crowds at the New York Comic Con, it’s not exactly easy to social distance. We’re in a pandemic. Thousands have died and thousands more are likely to die before all is said and done. It’s awful. It’s taking lives and destroying the things that make life worth living.
There’s no upside. There’s no hope, aside from waiting another year, assuming the world is still intact. I’m willing to be patient, but my spirit is now fully and utterly crushed. The New York Comic Con is cancelled this year and everything is worse. There’s nothing more to say.
Filed under Current Events, superhero comics, superhero movies
The (Amazing) Sights, Spectacles, And Lessons Of New York Comic Con 2019
Another New York Comic Con has come. Once again, I managed to experience it for a single day. While I would’ve loved to spend another day seeing everything I didn’t get a chance to see yesterday, it was an incredible experience. I enjoyed every minute of it and, like other New York Comic Cons before it, this one will be full of many treasured memories.
I could write several books, and even a couple sexy short stories, about all the things I saw while I was there. I attended panels, met incredible people, saw amazing costumes, saw some breaking comic book news, and even got a chance to connect with some real celebrities. I cannot overstate what a thrill that was.
New York Comic Con has always been so much fun, just as the entire city of New York always been fun. There are so many places to see and people to meet. I found myself running around the Jacob Javits Convention Center, trying to experience as much as I could. I like to think I took in as much as I can, given the constraints of time and only having a Friday pass.
By far, one of the best parts of New York Comic Con was seeing the costumes of fellow fans. This year might have been the most diverse, creative year yet. I saw plenty of typical costumes, like Batman, Superman, Deadpool, and the Joker. This year, however, had one of the most diverse set of costumes that I’ve ever seen.
It was so incredible that I nearly drained the batter on my phone, trying to get as many pictures as I could from those willing to share one. Here are just a handful of the ones I managed to get. Trust me when I say this is just a small sample of the creative passion I saw.
Every year, the fans who make these costumes find a way to surprise me. Next year, however, is going to be tough to be. That said, I’m sure the passion of these fans will help them find a way.
In addition to the costumes, New York Comic Con often leaves me with some unique takeaways that I could never get by just reading stories about it. Actually being there and seeing it first-hand will always have a more extensive impact. This year had some more nuanced lessons than previous years.
The first, and most apparent, lesson I learned is that the impact of anime is growing. This year, I saw more anime-inspired costumes than any previous year. I didn’t recognize all the anime that it came from, but there was definitely an uptick in anime costumes and that nicely reflects the growth of the genre.
The second lesson, which is more or less a reinforcement of what I’ve learned in previous years, is that most writers, creators, and celebrities are awesome in person. Many consider themselves fans, as well. I’ve interacted with plenty online, mostly through Twitter. They’re as nice in person as they are in real life.
I even had the privilege of meeting a few I’ve worked with. A while back, I reviewed “Swing Volume 2” after getting an advanced copy. While in artists alley, I had a chance to meet the writer, Matt Hawkins. He was an awesome guy and the insights he gave were incredible.
To those who think the details of that story were embellished or eroticized, I can attest that they weren’t. Everything Mr. Hawkins wrote about in that story was inspired by real people and real couples. I can’t thank him enough for sharing such insights and I’m already looking forward to Swing Volume 3.
The third lesson, which I guess is more an exercise in best practices, is that if you really want to get into a panel, you need to get in line at least 20 minutes early. While I managed to get into all the panels I wanted, the lines were long and I just barely got in.
For the advanced screenings of upcoming movies and cartoons, you need to be even more proactive. I was unable to get into a screening of “Wonder Woman: Bloodlines” or “Joker.” Those filled up very quickly and if I want to get in next year, I’ll have to be even more proactive.
There’s so much I experienced. There are many more things I wish I could describe, but it would take too much time and energy away from writing sexy short stories. I’ll just belabor that I had an amazing time. I saw so many amazing things and met so many awesome people. I’m already looking forward to going back next year.
Back (And Exhausted) From New York Comic Con 2019
It was a long, eventful day, but it’s over now. I built my entire day around attending New York Comic Con 2019 and, without a doubt, it was a day well-spent. I saw so many amazing things. I met so many awesome people. Between the fans, the costumes, the panels, and the big news, there was just so much to experience. I’m still processing it all.
To be honest, it’s going to take a few days to fully appreciate what I experienced. That’s to be expected for the New York Comic Con. For as long as I’ve been going, it has always been this huge spectacle that overwhelms me with so many things I love. Every year I feel like it has to take a step back, it somehow surprises me.
This year was no exception. It was an incredible experience. Now, I’m exhausted and badly in need of some rest. As long and arduous as this day was, however, it was SO worth it.
Filed under Jack Fisher's Insights, Marvel, superhero comics, superhero movies
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