The convention hosted hundreds of panels, events and signings throughout the weekend.
From Oct. 6-9, New York Comic Con successfully united fans across the pop culture spectrum once again. Fans lined the streets of New York City in the early hours of the morning over the weekend to be among the first to enter the nearly sold-out convention.
There are few places one can see Halloween’s Michael Myers, Marvel’s Captain America, and Wednesday from The Addam’s Family in the same vicinity, but at New York Comic Con, anything is possible. At NYCC, you’ll find attendees dressed as countless characters inside and outside the convention center, smoking cigarettes, in line for the bathrooms, congregating at food trucks, and snapping pictures together. Only NYCC could feature such whimsical crossovers.
Thursday Oct. 6, the first day of the convention, featured a screening of “Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm,” the latest installment in Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force series. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is among the first shows developed by Adult Swim, and was integral in popularizing the network. Cast members Carey Means and Dana Snyder were joined by co-creators Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro to discuss the film, which garnered positive reception and laughs from the audience. Friday’s lineup included a panel for the Chucky television show, the latest installment in the long running horror franchise, featuring creator Don Mancini and various cast members including Jennifer Tilley.
Saturday boasted maximum attendance for the convention throughout the weekend. Lines of fans flooded the autograph hall and panel rooms rivaling crowds at Disney World. Brendan Fraser signed a limited number of autographs, although all advance tickets had sold out and none were available on site, to many fans’ dismay. Fortunately, a plethora of other stars offered meet and greet opportunities throughout the weekend. Cassandra Peterson, best known for her portrayal of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Ralph Macchio from the Karate Kid franchise, and Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, were among the myriad of guests present throughout the day. Fans throughout the weekend however, seemed to be most excited about the Back to the Future reunion, featuring actors Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.
At the reunion panel, held in the mainstage on Saturday. Fox and Lloyd reminisced about their time together on the set of Back to the Future and their first meeting, citing an immediate chemistry and singing praises for each other’s work inside and outside the franchise. Fox was in great spirits, cracking jokes throughout the panel and dropping tidbits of inspirational wisdom. “It sounds crazy, but Parkinson’s was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Fox told the packed crowd at the convention on Oct. 8. The actor and activist discussed how contracting the disease inspired him to help others through the Michael J Fox Foundation, an organization that seeks to research and cure the condition.
When asked if they had any advice for the crowd, Lloyd reiterated perhaps one of the most recognizable lines in film history: “Your future is whatever you make it,” Lloyd began, echoing words he spoke as Doc Brown in Back to the Future III. “So, make it a good one.”
Fans of classic cinema however, were forced to choose between attending the Back to the Future panel, or the concurrently running Halloween panel which featured lead actor Jamie Lee Curtis in discussion with moderator Drew Barrymore on her role as Laurie Strode in the titular films for over 40 years. During the panel, Curtis reflected on her time filming the movies, tearfully thanking the audience for their support throughout the years.
Sunday, the shortest day of the convention, included main stage panels for SpongeBob SquarePants that featured cast members Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke, as well as one for “Muppets Mayhem,” the upcoming Muppet series centered around Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem. Muppet performer and co-creator Bill Barretta was joined by cast members Lilly Singh, Sara Choudhury, Anders Holm, Tahj Mowry and co-writers Adam Goldberg and Jeff Yorkes, previewing a clip of the upcoming series and discussing the complications of producing a Muppet project.
Hundreds of vendors and artists lined the halls of the marketplace and artist alley throughout the weekend, selling toys, comics, art and previewing new game, television and film releases to con-goers. Hundreds of other events took place throughout the weekend – and will take place again next year. The convention will return for its 17th year in 2023. For fans of almost anything, NYCC is not an event to be missed.
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