New York Comic Con 2012 floods city with costumed geeks, cartoon fans

October 16, 2012 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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New York Comic Con 2012 swept through New York City this past weekend, bringing more than 115,000 comic fans, geeks, cybergamers, celebrities, nerds and “cosplayers” (fans who dress up as their favorite costumed characters and assume poses) to the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan.

Enthusiastic consumers of comics and outré media packed three levels of the convention center, where they bought original art work, clothing and unclassifiable objects, and attended hundreds of previews, panels and celebrity signings.

Many of the attendees had spent months designing and assembling their costumes by hand, and all were happy to pose for photographs.

“’Humans of New York took my picture!’ enthused Kimmy Tronolone of Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. (Humans of New York is a popular photography blog.) The bubbly Ms. Tronolone – in pink jacket with pink-tinged blond hair and giant blue baubles around her neck — came costumed as Effie Trinket from the movie “The Hunger Games.”

“It’s silly and girly and ridiculous,” Tronolone told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “I keep getting little people saying, ‘Happy Hunger Games!’”

As thousands of fans massed outside of the convention center, zombies promoting “The Walking Dead” series roamed the crowd, waving signs and giant implements of destruction. Traffic on 11th Avenue slowed as ad hoc groups of costumed characters assembled for photos and then dispersed.

Inside, numerous Captain Americas posed with a variety of Spidermen and Ghostbusters, while a number of Slendermen – ominous tall, thin figures wearing black suits and blank faces – stood silently in the shadows. Dr. Who was a popular costume this year, along with Sailor Moon and Daenerys Targaryen (from “Game of Thrones”). At least one convincing Khal Drogo (Daenerys’ mate) was seen. G.I. Joe and Cobra Commander were in the crowd, along with pixelated-head characters from 8-bit video games.

The crowd was so large this year that many of the participants had trouble walking through the narrow aisles – especially those with wide wingspans or oversized weaponry. But even regular humans had trouble navigating through the mass of humanity, and some had to leave the hall or find quiet niches in stairwells or on the basement level to catch their breath.

Hundreds of celebrities participated in the panels and signings, including Stan Lee ((creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, X-Men), Adam West (original Batman), Burt Ward (original Robin), Andrew Lincoln (“The Walking Dead”), Adam Berry (“Ghost Hunters”), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in “Harry Potter”), Caitlin Blackwood (“Dr. Who”), Phil LaMarr (“Futurama,” Metal Gear Solid 2), Alexis Cruz (“Stargate”), Sam Hulick (Mass Effect), Danny Choo (Culture Japan), and countless others.

In seminars, comic artists and writers speculated about future TV and film spin-offs and answered fan questions. “Hellboy’s” comic book team — James Harren, Mike Mignola, Scott Allie and Tyler Crook – discussed upcoming developments encompassing Hellboy’s future in hell.

A fan asked creator Mignola about the possibilities of a “Hellboy 3” film. “Gullermo del Toro [Hellboy’s director] said in a recent interview he’d like to do it, but finding the financing is difficult,” Mignola said. He added that “Hellboy 3” had been optioned.

The affable Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid – quite famous as the horrific Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars series – described how he got the part and admitted that he “always liked to play villains.”

“They’re often completely charming, but underneath they’re completely insidious,” he said.