Few things in life excite me quite the same way as a comic convention; let alone a comic convention run by Wizard. I’ve been attending Wizard World conventions since their second year in my hometown of Philadelphia in 2003 (I had only missed the first year because I hadn’t known about it) and have always found them to be a generally enjoyable experience. Needless to say, I was extremely excited to hear that Wizard would be hosting more cons here on the east coast, including two in the not too distant New York City entitled Big Apple Con (Spring and Fall editions). Big Apple Con was initially a small scale, privately run convention until Wizard bought it a few years back and adapted it to better suite their brand. So how does Big Apple Con stack up in comparison to other comic conventions?
After years of attending Wizard Conventions, I’ve come to expect a few things- tons of vendors, interesting panels, a few celebrities varying from the comic book industry to the film industry, and a veritable ton of fans all jammed into one place. Big Apple Con didn’t quite feel the same as any other Wizard con I’ve been to though, and it was painfully obvious why. While most Wizard conventions are an active hub for the comics industry filled with various announcements and events, Big Apple Con seems to have missed the memo and become a lackluster con where the only thing you can really hope to accomplish is seeking out some back-issues or rares collectibles you were looking for. In my entire first day at the con, I was unable to find a single panel to sit in on, let alone any industry led events that are seen at most Wizard cons. Aside from some great industry people (artists Greg Horn, Ryan Ottley, Jim Cheung and Arthur Suydam come to mind) and a few celebrities ( such as Morena Baccarin, Tom Felton and James Marsters) being on hand for autographs, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot going on throughout the con; but that’s not to say that Big Apple Con is something that should be written off so easily.
Artist Greg Horn
As an avid collector of both comics and collectibles (toys/statues/replicas), Big Apple Con was a veritable goldmine. While the venue (Penn Plaza, New York, NY) was relatively small in size (especially in comparison to the location they use for Wizard World Philadelphia), it was packed full of as many vendors as they could squeeze into the small space. No matter what direction you looked in, there is always something amazing to be found, whether it be a life-sized-fully-automated Leatherface replica or even something as simple as “that one back-issue” that you’ve been looking for; Big Apple con had it all. Wizard seems to have gone above and beyond to make sure they had a surplus of quality vendors on hand for this convention, and while that doesn’t entirely make up for the lack of programming and other content, it certainly helps. This convention is very much for those of us that are looking to fill in gaps in our comic collections with back-issues or trying to find the rare collectible we’ve been trying to hunt down for years. Look at my personal success story as proof- I managed to find the DC Direct Teen Titans Modern Superboy I’ve been hunting for since 2005! If you like hitting up conventions to get some shopping done rather than meeting industry people or seeing some cool events you wouldn’t normally get to see (Wizard World Philadelphia’s annual Jedi Academy Parade comes to mind), then Big Apple Con is for you.
Overall, while Big Apple Con is done on a much smaller scale than most Wizard conventions, it is still a pretty fun way to kill a weekend. There’s plenty of great stuff to pick up, awesome industry insiders to talk with and some amazing cosplay going on! At the time of this posting, this two-day convention is only halfway through, so if you’re in the vicinity of New York City there is still time to come down and make a day of it! If you aren’t anywhere near New York then don’t fret, Wizard is hosting a plethora of conventions all throughout the country over the course of the year and is more than likely hosting one not too far from you! Check out the full listing of their conventions and dates here!
Tags: arthur suydam, Big Apple Con, Collectibles, Comics, Conventions, Greg Horn, James Marsters, Jim Cheung, Jordamus Prime, Jordan DesJardins, Morena Baccarin, New York, ryan ottley, Tom Felton, Toys, Wizard, Wizard World
About the Author
Written by Jordamus Prime
Born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia, Jordan DesJardins is what many would call a "Geek". An avid collector of both comic books and action figures, Jordan can often be seen at comic conventions or scouring the city for the latest Transformers to hit the shelves. Contact Jordan at jordamusprime@comicbooked.com
Great pics! I would really like to attend a NY convention at some point.
Robb – You should come to NYCC in the fall. Much bigger, and more of what you think of when you think Comic-Con.
I met up with Jordan this weekend. We talked a lot about what makes Big Apple CC what is. It’s a great place to meet fellow fans. There were several fan groups there, Harry Potter, Firefly, Star Trek, and Superhero Cosplay all were represented.
And the spring Big Apple con is the smaller one. It does a second one in the fall, which to be honest, is just a bigger version of this one. But maybe Wizard will begin to scale up to be more like their other Cons.
Is the Other New York Con in October? And can New York support the amount of cons it does. I always wanted to go to a con in New York and and am already tallying the money in my head on how much money I could spend. The first con I would seriously like to attend is San Diego next year… but New York in the fall you say….hmmmmm
Well this Conventions was supposed to be done twice a year called the Spring and Fall editions, but as of this morning it appears Wizard has removed the Big Apple Con Fall Edition from it’s schedule! There IS still New York Comic Con in the fall though, which if you haven’t been to is AMAZING. It’s kind of like a slightly smaller toned down SDCC so it’s worth checking out.
Yeah, if you’re going to go to a con in New York, I’d suggest NYCC. Like Jordan said, it’s basically a smaller version of the San Diego con. Of course,that’s “smaller” in the sense that a moving van is smaller than am 18-wheeler. Not that I’ve actually been to a Big Apple Con, but NYCC was just mind blowing when I attended.
Excellent picture of Greg Horn…He’s actually one of my favorites…(my guilty pleasure)
Yeah man he’s a super nice guy! I spent quite a bit hanging around his booth talking to him. I’ll be doing an interview with him sometime in the next few weeks, I just have to come up with some interesting questions to ask- if there are any questions you’d like me to fit in there just e-mail me them!