Hey folks, Ambush Bug here. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Matt Adler (aka Matt Adler) and Megan Adler (aka Nutmeg) at this year's New York Comic Con. Though it's been a little time, but Nutmeg had a chance to write up an experiential on the sights, sounds, smells, and embarrassing moments (mostly performed by moi) at the con. So sit back and enjoy this recap of the Con through the experiences of one Nutmeg. Plus at the bottom we have a few interviews and press events that went on at the con as well. Enjoy!
Hey everyone, Nutmeg here, with a rundown of my experience at this year's New York Comic Con. Now, I know it's a bit late in coming, but if you've been following our NYCC coverage here at AICN, you know the massive amount of goings-on there we had to digest, plus we subsequently had to contend with the monstrosity known as Hurricane Sandy, so it took me a while to get my notes together. Still, better late than never, so sit back and enjoy as I walk you through some of the highlights of this year's con.
First up, as a bit of a preview before the con, I got invited to DC's unveiling of the new Batman-themed Kia. Kia teamed up with DC Co-Publisher and famed artist Jim Lee to design cars that show off the personalities of the Justice League heroes. These cars will be auctioned off and all proceeds will go to the We Can Be Heroes foundation to help fight hunger in the Horn of Africa.
Having the chance to speak with Jim Lee, he mentioned that it was difficult envisioning the Batman Kia car without thinking of it as a Batmobile. Lee explained that it was about seeing the car itself as a Justice League hero, while wryly admitting that Superman doesn’t drive a car nor does Wonder Woman. Lee worked with Kia to try and pair different cars with Justice League characters to find a fit. Lee and Kia have been working on the designs for each of the Justice League hero cars at the same time. There will even be an Aquaman car.
After surveying the car, both interior and exterior, which was quite stylish as you can see from the pictures, I spoke with Robert O. Sinclair Jr, a test drive editor for AAA. Given his work with AAA, Sinclair was most concerned with road safety, and wanted to see some of the car's internals including the engine, but alas that was not on display at the presentation. There was an exhibit of art that is also being auctioned off for the We Can Be Heroes foundation. Artwork included Lego models of Justice League characters, paintings from children in the Horn of Africa, and other various works to help support the cause.
On Thursday, I got to film my husband, Matt Adler, during his interview with the guys from Man of Action Studios, which you can see below. The guys were really friendly, even as we all tried to squeeze into a small booth to do the interview. And when everyone else is taller than you, it’s a real challenge to make sure you don’t chop off everyone’s head in the shot. Yikes!
Here’s Matt Adler and Megan Adler’s interview Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, Steve Seagle, and Duncan Rouleau at the 2012 New York Comic Con.
Next up, we headed over to the Legendary Entertainment booth, and awaited the arrival of writer Grant Morrison, director Guillermo Del Toro, editor Bob Schreck, and screenwriter Travis Beacham. Legendary had some big projects to announce with these folks, including a graphic novel prequel to Del Toro's upcoming Godzilla homage PACIFIC RIM, which will be written by Beacham, who also wrote the script for the film. Morrison will be creating a new 6-issue miniseries called ANNIHILATOR, and in typically bizarre Morrison fashion, it will focus on a movie screenwriter whose wildest sci-fi screenplay comes to life. Moderating the discussion of these projects was Chris Hardwick, of TALKING DEADfame. Matt was the first to point him out to me when he walked in. Now, Matt has told me that Chris is a little controversial in some fan circles, but I have to say, I really love Talking Dead, so I got a little choked up with nerves when Matt pointed him out. Sue me, I'm a fangirl. Matt, instantly recognizing my discomfort, kept egging me on to say hi to him. When I refused to do so, Matt yelled out, "Hey Chris, my wife loves your show!" Isn't he just wonderful?
Here is the Legendary Comics Press Event that occurred during the first night of the show with Grant Morrison, Guillermo Del Toro, Bob Schreck, and Travis Beacham who discuss upcoming projects from Legendary Comics. It’s hosted by Chris Hardwick.
Well, in the end I wasn't too miffed about it because Matt wound up taking my picture with him which I probably would have been too chicken to do on my own. I’m not normally star struck. I met my Dean Cain, my teen idol, this past May and I was more confident about it. I think it was just being on the spot that had me wound up. After the Legendary Booth, our day was cut short because I learned the hard way to stay away from the food at NYCC. 'Nuff said.
On Friday, I had the privilege to sit down with Seth Green and Clare Grant of ROBOT CHICKEN fame during a press roundtable. I admired Grant’s Batman logo gloves with the fingertips cut off. The main buzz was all about Robot Chicken’s DC COMICS SPECIAL and how awesome it was. DC had let Robot Chicken use their action figures and toys from their offices. The actual taping took a few weeks to put together. Of course, everyone wanted to know if the next big thing would be Robot Chicken getting their hands on the Marvel characters. Alas, Green wouldn't disclose which Marvel character he would want to film first if they were able to work something out with Marvel, saying that Robot Chicken would stick to their usual routine, playing it by ear, since the more random it is, the funnier it is on television.
Friday was also the first day I got the chance to put a face to the name of Ambush Bug, aka our editor, Mark L. Miller. After participating as an occasional guest on the Spoiler Alert/Poptards podcast, it was nice to be able go from being online friends to real life ones, which I think is one of the best aspects of conventions. Bug took us to see an advance screening SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D. We unanimously agreed the movie was awful. The 3D really didn't improve the film, although I suppose the creature designs and visual effects were pretty imaginative. In one scene, I saw what appeared to be a double bodied headless naked woman giving birth to twins with two heads being chopped off during birth. Luckily, I didn’t have dinner before this gore fest!
On Saturday, I was invited to speak with David S. Goyer and the cast of his new show, DA VINCI'S DEMONS at a press breakfast (the food was delicious by the way, and I joked with another reporter that the show gets at least a "B" because of that). The show is inspired by the life of Renaissance artist and inventor, Leonardo Da Vinci, albeit with a supernatural twist. Goyer was asked by Starz to do a historically based show. Nobody has ever done a fictionalized show about Da Vinci's life and according to Goyer, he’s the second most recognized historical figure aside from Christ. Goyer spent weeks researching historical figures before deciding on Da Vinci. Among his findings, Goyer discovered that Da Vinci was more than just an artist—he was a war engineer, a playboy, and even a drug user, all qualities which can provide ample dramatic fodder for the show. Goyer has cast British actor Tom Riley to play the role of Leonardo Da Vinci. Riley said he wanted to learn more about Da Vinci after taking on the role. He trusted that the writers did their research, but it helped him to know more of who he was playing, since unlike say, Batman, he couldn't go back and look at how the role was played by someone else. DA VINCI'S DEMONS will premiere in April 2013 on Starz.
I waited two hours on line for THE WALKING DEAD panel, which sadly did not get me in. The line to the panel was so backed up, it was winding around the whole food court intertwining between the ATM lines. I only wish they had more room for all the fans. Apparently, there were people waiting for this panel from 8AM that day. What can I say, we’re all crazy for zombies!
I then regrouped with my husband and Bug who met up with our PopTards podcast host Johnny Destructo. We all went to the Legendary Comics party held at Slate, a swanky New York club. Everyone there was in party mode. There was loud music of all genres playing, people were dancing, all kinds of food, and of course, the open bar! I recognized celebrities and new friends that I met at the media events as we all dove into the festivities. Overall, it was a good time. The capper to the party was when a woman tried to pick up me up… right in front of Matt! Matt was amused, but although flattered, I politely declined.
After the Legendary party, we went to Times Scare, a Halloween themed club, for the Zenescope party. It was another open bar, populated by Zenescope creators, their friends, and fans, and more fun was to commence. The guys from Zenescope created a pilot for a new animated series based on their GRIMM FAIRY TALES franchise that they are currently trying to sell to a network. Prior to the premiere, there was a fairy tale themed burlesque show. Another first for me, I should admit. I would have probably been able to enjoy it at least on the merits of the skill of the dancers, had it not been for the jerk behind us cat-calling. The crowd as a whole got so raucous that the performers had to stop the show a couple of times and ask them to settle down. Anyway, the burlesque show featured fairy tale characters from the Little Mermaid leading up to the grand finale portrayed by Snow White’s Evil Queen, whose performance really had to be seen to be believed.
This finally led up to GRIMM FAIRY TALES premiere. It's done by the people behind Adult Swim's Metalocalypse cartoon, and has a similar animation style. If you've read the GRIMM comic series, it's pretty much in line with that, only a bit more extreme. A woman by the name of Sela Mathers, is a teacher with huge boobs hanging out of a skanky outfit. None of the students seem to notice. To set two of her wayward students straight, she tells the story of Hansel and Gretel. Hansel and Gretel go off into the woods where they meet a nice woman who takes them in. The woman is a witch who feeds them and then takes Hansel into another room. She encourages him to start playing with her, as her boobs are enlarging. Gretel has a vision of what is forthcoming and comes in to rescue Hansel, who discovers that the witch has turned into an ugly crone, and her boobs now have spikes which pierce his hands. Together, they toss they manage to destroy the witch, and escape her home. I'm not sure what the moral of that story was.
After the show, I waited for Matt to gather up our two now drunken fellow @$$holes, who being both from out of town were going to be sleeping over at our apartment. We finally made it home at 5 AM (and had to be back at the con at 11 AM. Argh). Bug had the craziest idea to do a podcast back at our apartment. After all, most of us would be in one place. Besides, 5 AM is the perfect time to do a podcast.
On my final day at NYCC, I had the chance to see the pilot episode of Fox’s new drama, THE FOLLOWING, starring Kevin Bacon which is set to air in January 2013. THE FOLLOWING is a drama about a retired FBI agent being called back to track down the serial killer he risked his life to imprison, because the killer has escaped. The agent is played by none other than Kevin Bacon. Having the chance to meet him and his cast members was a pleasure. While we waited for the press interview, we saw a different side of the actor. The convention's bomb-sniffing dog came up to him and Bacon took the time to be friendly with the pooch. That's how you know someone is a nice guy. Bacon’s fellow cast members only had compliments and praise for the man.
Bacon himself was a pleasure to talk to, and when asked if he had dared to venture out into the convention, he responded he doubted he would be able to without being mobbed. Matt mentioned that some celebrities don a mask to walk the con floor anonymously, and Bacon admitted that he had tried that one Halloween when going trick-or-treating with his kids, and people still recognized him just from his voice. Asked if he planned to dress up for this Halloween, he deadpanned, "I don't usually do that for fun, since my job is all about dressing up in costumes."
With that, the 2012 New York Comic Con was a wrap for us. I must admit, it was a bit overwhelming this year; every time you think you have everything planned out and organized, those plans seem to go out the window once you set foot on the con floor. Still, the opportunity to meet interesting people and make new friends can't be matched anywhere else, and for that reason, I will surely be back next year for another go round.
Matt Adler is a writer/journalist, currently writing for AICN among other outlets. He’s been reading comics for 20 years, writing about them for 7, and spends way, way, too much time thinking about them, which means he really has no choice but to figure out how to make a living out of them. He welcomes all feedback.
Hey everyone, Nutmeg here, with a rundown of my experience at this year's New York Comic Con. Now, I know it's a bit late in coming, but if you've been following our NYCC coverage here at AICN, you know the massive amount of goings-on there we had to digest, plus we subsequently had to contend with the monstrosity known as Hurricane Sandy, so it took me a while to get my notes together. Still, better late than never, so sit back and enjoy as I walk you through some of the highlights of this year's con.First up, as a bit of a preview before the con, I got invited to DC's unveiling of the new Batman-themed Kia. Kia teamed up with DC Co-Publisher and famed artist Jim Lee to design cars that show off the personalities of the Justice League heroes. These cars will be auctioned off and all proceeds will go to the We Can Be Heroes foundation to help fight hunger in the Horn of Africa.
Having the chance to speak with Jim Lee, he mentioned that it was difficult envisioning the Batman Kia car without thinking of it as a Batmobile. Lee explained that it was about seeing the car itself as a Justice League hero, while wryly admitting that Superman doesn’t drive a car nor does Wonder Woman. Lee worked with Kia to try and pair different cars with Justice League characters to find a fit. Lee and Kia have been working on the designs for each of the Justice League hero cars at the same time. There will even be an Aquaman car.After surveying the car, both interior and exterior, which was quite stylish as you can see from the pictures, I spoke with Robert O. Sinclair Jr, a test drive editor for AAA. Given his work with AAA, Sinclair was most concerned with road safety, and wanted to see some of the car's internals including the engine, but alas that was not on display at the presentation. There was an exhibit of art that is also being auctioned off for the We Can Be Heroes foundation. Artwork included Lego models of Justice League characters, paintings from children in the Horn of Africa, and other various works to help support the cause.
On Thursday, I got to film my husband, Matt Adler, during his interview with the guys from Man of Action Studios, which you can see below. The guys were really friendly, even as we all tried to squeeze into a small booth to do the interview. And when everyone else is taller than you, it’s a real challenge to make sure you don’t chop off everyone’s head in the shot. Yikes!Here’s Matt Adler and Megan Adler’s interview Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, Steve Seagle, and Duncan Rouleau at the 2012 New York Comic Con.
Next up, we headed over to the Legendary Entertainment booth, and awaited the arrival of writer Grant Morrison, director Guillermo Del Toro, editor Bob Schreck, and screenwriter Travis Beacham. Legendary had some big projects to announce with these folks, including a graphic novel prequel to Del Toro's upcoming Godzilla homage PACIFIC RIM, which will be written by Beacham, who also wrote the script for the film. Morrison will be creating a new 6-issue miniseries called ANNIHILATOR, and in typically bizarre Morrison fashion, it will focus on a movie screenwriter whose wildest sci-fi screenplay comes to life. Moderating the discussion of these projects was Chris Hardwick, of TALKING DEADfame. Matt was the first to point him out to me when he walked in. Now, Matt has told me that Chris is a little controversial in some fan circles, but I have to say, I really love Talking Dead, so I got a little choked up with nerves when Matt pointed him out. Sue me, I'm a fangirl. Matt, instantly recognizing my discomfort, kept egging me on to say hi to him. When I refused to do so, Matt yelled out, "Hey Chris, my wife loves your show!" Isn't he just wonderful?Here is the Legendary Comics Press Event that occurred during the first night of the show with Grant Morrison, Guillermo Del Toro, Bob Schreck, and Travis Beacham who discuss upcoming projects from Legendary Comics. It’s hosted by Chris Hardwick.
Well, in the end I wasn't too miffed about it because Matt wound up taking my picture with him which I probably would have been too chicken to do on my own. I’m not normally star struck. I met my Dean Cain, my teen idol, this past May and I was more confident about it. I think it was just being on the spot that had me wound up. After the Legendary Booth, our day was cut short because I learned the hard way to stay away from the food at NYCC. 'Nuff said.On Friday, I had the privilege to sit down with Seth Green and Clare Grant of ROBOT CHICKEN fame during a press roundtable. I admired Grant’s Batman logo gloves with the fingertips cut off. The main buzz was all about Robot Chicken’s DC COMICS SPECIAL and how awesome it was. DC had let Robot Chicken use their action figures and toys from their offices. The actual taping took a few weeks to put together. Of course, everyone wanted to know if the next big thing would be Robot Chicken getting their hands on the Marvel characters. Alas, Green wouldn't disclose which Marvel character he would want to film first if they were able to work something out with Marvel, saying that Robot Chicken would stick to their usual routine, playing it by ear, since the more random it is, the funnier it is on television.
Friday was also the first day I got the chance to put a face to the name of Ambush Bug, aka our editor, Mark L. Miller. After participating as an occasional guest on the Spoiler Alert/Poptards podcast, it was nice to be able go from being online friends to real life ones, which I think is one of the best aspects of conventions. Bug took us to see an advance screening SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D. We unanimously agreed the movie was awful. The 3D really didn't improve the film, although I suppose the creature designs and visual effects were pretty imaginative. In one scene, I saw what appeared to be a double bodied headless naked woman giving birth to twins with two heads being chopped off during birth. Luckily, I didn’t have dinner before this gore fest!
On Saturday, I was invited to speak with David S. Goyer and the cast of his new show, DA VINCI'S DEMONS at a press breakfast (the food was delicious by the way, and I joked with another reporter that the show gets at least a "B" because of that). The show is inspired by the life of Renaissance artist and inventor, Leonardo Da Vinci, albeit with a supernatural twist. Goyer was asked by Starz to do a historically based show. Nobody has ever done a fictionalized show about Da Vinci's life and according to Goyer, he’s the second most recognized historical figure aside from Christ. Goyer spent weeks researching historical figures before deciding on Da Vinci. Among his findings, Goyer discovered that Da Vinci was more than just an artist—he was a war engineer, a playboy, and even a drug user, all qualities which can provide ample dramatic fodder for the show. Goyer has cast British actor Tom Riley to play the role of Leonardo Da Vinci. Riley said he wanted to learn more about Da Vinci after taking on the role. He trusted that the writers did their research, but it helped him to know more of who he was playing, since unlike say, Batman, he couldn't go back and look at how the role was played by someone else. DA VINCI'S DEMONS will premiere in April 2013 on Starz.I waited two hours on line for THE WALKING DEAD panel, which sadly did not get me in. The line to the panel was so backed up, it was winding around the whole food court intertwining between the ATM lines. I only wish they had more room for all the fans. Apparently, there were people waiting for this panel from 8AM that day. What can I say, we’re all crazy for zombies!
I then regrouped with my husband and Bug who met up with our PopTards podcast host Johnny Destructo. We all went to the Legendary Comics party held at Slate, a swanky New York club. Everyone there was in party mode. There was loud music of all genres playing, people were dancing, all kinds of food, and of course, the open bar! I recognized celebrities and new friends that I met at the media events as we all dove into the festivities. Overall, it was a good time. The capper to the party was when a woman tried to pick up me up… right in front of Matt! Matt was amused, but although flattered, I politely declined.After the Legendary party, we went to Times Scare, a Halloween themed club, for the Zenescope party. It was another open bar, populated by Zenescope creators, their friends, and fans, and more fun was to commence. The guys from Zenescope created a pilot for a new animated series based on their GRIMM FAIRY TALES franchise that they are currently trying to sell to a network. Prior to the premiere, there was a fairy tale themed burlesque show. Another first for me, I should admit. I would have probably been able to enjoy it at least on the merits of the skill of the dancers, had it not been for the jerk behind us cat-calling. The crowd as a whole got so raucous that the performers had to stop the show a couple of times and ask them to settle down. Anyway, the burlesque show featured fairy tale characters from the Little Mermaid leading up to the grand finale portrayed by Snow White’s Evil Queen, whose performance really had to be seen to be believed.
This finally led up to GRIMM FAIRY TALES premiere. It's done by the people behind Adult Swim's Metalocalypse cartoon, and has a similar animation style. If you've read the GRIMM comic series, it's pretty much in line with that, only a bit more extreme. A woman by the name of Sela Mathers, is a teacher with huge boobs hanging out of a skanky outfit. None of the students seem to notice. To set two of her wayward students straight, she tells the story of Hansel and Gretel. Hansel and Gretel go off into the woods where they meet a nice woman who takes them in. The woman is a witch who feeds them and then takes Hansel into another room. She encourages him to start playing with her, as her boobs are enlarging. Gretel has a vision of what is forthcoming and comes in to rescue Hansel, who discovers that the witch has turned into an ugly crone, and her boobs now have spikes which pierce his hands. Together, they toss they manage to destroy the witch, and escape her home. I'm not sure what the moral of that story was.After the show, I waited for Matt to gather up our two now drunken fellow @$$holes, who being both from out of town were going to be sleeping over at our apartment. We finally made it home at 5 AM (and had to be back at the con at 11 AM. Argh). Bug had the craziest idea to do a podcast back at our apartment. After all, most of us would be in one place. Besides, 5 AM is the perfect time to do a podcast.
On my final day at NYCC, I had the chance to see the pilot episode of Fox’s new drama, THE FOLLOWING, starring Kevin Bacon which is set to air in January 2013. THE FOLLOWING is a drama about a retired FBI agent being called back to track down the serial killer he risked his life to imprison, because the killer has escaped. The agent is played by none other than Kevin Bacon. Having the chance to meet him and his cast members was a pleasure. While we waited for the press interview, we saw a different side of the actor. The convention's bomb-sniffing dog came up to him and Bacon took the time to be friendly with the pooch. That's how you know someone is a nice guy. Bacon’s fellow cast members only had compliments and praise for the man.Bacon himself was a pleasure to talk to, and when asked if he had dared to venture out into the convention, he responded he doubted he would be able to without being mobbed. Matt mentioned that some celebrities don a mask to walk the con floor anonymously, and Bacon admitted that he had tried that one Halloween when going trick-or-treating with his kids, and people still recognized him just from his voice. Asked if he planned to dress up for this Halloween, he deadpanned, "I don't usually do that for fun, since my job is all about dressing up in costumes."
With that, the 2012 New York Comic Con was a wrap for us. I must admit, it was a bit overwhelming this year; every time you think you have everything planned out and organized, those plans seem to go out the window once you set foot on the con floor. Still, the opportunity to meet interesting people and make new friends can't be matched anywhere else, and for that reason, I will surely be back next year for another go round.Matt Adler is a writer/journalist, currently writing for AICN among other outlets. He’s been reading comics for 20 years, writing about them for 7, and spends way, way, too much time thinking about them, which means he really has no choice but to figure out how to make a living out of them. He welcomes all feedback.
