Big Apple Comic Con: Little Geek Haven

Wizard World’s Big Apple Comic Con came to New York this past weekend, and if you’re a fan of comics and the Con’s celebrity guests, you were in for a nice, quiet treat.

Significantly smaller than New York Comic Con, BACC focuses more on comic books and their fans, with a broad array of talent in the Artists Alley and a large vendor floor for comic book and toy shopping. As hosted by Wizard World, this makes sense – they’re in the business of comics, not in the business of promoting movies and television. Picture your local comic book store and then amplify the size of it by ten or so. That same shopping experience existed at Manhattan’s Pier 94, but with a few extra benefits.

Comics and associated paraphernalia (toys, figures, art, etc.) could be appraised or sold to vendors at dedicated booths. There was limited video game play, though Nintendo (the most recognizable name next to William Shatner) welcomed its guests with helpful attendants and plenty of opportunity to play the new Super Mario, Punchout and Zelda games, among others. Up and comers Concrete Immortalz met visitors just inside the door to promote their new comic.

What BACC does better than NYCC is allow interaction with celebrity guests.  As a result of a smaller venue and crowds (and possibly, smaller celebrity names), fans were able to see the majority of BACC’s guests from just a few feet away (but any unauthorized photo taking of Nichelle Nichols resulted in an immediate verbal putdown. Lady is fierce.). And if you’re a fan of sci-fi, especially the classic stuff, this year’s convention had some great movie and television guests: Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Julie Newmar, Adam West, Lou Ferrigno, William Shatner (William f—ing Shatner!), Nichols, Herb Jefferson, Jr., Kate Mulgrew, John Billingsley, Linda Hamilton, Billy Dee Williams, and members of the BSG cast. With the opportunity to wait on short lines and walk up to almost any guest, fans could chat with their favorite stars, take photographs, and pay for autographs. Top dogs like Shatner, Mulgrew and Brent Spiner only appeared for fans at designated intervals (I never caught a glimpse of Shatner myself), but there were plenty of other celebrities to keep everyone occupied.

Because not only were comic book stars and sci-fi celebrities in attendance, stars from the most random genres were all over this place. Wrestlers such as Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff took photos with fans; baseballers: Doc Gooden, Pete Rose, and Yogi Berra represented; and Christopher Knight and wife Adrienne Curry inexplicably landed their own booth across from a BBQ vendor. The Duke Brothers also met with fans and attended a panel for a Dukes reunion. This was, without doubt, one of the craziest line-ups of guests I’ve ever seen. Naughty by Nature (yes…the OPP guys) and Taylor Dayne provided entertainment at the after parties on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively. And if you can’t’ see the humor in that, I’ll never be able to explain it to you.

Though Marvel and DC did not promote their brands by hosting booths, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada did conduct a panel about his work and Marvel’s upcoming projects. Other comic legends Jim Lee and Neal Adams also spoke to fans at different panels and were scheduled for autograph signings.

In particular, I visited two panels – one, a Q&A with Kate Mulgrew, and the other, a Q&A with stars of Battlestar Galactica. Mulgrew was charming, entertaining, panned her viewing of Oleanna the night before, and couldn’t be happier to answer questions from the audience. She admitted to not having seen the new Star Trek movie. As a captain for seven years, the show was a large part of her life, and there’s no rush to watch someone else tackle command.

She also spoke about her role as an inspiration for women, especially female scientists who saw Janeway as another option – women could lead in a science driven field, not simply sit back in research positions. She spoke passionately about her new gig on Mercy, and the opportunity to explore Alzheimer’s as part of her storyline (Mulgrew is a national spokesperson for the Alzheimer’s Association). Despite Voyager ending eight years ago, she happily shared anecdotes from the show and production, including her insistence to keep the relationship between Janeway and Chakotay platonic, and how good friend Robert Picardo started with her on day one, and stayed “there to the bitter end,” greeting her when she finished her last solo takes after the series wrapped production.

During the BSG panel, cast members Aaron Douglas, Michael Hogan, Rekha Sharma, and Luciana Carro discussed the season finale and, amidst teasing and easy camaraderie, answered questions from the audience. Most notably, Carro learned of her character’s death not from the producers, but when her roommate read the script and informed her over the phone (oops!). Hogan would be willing to revisit his character for further exploration, while the others seemed less inclined to do so. Hogan also spoke in glowing terms of Edward James Olmos as director, and spoke even more highly of composer Bear McCreary’s work on the show. Douglas spoke for the group as he (politely) criticized the Syfy network for their abysmal promotion and scheduling of the show (as prompted by a fan, who agreed with Douglas).  As for upcoming projects, Sharma will appear briefly in the upcoming V remake; Hogan just wrapped a guest appearance on Psych; Carro will appear on Caprica, but not as Kat (no further details provided); and Douglas moves to CBS for The Bridge. Collectively, they could not explain how Cylons were created or how they age (or don’t). I think the only person who may know is Perlow, but he wasn’t there to explain.

But back to celebrities that make you go hmmm … could I pass up an opportunity to talk with a former contestant of the Celebrity Apprentice? Well, yes, I could because I’ve passed up an opportunity to talk to Stephen Baldwin (and wouldn’t you?). However, one of my favorites from last season, Brande Roderick, had a booth at BACC. She looked fabulous, and loved her time on the Apprentice. “It was a lot of fun, but exhausting. We worked six days a week for five weeks.” However, she welcomes the opportunity to raise money for her charity, XXX, so she would participate in a similar venture any time. And as for Joan’s win, “it is what it is,” but “Annie’s the one that deserved it.”

And listeners of The J Factor will note that I’m a fan of Warehouse 13, so I took a moment to speak with one of the shows leads, Joanne Kelly, about her character, Myka. Though not a fan of the sci-fi genre, Kelly grew up a fan of fantasy novels, citing Tolkien and David Eddings as favorite authors. But now that she’s here, she’s enjoying her time on Syfy’s breakout hit. Her favorite episode so far is “Duped” because of the opportunity to play multiple characters and the challenge that represented. She’s open to what the writers have in store for Myka, saying, “You know you’ve got a good job when you’re excited when the script comes under the door and you don’t dread reading it … I can’t wait to see what they came up with.”  As for Myka’s growth in season one, “I was interested in showing the cracks in her façade.”  Next season, “I’m going to loosen her up a little bit … It’s hard to go in every day … and stick a giant stick up my ass.”

So, is the Big Apple Comic Con worth attending? If you’re a fan of comic books, yes – the Shopping Alley is worth a visit if you need to supplement your collection, and the crowds are never so overwhelming to keep you from browsing. The talent in the Artists’ Alley is also worth a peek. I recommend checking out the line-up of celebrities first if that’s more your thing – if you find a favorite, you will have a chance to meet anyone in attendance (I recommend Friday afternoon, when the crowds are even smaller but most of the celebrities are still around with plenty of time on their hands). The panels, though fewer in number and variety, also consist of smaller but eager crowds. You might have to fight someone for a seat in the first row, but there’s no need to line up an hour (or two or three) in advance, and the atmosphere is a little more casual, from the fans to the celebrities. I think it helps that the majority of people weren’t in costume (though of course, there’s always a few) – this isn’t the spectacle that NYCC and SDCC are. If you don’t mind the lack of glitz and glamour, BACC is worth visiting. Although I’d be careful before spending money on a three day pass. It’s not that big.