New York Comic-Con 2014: Highlights

This was my first time at New York Comic-Con and it was a blast. Highlights included:

About 30 people dressed as Deadpool danced onstage to “We Need a Hero.” Just Dance 2015 had a great set up right in the middle of the Exhibition Hall, and I could have stayed there all day watching people dressed as superheroes dancing to songs like “Happy,” “What Does the Fox Say,” and “Walk This Way.”

I was dazzled by the 3D Printers from Forge Studio (Who can resist having their very own action figure? Not me!), All Bobbleheads (all they need is a photo to create a bobblehead superhero or professional athlete with any face), and my favorite, 3D systems, which had an at-home 3D printer that can turn out pretty much everything (with their downloadable templates or by creating your own designs), from your own personally-designed chess pieces to Halloween decorations, Box Trolls, iPhone covers, wedding cake toppers, pretty much anything you can imagine.

I had a lot of fun interviewing the star of the web series “The Invaders: Angie’s Log,” 9-year-old Catori Crawford. She was just six when she first started filming the series, about a girl with a flashlight and a teddy bear who encounters some aliens. She develops some special powers, including levitation and the ability to destroy things and make things appear. She has filmed 16 episodes so far and especially enjoys the chance to visit new places. Catori, wearing the bathrobe and goggles her character Angie wears in the series, was a delight to talk to, and inspired me to watch some of the episodes, which I enjoyed very much. She says that she explained to her classmates that being on a series  might make her popular but does not make her famous — “that’s like Beyonce.”

Disney’s new Fantasia Music turns the player into a conductor — or a sorceror’s apprentice — with gorgeously recorded music from the London Symphony Orchestra, so that the songs are played with individual variations, keeping the challenges and options changing all the time. Yes, it does include music from the movie “Fantasia.” I got to hear “Night on Bald Mountain,” a perfect soundtrack for NYCC.

Disney Infinity 2.0 gives players more options to create their own worlds and combinations of characters. I really enjoyed the demo of new Comic-Con-themed Toy Boxes created by Disney Infinity Community Level Designer Patrick Efird. The Toy Boxes feature re-creations of the convention show floor and the Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes panel, which were created using the new tools and toys found in the Toy Box 2.0 mode. Fans can download Disney Infinity’s take on New York Comic Con.

Select “Community Content” from the Disney Infinity (2.0 Edition) Main Menu
· Select “Disney’s Toy Boxes” And “Developer Picks”
· There will be a list of all the featured Toy Boxes for players to download. Select “NYCC Trivia Challenge” and “NYCC Costume Challenge” to access the New York Comic Con Toy Boxes

It includes elements all Comic-Con attendee will recognize:
· NYCC Trivia Challenge – You made it to New York Comic Con just in time for the Trivia Panel! Do you have what it takes to survive such an intense Q & A?
· NYCC Costume Challenge – Fans have arrived to New York Comic Con dressed in style, but they seem to have lost their groups. Find and bring them to the proper costume contest!

I enjoyed talking to Nathaniel Burney about his Illustrated Guides to Criminal Procedure and Criminal Law, based on his popular blog explaining the labyrinthian and arcane rules of our criminal justice system as they actually work, and not as seen on TV.

I saw Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman get photobombed by one of his monsters.

A panel led by Rogerebert.com’s Susan Wloszczyna featured two upcoming animated films from Dreamworks that look terrific. Next month’s “Penguins of Madagascar” stars John Malkovich and Benedict Cumberbatch as the most popular characters from the “Madagascar” series get to take the lead roles in a spy spoof that takes them all over the world. Malkovich plays the villain, an evil octopus named Dave. And in March of 2015 we will see “Home,” with “Big Bang Theory’s” Jim Parsons as Oh, a member of a nomadic alien population led by Steve Martin, who think Earth is the perfect place for them to settle. Rhianna plays the resourceful Tip,” who befriends Oh, with Jennifer Lopez as her mother.  I got to “high one” with one of the penguins, hand to flipper.

The kids’ costume contest was a blast. The winner was a girl dressed as Dancing Baby Groot, complete with flower pot. She and all the other contestants danced together to Michael Jackson’s “ABC.”

(Separate post with my favorite of the adult costumes coming soon.)