March 1, 2007

Couldn’t make it to New York Comic Con last weekend?

Have no fear! The intrepid Pantheon Graphic Novels team was kind enough to report back on what you missed. The short version: There were fantastic panels, signings and freebies. Keep reading for the long version.

First, from production guru extraordinaire and first time attendee, Peggy Samedi:

As a first time attendee to New York Comic Con, I was overwhelmed and felt slightly in over my head. The floors of the Javits Center were packed with people, comic book-related swag, and amazing amount of indie publishers. If you are into video games, manga, vintage comic books, apparel with your favorite comic book character or video game hero, or simply loved comic book art, then you were in the right place. However, for this casual comic book reader, New York Comic Con was a learning experience.

In the era where the comic books compete with the traditional novel and non-fiction prose, the graphic novel is giving its mainstream cousins a run for its money. Gone are the days where the word comics inspired images of Superman, the Fantastic Four, or Peanuts. Now the word can bring to mind such titles as Rex Mundi, The Victorian, Cancer Vixen, and , Soon I Will Be Invincible. Aisle 400, where most of the big publisher’s tables were located, was jam packed with people wanting free samples of the new titles and waiting on line to get their books signed by various artists and writers. I had the opportunity grab the sampler for Soon I Will Be Invincible. I definitely recommend it for those who are currently trying to understand why some many people love comic books. The novel is full of vivid images and witty references to the genre. It brings the comic book motif to the literary prose universe. I can’t wait to read more!

As I continued to wander New York Comic Con, I split my time between watching other attendees and browsing the retail stalls filled with paintings, movie cells, t-shirts, and, of course, comic books. Readers of this genre seem to come from every economic background, from all age ranges and cultures. I am happy to say New York Comic Con, illustrated there are plenty of books, artists and publishers to chose from and discover. Comic books are going mainstream, and for this casual comic reader that is a great thing.

And, from Pamela Mullin, our resident expert in all things comic:

This year’s New York Comic Con was even bigger than the first. Thanks to all of you who stopped by our booth.

On Saturday, we hosted underground comics artist Kim Deitch. Kim signed postcards for Alias the Cat, his new graphic novel which tells the story of couple (a fictionalized version of himself and his wife Pam) who collect black Halloween cats and stumble across a crazy cat costume mystery. Be sure to look for it this April.

Many of you commented on Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis which will be released as a full-length animated movie this fall. We can’t wait to see it either!

Most exciting was the enthusiasm we encountered for the samplers and business cards we gave out for what is destined to be this summer’s hottest new novel, Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman.

On Sunday, Austin joined veterans Tom DeHaven and Paul Dini on a panel moderated by Chip Kidd that was fantastic. Who knew a debut novelist had so much to say about superheroes? Maybe there will be more books in the future?


We hope to see you on June 23 and 24 at The MoCCA Art Festival.


Til then…keep on reading….