Celebrate Geekdom at the New York Comic Con

In case you haven't noticed, there has been a shortage of pocket protectors, inhalers and superhero costumes in New York City as of late. That's because all of the nerds have been getting geared up for the 5^th annual New York Comic Con at the Jacob K. Javits Center, October 8-10. I myself am a closet geek (Silver Surfer is my comic of choice) so I had to head over to the even to check out way going on. There were hundreds of panels and events, but there were a few that I was unwilling to pass up.

Considering I am an editor and work in publishing, I am always looking for new ides as to what I can publish. So I thought it would be a good idea to check out The Evolution of Graphic Novel Publishing on Friday. Needless to say I was a little out of my league. The room was packed with graphic novel aficionados who knew all about the industry and came prepared with intense and specific questions (I publish textbooks).

However, I was intrigued by the dialogue between the panel of Jill Faherty (Baker & Taylor), Jim Killen (Barnes & Noble), Amanda Emmert (ComicsPro), Rich Johnson (Author/Consultant), and John Hogan (GraphicNovelReporter.com) and the moderator John Shableski (Diamond Book Distributors). These are some big names not only in the publishing industry, but also in the graphic novel business. I have to say I was impressed by everything I heard and will definitely be looking into adding the graphic novel to my stable of materials I publish.

One session I absolutely would not miss was Stan Lee's discussion of his Guardian Project. In case you didn't know, The Guardian Project is something that Stan Lee has been working on with the NHL for the last 13 years. He's developing a super hero character for each of the 30 NHL teams! Seeing as my two favorite things are hockey and comic books, I have been waiting with baited breath for this ever since I got wind of it years ago. We learned that each of the 30 teams will be appointed an animated "guardian." This guardian will be designed using the same motion capture technology that Vicon House of Movies used in "Iron Man 2." I was in awe as I watched a special trailer and listened to Stan talk about the project. I am giddy with thoughts about what the Bruins' guardian will be like!

I made it home on Friday night tired from all the stimulation. I learned a lot and spent a pretty penny updating my Silver Surfer collection. Hopefully I can make it back for another day of events. This is the event of the year and I can't afford to miss anything!