New York Comic Con (Part 3: Revenge of the Nerds) ~UPDATED~

NYCC Day 3:It was a crisp Sunday morning. It felt like October should: a bright sunny clear sky, a small breeze and the smell of autumn. It was Kid's Day at NYCC, so we laughed at all of the cute kids in costume and decided to forget the crappiness of the first 2 days and just enjoy what was left of the weekend and the con.

We started off at the Women of Marvel panel, which was awesome. It was really inspiring and encouraging and entertaining listening to the ladies on the panel talk about being female creators, editors, artists, and inkers in what is typically a "guy's environment." I also loved that there appeared to be a fairly equal ratio of men/women in the audience. That panel really made my day. They began with the women of Marvel asking all of the females in the audience who were trying to get into the business to stand up. I stood up, having applied as a proofreader for Marvel in the past. The panel then asked the rest of the audience to applaud for the standing gals. I thought that was a nice touch. The ladies opened the room up for questions almost right away, which I have seen before, and seen go awry quite quickly, but this time it went very smoothly. People got up and asked really intelligent questions and the panel discussed and debated and offered very encouraging feedback to aspiring women (and men) in the comic and/or "nerd" industries.

The main idea/advice I walked away with was to drop the idea that if you're a female it's harder to get into the industry, and that apprehension of being rejected because of your gender is the biggest hindrance to women. While this idea of rampant sexism in male-dominated industries may prove true on rare occasions, the general consensus among Marvel is they love women and want women in their company and in the industry. My favorite quote of the day was from comic creator Kelly Sue Deconnick : I don't know of anyone who is out there saying, ''Oh don't give Kelly Sue that job, she's a chick. She's going to try and write it with her vagina!" I want to hang out with Kelly Sue! She's my new hero! I also found a full blog/report/summary on this panel at Newsrama.

So on the positive start to the morning, the rest of the day was quite enjoyable. We wandered the show floor a bit to do some shopping, we got some shwag, and I got to chat with Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka in Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network. I also bought a Cylon shirt from her booth, Her Universe.


After shopping, we tried to get into a Jim Henson panel, but it filled up quickly since it was in one of the smallest rooms, and it was kids' day (way to plan ahead, NYCC). But we felt satisfied with the day at that point, so we sat near the entrance to people-watch and saw some good cosplay before we decided to call it a day. Overall, my first NYCC experience was a pleasant one with some major disappointments. Next year, I plan to just get a day pass or, better yet, a press pass. Gotta keep blogging.

NYCC Day 3 = 3.5 out of 5 Lightsabers