The next Mike Carbo’s New York Comic Book Marketplace, which was once called the Big Apple Con but isn’t any more, will be held March 31 at the usual place (Penn Pavilion), and in addition to sighting Stan Lee, you can meet a variety of old-time comics vets:
The show will host Marvel legend Stan Lee, and include over 100 booths featuring vendors selling and buying comic books, new and vintage toys, Sci-Fi, and related popular culture. An entire exhibition area “Artists Alley ” will feature dozens of prominent comic artists and celebrity guests. Many artists sign autographs and draw sketches. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet and talk to some of your favorite artists including comic book greats such as Joe Sinnott (Fantastic Four), Dick Ayers (Sgt. Fury), Carmine Infantino (The Flash), Jim Steranko (Nick Fury), Irwin Hasen (Dondi), Mike Royer (Forever People, New Gods), Arthur Suydam (Batman, Conan) , Bob McLeod (Hulk, The Phantom), Rich Buckler (Fantastic Four) , Johnny Brennan (Jerky Boys) and many more. Discover up and coming artists and independent publishers. Ethan Philips who portrayed Neelix on Star Trek ‘Voyager’ will also be in attendance greeting fans and signing autographs.
We’ve often had disparaging comments about this show’s venue—a low-ceilinged, spirit-crushing affair —but after all the talk of veteran cartoonists and what they have and haven’t earned, this IS a nice place to meet and support greats like Joe Sinnott and Mike Royer. So on that basis, attending could be a worthy activity.
If you go to the show’s website, you’ll see tons of the guests listed as creating or co-creating this or that licensed character. So yeah…that thing.
My first and only time going to a Big Apple Con was 8-10 years ago. I did NOT find this convention fun, in fact it did feel somewhat pathetic/soul-crushing.
The worst part was walking through the washed-up celebrity alley, these geriatrics hawking autograph pictures of themselves. I tried not to meet their eyes b/c their eyes looking back would seem to implore you to buy something from them. :-(
Snikt Snakt last “Big Apple” 8-10 years ago? that was at the Church Uptown at 61st street, this isn’t even close to being that show this is at the Pennsylvania Hotel across the street from Madison Square Garden Stan Lee, Jim Steranko, George Perez, William O’Barr, Dan Fogel, Arthur Suydam , Mark Bode and a couple of dozen artists, writers and guests , just look at the http://www.NYCBM.com site and you’ll see that this is a much bigger show at a better location, the “Big Apple” shows ended with 9-11 (last one was scheduled for 9-14) so trying to compare that one to this one is like comparing “Apples to Oranges” IMHO RH (yes that ROB) Bruce