This weekend I’ll be going to the New York City Comic-Con, the biggest comic book convention on the East Coast! I went last year, and it was awesome. This year I’m going with my brother and robot enthusiast Cip (or Professor Robot). I plan on seeing more, doing more and meeting more people this year. So stay tuned to this blog to see all the pictures and read about the adventures I’ll be having at the Comic-Con.

There are a lot of people at comic book conventions

But to tide you over, here are 6 Great Things About Comic Book Conventions, that I know from my own adventures.

6. The Merchandise: Where else are you going to find a limited edition Orange Lantern action figure still in the original box? Or a handmade sword replica of Frodo’s blade Sting from Lord of the Rings? Or a T-shirt declaring you ‘Never Forget’ the destruction of the two Death Stars?

What about the Death Star daycare center? Or the employees in the food court?

At a comic book convention, that’s where!

It’s like one big geek store! Every geek knick knack or bit of memorabilia you may have ever wanted is most likely available at a comic book convention. Everything from action figures to replica items to funny T-shirts and more. I personally like buying a superhero logo T-shirt, or something equally fun. Last year I bought a winter hat that looked like a Ninja Turtle and a Wonder Twins T-shirt. Remember the Wonder Twins? In Baltimore I bought a Deadpool T-shirt. Comic conventions attract vendors from all over the world to bring you their goods, usually for reasonable prices.

And yes, of course, they sell comics.

Back issue boxes as far as the eye can see

Hopefully I won’t spend too much this year. But at least it’s fun to window shop. It’s like being a kid in the ultimate toy store.

5. The Amateurs: For every bigshot Hollywood actor, there are a dozen struggling nobodies trying to break into movies. The same can be said for the comic book industry. There’s only one writer putting his pen to The Amazing Spider-Man comic every month, but there are dozens if not hundreds of wannabe writers who wish they could be writing Spider-Man for a living. I’m one of them.

Well at a comic book convention, these people get their due too! It’s not only the big name publishers like Marvel or DC that get booths at the conventions. Any amateur writer or artist with their own books and superheroes to sell can get a table and meet with fans. Sometimes they’re an artist who once worked on a single issue of Superman. Maybe they have a semi-popular web comic. Or maybe they’ve published their own comic book, Lava Man, and want to get you to buy an issue. Whatever level of comic book fan they are, a convention is the place to meet people, shake hands and get your work out there for people to see.

Even the greats had to start somewhere.

4. The People: There are no better people in the world than geeks. Nice, friendly and passionate about some pretty cool stuff. Conventions are where they let their geek flag fly! Or play the accordion in a Boba Fett helmet.

He does a mean bounty hunter polka

Speaking as a comic book geek myself, it’s not that easy to meet other comic book fans in the real world. Maybe I’ll bump into someone at my local comic book shop, but mostly I’m relegated to the Internet when it comes to talking to fellow fans. It’s rarely something I would bring up in a normal, everyday conversation, sometimes out of embarrassment. I may love comic books, but I still worry that people will think me some kind of loser for loving them. But even then, I couldn’t be more wrong!

I have discovered, long after the fact, that friends I’ve known for years were comic book geeks just like me! All that time we were hanging out, we could have been talking comics. But it never came up because I never brought it up. Well there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to the people at a convention. They’re ALL comic book geeks and pop culture nerds, just like me. So there’s always something to talk about. Even with the cute girls.

My pal Mike in a hot TARDIS sandwich

Yes, cute girls like comic books too. Or at least, the cutest girls do.

3. The Panels: The Internet has revolutionized the news industry. Any news stories or tidbits of information can be released to the whole world via the web. It’s the same for comic book news. What’s the new direction for Spider-Man? What big cliffhanger surprise is in store for the next issue of Batman? What about new info on The Avengers movie? Sometimes that stuff is revealed online…but most of the time it’s saved for panels at a comic book convention!

These people actually get paid to create a Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book

Panels are presentations by the comic book pros about the comics, or about a wide range of topics. A group of people will sit up on stage and discuss what projects they’re working on, upcoming stories or anything else, for that matter. And a lot of time it will include a Q&A with the fans. Do you have a burning question you’ve always wanted to ask about Spider-Man? Just grab the mic and ask the editors and publishers of Marvel Comics directly! Can’t wait to see The Avengers next year? Check out some exclusive comic-con footage!

I plan to attend a lot more panels this year.

2. The Costumes: Fans of my blog knew this one was coming. It’s really the one geeky thing that most people know about comic book conventions: the fans who dress up in costume like their favorite superheroes, then just walk around the convention. It’s a blast, and I should know, I’ve done it myself!

I'm the cute one

There’s no mockery, no derision when it comes to the fans in costume. They’re one of the great draws of the convention scene. Everybody loves seeing the creative costumes, many of which are made by the people wearing them. I made my costume from scratch. I walked around and was overwhelmed with people who wanted pictures, or people who complimented me on my costume. These are fans who can appreciate the care and craftsmanship that go into making such a great suit.

I think there was a cute girl in there

And the costumes are everywhere! You can’t go 10 feet without seeing at least one. The people in costume know what they look like and they’re usually more than happy to let you take pictures. That’s half the fun! There are even costume contests. Plus there’s always a fair share of Slave Leias, Wonder Women and various other babes!

These X-babes were right, taking a picture did last longer

1. The Creators: At comic book conventions, you can actually walk right up to and talk with your favorite writers and artists. The men and women writing or drawing the Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, X-Men adventures are sitting right there at their own tables and booths. And the only thing stopping you from saying ‘hello’ and maybe getting a sketch is standing in line.

Tiny Titans artist Franco drew for me a Deadpool

Do you know of any other event where the famous people involved are willing and available to meet with their fans? Can you imagine an event where Hollywood movie stars sat around at tables and shook hands with the fans? Or sports stars? Or anybody else? It doesn’t happen! But that’s exactly what happens at comic book conventions. Favorite artists, popular writers, the very people who are producing the comic books are right there to meet with fans. Sometimes they speak at the panels that I mentioned before, but a lot of times they have their own booths or tables on the show floor.

At the Baltimore Comic-Con, I met X-Men writer Matt Fraction just by walking up to his booth to say ‘hello’. There was no line, and he was just sitting there chatting with the other people in his booth. He was a really friendly guy. Matt Fraction was the person writing Uncanny X-Men, the main X-Men comic book, and he was just hanging out. In one of his X-Men stories, Fraction had brought one of my favorite comic book characters, The Mimic, out of obscurity and used him in a prominent role. I’d always been curious how and why he used that character – so I asked him! I just straight up asked him and Fraction told me it was because Mimic fit a certain visual look he was going for.

Easy as that. Then he gave me a free copy of one of his other Marvel comics and signed it.

Mark Waid, writer of Kingdom Come, chatting it up with Len Wein, creator of Wolverine

There was another time when I saw Brian Michael Bendis, the writer who revolutionized The Avengers and played a big role in making them important enough to warrant next year’s movie. I was standing in line for a panel when Bendis just sort of walked by. I recognized him, but wasn’t sure if it was him. So I gave him that look of ‘are you who I think you are’. But since I was just some schmuck giving him a funny look, Bendis gave me a funny look right back!

Another time I was walking around in my Henchman #21 costume when all of a sudden I hear somebody behind me start singing the Henchman #21 theme song. I turn and see artist Jamal Igle, the guy who was drawing Supergirl. He was a big fan of The Venture Bros., so I stopped and chatted with him for a bit. This was the guy who draw the one and only Supergirl comic book.

And the best thing about artists at these conventions is that, for a price, they’ll draw you a sketch! Some of the more popular artists charge more, obviously, but you can get reasonably priced sketches from some great artists. I had both the buy who draws Tiny Titans and the guy who draws Mini-Marvels draw Multiple Man, and I’ve hung them on my wall. They’re works of art!

Those are six things I love about comic book conventions. Hopefully I’ll get to experience all 6 when I go to New York City this weekend. What are some of your favorite comic convention stories or memories? Share them in the comments.