The following blog post and photos come to you from Danny Lerner, who just experienced his first Comic Con (and lived to tell the tale!)

Wow! What an event! This year’s New York Comic Con was a juggernaut of a show. It is the biggest of its kind on the east coast and in America it is second only to its archrival–the annual San Diego affair. The extravaganza, held at the Javits Center every year (now in October), was a rousing success to many, a frustrating logistical mess to a few, but overall an entirely worthwhile and memorable happening.

For four days, countless authors and Illustrators, novices and pros, agents and managers, publishers and videogame producers descend on the west side of Manhattan, survey the landscape, canvas the miles of territory, and set-up shop to broaden their business plans and expand their personal careers. And to many it was mission accomplished.
New York Comic Con, in turns, is exhilarating and exhausting. Now, in its sixth year, it is the epicenter of an extraordinary variety of activity—from the individual illustrator stationed in Artist Alley showcasing her wares, to the monolithic television screens of blasting videogames—the event has become a must-see if you like anything comic.
But let’s not forget what makes NY Comic Con the NY Comic Con: the sea of incredible and often hilarious costumes that envelope the landscape. Watching tens of thousands of diehard fans transform into their favorite comic book personas is truly a sight to behold.

And at the center of the comic world (for a number of people, at least) was the Graphic Universe booth. From far and wide came some of GU’s best authors and illustrators. Book-signing highlights included Bannister, the talented French cartoonist, who drew pictures and signed copies of his extraordinary series The Elsewhere Chronicles; artist Tintin Pantoja, who traversed the globe (all the way from the Philippines) to promote her fantastic Manga Math Mysteries; authors Chris Schweizer and Alaya Dawn Johnson and artist Yuko Ota on hand to sign their extraordinary Tricky Journeys™ and Twisted Journeys® books; and artists Alitha Martinez and Hyeondo Park and author Evonne Tsang pleasing autograph seekers with their much-loved My Boyfriend is a Monster titles. And let’s not forget author Colleen AF Venable and artist Stephanie Yue occupying seats at the fair’s coveted autograph area to sign their latest and greatest Fish You Were Here, book 4 in the popular Guinea PIg: Pet Shop Private Eye series.
Other special guests associated with Graphic Universe visited the booth as well, including Spanish agent Eduardo Alpuente accompanied by several of his artists, and Andrés Vera Martínez, author and illustrator of the upcoming GU title Little White Duck. Many, many prospective GU illustrators and colorists from as far afield as India and Greece also stopped by.
In New York, it’s widely accepted that bigger is better. That sentiment is certainly not always the case, but when it comes to the world of comics, most would agree that New York Comic Con takes first prize. And for that, New Yorkers deserve to be very proud.