NYCC 2013

October. It's a month that means changing leaves, fall festivals, Halloween ... and New York Comic Con.

Since its inception in 2006, New York Comic Con has become the premiere event of the East Coast for all things Geek Culture. Featuring comic book artists and writers -- as well as actors, authors, directors, and animators -- NYCC allows fans of comics, science fiction, fantasy, and other genres to connect with the creators behind their favorite stories. (Not to mention featuring sneak peeks and new announcements about upcoming comic, film, and TV projects!) The event is held at the Jacob Javits Center, and the tickets sold out faster than ever this year; for the last two years, attendance has topped 100,000 people.

Guests this year included William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Seth Green, Sylvester Stallone, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, Sigourney Weaver, actors from "Game of Thrones" and "The Walking Dead," comics legend Stan Lee, authors R.L. Stine and Lemony Snicket, and "Doctor Who" star John Barrowman. Opportunities to see the stars live and in person abounded (as they always do), with panels, autograph sessions, and photo ops spread throughout the weekend. (I waited in line to meet Barrowman, although the longest line for an autograph -- don't ask me why -- was one of the original Power Rangers. Go figure.)

I've been a faithful New York con-goer for years now (see last year's wrap-up here), and this October was no exception. This was an exceptionally crazy, crowded, fun year at NYCC, and I'm already excited for October 2014!  For those of you who weren't able to make it to the fun this year, here's my report from the front lines:

The con floor. Did I mention "crowded?"

Thursday evening featured panels specifically geared to kick off the con with some proper entertainment. The Comedy Mutant crew (featuring Janeane Garofalo, Brian Posehn, and other comedians) put on a two-hour comedy set on the Javits Center's main stage. Thursday also offered a sneak peek of the Exhibit Hall, giving Thursday con-goers a chance to browse and shop at the tables and booths in an atmosphere that was merely "moderately crowded" (since, by the weekend, the numbers would swell to "severely, impossibly crowded").

I spent Thursday evening at the Empire Stage, where special sneak peeks of upcoming fall television premieres were being screened. First on the list was the pilot episode of Almost Human. Set in the near future, the premise sees a snarky (and rather embittered) LAPD detective paired with an android partner. Half crime procedural, half sci-fi series, the pilot made for a fun, unique ride, and I'm already excited for the show to premiere this fall (Monday, November 4, 8 pm on FOX).

If you missed the panel, there were Almost Human posters plastered across the subway -- which were quite cool to see for a sci-fi fan

Speaking of television: astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson was on hand to discuss his involvement with a new 13-episode series: "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odysessy," debuting Spring 2014 on FOX. It's something of a "sequel" to the iconic science series "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage," which was narrated by astronomer and author Carl Sagan and aired over thirty years ago on PBS. 

Tyson was there alongside executive producer/writer Ann Druyan (who oversaw the original "Cosmos") and executive producer/director Brannon Braga (who has worked on both the "Star Trek" franchise as well as "24"). The new series will explore the history of humanity's quest to discover the origins and mysteries of, well, the cosmos. 

Dr. Tyson will be hosting the new series, which he -- like his fellow panelists -- hopes will inspire people to be curious and persistent in their search for the truth. He sees curiosity as a natural trait: "A scientist is a kid who never grows up." Druyan spoke quite elegantly about her belief in the importance of the new series inspiring emotion as well as intellectual interest in their viewers: "To be human is to fully think and fully feel -- not one at the expense of the other."

Braga may have put it best while explaining his own hopes for the new "Cosmos." "It's the story of our place in the universe -- and how we came to find it."

From Tyson, on the casual weirdness of a comic con: "My fear is that aliens will come and land at Comic Con, and no one will notice!"

Cast and crew members from "The Walking Dead" were on hand again this year to show sneak peeks of the upcoming fourth season, which premiered on Sunday at 9 p.m. on AMC. (You can read more about the Walking Dead panel here.) Actors Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny were also in attendance to talk about "The X-Files," which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. (Get the highlights of that panel here.)

This year marks Superman's 75th "anniversary" as a comic book character

My personal highlight of the con was William Shatner's panel, which took place on Sunday afternoon. The Star Trek and Boston Legal actor took to the stage by himself, talking a bit about his new album before fielding questions from the audience.

As a Trekkie, I'm predisposed to like William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series nearly fifty years ago. ("It's hard to believe it's been almost fifty years since the show first aired," gushed one fan, prompting Shatner to reply, "You think it's hard for you to believe it ...") But Shatner was genuinely delightful, entertaining with stories from throughout his career: coming down with food poisoning the morning of his Broadway debut, or getting to sing a duet with Paul McCartney. There were a few stories about his Star Trek cast mates, including Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock. ("Leonard was particularly susceptible to practical jokes ...")

He also had some words of wisdom for budding actors -- or, indeed, anyone with artistic dreams: "You just do what you think is good, and hope it's what [the audience] thinks is good." He wrapped up the afternoon with thoughts on the appeal of science fiction and the excitement of scientific discovery, which seem to come out of the same place: curiosity. "It's hardwired into humans -- curiosity. It's the attempt to explain to ourselves the mystery that's out there."

It was a nice note on which to end the weekend's festivities. Here's to next year!

Iron Man is also a good note to end on.

-- Post by Ms. B