NYC Comic Con... The Aftermath

NYC Comic Con

So Comic Con is now over and we have survived... although Zombie Petz are still dead and Iron Age may be Jaded (Ha, just a play on the titles... it has been a long weekend)! We had a chance to talk to MANY people from all over the area and beyond, and I thought we would share some of what we heard at the booth.  I know that our roving staff may have more to talk about the show itself, but I was trapped at the booth and have a lot to share about that experience.


One huge comment that we heard was: "How come you guys aren't at Cross County in Yonkers?" or "Are you the same Dragon's Den that was in Cross County in Yonkers?" Matter of fact, the Owner of a fantastic comedy club in Midtown called Ha, used to shop at the Dragon's Den in Yonkers! Oh and if you get down to Midtown, the Dueling Pianos at the club were fantastic!

Another huge comment that was heard many, many, MANY times was: "Where is the Wizards of the Coast booth?"  Wizards of the Coast, WotC, did not have a booth this year was the answer.  WotC did send a single staff member to run some demo games and give out some promo items.  He stopped by the booth on more then one occasion, but their lack of presence was felt and we heard about it from many people/players. Hey WotC you might want to come next year... you were missed.

I think one of the big things we are thinking about for future cons (gaming, comic, pop culture, or anything else), we will be thinking about the lay out of the booth and product.  We notice that some product moved well, and other product very slowly.  We also noticed that some product areas we were some of the only people really carrying.  There are many things I will keep the same with how the event went, but I have started the mental list on how to make it better next time! If you have ever stood for 9+ hours on a cement floor, you know what I'm talking about!

So I know that Scott is working on a review of Comic Con from his trip on the floor.  He spent multiple days walking the floor, attending panels/seminars, and doing the show... not from the booth perspective.  So stay tuned for more information about Comic Con.  We promise that there will be plenty to read.

Enjoy, and hope to see you at the show next year!


Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

New York Comic Con 2011 Update

So I was thinking about the staff that are already down in NYC setting up the booth and attending the brunch or panels today, and I thought about a few things I missed yesterday with the main post.

Come to the booth and scan our code! Not able to, play along with the home game... or just check out the code and enjoy what we are saying from the show:

We will have the code on shirts at the show, but to see the cool design, you'll have to stop by the booth and see us walking around.  We will even have some of these very cool limited edition t-shirts at the booth!  What more info... SCAN the code!

We also have a few more items to bring with us that you might find very interesting.  If you are a fan of the Walking Dead and the new series starting soon, check out the Walking Dead board games... yes board games, also the etched pint glasses and steins!

We also brought many other games including the Resident Evil Deck Building Game! Such a great game with 3 different methods of play! 

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

New York Comic Con 2011

Well we are putting on the finishing touches and packing up all the product for New York City Comic Con! There is so much to do and so much more to prep for, but I think we have a handle on it and will be ready for a spectacular con!

So if you are heading down, then stop in and see us, we will be at booth #2920! This is our first trip to NYC Comic Con, so we were really putting a lot into what to bring and how much, so here is an idea of what we are going to have at the show:

• Variant Amazing Spider-Man #666 with our custom cover
• Video Games: Nintendo, Nintendo Gameboy, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and more!
• Magic the Gathering: Innistrad, M12, Scars of Mirrodin, Mirrodin Besieged, New Phyrexia, and more special items!
• Yu-Gi-Oh:  XYZ Starters, Hidden Arsenal SE, Generation Force SE, Gold Series 4
• Pokemon: Black and White, Black and White Emerging Powers
• Heroclix: Superman, Captain America, Giant Sized X-Men
• Etched Glasses: Marvel, Hobbit, and Walking Dead
• Star Wars and Ghost Busters talking plushes
• Power Rings, Flash Point Pins, Select Back Issue Comic, Variant Cover Comic Books
• RA Salvatore's new Hard Cover "Neverwinter" The Neverwinter Sage Book 2 **(Don't forget that he will be there for signing later in the show)

Stop and see some of our friends from up here in NY:

Zombie Petz: Booth #2838
Iron Age Production (Jaded Comic Book): Booth #1924

Who from the store might you run into at NYC Comic Con:

Dave
Sean "Striderlotr"
Stasi "Dengirl"
Scott
Brittani "DnDPrincessAria"
Amanda


Hope to see you at NYC Comic Con!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Support Your Friendly Local Gaming Store

OK, I'll keep this simple.

SUPPORT YOUR FRIENDLY LOCAL GAME STORE for Magic!

This Saturday is the Prerelease for a new Magic the Gathering set, Innistrad. I personally think it looks great and I know that while not everyone is a fan on the new 2 sided transform mechanic cards, I give WotC credit for trying new rules and ideas to keep the game fresh! However, that is not the point of this post...

If you do not buy your Magic cards and play in your local game store for these types of events, then you are hurting both yourself and the Magic community has a whole! Why you ask? I'll give you a few simple reasons.

First, your local game store gives you a place to PLAY! You can't play on-line with that great new box of Innistrad you just got off the web at a few bucks cheaper than your local store, can you! Yet, here is your friendly local game store (FLGS) giving you table space to hang out for FNM and many other times during the week. That table space could be replaced with a pool table or a new product line of model train accessories that would make your FLGS money.  Buy your Magic at your FLGS to help your FLGS provide PLAY SPACE FOR YOU!

Second, who is there for you when you need help with your deck or when you wanted to learn how to play in the first place? Yeah, you might have learned from your friends or family but when you really needed unbiased advice on your bud's really annoying mill deck or how do I beat Red Deck Wins, I bet your FLGS was there to help. I'll even bet the guys and gals at the FLGS didn't even charge you to ask those rules questions or help you adjust the mana ratio of your new deck. Go find that service for free on-line! Buying your Magic and playing in FLGS store events helps to keep that resource alive for YOUR FUTURE NEEDS!

Third, your FLGS helps find you new people to play with. Tired of beating your kid brother for the 347th time? Come in for FNM and see if your "unbeatable merfolk" deck does so well against a former state champ. Hey, maybe you get to draft with a Pro Tour player or win one game against the guy who won GP Providence this year. Chances are, these other players won't be dropping by your kitchen table to play with you. Looking to trade an extra Stoneforge Mystic or 4? Well, these guys are more likely to need them than your mom. You might even make some new friends - ones that like playing the same game you play! In short, you get to be PART OF A COMMUNITY!

Last, and this may not mean much to some of you but buying and supporting your FLGS is good for your wallet. The money you spend locally goes back into making your town a better place to live. Maybe you want a job at your FLGS. Maybe your friend already works there. Maybe you like the hot chick who works there (Yeah, they do work at FLGSs and I have pics to prove it!). It would be a real shame if your FLGS closed because johnny internet was $5 cheaper for a box of Innistrad (Bet you forgot to add shipping) and now you have to wait for it to be delivered instead of cracking those minty fresh packs at midnight on release day! In other words, keeping your FLGS strong HELPS YOUR LIFE!

So, when it comes time to buy your Magic, stop and think about the secondary benefit to you and your friends, family and neighbors and SUPPORT YOUR FRIENDLY LOCAL GAME STORE otherwise, you might be home on a Friday Night playing Magic with, I mean by, yourself!

Good Luck with Innistrad!

Dave

PS. Yes, I own a FLGS and may have a biased view BUT, I can prove each of my points objectively so I would love to hear from you folks out there.

PPS. Support Your Local FLGS is a nod to two great James Garner movies done in the 70s, Support Your Local Gunfighter and Support Your Local Sheriff. If you are unfamiliar with these flicks or James Garner, I am sure Netflix can help you out.