Contributed by collector and Overstreet Advisor Art Cloos
Photographs by Alice and Art Cloos

The morning of Thursday, October 6, 2016, dawned with a clear blue sky and singing birds all of which promised a beautiful day ahead as my wife and pop culture partner Allie and I were getting ready to leave the house. We were excited because it was the first day of the 2016 New York Comic Con which we had been waiting for, with great anticipation, for weeks. As we have done for every NYCC, which is all of them, we walked to the Long Island Rail Road station near our house to take the train in, this year, along with our friend Christie Marston. Along with the regular rush hour crowd, we saw several fellow convention goers already at the station, many decked out in their cosplay, and some just wearing convention badges. All were showing signs of excitement and anticipation for what the day would bring.

Arriving at the Jacob Javits Center, we immediately saw that the lines to get in were already long, but none of us were surprised. After navigating the lines to get in and to get past the check bag tables, we found our lanyards, our badges were swiped, and into the exhibition hall we stepped. NYCC 2016 had begun.

The first thing we noticed was that Wonder Woman was on the cover of the convention program guide, beautifully done by Jim Lee, complete with the Wonder Woman 75th anniversary logo. It would soon become apparent that the amazing Amazon would have a strong presence at this show. At 11:30 AM, I had an interview with Jelly Belly jelly bean artist Kristen Cumings who was going to make Wonder Woman come to life out of jelly beans. In speaking to her, I found that Cumings is the artist in residence for Jelly Belly and is one of the only people in the world that uses jelly beans as her art form. Seeing the work in its early stages was quite amazing and when it was finished it would go on permanent display in the Jelly Belly Headquarters. Also at the booth one could see other DC licensed products from the Jelly Belly Hero Collection, including versions Superman and Batman. 

After leaving the Jelly Belly booth, we checked in with our good friend and comic dealer Joe Vereneault of JHV Associates fame. At every NYCC Vereneault, lets us use his booth as a base of operations, and to say he is a good friend is understating it. We have known him for almost 30 years now and he has always been one of the good ones. 

After leaving his booth we began walking the aisles. One thing to learn early on in doing any major show, but especially in doing one the size of NYCC, is you have to take your time. There is no way to get through it all in one day, so if you are only there for one day, you have to prioritize what you want to see very carefully. Since we always have four-day passes, we can take a block of time to just wander between events to see and cover for Scoop. I took the time to wander the aisles at random for a bit and was able to catch up with old friends such as Harley Yee of Harley Yee Rare Comics, Comic Art Con promoter Dan Gallo, Frank Cwiklik and Vincent Zurzolo of Metropolis Comics, Greg Reese of Greg Reese Rare Comics, Ted VanLiew of Superworld Comics, and Rob Pistella.

As I left Ted's booth I bumped into Sal Zurzolo and Dave O'Hare of Garden State Comic Fest fame and we talked for a bit about the show and the amazing variety of cosplay on display. It's always good to catch up with those two guys and this was no exception. 

I met up with two of my former students there, which is always a treat, and I hung out for a while with noted dealer and Japanese toy collector Andrew Heller. That is one of the fun things about NYCC, the ability to catch up with old friends and also meet new ones. I took the time to pass by the TwoMorrows booth to renew my subscription to Alter Ego, one of the best publications on comics out there.

Most major cons today provide a wide variety of panels on a wide variety of topics. It is impossible to attend them all, so one has to go through the convention book carefully and choose wisely. NYCC offers a variety of panels for educators who can use them for professional credit. At 12:15, Allie attended the panel End Bullying: Be a Superhero. Some of the participants were The Jokers Wild's Joe Gatto, Bullied author Carrie Goldman, Matt Langdon the founder of The Hero Construction Company, and Chase Masterson from the Flash TV show and the cofounder of the Hero Construction Company. They talked about their personal experiences with bullying, how they overcame it and how it ultimately influenced their lives to be kind to others no matter how they present themselves. The panelists also provided strategies on how to deal with bullying. This was an eye opening panel and one that can help teachers deal with bullying in their classrooms and Allie, a New York City teacher, fully intends to use what she learned in her classes this year.

At 2:45 PM, I attended a preview of the new Hulu Limelight Documentary Batman & Bill, based on the book by Marc Tyler Nobleman on the life of Batman co-creator, Bill Finger. Nobleman has done an amazing job of researching the life of one of the most important creators in the history of comics and bringing the story of this most neglected and unknown creator to life. After the showing Nobleman joined Don Argott and Sheena Joyce (producers and directors), Michael Uslan (executive producer), Athena Finger (Bill Finger’s granddaughter), and Alethia Mariotta (family attorney) on a panel discussion centered around the film preview. I was happy to finally meet Athena in person, knowing her from Facebook. A highlight of the show for me was introducing the granddaughter of the man who created Wonder Woman, Christie Marston, to the granddaughter of the man who co-created Batman, Athena Finger.

At 5:15 PM the Licensed! Overstreet Looks at Licensed Comics panel where The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide and Geppi's Entertainment Museum conducted a panel discussion on the best and worst of licensed comics across the years. Participants included former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter, Captain Action's Ed Catto, Stargate Atlantis and 24 writers Mark L Haynes and J.C. Vaughn, among others.

Friday, October 7 dawned very early for us. The day’s first event was the DC Entertainment and USPS hosted first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony of the Wonder Woman Forever stamps, at 9 AM. Once again we took the LIRR into Penn Station and had quick bite in the Central Market on the main concourse. The food there is good, service is quick, and the prices quite reasonable.

The Wonder Woman 75th anniversary four-stamp set showcases a different design on a sheet of 20 depicting Wonder Woman during four eras of comic book history from the Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, and Modern Age.

On hand for the dedication ceremony was the legendary Wonder Woman artist José Luis García-López, DC Entertainment publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, Cliff Chiang and DC All Access Host Tiffany Smith, among others. The ceremony began with a with a welcome by Smith and then the presentation of colors by the USPO Postal Honor Guard. The national anthem was song by Percival J. Prince the manager of the USPO Business Mail Entry. Remarks were by Sandy Yi, Senior Vice President and Global Franchise Management of DC Entertainment. Marston was an invited guest of honor at the ceremony and she, Allie, and I were so excited to meet and talk to Didio, García-López, and Lee after the ceremony ended.

I asked Marston for her thoughts on the event and she said, “I was, of course, very happy and excited when the Wonder Woman Forever stamps were announced, but I was still blown away by the dedication ceremony at NYCC. I loved the perfectly coordinated color guard and the amazing singer doing the national anthem. The speakers were interesting and engaging and represented both the U.S. Post Office and DC. In case that wasn't enough, two of the four Wonder Woman artists were responsible for the Wonder Woman images on the stamps! José Luis García-López and Cliff Chiang were both on hand for the ceremony, and remained to graciously greet fans. Naturally, my favorite Wonder Woman artist will always be H.G. Peter, who first illustrated my grandfather's stories way back in 1941. He is family to me. But I must say that José Luis García-López comes in a very close second. Not only has his wonderful art been a huge part of Wonder Woman's world, but the man himself would get Wonder Woman's full approval. The wonderful smile that you see on José's Wonder Woman come from within the artist. It meant a lot to me to see not only Wonder Woman, but José, honored today. What a way to start the day. The USPS and DC kicked off an incredible weekend at New York Comic Con.”

At 2 PM Allie attended an interactive panel on storytelling with children artists, called Create Your Own Friendship Adventures with Kids Comics and Picture Book Artists. Kids and attendees got to take home the art for the ideas they suggested. The panel ended with a full friendship story by several of the contributors. Allie, who teaches art, was most impressed with the ideas she came away with.

While walking the aisles I took the time to check in with Vereneault and bought some books to fill in some holes in my collection. Then I walked around to make some plans for Saturday buying with some dealer friends. But, by 4:30 I made my way to the other highlight of the day, the Wonder Woman 75th anniversary panel. It started at 5:15 but I got there way too late because fans had been lined up for hours already and the line was amazingly long. Thankfully, we had reserved seats and once we were seated, the all-star lineup of panelists began to take their seats. The panel consisting of Marc Andreyko, García-López, Yanick Paquette, Greg Rucka, Jill Thompson, and others all of whom have worked to shape Wonder Woman into the heroine and inspiration she is today. The discussion ranged from when did the panelists first encounter Wonder Woman to her influence on them. One big announcement was that the Batman ’66 comic would crossover with Wonder Woman ’77, which was received quite enthusiastically.  

Once again I sought out comments from the granddaughter of William Marston on what she thought of an NYCC event dedicated to Wonder Woman. She said that, “these people have all been a part of Wonder Woman's life. José's 40 years of love covers more than half of her 75 years. He may have said the least, but his presence on the panel spoke volumes. His Wonder Woman is the most known, and most loved, to the Wonder Woman fans who are not regulars in the comic world. Shea Fontana is putting Wonder Woman back into reach for children in comic form, something that is long overdue. Marc Andreyko and Cat Staggs have brought joy to all of those who first met and loved Wonder Woman because of the TV show starring Lynda Carter portraying Wonder Woman as she was originally written, and that represents the vast majority of Wonder Woman fans. Jill Thompson's art caught the fan's attention some years ago. I can't wait to see the reactions to her spoiled brat Wonder Woman. Greg Rucka loves rattling cages, which can be a good thing, and I've no doubt that he won't disappoint on this round. Yanick Paquette is a newcomer to Wonder Woman, but did his research and produced art which not only pleases fans, but is appropriate to the character. I truly love creative minds, and this panel was packed with creativity. My only disappointment with the Wonder Woman 75th panel is that it was too darn short and that I had to rush off without having a chance to pick Greg Rucka's mind afterward.”

With NYCC preparing to close for the day it was party time for us. A group of collectors and dealers including dealers Albert Stoltz and Vereneault and noted Wonder Woman collector Susan Natoli, among others, all met for our annual NYCC Friday night dinner, this year held at 7, a modern version of an Irish pub on 7th Avenue and 30th Street. I am happy to say that all who attended had a most enjoyable evening and by the time Marston, Allie, and I got back to the house it was after 1 AM.

Saturday morning came awfully early given the time we got home. When I got to the platform I met a guy named Brian, also waiting for the train to the convention. I discovered he was both a lawyer and quite the serious Silver and Bronze comic collector and we talked for a bit until the train arrived. Once seated, I got to talking with a young college age couple on their way to NYCC who impressed me with their comic knowledge and were eager to talk and learn more about comics.

Once out of the station I grabbed a cab and off I went to the Javits Center. Given the massive crowds approaching the entrance I asked the driver to let me off across the street and a very nice police officer was there to make crossing the street easier. I thanked him for his kindness.

Once inside I began the hunt. I had set Saturday as the day I would look for stuff and really get a feel for what the dealers were showcasing on their comic racks. There was a good representation of dealers lining the aisles. One thing I noticed quickly was the lack of Golden Age books and the abundance of Silver and Bronze issues, which I thought unusual for a show of this caliber. Most of the dealers I spoke to seemed satisfied with their results reporting steady sales.

Cosplay was everywhere and it was necessary to stop repeatedly to avoid interfering with photo's being taken of them by other cosplayers and regular attendees.

There was plenty of original art offered by some of the major art dealers in the country in attendance such as Anthony's Original Art, Bechara Maalouf, and Albert Moy. Toy dealers were well represented at the show though most dealers were selling newer items and not vintage. The Toy Hunters were there though with a nice selection of vintage items. The variety of items for sale was truly impressive from various kinds of jewelry to non-comic books of all kinds to costumes, clothing, the list goes on and on. Auction houses were in full force with Heritage Auctions, ComicLink and ComicConnect.

All the major and most of the minor comic publishers had booths and one could spend an entire day just going through them all. As I was walking through the show I met up with noted collector Rob Weinberg and I asked him what he thought of the show. With a very big smile on his face Rob said, “As you navigate your way through the tens of thousands of collectors, fans and aficionados you search for that rare and elusive comic grail or art treasure missing from your collection. You try not to have your aim distracted by all that goes on at a show like this. You then spot your prey and move in for the negotiation and the close. It's always all about the hunt.”

For the serious collector who goes to these shows that pretty much sums it, and, yes, the show had its share of serious collectors though perhaps not as many as I remember from last year. That is the great thing about NYCC, it both reflects and represents the entire wide world of pop culture, from cosplay to gaming, to foreign comics and comic publishers to toys and original art and most importantly comic books. After all its name is the New York Comic Con.

Moving on to artist alley it was easy to notice the festive and casual air with both costumed and regularly attired attendees. It is a unique opportunity for people to get up close and personal with some of fandom's favorite artists and writers. It was clearly more crowded more than usual at this show, so many artists had signs stating that commissions were closed for the day due to heavy demand. There were many big name creators signing artwork and books such as Greg Ruka and David and Meredith Finch who were signing posters and books from their run on Wonder Woman to name just a few of the creators that were there.

On my way to dinner that night, I met Dan, 18, and Lauren, 24, a brother and sister from Scotland. They were true comic geeks who also had big plans for their future and walking with them made the rain hardly noticeable as they were totally delightful. For us, another great NYCC had come to an end and we were already looking forward to October 5-8, 2017, when the 11th edition of NYCC will be held. You can keep tabs on their website for updates for next year's show and the time and date countdown www.newyorkcomiccon.com.