New York Comic Con 2022 Coverage!!!

It’s the [second] most wonderful time of the year! That’s right, y’all, Comic Con just wrapped up this past weekend at the Jacob K. Javits Center in West Manhattan, hosted by Reed Pop events. The Con intended, like all admirable sequels, to be bigger and better than last year’s and it did not disappoint. I kept especially busy this season as I booked a ton of interviews, screenings, and parties to keep me occupied and on-task. I bussed into the city early in the morning on Thursday, October 6th, after sending my mother a birthday greeting (don’t forget your mom, kids!), and dropped my bag at the hotel. I arrived at the Con before the doors opened to get a sneak peak at the installation for Prime Video’s forthcoming sci-fi show THE PERIPHERAL, starring Chloë Grace Moretz (LET ME IN, KICKASS) and produced by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the team behind HBO’s WESTWORLD. The installation invites one into the Forever Fab 3D print shop, the same seemingly innocent storefront that Moretz’s character Flynn Fisher works at in the show. 

 

Image Credit: JJ Goodman/That Hashtag Show, LLC

Once inside we were able to meet with the “staff” and see what they were working on, but once a member of our party put on a beta testing VR headset, alarms began to blare and we were escorted out of the room through the staff exit. We were then inside an elevator which showed us a version of London seventy years in the future, and we were tasked with saving it. To get a little more context, you can view the trailer for the new show based on the William Gibson (author of Johnny Mnemonic) novel here. 

 

 

 

 

As we were now on the Con floor prior to the doors opening, we took the opportunity to get the lay of the land and see some of the vendors and installations that lie within. Marvel held a large presence, as well as VIZ media and the One Piece franchise, which took the opportunity to hype the release of its new film RED on November 4th. We made sure to stop by the displays for NECA collectibles, Gentle Giant, Denuvo Novo, and Whatnot, the online auction site. Funko Pop once again loomed large, as did Dragon Ball Z. HBOMax and DC had erected a small portion of Star Labs to celebrate the forthcoming fourth season of TITANS, and even stalwart personality Svengoolie held a presence on the floor in partnership with MeTV, offering fans the opportunity to audition as an extra in a horror film. 

 

The big panel for the day was the unveiling of the trailer for the upcoming film SUPER MARIO BROS. which features the voices of Chris Pratt and Jack Black. The latter appeared as a surprise guest at the panel, which you can view on Gragon Productions’s Youtube page here.

 

My next appointment was meeting with the cast and creators of HBOMax’s PENNYWORTH: THE ORIGIN OF BATMAN’S BUTLER, in concert with the season 3 premiere that very day. I spoke with Jack Bannon (Alfred Pennyworth), Ben Aldridge (Thomas Wayne), and series creator Bruno Heller (Gotham, Rome) and producer/writer John Stephens (Gotham). Article forthcoming.

 

 

From there I immediately went into my next round of interviews, this time with several creators and talents behind some of Hulu’s more irreverent animated comedies. I spoke with Ben Bayouth and Zach Hadel who will be bringing the bonkers batshit THE PALONI SHOW: HALLOWEEN SPECIAL airing October 17th on Hulu, which is an animation anthology selected and hosted by Justin Roiland (RICK & MORTY). I then spoke with Mick McMahan and Danielle Uhlarik from SOLAR OPPOSITES discussing season three, then Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit as well as Michael Cusack and Demi Lardner who all worked on KOALA MAN, a new animated series that will be bringing the Australian perspective to the Justin Roiland animation empire. Article forthcoming.

 

After that I headed straight into the press roundtables for HBOMax’s HIS DARK MATERIALS, which will be airing its third and final season adapting the novels by Philip Pullman. I spoke with series stars Amir Wilson (THE LETTER TO THE KING)  and James McAvoy (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, SPLIT), as well as executive producers Jane Tranter and Dan McCulloch. Article forthcoming.

 

 

To cap off Thursday I went into the city with my good friend Tom Craven from thathashtagshow.com (The Tom C.) and we watched a screening of the movie WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY ahead of its November 4th release on the Roku channel. The film is a delight, and I cannot praise Daniel Radcliffe enough for his amazing performance. The experience is stacked with cameos that will make your jaw drop and its parodic vision of the icon’s life is unforgettable. It even manages to inject some heart into the silliness, reminding us all to embrace our inner weird and remain true to ourselves and our friends. I highly recommend it.

 

After a few whiskeys and an unsuccessful search for recession-proof pizza, I collapsed into bed to prepare for the next day.

 

Day 2 found me starting my day with the cast and creators of Prime Video’s LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER, which began filming its new season this past Monday. I spoke with series stars Nanzanin Boniadi (Bronwyn), Charles Edwards (Lord Celembrimbor), Leon Wadham (Kemen), Sara Zwangobani (Marigold Brandyfoot), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Queen Regent Míriel), Benjamin Walker (High King Gil-galad), and Daniel Weyman (The Stranger). Article forthcoming.

 

 

From there I attended the press roundtables for the newest DC animated feature BATMAN & SUPERMAN: BATTLE OF THE SUPER SONS, with voice actors Jack Dylan Grazer (Jonathan Kent, IT), Travis Willingham (Clark Kent, “The Legend of Vox Machina”), Laura Bailey (Lois Lane, “Monster High”), as well as writer Jeremy Adams (BATMAN: SOUL OF THE DRAGON), director Matt Peters (INJUSTICE), and producer Rick Morales (DC SHOWCASE). As you probably already know I am a huge fan of the DC animated features so there will most definitely be an article forthcoming on this feature, and it won’t entirely be about Jack’s fascinating mustache.

 

 

I had scheduled a sit down with Showtime’s LET THE RIGHT ONE IN series stars and producers but my lunch ran long and I missed the start time, so I took the opportunity to visit the Legion M booth on the Con floor and meet Brain O'Halloran, star of CLERKS, CLERKS II, & CLERKS III. After that it was back to the hotel to freshen up for the Fandom after party. Hosted by the eponymous site along with sponsors Paramount Plus, the TEEN WOLF movie, Ardbeg scotch, Heinz ketchup, and Z2 comics, this ultra hip affair was held in the HK hall in Hell’s Kitchen and hosted by Ice T and his wife Coco. We enjoyed free scotch, snacks, installations from Paramount Plus and TEEN WOLF, and after we had mingled for a few hours, Ice T took the stage and performed a medley of his hits. If you’d have thought that the 64-year-old rapper/actor would’ve lost a beat or two in his many years you’d have been sorely mistaken. Dude still drops bars like a pro. He was amazing. Also gracing the stage in that set were Chuck D, Czarface, DJ Kevie Kev, Kool Keith (who was celebrating his birthday), and TR Love. It was a night for the books. I enjoyed a late night diner dinner and then went to sleep. 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday found me chatting with Rick Morales and Jeremy Adams once more as they are the respective director and writer of MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: SNOW BLIND. Also in attendance were voice actors Ron Yuan (Netflix’s PAPER TIGERS) and Courtenay Taylor (Mass Effect, Fallout 4). 

 

 

 

 

After that I met with several stars and creators of Paramount Plus’s STAR TREK: PRODIGY, including voice actors Brett Gray (Dal), Kate Mulgrew (Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway), Jameela Jamil (Ensign Asencia, Marvel’s SHE-HULK), executive producers Kevin and Dan Hageman and co-EP Ben Hibon. Saturday also saw a panel of Star Trek legends grace the Empire Stage for Star Trek Universe, celebrating returning serieses PICARD, DISCOVERY, and PRODIGY. The former touted a Next Generation reunion for the ages, bringing Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes, and LeVar Burton onstage with their former captain Patrick Stewart. I just recently started watching PICARD myself and I am now even more excited for its upcoming third and final season. You can view the full panel on Paramount Plus’s Youtube page here.

 

 

 

Saturday also featured legends Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd reunite to discuss the iconic BACK TO THE FUTURE film series, which you can watch on BeyondtheMarqueeShow’s Youtube page here. There was also a Smallville cast reunion on the main stage that I wanted to check out but I had other engagements, however you can check out that panel on Neon Polygons’s Youtube page here.

 

Sunday I played hooky from the Con to go to Greenwich village for brunch and a brief open mic comedy set. I’ve been bit by the bug ever since I did five minutes back in May with my friend from Texas so now we always saunter over there if we’re in the city on a Sunday. I did run (literally) back to the Con for the Let’s Get WEIRD panel featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood, a Zoomed-in Al Yankovic himself and director Eric Appel for the film WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY. They talked for thirty minutes about the making of the film and then said goodbye, offering no time for Q&A. We had a few minutes before they locked the doors on us so Tom and I headed down to the show floor for one final lap before the interminable 360 day wait until the next outing.

 

 

 

All in all, it was an amazing weekend with great interviews, great friends, unforgettable sights, delicious food, and everlasting memories. I’ll get the individual interview articles up as soon as I can, after transcribing and filtering through at least twenty minutes of interview audio for each sitting. It’s thankless work but I couldn’t imagine ever saying no to it.

 

Until next time, be sure to celebrate your fandom, and unleash your inner weird; you’re the only one who can.

 

-McEric, aka Eric McClanahan-