New York Comic Con is one of the world’s premiere comic book conventions. It may be the most visited comic book convention yearly, seeing over 180,000 people, even though the first NYCC was only back in 2006. San Diego Comic Con, it’s older cousin, sees 50,000 less people or so a year even though it dates back to the 1970s.
This year’s convention was packed full of an amazing blend of comic book creators, television shows, anime, movie studios and of course… merchandise.
In case there was any doubt, Funko Pops! have taken over nearly every inch of the convention. The Funko booth, while impressive (we’ll get to that in a minute), is merely one corner of the show, but their products could be seen around every corner.
From retailers like Fugitive Toys, to voice actors selling exclusives at their booth, they were Pops! everywhere.
ReedPop puts on a great show, as evidenced from last year’s Star Wars Celebration in Orlando. Despite huge crowds and walls of people the show was well organized. The entire show was split into three giant sections, the show floor, the autograph and photo area, and of course the stages where the panels took place.
The main stage was set up with plenty of chairs. While certain panels required signing up in advance and being selected at random, they either did a great job at not overselling, or so many people spent time on the stage floor that most panels had room for standys. The panels were informative and fun, and even a last minute change to Zachary Levi as the final Sunday show was among the most well attended and fun panels in recent years.
The autograph and photo area ran smoothly, despite the gridlock of customers trying to get to their place at the right time. Each was numbered well, and all lines were moving well as fans went through them. There was none of the typical con-crawl, where fans get stuck for hours unable to move without risking their place in line. The celebrities as well, from Mark Bagley to Ben Savage, seemed bright and cheery deep into the signings of Sunday afternoon.
The show floor, by far the most popular area of the show, was the easiest to navigate because of large numbered posters indicating where the booth you’re looking for was. There were some hiccups here of course, including the Over9000.com booth which saw a line the entire show as fans with tickets bumped into fans that just wanted to see Chris Sabat, voice actor known from Dragonball Z fame. Still, even this was resolved and those working the show were able to move the lines down aisles until they were empty.
The Funko booth itself, the same setup as most recent shows they’ve attended, was running like a well oiled machine. Unlike the messes of major conventions from last year, the teams (ReedPop had their security running fans into the booth, where Funko employees took over) worked together seamlessly and tirelessly. Again, fans had to pre-lottery for tickets and there were those standing around who were attempting to see if any of the chosen few were not buying the items they wanted. They had set times for all the lottery winners, and unlike other conventions, these fans didn’t wait very long for their turn, by an hour after each lottery time the line was empty, and employees had a chance to restock the shelves. They never were sure if they would have any time to open to the public, they waited to see if inventory would allow it, and even when they were able to (around 3:30pm Sunday) the team seemed eager and excited to welcome the fans.
One suggestion would be to have a nearby area with tables to promote trading, there was a lot of swapping of Pops happening in the hallways, and this would have added to the experience.
As the lines wound down Sunday, some of the Funko team members, like fan favorite Sully, held the line, talking with them about their favorite pops, their convention experience, and did so without a hint of a scowl. That’s a tall order for a long weekend that included travel and a late night Fugitive Party on Saturday night.
The Fugitive Party, one of the most exclusive pop events, was held at a nearby hotel, the address sent out to the lucky 120 fans that were able to secure tickets changed last minute. This event, look for a separate article about it soon, included fun dinner, games, and a wild lip syncing contest all of which that ended in great Funko prizes such as protos of rare pops. (Whatever amount of wild you’re imagining isn’t enough.)
Perhaps the best part of NYCC was the Sunday walk back into New York City. Fans left with smiles on their faces, even with the blisters that surely lined their feet. Some of them wore costumes, as simple as a flash tshirt or as elaborate as a fully working AT-ST walker, and others were carrying bags and boxes full of their loot.
Especially rewarding? Seeing the giant blue Funko bags bursting at the seams with Pops bouncing in clutched hands, held by fans with giant smiles like a squadron of Santa Clauses. It was just another reminder of the inevitable fact:
Funko has taken over (and it couldn’t be better.)
Matt Norris