NYC Con in effect

The New York Comic-Con, which is being held this weekend, has garnered some mainstream press. First, from Fox News:

The arrival of the three-day New York Comic-Con at the Jacob Javits Convention Center Friday is a homecoming of sorts for the comic book community, which has gone decades without a major convention in the town where the industry was basically born.

It exploded during the mid-1930s when Detective Comics launched Superman and followed it up about a year later with Batman.

In fact, the ties between New York and the worlds portrayed in comic books are so deep, the city appears in nearly all Marvel comic books and is the inspiration for DC's Gotham and Metropolis.

"We use New York as the canvas on which we paint all of our stories. It's the most important thing in the Marvel universe — almost more important than Spider-Man because it appears in almost every book, so we're really rooting for a New York show. It's important for the industry, and it's important for our fans," says Marvel Comics' Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada.

And from the New York Times (registration required):

Dan Buckley, the publisher of Marvel, described New York as "the nexus of our universe." In addition to being a focal point for the adventures of Marvel's heroes, "we have a lot of retailers here, a lot of readers, a lot of talent," he said.

The convention, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, has a split focus. Most of yesterday was geared toward comic book industry professionals; the rest of the convention is open to the public and devoted to fans, who pay $25 (for a one-day pass) to peruse the booths. Among the offerings for sale are not just comic books but also collectibles like a retro Tony the Tiger (of Frosted Flakes fame) action figure and superhero toys ranging from vintage to modern, from Aquaman to Invisible Woman (who comes in both a visible version and see-through), as well as cartoons, DVD's and lots of manga (Japanese comic books) and anime.

Many flesh-and-blood heroes are also scheduled to make appearances, like comic book authors including Brian Michael Bendis of "Ultimate Spider-Man" and Brad Meltzer, the thriller novelist who will be writing a Justice League of America series.

The organizers are hoping to attract 15,000 people; about 200 companies are hawking their products, 50 of them publishers of comics and other graphic fiction.

Newsarama and Comic Book Resources are on the scene covering all the panels and announcements, so be sure to check them out for news all weekend.