A Reply and an Apology to Neil Kleid, et al

On his blog, Neil Kleid posted an open letter to, well me, but really NYCC management about the fact that this year the con falls on Passover. This is a point that we are not happy about, but felt was almost completely unavoidable. You can read Neil's entire letter here (including comments). I'll post my reply below to save space, but please read Neil's letter, it's well written, fair and articulate......

Dear Neil,

Thanks for the open letter, my name is Lance Fensterman, and I run New York ComicCon. Needless to say, I'm none too happy about the Passover situation either, so let's get that out of the way right off the bat - we are really sorry about this and certainly intended no disrespect towards anyone. The unfortunate reality is that these were the dates we were given at the Javits Center. Javits is unlike most places in that the demand for the space far outstrips the availability, so customers, such as NYCC, are left with little to no choice as to what dates we are given.

While this is not an excuse, we took the April dates because we thought they were the best dates we had to pick from, which is to say the only dates we had to pick from! Our other choice was to be in February in space that we have already outgrown (the show will almost double in size form 07 to 08), April, or skip a year. We made the “best” of the poor choices we had. We completely regret that they fall on Passover but I hope it is accepted that this is not out of a lack of respect or concern to the fans, creators, exhibitors or anyone else associated with the con. I totally understand how you might feel "insulted", but this decision was not made out of malice towards you or people of the Jewish faith.

Again, I'm really sorry for the situation and so sorry that you and other observing Jews may not be at NYCC this year ... this fact brings me absolutely no joy....

Lance Fensterman
Con Director
New York ComicCon

New York ComicCon Teams up with IGN.com to Bring Hollywood to NYCC!

Hollywood is coming to New York ComicCon like never before - we've teamed up with the gang at IGN.com to bring in major studio screenings and talent and have even named the main room at NYCC the IGN.com Theatre.

So what does this mean for you? It means that in the next few weeks we'll be rolling out announcements for huge screenings and talent at this years con. For starters, a little something to whet your appetite - I are also pleased to reveal that New Line Cinema has already confirmed its presence in The IGN.com Theater, previewing upcoming films including Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (in theaters April 25th) and Journey to The Center of the Earth 3D (in theaters July 11th). And this is only the beginning!

IGN.com is obviously huge in gaming (more to announce on the gaming front very soon) but they are serious players in Hollywood. I hung out with a few of the IGN boys over fine Brazilian food when I was out in L.A. earlier this month, and I gotta tell you, if half of what we discussed comes to light, you are going to be amazed.

Stay tuned for more huge screening and talent announcements for the IGN.com Theatre coming soon. Trust me, get tickets now or you'll be green with envy for missing out.......

-L

New York Center for Independent Publishing Goes Splatt!

The New York Center for Independent Publishing is creating its first ever graphic novel symposium called SPLAT! NYCIP is a great organization that BookExpo has supported for many years, and now I'm happy to say that New York ComicCon will be supporting SPLAT! In fact I'm leaving now for a planning meeting for the event.

You can read a PW Comic article about it here.

You can visit the SLPAT! website here.

And here are a few details about the SPLAT!:

The 1st Annual Graphic Novel Symposium will take place on Saturday, March 15 (between 9am and 5pm) at the New York Center of Independent Publishing (20 West 44th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues).

The conference will feature some of the movers and shakers from the graphic book world including: Jim Killen; David Saylor, Raina Telgemeier, Ted Rail, CB Cebulski, Bob Mecoy, R Sitayak, Nick Bertozzi and Charles Brownstein.

There will be three different tracks of insightful panels, seminars and workshops scheduled between 9am to 5pm, to be followed by the SPLAT Gala Reception. The first track will feature panels on topics including “Who Reads Graphic Novels” and “How to Get Published”. The second track will consist of hands-on workshops on subjects such as “Story Telling” and “Where to Start with Art”; and the final track will be aimed at librarians with seminars including: acquisition, shelving, censorship, manga, and graphic novels for adults and teens.

The cost of the day long Symposium will be $125; this will include lunch and the Gala Reception with the keynote speaker (tba).

-L

Gogai! Gogai! New York Comic Con Movie Club!

It's my second week in the Communications Dome on Level 44-C of BEA Tower. There's a bit of water leaking in from the Aquasphere next door, and, while I'm a bit concerned, Lance says it's nothing to worry about. I guess, but I really have to wonder why he put all our satellite uplinks, sensitive electronics, and margarita maker next to his glorified kiddy pool. I've got to question, too, what deep sea research has to do with BookExpo America, New York Comic Con, or the New York Anime Festival.

Last time I saw Lance, he was trying to cultivate a race of giant krill shrimp. Why? He won't tell me his plan for the monstrous zooplankton, but I can only hope they're the main course for a gala reception and not a personal army. But, even if he is planning on serving them up at BEA, I have to doubt a lot of attendees will dig into a slippery, slimy beastie that more than slightly resembles Hogsqueal.

Who's Hogsqueal? He's a hobgoblin from The Spiderwick Chronicles who, born without teeth, tries to steal children's chompers under the guise of the tooth fairy. Speaking of The Spiderwick Chronicles, New York Comic Con and the New York Anime Festival are giving away 100 free pairs of tickets to a sneak preview screening of the movie later this week. (Damn, that transition was smooth.)

We've got a lot of great stuff going on with New York Comic Con and the New York Anime Festival and, as such, not all of it gets talked about as much as I'd like it to. One of the my favorite aspects about both shows that really hasn't ever been talked about officially is the New York Comic Con Movie Club. Working with some great friends in the movie industry, the New York Comic Con Movie Club gives out free tickets to advance screenings all year long. Anyone who buys a ticket to New York Comic Con or the New York Anime Festival is automatically added to the Movie Club, and the entire Movie Club is e-mailed at least once a month with news about the latest sneak preview. To get tickets, you just gotta be quick as I send them out to the first 100 who respond.

I want to get a Movie Club page added to the New York Comic Con and New York Anime Festival websites soon -- maybe even with some pictures from the screenings -- as I think this is one of the most unique and rewarding perks for being part of either Comic Con or the Anime Fest, and, like I said, it's not something we really publicize.

I should get on that and draft up some New York Comic Con Movie Club pages and bullet points this afternoon, but right now, it's almost lunch time, which means it's time to pay a visit to the margarita maker.

The Fate of Indy Bookstores? Or Shoddy Journalism in Minnesota.....

I just came across an article in the MinnPost on Birch Bark Books, author Louise Erdrich's bookstore in Minneapolis. The article uses Birch Bark as an example of the troubling state of Independent Bookstores. The piece cites fallen Twin Cities indy’s including the store I used to run, Bound to be Read, and quotes my good friend Martin Schmutterer (who I worked with at Bound to be Read and who’s liver I helped assault during the ABA Winter Institute in Louisville this weekend). Be sure to read through to the comments after the article in which Erdrich and Schmutterer question the writers fairness and accuracy – both express themselves extremely well.

The piece is interesting as it poses questions about the future of independent bookstores in our communities and also throws a focus on my old book selling community of the Twin Cities. Blogger Chad Post of the University of Rochester (NY) just visited the state a few weeks ago and wrote some great posts on his blog about how rich the literary scene is in the Twin Cities. So it does beg the question? Why do all these independent bookstore struggle so mightily in the Twin Cities? Minneapolis was recently ranked the most literate city in the country, and St. Paul was also in the top 5 (Sarah corrected me in the comments section, The Mighty STP was TOP 3!). It’s so cold there 7 months out of the year that there isn’t anything else to do but read, so why the struggles?

After spending a weekend at the Winter Institute where there was a lot of talk about shopping local and subsequently reading the MinnPost article (shoddily written as it may have been) reminds me to take care in how I choose to spend my dollars. I'm not implying we should only shop and buy from independent locally owned businesses, but what I am implying is that you are making a decision when you don’t, and those decisions have consequences. If you love your local businesses - buy from them.

Here ends my sermon.

-L