#senyc2015

What is SENYC?

Like all cons, every convention needs it’s own “thing” to really make it stand out. If you strip NYCC down to just Artist Alley, throw in a few vendors and publishers to fill in the larger empty spaces and you have Special Edition NYC.

It’s actually really great, especially if you live in the area. You can come out, get stuff signed, do a little comic hunting, and a little geek shopping.

Let’s focus on 2015, the con’s second year.

The Location

Last year, SENYC was located in the far right side of Javitz Center. Javitz Center is clearly built for conventions, but is rather expensive for a small con like this. Also, it was a bit weird entering the Javitz Center, walking through an empty building to where NYCC’s Artist Alley is normally located. This year, SENYC moved to “Pier 94″. To be blunt, it was a mixed bag.

The Good

The outside area is great. Being close to the water is nice and the park next to the space seemed pretty pleasant. The walk from the Columbus Square subway stop wasn’t bad and food options are available within quick walking distance, unlike the Javitz Center. The cafeteria area in the back is spacious and never crowded, which is nice if you need to get off your feet for a bit. Also, the registers all used Square so there was never a long line while waiting to pay (the traditional POS systems are incredibly slow, usually causing lines to build up).

The Not So Good

The space is “garage-y”. Poor lighting, poor airflow, and exposed pipes and vents, and hard cement floors really made the space feel like a repurposed storage area than a proper con space. A sign that this is not a proper convention hall was the absence of separate rooms for panels. Instead, the con made do with two large areas separated by thick fabric curtains. The major issue with this is that it was hard to hear the panel you were in if another panel was going on at the same time. Also, with only 2 theaters, you were limited in the number of panels you could actually have. That being said, I don’t think the limited panels were a terrible move. With such a small con, I imagine it just made more sense to have 2 theaters and limited panel selection. Schedule-wise, it’s nice to only have to decide between two panels at any given time, rather than NYCC’s daunting schedule.

The Not Good at All

The park across the street from the con was full of creepy men catcalling at cosplayers. It was pretty unpleasant to see, and I’m sure it was more unpleasant to experience. The space itself seemed adequate, but was largely taken up by a long line for NYCC tickets (which speaks to NYCC’s current ticketing problems, but that’s another post).

Artist Alley

Artist Alley is clearly the heart of this con, and it’s awesome. If you’re in to meeting creators and even meeting new comic creators, this is a goldmine. Because of the smaller crowds at SENYC, you can spend more time at each booth and chat a bit. Everyone is pretty friendly (I love stopping by amyreeder​ and bmontclare​‘s booth at every con to show my support for Rocket Girl — You are reading Rocket Girl, right?) and it’s just a fun time.

Exhibitors & Everything Else

Admittedly, there are less exhibitors here than at typical cons, but that’s kind of the point. The floorspace is largely dedicated to comics and comic creators. There are a few booths selling toys and collectibles (finally spotted —and purchased— a Gamora Hot Toy in the wild!). I would have liked to have seen more publishers have a presence here. valiantentertainment​​ had a small booth, but Marvel, Boom! Studios, IDW, and Image were absent. In their place was the large midtowncomics​ booth which was there to sell you any trades or recent comics you may be looking for. In my experience, I just like buying trades from the publishers at cons. Prices are usually better and it’s just nice to meet the people who help get those things from the creators to your hands.

You also have your back issue vendors, which I absolutely love. I’m on the hunt for two issues in particular: Tomb of Dracula #10 and Strange Tales #180 to fill out my Blade and Gamora collections. Sure enough, I found booths that had BOTH in pretty good condition. If you’re hunting for stuff, SENYC’s exhibitors likely have it.

Wrap Up