NYCC: protection and safety

By Robert “Rob Base” Greenwood

I never thought in a million years I’d have to write a post about education of safety for Comic Con attendees. Yet, unfortunately, here I am sitting on a crowded Brooklyn bound G train doing just that.

As of late, a lot of sexual harassment claims are being reported from Comic Cons around the US. One claim was of a man who strapped a Hero 2 (GoPro) camera to his chest and filmed himself hugging female Cosplayers.

Lets, first off, talk about something everyone needs to be clear and up front about. Please, please, I beg of you, DO NOT HUG STRANGERS! I don’t care if the sign they are carrying says free hugs or not.  Keep your body to yourself and/or people you know and feel safe around. The “free hug” signs are there to have strangers try to touch others, this is not safe.

Unwanted attention can be hard to avoid at the larger Cons like SDCC and NYCC, which are hugely packed and crowded. Also, as of late, not all attendees are actual fans of comics and pop culture. Some people (sad but true) treat it like a freak show.

People use the Con to film and ridicule our collective fan base and plaster it all over the internet for the non-enlightened to laugh and mock at. Do not engage in any conversations with people who may seem off, not dressed for the con, or are very rude and aggressive.

Unfortunately, profiling the “non-geeks” seems wrong and being a sub-culture who was mocked for being different, we really don’t want to profile the fan from the gawkers. Yet, in the end, safety comes first! Always remember that, more than likely, they will treat our sub-culture as a joke and mock or exploit you.

It’s very hard to expect help from volunteers and/or convention staff. They are only there to corral the huddled masses or if you are lost and need direction or see if you have badges. Instead of depending on staff, seek out uniformed police.

Booth people and Cosplayers, please try your best not to be left alone, and, if at all possible, try to travel with friends.  If you are at your booth or on the show floor, have a friend or fellow Cosplayer with you. It sounds scary (and perhaps a bit idiotic) but, in the end, humans in small or large groups aren’t always on their best behavior.

These seem like complex and unnecessary measures and maybe I am being the “scared parent,” but I have heard too many horror stories at the big cons and have seen too many jerks make wrong and unprofessional comments.

Be it GenCon’s Nazi paraphernalia or underwear that have printed phrases like “nothing wrong with a little sexual harassment” or idiots trying to take up skirt shots on escalators.

Regardless of occasional incidents, Comic Cons are really awesome, fun and downright enjoyable. Just take some precautions from this cynical old school New Yorker .

Agree or disagree? let me know, follow me on Twitter @AltMindz .

Maid Cafe New York

On August 11, 2013, my wife and I went to Maid Cafe New York, the first attempt of trying to bring the very popular Maid Cafe’s from Japan to the States.

In the past, makeshift maid cafes have been set up at the Anime and Comic Book conventions.

We have personally been to ones in Akihabara so, for the most part in our minds, we have this expectation of what should be done.

Each cafe has their own unique take. Some host as a Manga/Anime place where you can read Manga and even do voice over work in a sound booth. Some treat you very mean. Yet, most have this very traditional style of the servant/master relationship.

Mixing all the awesome Otaku flair with this very hands-on approach makes maid cafes a must-stop attraction while visiting Tokyo.

I never thought in a million years something so different as a maid cafe could be brought to the States. Yet, here we are for our 13th wedding anniversary with the hopes of getting a little taste of Tokyo in our collective tongues.

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Now let me first point out that the shop has not done it’s official opening so we attended a “beta” test of the shop. They haven’t even officially placed an awning
above the shop yet.

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The decor is pink and white and at least one of the servers was actually Japanese (which we feel should be a must since this is an import specialty shop).

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The other two servers where not readily able to speak Japanese. The owner spoke Japanese as well, so we are thankful that the person behind the shop is Japanese (Is it necessary for him to be? No, but it helps).

The shop is rather small for a maid cafe (not all maid cafes are really that big anyway). This shop could only legally hold at max 25-45 people standing. The tables are made of solid wood with green chairs which gives a nature feel to it.

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I do feel at this stage of the game that maybe having a LCD screen showing Anime like Maid Sama or just cute Anime characters would add more to this experience. This could bring a lot more fanboys and fangirls to shop. Maybe even having some Anime or Manga artwork of the Maid Cafe girls around the shop would boost the atmosphere.

Also, the music playing was smooth jazz while we where there. Once again, to get that awesome feeling, adding Anime soundtracks or famous J-Pop music or any modern Japanese music would add a new level of fun. I believe it would showcase the shop as something more than just a sweet shop and something very modern Tokyo.

With the decor aside, how was the food?
Unfortunately, I can’t speak about the Japanese Curry since it was not ready at the time we arrived. So my wife had a matcha green tea cheesecake with a green tea flavored bubble tea.

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I ordered a crepe with bananas and ice cream while drinking a famous Japanese soda, Ramune. The menu also consisted of shaved ice, hard boil eggs, different cakes and yogurt.

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With all this in mind, we shall wait until the official grand opening to give a full verdict as to how Maid Cafe NY measures up.

Follow me on Twitter @AltMindz

 

Graffitti artist Noxer’s first art show at Lowbrow Artique

By Ben Velazquez

 

NYC graffiti writer Noxer debuted his first show ever.

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The event took place at the Lowbrow Artique which is located in Bushwick Brooklyn

 

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a lot of people showed up and the event was a success.

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Legendary graffiti writers such as Easy, Sen4, ZAone, snatch one, scs yo, riot208, and Belize showed up to the event as well.

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Lowbrow sells graffiti materials such as markers, spray paints, art books, spray caps, t-shirts.

 

~Here is the art on display~

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If your strolling down central avenue in Bushwick Brooklyn make sure u pay these guys a visit. There located in 143 central avenue, Brooklyn NY .

Follow Rob on Twitter @AltMindz

Follow Ben on Twitter @BigBen1986

NYCC 2012:New York Comic-Con’s Minimates Tenth Anniversary Exhibit a Big Hit

Minimates celebrated their 10th birthday with a bang, as over 100,000 fans attended this past weekend’s New York Comic-Con, where the Minimates-related festivities were in full swing! An art exhibit, panel and two signings drew thousands of attendees, from die-hard Minimate fanatics to casual enthusiasts, and thousands of Minimates, pins and posters were given out over the course of the weekend. Manufacturer Diamond Select Toys also gave fans a glimpse at the future of the line!

Located on the lower level at the Jacob Javits Center, the Minimates 10th Anniversary Exhibit had over 400 Minimates on display — not even a third of the over 1400 Minimates that have been released over the years. Marvel and DC Comics characters were displayed alongside Minimates from <em>Star Trek</em>, <em>The Walking Dead, Ghostbusters</em> and <em>The Munsters</em>, and the walls were hung with original concept art, as well as promotional posters from movie-based Minimates lines like <em>Back to the Future</em> and <em>A Fistful of Dollars</em>.

The artists behind most of those posters, Minimates designers Uriel Caton and Barry Bradfield, were at the exhibit on Sunday to sign 500 Universal Monsters Minimates posters for exhibit attendees. They were also joined by Minimates product manager Robert Yee for a panel presentation on Minimates, during which they revealed the control art for next year’s 50th series of Marvel figures. The line-up for that series was voted on by over 10,000 Marvel.com visitors, and the release will coincide with the Marvel Minimates line’s 10th anniversary.

Minimates.com!