The first ever New Jersey Comic Expo found a home at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison this past weekend. The two-day event featured a ton of awesome celebrity guests, artists, writers, and, of course, comic books.
After years of successful conventions in Long Beach, MAD Event Management made their East Coast debut on Saturday, November 21st and Sunday, November 22nd with the New Jersey Comic Expo. The family-friendly event welcomed fans of all types to enjoy two days’ worth of fun.
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While sifting through bins of comics and admiring the creative works of art, Expo-goers could witness families, friends, and couples roaming through the aisles dressed as their favorite heroes or villains. Batmobiles from different eras, the Mystery Machine, the famous DeLorean, and Knight Rider‘s KITT all drove over to the convention to give fans of their respective movies and television shows some sensational entertainment. Even the Ghostbusters took a trip out to Edison to take part in all of the excitement.
“Because this was the first exposition, I didn’t really know what to expect. And it was incredible just how many people showed up,” says Tom Coffman, one of Saturday’s attendees.
“What stood out to me,” Tom goes on to say, “was all of the artists and their works. I’m a sucker for art, and I think if you’re into comics that is a requirement. So seeing all of the art really captivated me, and made me wish I could have bought a lot more than I did.”
Resembling the more familiar Comic Con, the New Jersey Comic Expo incorporates a wonderful “Artist Alley,” featuring a number of popular artists including Ethan Van Sciver, Mark Bagley, Ivan Reis, and Rags Morales. Also just like Comic Con, the artists and comic book writers were elated to meet and interact with all of their fans throughout the long days. Plus, attendees who own a piece of their artwork or one of their comic books could get signatures for those items (sometimes for a fee).
The Comic Expo also encompasses a creative “Cosplay Corner” for all of the attending cosplayers. The authenticity of professional cosplayers is tremendous, but it is just as astonishing to see the number of guests who design some of the most realistic-looking costumes of the event. Countless people dressed as Marvel and DC heroes and villains, with many making it a family affair, like the Batman and Robin father-and-son duo who were mirror images of the popular comic book characters.
Though the event heavily emphasized comics, the exposition also featured a number of television and movie stars like Drea de Matteo, Tommy Walker, Amy Acker, Chase Masterson, and Ashley Massaro, who provided photo ops and autographs for their many fans.
We cannot, however, forget about the comic books. As the title of the event suggests, the exposition center was filled with various comic book vendors selling their comic collections.
The collections varied from stand to stand; brand new comics were easy to find for their printed price, but those that dug a little deeper could find vintage copies of their favorite heroes for a little more. In some cases, vendors displayed their rare comics for hundreds of dollars. With the hundreds of thousands of comic books for sale at the event, fans were given the opportunity to finally piece together their own uncompleted sets, or could alternatively buy the sets of comics that the vendors had already put together. In either case, the long days were just long enough to rummage through all the boxes at every stand.
The first ever New Jersey Comic Expo in Edison delivered an incredible time for families and friends this past weekend. The event provided comic book lovers of all ages an opportunity to immerse themselves in the eccentric and cosmopolitan culture of comics, art and cosplay. Patrons scattered throughout the exposition center, digging through boxes of comics and browsing through stacks of collectables or art, all the while enjoying the presence of the creative cosplayers who basked in much-deserved attention. The exposition was two days of absolute fun for every comic book lover who attended. Now, attendees can all look forward to its return next Fall.
Hero (Top) Feature: © Patrick Lombardi / Best of NJ
