Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery
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New York Comic-Con, October 12-15, 2023
Well it was great to see everyone at NYCC. Missed a few folks of course, but saw quite a few, so I think I will take the win. I might have some issues with this show, but it still has one of the best Artist Alley’s around.
New York Comic-Con, October 12-15, 2023
A few of the terrific creators at NYCC.
See you on Tuesday for another great group, and the wrap-up.
New York Comic-Con, October 12-15, 2023
October 12-15, 2023
My first trip back since 2019. The Convention expansion has provided (some) breathing room, but it still felt like it took forever to get from point A to point B. Of course, I am four years older…
Daredevil #100, October 2007
New York Comic Con takes place this week at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, located right at the southwest end of Hell’s Kitchen.
For non-New Yorkers who only know the neighborhood as grimly depicted in Daredevil (comics or the Netflix TV series) I will break it to you gently. Hell’s Kitchen ain’t what it used to be.
Sure, when I was a kid in the ‘70s, even the ‘80s, it was rough. Just walking the eight grimy blocks from Penn Station to Port Authority on the main avenue was a scary adventure. Among other lovely sights, I once witnessed an entire squad of police, in full tactical gear, clear out a tenement of drug addicts and dealers. It was not a peaceful bust. (Wish we had smartphones in those days.) I definitely received an unintended education in that part of town.
But now? Just like nearby Times Square, the neighborhood has been gentrified and scrubbed over time. That block where I saw the drug building invaded back in the day? You can find a really good hipster cookie shop there now.
And with the completion of a nearby subway extension a few years ago, real estate development is on fire. Hell’s Kitchen is — wait for it — a hot part of town.
This cool photo-realistic Daredevil page — sans Daredevil — from artist Michael Lark, isn’t that old. An artist’s rendition that’s definitely based on historic reputation rather than current reality, and a piece of art that I enjoy without any misguided nostalgia for a once crime-infested community. Maybe Daredevil needs to move to a tougher neighborhood.
Me? I’m going to walk each day to Javits during the convention. And probably stop along the way to grab a cookie.
