Mattel's Faker Statue guarded to the entrance to this year's NY Comic Con, held at the Jacob Javitz Center in Manhattan.
Call it a United Nations of pop culture or a comic fan’s Shangri-La. Either way, when NY Comic Con rolls into the Jacob Javits Center, one thing is for certain - - those in attendance let their geek flags fly.
Men and women dawn the iconic red, blue and yellow known to the Last Son of Krypton, Superman. Jedi Knights and Sith Lords engage in intense light-saber battles for bragging rights and not for galactic domination. And the true heroes of the day - - the men and women who created these and many other timeless characters - - sign autographs and take pictures with the star-struck visiting public.
“The fans are so dedicated,” said actor Aaron Douglas of the Sci-Fi Channel’s “Battlestar Galactica.” “They just need an outlet. So you get a great event like Comic-Con to finally give them a venue to show their appreciation. I love coming to these things.”
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When New York State established a tax break program for television and movie productions in 2004, it made for an appealing and lucrative proposition for Hollywood’s elite moviemakers.
And the Hollywood producers came in droves. Last year, New York State reserved more refund money than ever before — $515 million – a figure set to last through 2013. However, filmmakers exhausted the entire amount in 10 short months.
Now, the governor wants to cut the plan. It’s a classic Catch-22: you have to spend money to make money, but the government doesn’t have any money to spend.
And the exodus to Canada’s Great White North has begun.
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Brooklyn’s Vinegar Hill gets its name from a famous battle in Ireland where Irish revolutionists fought the British in 1798. Now, the neighborhood is the front line for a different kind of battle - - one with civic change.
Historic World War II Navy residences blend with ultra modern, high-rise luxury residences. Abandoned storefronts and warehouses sit face to face with upstart art galleries and mom and pop storefronts. Old timers and neighborhood newcomers, singles and families alike, share walking and jogging space on the narrowly paved European-esque city blocks.
“Vinegar Hill shows the signs of a changing landscape,” said local artist Nicholas Evans-Cato. “It makes an impression that it is this mysterious time capsule because people really don’t know it exists.”
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