Big Apple Con At Penn Plaza Pavilion Nov 18 – 20, 2005 Written by Keith C. Smith Photographed by Angelo Rivera

If you were walking the streets of New York this month and noticed that the streets were filled with a lot of people dressed as Darth Vader or Captain America, it was because this month was Big Apple Con at the Penn Plaza Pavilion.

From Nov 18th – 20th, comic book fans flooded the convention center to view some of the largest comic collections in the world. Visitors traded and haggled over comics like they were stocks on Wall Street. Every comic, from Archie to Dragonball Z, was present. Appraisers had tables set up where they graded various collections. Toys from comics, movies and TV were also present, allowing participants to reminisce about their childhoods (two weeks ago in my case).

For those not looking to purchase, there were plenty of free comics and souvenirs. Most notably, Denny Fincke, the artist for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," drew custom sketches which he gave to fans on the spot.

Andy Lee	Andy MacDonald and Ivan Brandon

Guy Dorian

Surprisingly, many attendees were not fans of comic books at all. They just wanted a chance to meet the many celebrity guests. So many fans came to meet Carrie Fisher (Star Wars Trilogy) that they had to take numbers, and even then, some were asked to come back the next day. Peter Tork (The Monkees) was more accessible, taking the time to chat with anyone who came by his booth. Ray Park (Star Wars: Episode 1) and Daniel Logan (Star Wars: Episode 2) rounded out the names of sci-fi stars. On the fantasy side of the guest list was Devon Murray, Matthew Lewis and Jamie Walett - dubbed "The Harry Potter Kids."

A new phenomenon to this year’s con is the popularity of amateur movies. Several fan- made Batman and Star Wars movies were available and thought the acting was never Academy Award winning, the overall quality was decent.

For those with more "mature" tastes, Playboy Magazine's "Miss October," Cathy St. George and fellow model Jasmine Maid signed photographs. Numerous adult oriented comics and magazines could also be found throughout the con, and compared to last year, the number is growing.

“That’s the great thing about this event,” one trader told me, “it’s not all sci-fi and superheroes. Action, drama, comedy, horror - at Big Apple Con, there is something for everyone.”