Wizard Entertainment took over the reins of the Big Apple Comic Con this year. Figures and More traveled to the show to see what it was all about Big Apple Comic Con is the “little sister” of New York Comic Con. Not nearly as big as NYCC, it is still an interesting show with a fairly eclectic guest list. However, this was Wizard’s first ever show in New York, and there were some first time issues. For starters, none of the major Comic book companies exhibited at the show. That’s right, NO MARVEL, NO DC, NO IMAGE! The show is called COMIC CON!, they should have at least had some presence. Second, the show was plagued by guest delays and cancellations. Saturday’s main guest, William Shatner, could not make it. In addition, Gary Coleman cancelled.

However, that’s not to say that the event was a total loss. In fact, there were several very cool things I saw at the show.

First off, the best booth award goes to Nintendo. They created a spectacular show space with separate Wii demo areas and three separate DS demo areas. The Wii demo areas showcased the previously released Wii Fit Plus and the soon to be released New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The DS demo areas showed off the previously released games Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box and the E3 demo for the highly anticipated Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, due to be released this Holiday Season. Here is a quick rundown on the games shown.

Wii Fit Plus is the newly released sequel to the bestselling Wii Fit. This title again uses the innovative Balance Board peripheral. It introduces new fitness games, as well as full customizable exercise routines.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a new side scrolling adventure in the classic Super Mario vein. It features the new Penguin and Propeller suit power ups and a series first: four player co-op.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is the second game in the Professor Layton series and sees the good Professor and his apprentice, Luke, exploring the mystery surrounding the death of Layton’s mentor and a mysterious artifact. It features all new brain-bending puzzles.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is the third game in the series and features the return of fan favorite villain Fawful. Hilarious dialogue, a great story and the unique gameplay aspect of playing inside the body of the Koopa King make this a can’t miss title.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks features the young Link again adventuring through the realm. This time, however, he has a cannonball firing train for transportation. In my hands on with the game, I used the DS’ microphone to activate a cyclone weapon that blows away poison smoke and activates switches.

The Nintendo employees demonstrating the game were engaging and attentive, dressed in Mario and Luigi caps and white gloves. They seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs and their enthusiasm was infectious. I got to play the co-op of New Super Mario Bros. and it was a great deal of fun. Nintendo should have another hit on their hands this November.

Also at the show was our good friend Geoff Beckett from Shocker Toys. Shocker has had a great year, post Toy Fair. Their Indie Spotlight Series One figures were released and have been selling very well. Buoyed by this success, Geoff is now preparing for the launch of Series Two. Geoff has also created some amazing convention exclusive pieces, one for SDCC and one for this show. In addition to the Indie Spotlight series, Shocker has released a unique line of larger collector figures called Mallows, which will come in both licensed and non-licensed varieties. Geoff also told us that Shocker is setting up new offices. More information on that will be available in the coming months. Series one and two of the Indie Spotlight line were displayed at the show, With the Series Two standout being the Tick. Indie Spotlight Series One is in stores now and features Katchoo (Strangers in Paradise), Shadowhawk (Shadowhawk), SCUD (SCUD: The Disposable Assassin), Kabuki (Kabuki). There are also two variant figures of SCUD (SCUD Sol) and Shadowhawk (Black Costume) and the Series’ “Mega” Figure: The Maxx (The Maxx). Indie Spotlight Series Two is scheduled for release later this year and includes Dick Tracy (Dick Tracy), Ignacia (Wildguard), Zombie King (Zombie King) and Jack Staff (Jack Staff). In addition, there are two variant figures of Dick Tracy (w/ trenchcoat) and Zombie King (different paint deco) and the Series’ “Mega” figure: The Tick! (The Tick). Each series also has a mail away figure, for those who collect all of the figures. The mail away for Series One is the Maxx’s perisitent foe Mr. Gone. The mail away for Series Two is the Tick’s long suffering sidekick Arthur. These figures look great and I, for one, am happy to see Geoff get a measure of vindication. Coming in the near future are reviews of two of Shocker’s Indie Spotlight figures, so stay tuned.

Also at this show was a parade of celebrities from the worlds of Sports, TV and Movies. At this show, I was able to meet, among others, Adam West, Julie Newmar, Former WWE SuperStars Lillian Garcia, Candice Michelle, Molly Holly and Christy Hemme, The Iron Shiek, Nikolai Volkoff, Brent Spiner, Loretta Switt and Pete Rose. It was great to meet some of these people, especially Mr. West and Ms. Newmar, who were a big part of my childhood through Batman, and the former WWE Divas, who were all very gracious.

There were some things at the show which either didn’t fall into a clear cut category or were too weird to classify. For example, this is the first comic book convention I have been to which featured vehicles. The original 1960’s Batmobile was in attendance, as well as the DeLorean from Back to the Future. I went back to my childhood as a booth for a store called “The Encounter” in Allentown, PA. Displayed at their booth were the original display boxes for the 1980’s G.I. Joe Headquarters, U.S.S. Flagg, and Space Shuttle Defiant playsets, some of whoch still had the original Child World price stickers on them. It warmed my heart and brought back fond memories to see these boxes. I was also privilaged to see a display of drawings from the original Mickey Mouse cartoon, drawn before the release of Steamboat Willie. It was very cool to see this pieces of hand drawn animation history. There was also an amazing chalk artist doing a drawing of Pider-man and Batman. Finally, I saw a booth displayed a long dormant property called The Outer Space Men. This property has some really great elements to it and it’s owners are beginning a revival. I have been in communication with the property owners and will be presenting a special feature on this property in the near future.

All in all, Wizard is off to the right start with Big Apple Comic Con. It was an enjoyable, if somewhat incomplete experience. Wizard needs to get the major publishers like DC and Marvel onboard if they want this show to reach the same status as NYCC. I will be interested to see what changes are made for next year.

Here are some images from the show. Click on a thumbnail to make the picture bigger. Pictures taken by Peter Trifiatis.