The week of New York Comic Con in October had tons of events and tons of cons happening all over. There was no way one could swing everything. No matter what route you go, you will miss something. I ended up doing what seemed both logistically and financially feasible and getting what I could get.
No rest for the weary as I was just a couple of days after Bob Odenkirk at Bookends, I ended up back to Bookends for the Arnold singing. I had no ticket to meet him, but that's ok cause I have two ops with him and had no need for bearded old man Arnold. I wound up having someone get a book signed for me. Then it was off to NYC.
I get into the city to the "easy" show spot where I missed a couple of names a few days ago. Got Bobby Cannavale to sign for me (no need to ask for another op), I got Denis O'Hare to sign and do the op (fresh), and I got autos from David Hyde Pierce. The spot (and evening) ends with an update from actor Steven Pasquale. Director Joe Mantello remembered me from the other night.
Next day start up at NYCC. This year due to the strike NYCC was not very lucrative. A lot of paid meets and almost no free meets. So I decided to sell my 4 day pass for a profit. I then bought a Thursday pass off of ebay for slightly below retail. I start outside as I get an op with actress Diana Lee Inosanto. Considering she was on my list of people to possibly pay for, a good start.
Went inside and stood in line for a free Futurama signing with a bunch of the writers from the show. The signing was nice and smooth as I got free combos with Peter Avanzino, Edmund Fong, Crystal Chesney-Thompson, Claudia Katz, Lee Supercinski, and David X. Cohen. Then via split I get an upgrade with Juliet Landau from Buffy and Angel (she has shades in my old op).
Then I go to the Animaniacs panel in an attempt to get a photo op with Tom Ruegger. But I fail on that front. Then I go to his table and manage to score a free op. Next up the panel with director Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2). I met him at a previous NYCC but I figured I'd get an upgraded shot plus autos. This went very smoothly as he was nice. Also got producer Courtney Solomon. Then I go back outside to wait for director Jason Blum. Manage to score him and get another photo op with Diane Guerrero.
I left NYCC and went to another spot to try and get Nathan Lane. Other people were present but no one I really needed. I arrive there and made it just in time. But sadly he blanks. I get yet another photo op with John Mulaney.
Go to the next spot to wait for Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz. It was either this or exits for the Nathan Lane spot. So I chose this. Wait and wait with a mob of combo hunters. Eventually they come in. Penelope does autos no ops going in and Adam stops for autos. By MIRACLE I get the only photo op Adam did! SCORE as he was the last big name I still needed from the sequel Star Wars trilogy! Waited for exits and got an update/upgrade with Penelope Cruz as Adam left and did nothing.
Go to the last spot for the evening and get some autos from JJ Abrams (no need for another op).
The next day it was off to Gettysburg, PA for actor Billy Campbell. Arrive at the first location where he and Stephen Lang are doing a signing. They were trying to forbid items outside of the movie Gettysburg. But Billy is nice as can be and Lang begrudgingly does one for me (didn't need another photo op with him especially the bad mood he was in).
To the next signing at a pub, I get a combo with Gettysburg director Ron Maxwell (on my laserdisc already signed by the main actors), actor Brian Mallon, and actor John Rothman. Then the next location I get actors Bo Brinkman and Patrick Gorman. Then the next spot I get author Jeff Shaara. And finally the last spot for Maxwell Caulfield and James Lancaster (have Maxwell but needed James) but the event was done by the time I got there.
Off to King of Prussia, PA for the Ozzy event. I had no plans to spend money on Ozzy or his family (already have Ozzy and Sharon). All I got at this event were free ops with actor David Dastmalchian and horror publisher Jim Warren.
I wanted to get the 2 girls from the new Exorcist (Lidya Jewett and Olivia O Neill). But they had a high auto price with free ops. In what is one of the most baffling experiences, I offered the handler half that price for only the op and she outright refused. The entire time I was there the girls were doing basically nothing, even leaving the table and playing around the con area. In fact the whole time I was there I think JOresky was their only customer. Yet they refused my hard cash for simply snapping a photo. Before leaving and as they were packing up I offered them one last chance to take my money and they declined. Doesn't seem like a good business decision on their part to let cash like that walk away.
At this point it was decision time. Do I go to NYC for one more day of NYCC or do I go home? I had a seller for a Saturday pass. But with the price of the pass coupled with expensive photo ops and practically no free ops and on top of that Chiller, RICC, and other stuff coming up, I decided to go home and live to fight another day.
Wake up next day and head to Nightmare Weekend in Richmond. My final event for the week in the week of a million events. My main goal is Joe Dante, director of Gremlins. First up I get actor Griffin Dunne to complete my American Werewolf in London laserdisc and get the fresh op. Then a free op with radio host Dave Schrader. Actor Ian McCulloch is sitting by himself, unlike the Exorcist girls he actually cuts a deal with me and takes half the price for an op only.
The Chiodo Brothers (3 brothers who did a lot of puppets and effects for films) were there signing. I scored a free photo op with all 3. And finally got Joe Dante. I had a Gremlins laserdisc signed by Stephen Spielberg. But after much thought I decided to save money on the auto and keep the item a Spielberg only item.
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