NYCC 2022: Friday Swag Brag

Yesterday was a weird convention day for me. Some of it, I had control over. Some, I did not. I did try my best to have a positive attitude, and I feel like I was successful in that, but I didn’t get nearly as much done as I had planned. For reasons, the haul is not very big for my first convention in two years, but there are some gems in there. 

From the Nacelle booth, where I sat down with Brian Volk-Weiss for an interview, I picked up three packs of Mark Spears Monsters trading cards. I am torn about whether to open these suckers up, because I’ve seen samples of the cards inside, and they are rad, but as it stands, they’re in pristine unopened condition. I’ll probably open them. Or not. But maybe.

I also snagged an edition of The Realm that I’ve had my eye on for a while. D&D inspired cover, signed by Jeremy Haun. This thing is gorgeous, and it includes a digital download of the Me Like Bees soundtrack to the series. 

Scored a few pro wrestling pieces. Dirk Manning’s collaboration with Tony Schiavone was too good to pass up. The voice of WCW during the Monday Night Wars lets it all hang out in this beautiful biographical book. 

Rikishi was signing at Heroes Hideout. He’s always good for a friendly chat. Grabbed a signed 8×10 glossy. 

In one of the weirder parts of my day on Friday, I met hardcore professional legend Mick Foley for a photo op. The weird part had nothing to do with Mick himself. There were just some very frustrating problems with Epic Photo Ops (which I’ll dive into in a separate piece). Mr. Foley is an absolutely delightful human. In a weird twist, I busted up my forehead a couple days before meeting The King Of Hardcore. He did not seem to mind.

I was also able to sneak into Chris Schweizer’s commission schedule for a sweet ass watercolor of Jackson from Rock Candy Mountain. 

At the Fandom party, there were giving out lanyard with commemorative enamel pins.

I have some ideas for stuff I NEED. Two more con days. Stay tuned.