The 10th year of the annual Anime Boston Convention has come to a close, and it was the con’s biggest year yet (despite the fact that PAX East was going on at exactly the same time.) For Toonari Post,  here’s what happened on the third day including some final impressions of the con overall.

The third day had even less of a crowd than Friday, but there were still a few hundred cheerful people walking around, in and out of costumes, getting their pictures taken, and buying some last-minute merch from the Dealer’s Hall and Artists’ Alley.

The Closing Ceremonies were the main draw for Sunday con-goers, and the lines started forming an hour before the auditorium doors opened at 3pm. There was a skit at the beginning with A-chan and B-kun, the con mascots, followed by a recognition of the volunteers who had been with and helped make the con for the past 10 years.

While the names and pictures of the 10-year volunteers displayed on the projectors, the Gotta Catch ‘em All song from Pokemon began playing, and partway through, everyone started to sing along. There were some guest speakers and videos and finally the Japanese and other guests came out and walked up and down the catwalk to applause.

Before the Closing Ceremonies though, we managed to steal some time in the gaming room down the hall. Here, there were eight retro consoles set up, ranging from Atari to N64. For the first time we really got to sit down and play with, and talk to, some of the other con-goers. It’s amazing how a convention can facilitate such a level of spontaneous friendship between strangers.

We sat down next to a young guy playing Tetris Attack for the SNES and started a two-player game. As we played, almost everyone that walked by us stopped and commented on the game, how it should have had a tournament at the con, how they hadn’t played it in ages but still remembered it from childhood. When we finished with ‘Bomberman,’ we moved on to the next open console.

Next up was ‘Super Bomberman.’ We spent some time and had some fun learning what the special feature of each stage was (and usually got ourselves killed in the process). Ultimately we lost to the computer each time, but we had such a good time playing with one another that it didn’t really matter. As we played, we also extolled the virtues of these old single-button games, where the focus is on strategy, without any complicated controls to get in the way of the goal.

After that, we went over to the N64, which at that moment had no game in it. Fortunately, a girl came over shortly after with a bag of her own N64 games and a group formed to play some classic 4-player games: Mario Kart 64, Mario Party, Super Smash Bros, and so on. Everyone was so genial, it was like being amongst a group of my own friends.

We also managed to get to a few panels, most of them led by guests of the con, rather than staff. They were people who cared passionately about the subjects they wanted to speak about, such as the guy who led the Tokusatsu panel on Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, and (briefly) kaiju such as Godzilla.

He and his friend, who came in a very detailed and convincing Kamen Rider costume, seemed to know the series as deeply and intimately as anyone could. As he spoke about the individual Super Sentai rangers, he did their poses and spoke their names in the deep, dramatic sort of Japanese you hear in those shows.

He had watched all the series, even if they weren’t subtitled, and seemed to identify more with Japan than North America when he spoke. I was also amazed at how vocal the fan-base of these series were. One of the girls in the audience began heckling him when he slighted her favorite season of Kamen Rider; and when prompted, part of the crowd would call out something in Japanese and do a gesture associated with one character or another.

For a first-time visitor to the Anime Boston convention, it sort of had a feeling of Disney World. Kids and adults would come and take pictures with their favorite mascots, visit all the attractions, then go back to the hotel at night. The only difference, though it’s a major one, is that everything at AB comes from the fans themselves. There is very little industry support, aside from the guests and occasional Funimation or Viz panel.

The cumulative effect is that Anime Boston is much more a “community” than big industry conventions like PAX. You may come for the first time wondering what you’ll find–what do you do at an anime convention, watch videos all day?–, and realize you’ve found a community. This is especially true if you’re in high school and have a hard time making friends there. The con is a place where it’s hard for anyone to take themselves too seriously, and the barriers between people come down.

Whether you are into tabletop games like D&D and Magic: The Gathering, or video games, or cosplay, or steampunk, or dancing, or anything else geeky, there is a community at Anime Boston waiting to welcome you like an old friend.

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Saturday morning dawned on Anime Boston showing the expected increase in crowds than the average Saturday normally brings. Parents were often seen with their children, some as young as 10 years old, standing in line to get into the convention.

This was an interesting facet of Anime Boston, where whole families showed up. From the young preteen boy, who has a fascination with giant robots, or the teenaged older sister that not only spoke Japanese but read it fluently as well. The more traditional age of Anime Boston attendees fell into the typical age group of older teenagers and the early to mid 20′s adults.

Another key difference was evident in the artist alley for which a strange but not entirely unexpected shift took place. Fans noticed that several key artists, some of which created stuffed plushie toys or other types of art outside the traditional medium, had left the convention.

This could possibly be because of reasons unrelated to attending the convention, but more than 1 artist was noted to be missing on Saturday that had been in attendance on Friday. Perhaps they had just wanted to sell what artwork they could on one day and head back home? Regardless, some of these artists were missed by fans, one in which did make plushie toys and it’s a shame that they left.

By mid day, many of the higher quality lanyards had been replaced in favor of thinner cheaper string. It’s likely that the anticipated need for the badges was miscalculated since lines to purchase individual day tickets were still somewhat long. While 20 or 30 minutes to wait in line to order to get a badge for the convention wasn’t bad, that was calculated just after noon. Earlier in the day, the lines were reported to be much longer, requiring an extra room to be opened for standing.

In the extra room, the panels for Mecha illustrator David White were jam packed with people standing in the back while he spoke. David White has been an illustrator of Mecha for Games such as MechWarrior 4, Black Knight and MechWarrior 4 Mercenaries. He has also been a featured artist in several of the “How to Draw” book series, including “50 Robots to Draw and Paint” and ‘Mecha Mania”.

Another panel that took place at Anime Boston on Saturday was the Funimation industry panel where coverage of that panel is included here with previews for movies, TV episodes and glimpses into the past and present of anime fans.

The Plushie tutorial workshops were not only packed, but promised to teach, for a small fee, the ability to construct a specific set of Plushie toys. This effort was hit or miss, as learning how to make Plushies in under 2 hours is a hard effort by any reasonably intelligent Anime Fan. Still, some did succeed, owing to previous needle and threading experience while others lagged behind. The following panel after Plushie toys was naturally, Plushie Weapons.

The swap meet, which took place both Friday and Saturday, was an interesting piece of commerce for Anime Boston fans. If you had some items that you wanted to offload from your collection, this was the place to do it. Fans traded manga, action figures, toys, as well as other Anime trinkets.

Stepping into this room almost certainly required both buyers and sellers to haggle over what they were willing to trade with another member of the panel. Therefore, it paid off to know the worth of not only the items you had in your possession, but the item that you wanted in trade at the Swap Meet Panel.

Let’s not forget the Swordsmanship from the ‘Around the World’ panel or the Mock Combat for the ‘Cosplay’ Panel. Its intermediate level of combat as Friday was its beginners day, the mock combat panel kicked it up a notch for Saturday. Other notable panels run by guests included a historical panel on the history of Japanese Animation, Metal Gear Science panels, as well as a slew of Anime TV Episodes in the viewing rooms.

There were several 18+ ID required panels this evening as well, for which several were in the video rooms while others were more interactive. A viewing of Funimations Licensed series “Heavens Lost Property: Forte” was a treat for fans that were old enough to get into the viewing room of this up and coming dubbed series.

An adult Q&A panel by FAKKU Group also took place, for which fans of Adult Anime cheered. Loyal fans of the Fakku website later gushed about meeting their heroes from the largest online adult anime website. Despite the timing mix-up by Anime Boston staffers, the problem was thankfully fixed and the panel was a huge success.

The panel titled Extreme Geek in Exhibition Hall D ensured hours of laughter as Anime fans danced, cheered and had a generally uproarious raunchy fun time. There were other more Anime driven panels but this one offered the most variety in experience, from music to dancing to YouTube clips to a drag queen contest. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen an entire room full of grown men and women do ‘Dance Central’ on camera on queue.

An informal dance, more appropriately mentioned by some fans as ‘the Rave’ took place at the same time as many of the evenings’ 10 PM panels. Dressed any which way as long as it was fun and exciting, the Hynes convention center as a whole was rocking hard until nearly 2 AM or later. Unfortunately, the Rave itself had an incident with the lighting as well as other additional safety concerns causing the party to end early despite party goer’s wishes.

The end of the panels and other events at Anime Boston on Saturday night were indeed not the total end of festivities as fans still littered the hallways and stairwells at 1 or 2 AM. The Hynes Convention Center, as well as the connected Sheraton Hotel and Prudential Shopping Center still had fans walking around, many still in full costume after more than 12 hours of convention events. Some fans were even looking for the bathroom to change out of their clothes, though many of them in the Prudential Center were closed unfortunately.

Day two of Anime Boston ended with thunderous applause from fans as events came to a close. Despite the early ending of the informal dance as well as the other hilarious panels, Anime fans walked away from this day at the convention having enjoyed themselves on Easter weekend.

Partying early into the morning, there are many Anime fans who will sleep satisfied with their Saturday at this Anime Boston convention. Day three coverage with the closing ceremony as well as final impressions to follow.

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The fanboy and fangirl masses descended upon the city of Boston in a flurry of hotel booking, bus traveling and extremely odd costume dressing (cosplay) this past weekend. Not only were most of the major hotels at full capacity but the likely spike in cabby traffic probably brought a smile to the Taxi and Bus Drivers.

An anime fans dream weekend, ‘Anime Boston’ is a large anime convention in the New England area located at the Hynes Convention Center. Smaller than the Boston convention center where PAX East was held, ‘Anime Boston’ felt like a giant slumber party for anime geeks to unite. With panels and events that ran as late as 2 am for the 18+ age crowd, there was plenty of hilarity to ensue.

Several hotels closest to the convention centers remarked being booked solid the entire weekend and regret having to turn away potential walk-in clients looking for a place to stay. Overnight it seemed that No Vacancy Signs replaced The Batman Bat Signal as the most popular sign in this major metropolitan city.

This was all worth it though, as Anime fans rejoiced in having a large convention in which to frolic and escape. Families of all sizes and from all walks of life were seen together, though very few parents cosplayed. With the feeling of a giant slumber party, the last panels of the evening lasted well into dinner time, with some attendee’s returning after dessert had been served at whichever restaurant they choose.

Of course, Friday’s lines were long for the opening of the convention as cabs swarmed the area dropping off guests  that had high hopes of getting a good spot in line. All was neat and orderly so that by 1 p.m., most of the major lines to get into the convention were a thing of the past. In general, fans waited patiently as a dedicated full-time staff and rotating volunteer staff did an excellent job running the convention.

As Anime Boston has regularly been held at the Hynes Convention Center, many of the staff members were friendly and knowledgeable. There were rarely technical problems in any of the panels that took place and the issues that did arise, were quickly solved.

On the dealer room floor, deals for manga, video games, imported items, as well as costumes and toys were being sold. Additionally, postures, DVD’s and steam punk items were being sold while blunt cosplay weapons of any kind did not seem to make the cut as they were a rarity at many retail booths. Rare items included classic video games from Super Nintendo, Atari, Nintendo 64 and Playstation gaming consoles were sold at steep discounts. A dealer room deals has been published to follow up in greater detail here.

The start of the artist alley on Friday was a rousing success for many who showcased their art for sale. Conventions of this kind attract many of the finest digital and pencil artists around and it’s easy to see that the quality of artwork  gets better each and every year. While there were actually a small number of artists in the dealer room selling their art, the majority of the talent could be found inside the Artist Alley.

It almost goes without saying that the Anime Boston Convention features some of the best cosplay on a consistent basis. Rarely are there poorly dressed cosplayers while most of them feature elaborate cloth and plastic designs that seem almost like licensed products. It is possible some of them wore manufactured costumes rather than home made one’s but only the wearer knows fact from fiction. The only downside to that you may ask?

Stopping to take pictures in an already crowded walkway, stair case, panel room or exhibition hall. Other locations for crowded picture taking were the Sheraton Hotel area’s as well as the Prudential Center courtyards, despite the stipulation in the rules that no photos be taken in already crowded areas like dealer rooms and exhibition halls . This was a problem when a large majority of convention goers were dressed in cosplay, leading to some crowding issues despite the enjoyment.

The exhibition halls and panel rooms were some of the other highlights of the convention, with industry panels on Friday including Funimation, J-Rock and Mecha Software.

Many of these panels were quick to fill up and fans that arrived late were stopped at the door. A lucky few however, managed standing room at the back of these exciting panels as seats filled up faster than expected, leading many to believe that more industry panels would be welcomed next year. Additionally, an entire exhibition hall was devoted to the gaming room with more on this to follow.

One of the features at Anime Boston that was not many expected was the inclusion of several 18+ ID required panels. Some of the other 18+ panels that took place were just before the Phoenix Ball Formal Dance at 6 pm, a black tie event that benefited Central New England chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

One adult panel that took place, specifically about Gurren Lagann, was a shock to everyone in attendance when its content was less about a particular anime and more about the philosophy of adult anime. This panel in particular was alternatively serious as it talked about adult oriented anime and all the philosophy that goes into the production and design of anime hentai while at the same time being hilarious in some of its jokes about adult anime as well.

With events like these at Anime Boston, it is no wonder anime fans flocked to this convention, one of the most popular on the East Coast. Friday was the kick-start to what was sure to be an amazing weekend for Anime fans in the New England Area. Coverage will continue for Day 2 and Day 3 of Anime Boston so keep an eye out for the follow-up articles.

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Funimation held an extended panel this year at Anime Boston in order to include some stories of how anime had affected fans’ lives and helped them pull through hard times. They also used the time to announce several new streaming and DVD-release titles, as well as reiterate their social networking committment and online streaming presence.

The two Funimation panelists began by talking about their online presence on social networks and talking about all the places you can find Funimation online: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Xbox Live, and Nikiniko Douga’s English website.

They also addressed their TV channel’s exclusion from Verizon Fios, and voiced their thanks to the fans for ‘trolling’ Verizon on their behalf to get them included back in the programming.

They announced that they have acquired the rights to simulcast some shows on their Nikiniko channel, and if you have a subscription to their streaming service, you will get access to shows before their street-release date.

Their mobile app for iOS and Android platforms was released on the first day of the con, and allows for access to their entire online catalog. The free app includes commercials and banner ads, the paid app has no banner ads, and the paid up with the monthly streaming subscription of $8 has no advertising.

They also awarded prizes to fans who wrote in or came up on stage to tell their stories of how anime helped them or touched their lives. For one girl, the con, rather than high school, was her main source of friends. When she had a breakdown one year, con-goers–strangers–descended on her with hugs and support. Another girl, meek and depressive, learned to be strong from tenacious anime characters.

Many of the stories carried the gist that anime brought together kids who could not fit in with the normal crowd, and provided a community of support and shared hobbies and interests. From there, the Funimation panelists segued into their new dub release schedule, starting with Princess Jellyfish, about a girl learning to accept herself.

Next up was Heaven’s Lost Property, about a high-schooler who finds a wish-granting servant girl who falls from the sky; following that was Legendary Heroes, Black Butler, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Second Star of Milos (a new film), Cat Planet Cuties, about a race of cat-girl aliens who come to Earth to have fun, and then the creepy and mysterious Shiki.

They also spoke about Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker, which is Funimation’s first creation of their own. Funimation generally licenses, dubs, and adapts Japanese titles for the Western market, but in this case, they worked closely with BioWare to create a prequel story to Dragon Age II. The art style is almost three-dimensional, and looks quite a lot like a cel-shaded video game. It will have a worldwide release (another first for Funimation, who generally keep to North America) on May 29 for $35.

They briefly spoke about their Mass Effect project as well, another project done in cooperation with BioWare. They announced that The Future Diary will be getting a release in physical format, as it had only been available streaming until now. KenIchi, Shangrila, Sankarea, and Jormungand were also announced for streaming.

Funimation will also be handling the North American distribution of the second season of Kore ha Zombie Desu ka?, the excellent series that lampoons all of the tropes and trends in modern anime. There will also be new content in the Lupin III series, the first new story in 20 years.

Judging from the fan feedback in the room (which could be described as enthusiastic bordering on psychotic) while the panelists were presenting the new releases, Funimation can look forward to a lot of support from the anime fan base. Based on their lineup of titles as well as their foray into original content, we can expect Funimation to expand their customer base and international name recognition in the year ahead.

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This year at Anime Boston the Dealer’s Room was packed with booths covering two large rooms. Almost anything you could think of, you could find there. QB plushies? Yup. Brightly colored Pokemon hats? In abundance. Strange Japanese-imported collectibles? You betcha. Here are some of the best deals we found this year in the Anime Boston Dealer’s Room.

Manga generally had the most dramatic deals. At Comicopia, if you bought two volumes you got 10% off, four volumes 15% off, and eight volumes 20% off (2-10%, 4-15%, 8-20%). However, New England Comics had a competitive ‘Buy two get 30% off’ deal going on, and Cheap Manga probably stole the show for manga deals. With them, a single manga was $5, five volumes were $20, and 30 volumes were $90 (that’s 1-$5, 5-$20, 30-$90).

Not too far off at the Anime Pavilion, eight volumes cost $60, 14 cost $100, and 45 cost $300 (8-$60, 14-$100, 45-$300). Not to mention Anime Pavilion’s selection consisted of less popular titles than Cheap Manga’s.

Other notable deals were to be found at New England Comics’ booth, where brand new Star Wars comic omnibuses were 60-80% off, making $25 volumes only $7. Each yaoi manga volume at NEC was $7, but if you bought five or more they were $5. Elsewhere you could find deals such as ‘Buy 1 get 2 free’, ‘All manga 20% off except new releases’, and ‘10% off yaoi’.

Also of note to those looking for manga, or looking to trade their manga away at the convention, is the swap meet. The swap meet took place in the evening on Friday and Saturday, and I was able to trade away three virtually valueless items I got in a grab bag for three volumes of manga. Overall the manga scene at the con felt a bit like a game of hot potato; pass that stuff on to the next person before you’re stuck with it for too long.

Figurines were also in abundance at the con, though only a few were on sale. World of Warcraft figurines were $40 each, but $70 if two were bought together. A set of four Walking Dead figures went for $75, and Ore no Imoto figurines were two for $65.

T-shirts could be found for $20 each, two for $36, and three for $48.

Funimation was also hocking their wares by the entrance gate, accompanied by a pair of Cat Planet Cuties mascots in eyecatching costumes, or the lack thereof… Most notable amongst the prices at their booth was a Blu-Ray collection of Evangelion for $20. The first season of Black Butler was $60, as was the new retelling of the Fullmetal Alchemist story Brotherhood. Hetalia films were $25 a pop, Excel Saga was there on Blu-Ray for $40, Baccano was available for $30, and Claymore would set you back $40.

Aftermarket retailers such as Anime Madness, Video Games New York, and Harrison’s Comics and Collectibles were nearby as well offering great deals on anime, music, and video games.

Video Games New York was selling a hacked Wii with emulators and homebrew apps for $150, alongside rare oldschool games (Final Fantasy Anthology for $25, Metal Gear Solid 1 complete with case and booklet for $40) and Japanese import and Japan-exclusive games for old and current consoles alike. New York Video Games was also selling unused Dreamcast consoles for $150, and their stock rotated daily as they brought new items up from their store in New York.

Harrison’s Comics and Collectibles from Salem, MA had a back wall all to themselves, with a huge, nerdgasm-worthy collection of old school N64, Genesis, Atari, Sega CD, NES, and SNES games. Starfox 64, Ridge Racer, Ninja Gaiden, Duck Hunt, you name it, they had it, many for single-digit prices. They also carried Japanese-imported music, anime, comics, and figurines.

Overall, the Dealer’s Room was a great place to get cheap manga, games, CCG cards, plushies, figurines, clothing, model kits, anime, hug pillows, collectible items, and some surprises. Many of the items on sale were direct-from-Japan imports. The best part of buying imported goods at the con is not only do you get to see and touch the item yourself before you buy it, but you also save a lot on shipping costs.

If you’re considering importing something online, you might want to hold off until your next local con to see if you can find it there and make sure it’s what you want. You may also want to wait to buy your manga at a convention, judging by the burning-down-the-house prices exhibited at many of the vendors’ stalls.

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Anime Boston, April 6-8:

Featuring video game rooms, karaoke, game shows, stage performances, role playing games, and anime music video contests, this three-day event is for the avid anime and comic fan.

Anime Boston is well-known for its costume play through its contests and attendees, despite the smaller attendance, as a large percentage of all attendees dress up in full anime gear. It was voted by The Boston Phoenix in New England as one of the best nerd gatherings in their metro area.

Held at one of the smaller Boston area convention centers, anime and comic fans have easy transportation from nearby transit hubs and hotels. The John B. Hynes Convention Center has long been the home of Anime Boston, though some fans still wish for more space as it can get very busy that weekend. Smaller in attendance than their convention neighbor, PAX East, Anime Boston is a slowly growing convention that fans will be sure to attend.

PAX East, April 6-8, and PAX Prime, August 26-28:

PAX East is the east coast version of Seattle’s PAX Prime. PAX stands for Penny Arcade Expo and is a three-day event that not only includes PC and console gaming interests, but events for table top gamers as well. PAX East is held at the Boston Convention Center with a date that coincides with Anime Boston. Gaming and anime fans will have their hands full deciding which event to attend.

In the past, Pax East has been known to sell out of its tickets with upwards of 60,000 attendees. Tournaments and free-play areas litter the convention floor as booths spring up everywhere from top gaming developers and publishers.  While PAX Prime started in 2004, PAX East started six years later in 2010. East Coast fans are happy to flock to its much larger doors since the available convention hall space is greater at PAX East.

PAX Prime regularly sells out and has a smaller convention space at the Washington State Convention Center, but is no less celebrated in the state of Washington. Problems with crowding are also reported, so expect lines as well as tight quarters on the showroom floor at this 70,000+ attendee event.

Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), April 13-15:

A young event similar in age to PAX East with only two years under its belt, this convention is run by the Reed Pop Network. Reed also runs NYCC, PAX East, PAX Prime, and the Star Wars convention as well. C2E2 has auctions for actual Marvel movie set pieces, and for 2012, notable guest stars such as Anthony Daniels, who is the voice actor of C3P0, David Finch, who is the writer and artist on ‘Batman: Dark Knight’, and G4TV’s Chris “Nerdist” Hardwick have attended. The 2012 event will be held at the North Building in McCormick Place.

Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), June 5-7:

The reigning top dog in electronics is sadly an invite-only event. This event deserves not only a mention, but great applause for the extensive amount of coverage that is included. Broadcasted on multiple places all over the internet and TV, it is similar to CES in scope. Though smaller in attendees than CES, E3 is a showcasing event that may as well be the Superbowl of video game industry showmanship. At E3, Xbox, Playstation, Wii console, and PC games are unveiled for the public to take a first glance.

San Diego Comic Con, July 12-15:

By far the largest comic convention in the U.S., this event is the pinnacle of west coast, star-studded, comic nerd heaven. Not only are the panels epic in scope, but so are the guest speakers that attend. Tickets sell out in minutes and lines to get into the convention are horrendously long. In excess of 130,000 guests, this convention is not only crowded, but sells out so rapidly heads go spinning.

Not only are there panels and workshops, but previews of games and movies as well. An independent film festival takes place alongside its large, dealer room floor space. Show exclusives are in high demand and, not only is this a star-studded event with Hollywood sci-fi actors, this convention has also served as a launching point for entire movies and careers.

Otakon, July 27-29:

The meshing of the Japanese word, ‘otaku‘, meaning fan of anime and gaming, and the word, ‘convention’, gave birth to ‘Otakon’. Considered a major convention by Japanese culture fans, the website for Otakon is currently down, so hopefully there should be new information up on the website soon.  This is certainly larger than Anime Boston with 30,000+ attendees in 2011. This convention is not on a massive scale where it becomes a mega-sized convention like New York Comic Con.

Held in Baltimore, Maryland, it is considered a major celebration of Japanese anime, manga, music, and movies. This event is a must-attend for fans that are seriously devoted to the Land of the Rising Sun. With gaming events, as well as karaoke and costume play events, this weekend will give East Coast residents a taste of Japanese culture that will hold them over for quite a while.

Dragon*Con, August 31-September 3:

Sci-fi nerds rejoice at this literary weekend paradise of all things nerd and geek related. Spanning any medium that sci-fi has touched, this is a weekend celebration where 40,000+ rabid fans descend upon the city of Atlanta, Georgia and a stunning network of five hotels. Dragon*Con is one of the older conventions, having been established in 1987.

For this convention, not only are authors featured in panels, but they are also given awards as well. Ray Bradbury was the inaugural winner of the Julie Schwartz Award for universal achievement in science fiction. The Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton and Towers, Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, and Westin Peachtree Plaza are the main hotels surrounding this public, transportation-friendly city.

New York Comic Con, Oct 11-14:

Taking place in one of the busiest cities in the world, NYCC is a huge convention for comic fans. Generally coinciding in the same building at the same time with the New York Anime Festival, fans arrive at the Jacob Javitz Center on the west side of Manhattan from nearby transit hubs within walking distance of the Javitz Center.

With nearly 100,000 attendees expected for 2012, there can be no doubt that NYCC and NYAF is fast becoming one of the top conventions to attend in the U.S. Besides San Diego Comic Con, no other entertainment convention in the U.S. comes close to NYCC with its focused events and panels geared towards comics, literature, novels, movies, and author signings. The panels are getting better each year with sightings and speeches from Stan Lee himself as he showcases his newest ventures in the comic and film industry.

While not as crowded as the San Diego Comic Con, a strategy is still required to navigate NYCC. Making a stronger showing with each successive year, the autograph booths and publishing industry booths have become one of the major focal points for a star-studded gathering of top actors and comic artists in the industry today.

Here, there is less press coverage than San Diego, much to the joy of attendees. As one of the last conventions before the winter hits, lines are expected to be long, but well worth the wait for fans that want anime, games, and comics and that want to meet their favorite superheroes.

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