Comic Con NY 2012 Live Stream: The Walking Dead, Halo 4, and the 10 Events You Can Not Miss

Culture

The New York Comic Con, taking place at the Javits Center, starts Thursday and will run until October 14. Since tickets are already sold out, many fans unable to make the cut will have to settle for following internet updates. For the first time, however, the show is also offering a live stream via TwitchTV, so be sure to stay in touch. However, it can be more than daunting following the entire event, considering the fact that there are 892 individual events taking place; New York Comic Con managed to draw over 105,000 visitors last year. In the interest of maintaining sanity and follow-ability, here is an extremely condensed list of events that you should really keep your eye on.

1) Comics Pros And Film Buffs: When Fanboys Collide

Date: Thursday, October 11

Are you the kind of person that takes a stance against products even before you have experienced them? Do you go on the internet message boards and hate people for disagreeing with you? Did you decide earlier this year that you simply weren’t going to watch The Avengers because Scarlett Johansson simply is not Natasha Romanov? Well then, you, my friend, may just be a fanboy. This event should be particularly interesting to you because it allows you the opportunity to meet with both experts of the comic book world and the film world in order to see what they feel about the superhero craze and the merging of movies and comics like never before. Of course, since you are a fanboy, you may just hate the event even before it starts.

2) DC COMICS – THE NEW 52: Superman

Date: Thursday, October 11

Hosted by the talented crew behind Supergirl and Action Comics, this panel allows fans the opportunity to meet with the legendary Grant Morrison and discuss the issues revolving around Superman in DC’s re-imaging of the iconic character in their New 52 line. As you may recall, Superman went through remarkable changes, the most glaring of which is a serious “nerfing” of his powers, which has resulted in him becoming a more human character as a result. However, that simply has not sat well with fans (read: fanboys) and the panel should certainly shed some light on the directions the flagship hero for DC Comics intends to take.

3) Expanding the Experience: Video Games & Comics

Date: Friday, October 12

After their success with the comic book adaptations of Dragon Age and Mass Effect, Dark Horse (Hellboy, The Mask) plans to unleash an entire line of comic books based on the latest video games coming out later this year. The industry crossover of video games and comics has increased in recent times as video game back stories have become more and more complex, they require far more depth than is possible in the traditional game. However, the system currently works well because gamers are often absorbed in shooting things while actively having to seek out comics becomes an activity for the minority interested in experienced a story. 

Date: Friday, October 12

Anime Network celebrates their tenth anniversary with an event consisting of announcements, sneak peeks, and special giveaways. Anime Network is considered one of the premier channels for anime in North America, which is an admittedly small market, but they have offered fans numerous shows ranked highly in terms of both commercial success and critical reception. If the names Appleseed, Clannad, and Elfen Lied mean anything to you, this is an event you cannot miss.

5) The Dark Knights Returns, Part 2

Date: Saturday, October 13

As the second part to what is perhaps the most iconic version of Batman (The Killing Joke was more Joker’s tale than the protagonist’s), The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 has everyone from fans of Frank Miller to fans of decent animation excited. As part of the panel, legendary producer Bruce Timm will discuss the making of the film while also showcasing some clips. The first part of the duo has already been released and has received decent reviews, although fans often argue that the second half of the tale is where the story really picks up.

6) Halo 4: The Master Chief Returns and Multiplayer Goes to Infinity

Date: Saturday, October 13

With the November 6release date of Halo 4 getting unbearably close, this panel allows fans the chance to keep up with updates as they are made available for release. Topics discussed will include the new competitive multiplayer mode War Games, a sure hit considering the franchise’s ability to create addictive multiplayer, and a new system of storytelling titled Spartan Ops, which claims to keep the tale going long after the initial campaign is finished. This may be the only release this year to actually overtake Call of Duty: Black Ops II, so keep an eye as 343 Industries unveils even more updates for the game near release.

7) AMC’s The Walking Dead Panel Event

Date: Saturday, October 13

Can it really be a modern Comic Con event without something involving The Walking Dead? The cast and crew of the show, including Andrew Lincoln and executive producers Glen Mazzara, Robert Kirkman and Gale Ann Hurd, will discuss the show and even reveal an exclusive clip from the show’s upcoming season premiere, airing this Sunday on AMC.

8) Firefly Tenth Anniversary Special Event First Look

Date: Saturday, October 13

Perhaps the most beloved show to be cancelled so prematurely, Firefly will celebrate its tenth anniversary by actually debuting a show on the Science Channel November 11. This panel will allow fans the opportunity to catch exclusive sneak peaks of the event, and surprise guests have been promised. However, this actually causes a bit of cynicism because had they actually managed to invite someone of the caliber of Nathan Fillion or Joss Whedon, their name would have been plastered in the name of the event larger than the event itself.

9) FUNimation

Date: Sunday, October 14

The perennial thorn in the side of numerous fans that believe dubbing is a vicious evil that must be stopped, FUNimation is the company that brings us some of the best animes but some of the worst dubbing ever to grace the English language. This event will allow fans a chance to see what is next for the company in terms of Blu-Rays, DVDs, streaming options and television (they have their own channel). So, for the company that made it possible for us to see Dragon Ball Z and Fullmetal Alchemist, any fan owes it to themselves to check them out.

10) Disney XD-New Animated Series Screening

Date: Sunday, October 14

From the channel that brought us Avengers:EMH!, comes a panel event detailing two wonderful new series for the young cartoon watcher in all of us. The event will discuss the existing show, Randy Cunningham: Ninth Grade Ninja while also highlighting the latest sci-fi series to debut, Slugtera, the first episode of which will be available to watch before it airs. For those of you that write of Disney XD as a kids channel, understand that they often show fantastic series will remarkable action, such as Spider-Man, but I’m sure the fans would already know that.

So, there you have it. For all of us that can’t make it, we at least have live updates, wonderful streaming and a complete list of events on the official website. Or click for a PDF here