The comic book industry as we know it was born in New York City. It was here that the adventures of Superman, Batman, Captain America, Spider-Man and the X-Men were first created as DC and Marvel rose to became the top comic book publishers.
Presently, both Marvel and DC seem more obsessed with making movies and variant covers as opposed to focusing on the industry that made them into the multimedia giants that they have become. The majority of comic conventions have also lost their focus by reorienting their shows and guest lists away from comic creators in favor of genre TV stars and C-list celebrities.
At New York Comic Con, there was still a big celebrity presence. But NYCC also has one of the largest Artists Alleys in the country, as big name comic creators shared the floor with some of the up-and-coming creators. The NYCC Artists Alley drew such a big crowd that it could have been a very successful comic con by itself!
During NYCC, CraveOnline’s Iann Robinson explored Artists Alley with our video team and took the time to talk to writer Dirk Manning about doing several comic cons a year, before speaking with artist Megan Levens about her Madame Frankenstein comic and her advice to aspiring creators.
Iann also caught up with Ryan Browne (God Hates Astronauts) and Gary Erskine (Roller Grrrls) for more insight into the world of comic book creators. Artists Alley is the Heartbeat of Comic Books, and CraveOnline is proud to present this exclusive video.
