It’s the most wonderful time of year. The time to wander and get lost around the Javits Center while walking through a sea of people … Okay, that might not be the fun part; but the reason people put up with all this is! It’s NEW YORK COMIC CON! And whereas Thursday might seem like ‘set up’ day for most people, it’s actually the best chance you have to look around, learn the lay of the land and get all those things you wanted with …. slightly less people.

So come, and let this Panda show you some of the great things you missed on Day 1 of NYCC 2015 as well as some things you still have a chance to check out!

The Day Of Assassins – Assassins Creed Comic Panel:

The Day for me began with heading over to the Assassins Creed Panel. As a long time Assassins Creed fan and writer, this was especially high on my list and Ubisoft did not disappoint. There was actually so much at this Panel that I’m not even sure if I can talk about it all here. So I’ll probably write an Assassin Creed Comic post in the very near future – so stay tuned!

But what I will say is this: THIS is the comic experience fans of Assassins Creed have been waiting for! Assassins Creed has delved into the comic world before, but not like this. Unlike the limited length runs that introduced us to Daniel Cross and AC: Brahman, this new Assassins Creed comic will be a sustained series that is planned to last for years – and with a monthly release schedule.

The team has taken all the right steps into crafting not only the narrative, but also making sure not a single art panel is wasted. The series will focus on Charlotte who is in many ways just like us and discovers herself one day called upon by the Assassins. Through the use of the Animus she will travel back to the Salem Witch trial and not only have to deal with that world’s mentality, but also the mentality of her ancestor Tom.

That’s right, we have someone reliving the memories of an ancestor of a different gender! Again, the series has a ton of amazing things lined up and the Panelists showed not only their love for the series but also their humor. The biggest ongoing joke revolved around one of the new characters, resulting in a battle of #KillKody vs #DontKillKody. This will make sense in a few weeks; but just so you have those hashtags ready to go.

The final bit of epic news from them was that this won’t be the only Assassins Creed comic; but rather than in a few months (March 2016) another comic series will be launched titled “Assassins creed: Templars” which will show us the age old battle from the Templar perspective. This is undoubtedly due to the fan love of Templar characters such as Haytham and Shay in the recent AC: Rogue.

A Marvelous Surprise:

Marvel Panels might not start until tomorrow; but that didn’t stop them from blowing us away this morning with some epic news. After smashing the Box Office, Ant-Man has been renewed for a sequel and will be titled Ant-Man And The Wasp. THAT’S RIGHT! We have another leading later staring in a Marvel title. And to quote Janet herself “It’s about Damn time!”

Now Ant-Man & The Wasp will push some already planned Marvel movies up and back; but honestly this is still incredibly worth it. I’d say more but it seems as though Marvel just added 3 more films to its Phase 3, which as of the moment remain a mystery. So we’ll deal with all this in due time.

The final reveal from Marvel – yes 3 announcements on a day they didn’t even have a panel – was another Jessica Jones teaser, but this one gave us our best look yet at Jessica and David Tennant’s ‘Purple Man’. Rather than explain things, I’ll just leave you with the video – but if you do want some explanation then check out my Marvel Update from a few months ago when he was first announced. I’m so glad they’re sticking close to the comics

What Else Is Around?

Thursday is the opening day so many things are just getting started. So even though there weren’t much in the realm of panels, there were still some epic things to check out on your own – which also happen to be things you can continue to check out through all of NYCC.

Assassins Creed of course had a lot of showings at booths with the pre-release of their new comic as well as Assassins Creed: The Complete Visual History which you can find at the Insight Editions booth. Additionally, Bluefin Bandai showcased some incredible new statues and models. And whereas they always go above and beyond, their collection this year of frighteningly accurate Gundam, Dragonball Z and prototype Godzilla statues was nothing short of spectacular.

Though highlights don’t just belong to the big names; but also the up and comers: such as Terry Huddleston Art. I had first discovered Terry’s stuff last year and word must have spread about his awesomeness because this year he had a huge display on the main floor. From Assassins Creed to Light/Dark Samus to Static Shock, Terry’s work is always wonderful to see and it seems like he’s only getting better. I even picked up several prints myself!

As always of course, the greatest highlight of Comic Con is the cosplayers and even though it was Thursday, they did not disappoint. To make it easier to tag yourself or the person you know, I’ve actually uploaded all these photos and more to my Facebook page. So go check them out and if you see yourself, please let me know!

See you all tomorrow! Panda out!