A MIGHTY CONFLUENCE OF GEEKDOM: THE 2009 NY COMICON PHOTO SAFARI-DAY 1

Manhattan's Jacob Javits Center.

It breathed. It throbbed. It sweated. It stank of the unwashed. It was attended by an estimated 77,000 (!!!) people. And it was a shitload of fun.

Yes, the 2009 NY Comicon at the Jacob Javits Center served as the nexus of international geekdom for three days of comics, movies, video games and damned near everything else that gets the escapism-rabid going. I've answered the irresistable siren song of geeky conventions since 1975 and I truly enjoy the costumed lunacy that ensues in the midst of claustrophobia-inducing crowds, no matter how I may bitch about the throng and my own aching feet while I'm there and very much in the moment, so join me on an up close and personal photo safari deep into fandom's very own heart of darkness.

DAY ONE: THE OPENING VOLLEY

Yer Bunche arrives on the cold-enough-to-piss-sticks Friday morning.

The first costume I saw on Friday morning: the Golden Age Vigilante.

The ticket-buyer's line. Thank the gods for press passes!

The magical portal to the wonderland of Geekdom.

Early and uncrowded. Just give it a couple of hours...

The most famous (fictional) asshole in comics history: J. Jonah Jameson.

Risen from the ashes: The Dark Phoenix strikes again!

Dr. Manhattan shills his own book.

Artists Alley, the place to meet and great with the comics biz's greats (and not-so-greats). From living legends to the hot young newbies, here's where you can get their signatures and obtain original art (just make sure you've got the scratch!).

The uber-talented Amanda Conner: one of my closest friends for decades, master of drawing hot girls and all-around dirty-minded reprobate, seen here mere moments before her fans descend upon her for autographs and gorgeous color sketches.

Way to misspell an invited guest's name placard!

My old pal Nelson, inker extraordinaire and one of the comics biz's most celebrated wildmen.

L-R: Hildy Mesnick (former Marvel editor and cooler-than-polar-bear-shit blight upon society), Jimmy Palmiotti and A.C. (who used to draw BARBIE when Hildy edited that book).

A.C. signs a copy of PAINKILLER JANE (which she co-created with Jimmy Palmiotti) for none other than...

...Painkiller Jane herself! It must be an existential kick in the head to have the character you co-created show up in the flesh and ask you to autograph her own book.

The first of a legion of Heath Ledger Joker nurses.

You just knew they'd be there: Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade.

This crew were passing out some kind of promotional card or something, but I have no idea who or what they were.

The first of several Rorschachs.

The best of the many now-obligatory Slave Princess Leias. This gal gets points for not just being tasty-looking, but for going the extra mile while representing as a character dozens of other people are going to show up dressed as by rocking a prop that gives it that little bit of added "oomph," in this case we're talking about the chain. Brava!

A contingent from Gotham City.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Captain America ain't dead! So there.

They may be appreciative and nice, but the fans sometimes don't take into account that the folks in Artists Alley have to occasionally take breaks from hours of signing and doing sketches for trips to the bathroom or the food court, or even simply to stretch their legs. After several hours of drawing gorgeous color sketches for eager fans, we find A.C. hiding under her own table for a bit of fruit salad.

While walking around and getting the lay of the land I ran into crazy Scotsman Gary Erskine, erstwhile inker of THE FILTH (which we worked on together) and ARMY @ LOVE. He's a terrific guy and a fellow movie fiend, so how could we not have forged a bond?

While continuing to wander and get my bearings I ran into Jill Friedman, one of my favorite human beings, a swell drinking buddy and a rep for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

The food court: head here if you want a hot dog for $5.75. No, seriously.

One of the Javits Center's many resident pigeons, scrounging for sustenance in the food court.

Elektra: ready to kick ass Hand-style at the food court.

Perhaps the most famous princesses in all of geekdom (minus Xena).

A pair of THE FIFTH ELEMENT fans.

Chewbacca enlightens the press with his take on the A-Rod steroids scandal. Direct quote: "Rrrrraaaaawwwggg!!!"

FABLES represented: Little Boy Blue and Flycatcher from the Vertigo series.

Flycatcher: easily my favorite costume of the whole weekend thanks to its uniqueness and the fact that he's being convincingly played by a woman.

Little Boy Blue, solo.

The first of several Black Canaries.

The classic Supergirl/Batgirl combo.

Gone, but not forgotten: Arthur from THE TICK.

An unlikely pair: in WWII Cap would have most likely been kicking the shit out of this guy.

Tune in tomorrow as the Javits Center reaches SOYLENT GREEN-level crowdedness, things get more interesting and we meet plus-size Storm and junkie-thin Donna Troy in the chronicle of DAY 2: "KNEE DEEP IN THE HOOPLAH."