At New York Comic Con (NYCC) this past October, Deadly Class got a big promotional push from the SYFY Network.
This promotional push included a pretty nifty-looking t-shirt with fan-created art, depicting comic book incarnations of the Deadly Class main characters.
NYCCAttendees had to endure a long line, in the middle of the day, to get a t-shirt. But for fans of the comic book, it was totally worth the wait!
And now… with the SYFYTV show creating a slew of new Deadly Class fans, I wonder how many NYCCAttendees are kicking themselves for not taking the time to snag this awesome t-shirt SWAG?
When Unbreakable was released, the movie had much to live up to… Fortunately, M Night Shyamalan’s sophomore effort turned out to be as good as his first film- The Sixth Sense. Comic book collectors especially, could completely appreciate and enjoy Unbreakable’s real-world, very serious take on the absurdity of humans with super abilities and powers.
There had been rumors that Unbreakable was part of a trilogy, but after YEARS without a sequel, most fans were completely taken by surprise when Split revealed itself as the next installment in the Unbreakable universe.
Now, almost 20 years later, Glass brings things full-circle!
To hype the long awaited film, this past October UniversalPictures set up an immersive activation on the floor of New York Comic Con(NYCC)- inviting attendees to enter the world of comic books, heroes and villains.
NYCC Attendees were encouraged to browse the shelves of a mock comic book store and marvel at the centerpiece comic book encased behind glass. From the plexiglass encasement, only the cover of the comic book- titled The Wisperman– could be seen. But it’s a safe bet its the same comic of which the interior pages are briefly shown in the Glass television trailer.
The Glass marketing team didn’t take advantage of the PERFECT opportunity to promote the movie by creating and distributing real-world copies of the comic to NYCC attendees as awesome SWAG items… But a fortunate few visitors to the Glass booth activation did walk away with a much more personal souvenir of his/her visit.
Visitors willing to endure the wait were invited to make an appointment to participate in a mock psychiatric session/evaluation, similar to the therapy session seen in the Glass trailer.
After being led to a back room of the comic book shop, taking a picture, and answering questions to determine one’s predisposition as hero or villain, participants walked away with an uniquely personalized mini-poster of his/her image on the Glass theatrical poster.
With a booth recreation of the comic book store set from Unbreakable and Glass, and a fun, scene re-enacting, interactive component, the Glass activation at NYCC was extremely successful at drawing participants into the fictional, Unbreakable/Split/Glass Universe. And best of all, the experience culminated with a satisfying, personalized SWAG item that almost guaranteed the recipients’ support at the box office on opening weekend!
At large pop culture conventions, it’s a given that you’re gonna spend a bit of time waiting in line. As a result, having something to read can be a godsend.
I love seeing comic books adapted into other media (especially live-action tv or movies). It’s fun and interesting to compare the page to the screen.
…So when I noticed Deadly Class Vol. 1: Reagan Youth available on ComiXology Unlimited, I decided it would be a good book to help pass my “SDCC line-time”.
Needless to say, by the end of the first day of SDCC, I’d become a huge fan of Deadly Class, and couldn’t wait for the panel and signing! But as is often the case at SDCC, a schedule conflict got in-the-way, and prevented me from attending the panel. However, I WAS fortunate to obtain a wristband to attend the signing!
At the Image Comics booth, wristband holders were provided a nice, live-action cover variant of Deadly Class issue 1 as an item to be signed. The comic book is a nice change from the typical poster that is usually given at cast signings. And from a marketing perspective, its a great promotional tool to entice those who are interested in the tv show to “delve-deeper” into the source material.
Cast members and creatives on-hand for the event included:
Rick Remender- creator /writer
Wes Craig-creator/artist
Miles Orion Feldsott- showrunner
Mick Betancourt- showrunner
Benjamin Wadsworth- Marcus
Benedict Wong- Master Lin
Lana Condor- Saya Kuroki
María Gabriela De Faría- Maria Salazar
Luke Tennie- Willie Lewis
Writer Rick Remender and Artist Wes Craig couldn’t have seemed more proud, as they signed alongside the actors cast to bring their creations to life!
Thanks to Dr Strange and Infinity War, Actor Benedict Wong was the most well-known talent at the autograph table. Wong was very nice and gracious when signing, but his lesser-known, young costars seemed downright ecstatic and very happy to be at SDCCas part of the Deadly Class cast!
Actors Lana Condor & Luke Tennie were especially engaging and helped make for a fun signing event.
The first episode of Deadly Class dropped on YouTube in late December. Those who have already caught the episode know SYFYappears to have a hit on their hands!
The show can now be seen on the SYFYwebsite, and begins its run on the cable network on January 16.
If subsequent episodes are as good as the first episode, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t give the show a try!
*Heads-up… Deadly Class Vol. 1: Reagan Youth is still currently available as part of the ComiXology Unlimited subscription service!