By Mike Avila
Special to DNAinfo
MIDTOWN — Yesteryear's memories were abundant at the Wizard World Big Apple Comic Con this weekend at the Penn Plaza Pavilion.
And judging by the lines, the '70s still rule.
Lee Majors, "The Six Million Dollar Man," signed lunchboxes and action figures for $70 a pop in his first U.S. convention appearance in 30 years. "The Brady Bunch" boys — Barry Williams, Christopher Knight and Mike Lookinland — reunited to meet fans for the group price of $60, while pro wrestler Kevin Nash sold Polaroid photo-ops for $25.
Outside the Pavilion, the original Batmobile from the '60s television show "Batman" sat parked while the actors Adam West and Burt Ward, who played the Dynamic Duo in the camp classic, made their first joint New York City appearance in more than a decade.
Like most pop-culture conventions these days, Big Apple Comic Con offered a schizophrenic blend of programming and guests from film, television, pro wrestling and comics.
Such all-inclusive programming may turn off some visitors who like a specific theme to their conventions, but there were many who enjoyed having all their pop-culture fixes under the same roof.
"Each [type of convention] has their own merit to it, but I like to go to conventions with a good mix," said Murray Hill resident Steven Margolin. "That way you can spend half your time with the comics guys and the other half with the autograph guests."
Lee Majors was the big attraction, with long and steady autograph lines since he rarely does public events. But for Richard Anderson, his co-star from "The Six Million Dollar Man," conventions such as Big Apple Comic Con are a routine part of his weekend.
Anderson, who sold autographed photos for $30, enjoys getting a chance to meet fans and share stories from a TV series that was a seminal point in pop culture. How many pictures does he sell at a convention like this?
"I have no idea. I only count the money," Anderson joked.
In New York, where pro wrestling has always been popular, old wrestling stars can often be seen attending fan conventions. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and Ted "The Million Dollar Man" DiBiase exchanged small talk at their tables while fans trickled in a few at a time.
Erin Gray, from "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" and "Silver Spoons," is another regular on the autograph circuit.
In between meeting and greeting fans, Gray browsed the various artists' booths and caused comic book writer Mark Millar to freak out when she introduced herself to him.
"I had a crush on [her] when I was a kid watching ‘Buck Rogers,'" he confessed.
Millar, who's best known for co-creating the comic books "Wanted" and "Kick-Ass," lives in Scotland, so his American convention appearances are rare.
"I love coming to these things. You have to remember, my job involves sitting in a room on my own at a computer. So you kind of forget real people actually read the books," Millar said. "It's actually nice; you realize you're not just doing it for yourself, you're doing it for thousands of other people."
Michael Feldman, who drove from upstate New York for the show, said Millar's attendance compelled him to visit.
"Mark doesn't do a lot of shows, so this was not to be missed," he said.
Unlike the celebrity guests upstairs, comic book writers like Millar and artists such as Rob Liefeld, Greg Horn and Michael Golden don't charge for autographs. They'll sign as many comics as you can carry, and most have their books for sale at their tables.
"The fans are here. They're out here supporting the industry by coming to these conventions," said Golden, an industry veteran known for his cover artwork on "The Micronauts," "The 'Nam," "ROM" and dozens of other comics.
For Golden, appearing at a convention is part of life as a comic book artist.
"I wouldn't use the word enjoyable [to describe being at a convention], only because this is what I do for a living," Golden said. "This is my job."
Sometimes, devotees' passion can be a bit … much.
"Someone asked me once to sign their testicles, which I refused to do," said Millar.
