In an ever growing global community, it is not hard to find other people online who share similar interests. What is more rare, however, is meeting these people face to face. Luckily, each year in New York City’s Javits Centre, ReedPOP hosts its annual New York Comic Con (NYCC) where those with interests in comic books, anime, art, and a plethora of television shows and movies can all meet and celebrate their interests.
“Comic Con is a mass gathering of fans like nowhere else,” NYCC attendee Ryan Cassano said. “From elaborate cosplays to getting exclusive previews to new movies, comics, or shows, there’s always something cool to keep you busy.”
Photo taken by Laura Francavilla
This year’s Comic Con was held from Thursday, October 3rd to Sunday, October 6th. The four day event allowed guests to meet some of their favorite artists and actors, as well as sit in on NYCC exclusive panels to get more in depth information on their favorite brands.
I was able to attend October 5th, which was the fastest selling day. With the convention starting at 10 a.m., most people made their way to some of the biggest stands. Certain companies, such as the popular comic brands Marvel and DC and the pop culture collectible manufacturer Funko were the most crowded. To manage the large influx of people, many companies gave out time cards which allowed people to come back to the stand to buy their merchandise.
There were many stands honoring the conventions roots as well. Many local comic stores set up shop on the convention floor and sell a mix of old, new and rare comic books. It is also easy to find comics that are worth a high price for a discount. There were also stands for gamers and even a whole section with vintage arcade games to play free of charge.
One of the most crowded sections of NYCC was Artist Alley. On the conventions lowest level, a wide range of different style artists sat at booths. These artists were mostly comic book artists, and many were willing to draw attendees as their favorite characters (for a price, of course).
Photo taken by Laura Francavilla
Many artists were also willing to sign comics and pieces of art fans came up to them with. I was able to meet two favorites of mine, Al Ewing and Kyle Higgins. Another famous attribute of NYCC is the cosplayers. Cosplaying, or the act of dressing as a character from a piece of pop culture, is widely popular there. There is even a competition where cosplayers enter to see who has the best costume.
I was also fortunate enough to be able to sit in on the Marvel Comics: X-Men Dawn of X panel discussion. As in most NYCC panels, the audience is told never before heard news and insider information about the panels topic. In this particular panel, fans were treated to sneak previews of the new X-Men comics coming out this year. Everyone in attendance also received NYCC exclusive variant cover of Powers of X #5.
Each year, NYCC outdoes themselves and creates a memorable experience for all in attendance. “Every year there’s something new!” Cassano said. “No year has been like the one before it.”
