Every year brings a New York Comic Con, and there are many things to take a look at during the event. These are three things fans should have seen at NYCC 2021.
One of the most exciting events of the year is New York Comic Con. This event has been streamlined into an annual status since its inception in 2006 and has only gotten larger in every subsequent year. There are many reasons huge amounts of fans attend each year, with celebrities of favorite movies attending, exclusive merchandise, artists just wandering around, and even more.
With the exception of 2020, NYCC has continued to have a huge annual presence, and now it has become even larger than the San Diego Comic Con offering. Its huge amount of success with attendee numbers has been increasing every year. The appeal of the show reaches numerous niches, as artists with cult followings, not well-known fantasy authors, and even game stores hit the floors of the Jacob K. Javits Center floor in hopes to pedal their wares to the public.
With the massive size of the event, and being able to attend Friday this year, here are the top three things everyone should take a look at when attending the con(in no particular order).
3. Fan Cosplay
By far some of the most memorable things regarding the con are just simply wandering the floor with a base admissions badge and looking at all of the dedication other fans have, by coming dressed as their favorite characters. Fans come dressed from many different series, Final Fantasy cosplay is rampant with many Cloud Strife’s hitting the floor, and this year a large number of cosplayers also decided to hit the show floor.
New York Comic Con is unique in this way as it allows fans to participate by being an exhibit themselves. Other fans flock to impressive costumes by asking for photos and having conversations over their favorite series. This creates a huge sense of community and shows how large certain fanbases really are. Every year there are many Spider-Man’s, and other comic book characters. A life-size version of Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village was terrorizing the show floor this year.
With the wide variety of fans that go to NYCC, there are always going to be fans that dress up from many different series’ and genres. This is what separates NYCC from many other cons such as the New York Anime Festival, which may only have fans of one area of media whereas you can see fans of every kind of media at NYCC.
2. Meeting Artists and Authors
NYCC is home to an event that celebrates creators of all calibers. The coolest thing, however, is being able to meet some of the creators up close and have conversations with the people behind the mask. While wandering the many booths of Comic Con, fans can come face to face with some of the brightest many industries have to offer. Professional Wrestler Rob Van Dam, along with Jim Ross of WWE fame had their own booths with opportunities to meet them. These higher-profile names come at a price, however, as autographs and photos are usually costly.
But that’s not all, fans were able to meet many other authors and artists from more niche settings. These meetings don’t cost anything, but it gives fans an opportunity to meet some of their favorite creators at no cost and even purchase some of their wares that are on display.
Author D.E. Night had her own booth with a more niche series titled The Crowns of Croswald, where she offered copies of her work, and free photos with fans. Autographs also came at an additional charge, from the author who penned this four-book adventure. Along with authors, artists such as Shawn Coss had their own booth and offered their unique brand of art while meeting fans.
This gives all fans a new perspective on the art they come to appreciate. Meeting the creators of the work fans are inspired by is easily one of the best offerings NYCC has.
1. Panels
NYCC gives fans unique inside looks at fan-favorite shows by hosting panels that are attended by the lead cast. In the past, NYCC has had many successful panels including casts of shows such as Netflix’s Big Mouth in 2019, and this year had shown a show with meteoric success, Amazon’s The Boys, which hosted a panel that gave an inside look at the actors on the show and what’s to come in the hit series.
Besides surprise announcements such as this, the reason to attend these events is that they offer a look at how the actors feel about playing their roles, and perhaps the bad situations they get themselves into during filming. Usually coinciding with these panels, the actors themselves host autograph signings, allowing fans to briefly meet the actors, and obtain a signature. These signings usually cost a premium on top of the NYCC badge unlike meeting the artists on the show floor.
The panels are designed to whet fans’ appetite regarding the information on the hit shows that are featured. This is the first year that panels were also featured on a stream for audiences that could not attend the show due to distance or pandemic regulations.
Anyone wondering whether or not they should attend events like this should look no further. With huge announcements and these exciting reasons, attending a con should be high on top of any fan’s priority list, especially if they have the opportunity to attend New York Comic Con in an offering of these unique experiences.
