New York Comic Con is back! But, to be fair, the event never really left. NYCC did keep the festivities going last year virtually, but being back in the Javits Center celebrating the comics, shows, movies, games and all forms of art and storytelling we love so much face-to-face with others in the community is a special and irreplicable experience. The event was a bit more low-key this year while adhering to pandemic safety protocols, but as someone who’s been attending the event for about a decade now, it was a mighty exciting step back towards that in-person celebration of fandom we know and love dearly.
NYCC 2021 included panels for a whole bunch of highly anitpciated upcoming shows like the new Chucky series from Don Mancini, Amazon’s adaptation of The Wheel of Time and also a panel for Season 3 of The Boys with Karen Fukuhara, Erin Moriarty, Jack Quaid and Antony Starr. But, an especially hot seat this year was at the Ghostbusters: Afterlife panel, an event I was lucky enough to attend. Everyone in the room was mighty psyched to see Jason and Ivan Reitman alongside the cast of the film, but then the team revealed that this would be no ordinary NYCC panel. Rather than show the room some clips from the film, they opted to screen the full feature — over a month before it hits theaters. Needless to say, the crowd was thrilled with the announcement.
But as much as I love getting the latest on some upcoming shows and films, one of the biggest highlights of NYCC — and any convention for that matter — is getting to see some incredible cosplay. Year after year, the artistry that goes into that particular form of showing off one's enthusiasm for a property never ceases to amaze me. It’s always a treat to just stand there and marvel at the creativity and craftsmanship that goes into cosplay, but it’s an especially big joy watching other fans eager to snap some photos with folks dressed up as their favorite characters. Those are the moments that capture the spirit of a convention more than anything.
We whipped up a brief video celebrating some must-see cosplay we caught while walking the Javits Center for New York Comic Con 2021. Check it out for yourself below: