A recap of the big apple’s biggest celebration of pop culture
Photo Credit: Gabriel Acevedo
By: Gabriel Acevedo
The weekend of October 12th-15th was a time of excitement for nerds, geeks, and all pop culture enthusiasts across the five boroughs and beyond: New York Comic Con. This year saw large amounts of attendees, various announcements across pop culture verse, and of course, the cosplay.
Housed right in the Jacob K Javits Center in Hell’s Kitchen, New York Comic Con is an annual event that brings together artists, cosplayers, and fans together with industry giants under one “metal and glass building shell.” Whether you’re a diehard nerd, a casual collector, or just going for the sake of entertaining your dorky friend, you won’t be bored at the con.
You could also be someone like me, who always has a game plan in mind and knows exactly what they want to witness. For me, it was getting ready to attend the Yu-gi-oh! trading card game events in the gaming hall. In the weeks leading up I was buying some cards, reviewing my deck list, and preparing to enter the regional tournament being hosted at New York Comic Con. At the con, I was able to meet event coordinators from Konami, trade some cards, and play some games with fellow comic con goers. In fact, I actually met someone also from Staten Island, out of pure coincidence. While I do admit I did not win big in comparison to my Staten Island friend, I was able to find a community that I could play with and improve my skills for future reference.
Of course, I did not spend all my time in the gaming hall, much like a good amount of the other con goers. The vendor’s room, where many companies and businesses advertise their products, sell exclusive merchandise, and display some of the amazing franchises that everyone knows and loves. One business that I always enjoy seeing is Crunchyroll, and their comic con booth display this year was amazing. Not only did they display standees featuring fan favorite animes like Spy x Family, but the ever-popular Jujutsu also Kaisen received an inflatable globe theater for guests to sit in. Going into the inflatable “domain expansion” greeted fans to a view of the Satoru Gojo’s special cursed powers and an amazing display of visuals from the animation; all in an attempt to immerse the viewers into the beloved anime world. To say the experience was mind blowing would be an understatement, as not only were the visuals, display, and ease of getting into the event smooth, but also the atmosphere celebrating an anime I enjoy really sold the experience for me.
You cannot discuss conventions without mentioning panels and announcements. From celebrating the Winx Club’s 20th anniversary to discussing Filipino American voices in comics, there was something for everyone to sit down and check out. One panel I was able to get to be the prime video panel at Empire Stage, where I got to witness previews for popular Amazon prime shows like The Wheel of Time and Invincible. We also got to get a sneak preview and cast reveal of the new Amazon Prime animated Series Hazbin Hotel, which revealed big names such as Keith David voicing a new character, Husk. The atmosphere was exciting, and the crowd reception was so overwhelmingly positive that even the speakers struggled to be able to actually answer interview questions.
From Yu-gi-oh! to Husk, New York Comic Con is an event that always highlights my October each year, and I definitely plan to go next year and beyond. What’s even more is that I believe you, the reader, will probably have a blast attending. Want to collect more Funko Pops? Funko is always there to give away exclusive collectables for die-hard hunters. Looking to get your fill on your favorite voice actors? There are a bunch of famous actors from your childhood ready for an autograph. Love to see new games? Hypland got you a Sonic superstar’s demo. If you happen to be free from October 17 through the 20 next year, I hope you can be able to get tickets to the biggest pop culture craze in the big apple.
