NYCC 2022 – A First Timer’s View
On Thursday, October 6th, 2022 New York Comic Con officially started and I was there. Now I am no stranger to Comic Conventions – I regularly attend MegaCon Orlando every year as well as a few others – but this was my first New York Comic Con. This has been at the top of my bucket list for years, so I was beyond excited to attend this year. I was honestly not prepared for how big the convention was, pictures never do it justice. With hundreds of vendor booths, a multi-level convention going on, and massive lines everywhere, New York Comic Con is certainly the largest convention I have ever attended.
Cosplayers
Having attended many conventions, I have seen a variety of cosplay, and I also participate in the cosplay scene. I fell in love with all the designs and costumes I saw over the NYCC weekend. You can really see how much time, work, and effort that was put into each cosplay. At most conventions I have attended the costumes are usually really big or they are solo acts, but at NYCC I saw multiple groups and in multiple fandoms. I think this was the first convention that I have gone to where there wasn’t a Deadpool parade, as that is usually the go-to costume.
Some Issues
I know no convention ever goes smoothly. For example, during one of the biggest photo ops of the weekend – a Back to the Future duo – the photo op printers broke for an hour and a half. As you can imagine it caused pure chaos as there were also three other photo ops happening at the same time. It took some time to resolve the issue and chaos ensued as people attempted to locate their printed photos.
There were also some things that raised a few red flags. One example: the crew members/security were extremely rude when asking a simple question that four other crew members answered before as we just wanted confirmation. And when we finally were able to talk to someone a little higher up, one of the security guards was talking over us so that we could not get a word in. There were also some slight concerns about overcrowding as they placed photo ops and autographs in the same area. The photo op section was so crowded that you couldn’t even try to enter at one point.
Highlight of the Weekend
Overall, with all the hiccups and issues that occurred over the weekend; I got to meet some incredible people. And the group that honestly made my weekend was Freddy Carter, Kit Young, and Amita Suman; otherwise known as the crows from Shadow and Bone. Their energy was high and uplifting, and it felt beyond easy talking to them. I can honestly tell you that they are the sweetest and most amazing people to have encountered. Gotta add that Kit Young gives great hugs.
Overall Thoughts
For this being my first New York Comic Con, my expectations were a tad high. This has been in the top five of my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I’ve heard and seen many great things about this convention. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes and no. NYCC has a lot to offer, and it is extremely difficult to try and do everything. You have to give up a few things, and really pick and choose what you want your con to be.
There were a lot of things that I missed out on due to organization and misinformation. And it was because of this that a lot of important panels I was unable to attend. For example; I wanted to attend the Sandman experience, but that information was not known until the last day. It’s also important to add that the experience was not in the convention center but in another building down the block.
The mass attendance at this convention taught three very important lessons. One, wear the most comfortable shoes you can find. Second, it’s important to remember we are all there for the same reason; that we all want this convention experience. And lastly, since I missed a lot of important panels, mostly stayed in autos/photos, and I never got to see the whole show floor; plan accordingly, use the NYCC app, and make a list of each day and what the plans are.
