New Yorkers may have noticed a few more costumed characters than usual as the New York Comic Con returned to Manhattan this weekend.
The event’s organizers announced the cancellation of their four-day in-person annual event in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In its place, a virtual event called ‘New York Comic Con X MCM Comic Con Metaverse’ was on those dates.
The convention returned in 2021 with a requirement that all attendees ages 12 and up to provide proof of full vaccination in order to enter.
Many of the convention-goers were masked both to protect from COVID-19 and because that’s what was required of their colorful costumes, as they cosplayed as various characters throughout film, TV, movies and graphic novels.
New Yorkers may have noticed a few more costumed characters than usual as the New York Comic Con returned to Manhattan this weekend
The convention returned in 2021 with a requirement that all attendees ages 12 and up to provide proof of full vaccination in order to enter
Many of the convention-goers were masked both to protect from COVID-19 and because that’s what was required of their colorful costumes, as they cosplayed as various characters throughout film, TV, movies and graphic novels, like these Spidermen (and Spiderwoman)
Cosplayes went both individually, in groups and some even partnered up with themed outfits
People got into the spirit of a newly relevant costume, dressing like characters from Netflix’s Squid Game
The convention has drawn as many as 180,000 people over a weekend to New York’s Jacob Javits Center
Celebrities who both create and portray those beloved characters are always a big part of conventions, and the 2021 New York Comic Con is no exception.
Autograph seekers could pay as much as $100 to get signatures from or photos with the likes of William Shatner, Hayden Christensen, David Harbour, John Cena, George Takei, Chace Crawford, Anthony Starr, Jurnee Smollet, Edward James Olmos, Erin Moriarty, Jack Quaid, Kel Mitchell, Daryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels, Jim Ross and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler.
There were also several panel sessions, including a 40th anniversary retrospective of MTV, a virtual Q&A with the cast of the upcoming reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer and a panel with the main cast of Amazon’s The Boys.
Amazon’s hit series The Boys had one of the larger panels Friday, as cast members looked back on the show’s first two seasons
The series combines action and comedy and satirizes the larger comic book universes popular in modern movies
The series, which stars former Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford as aquatic superhero The Deep, recently wrapped production on its third season
There were also planned meetups available for various fandoms. The Comic Con encouraged hour long sessions for devotees of the likes of Harry Potter, Pokemon, Star Wars, Twilight and Doctor Who.
The convention also features several events centered around the business and hobbying of cosplay.
Attendees can find out how they can do charity work or occasionally volunteer as cosplayers. They can even learn how to turn it into a business at the ‘Business of Cosplay: Professional Development’ session.
The convention not only holds panels for cosplayers but encourages those who dress up from similar fandoms to hold meetup events
Convention-goers often dress up in a different costume for all four days of the convention
Some come dressed as the real thing, like this person showing off as Sonic the Hedgehog
A man dressed as Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars stops this costumed creature in its tracks
Diversity and inclusion in cosplay were also hot topics at various sessions, including ones that focused on how to incorporate body positivity and disabled access into costumes, or one session that was themed around cosplay and drag.
There are also several events centered around video games, podcasts, Broadway and even wrestling, as several AEW performers are in attendance.
The convention runs through Sunday at Manhattan’s Jacob Javits Convention Center.
This woman shows off as Storm, the X-Men character most famously portrayed on film by Halle Berry
Several characters came dressed as Harley Quinn, who has featured in three different films in recent years
The costumes ranged from homemade to professional and extremely elaborate
Part of the joy of cosplaying at conventions is the combination of characters from various universes posing for photos, like this one of the Incredible Hulk
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