New York Comic Con returns for another year, its second post covid and I was ready for the 4 day marathon that is NYCC. Starting out on Thursday, the doors didn’t open until 10:20 AM, 20 minutes after the con usually starts. Once inside I noticed the expanded Javits Center which meant more space for people but also more walking overall to get from place to place. With many exhibitors skipping 2021 this somewhat felt like a return to form with companies like Marvel and Funko back at the shows bringing the crowd’s they’re know for.
As Thursday started the show for me didn’t feel as crowded as usual and I later found out under 75% percent of the Thursday passes had sold. There were smaller crowds, less cosplayers and you could generally walk around the show floor without too much of a crowd so it was a good day for shopping. The Funko booth was not one of those places without crowd though as people who didn’t get a spot to buy the latest pops destined for EBay waited on a standby line which i’m told might have been a 4 hour wait. Some things never change. There was a lot of cool merchandise to buy on the show floor though as I myself stopped by the Bait booth to pick up a shirt I didn’t know I wanted until I saw it. Thursday was truly the calm before the storm though as the weekend reminded us where we are.
The crowds were in full effect once Friday came and the lines to get inside actually moved pretty quickly. Anywhere you went that day though was busy as early on I found myself in Artist Alley and it was a madhouse trying to walk to the back of the room for my friend to get his signature’s from the legendary Jim Lee. There was also a mask policy in place where they said it was required inside the building but it turned out to be more of a suggestion as not many seemed to care as they said no thank you to any employee that even attempted to hand them a mask. Friday and Saturday felt more productive for me as I got in my photos and caught up with a lot of friends I sadly only see a few times at year at events. There was also the presence of beloved Hollywood icons Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd who reunited for meet and greets which were quite pricey and to speak at a Back to the Future panel. The celebs were out in full force this year as this was felt like the first full comeback for a show that took a year off and last year had a capacity limitation in place post covid.
The last day was slower but not much slower cause it was the last day and we know we only get to do this once a year. I actually attended a panel for a change late Saturday night call “Wtf Japan” which was interesting to say the least as I lived in Japan and know how weird it can be compared to what we’re used to in the United States. For me something felt a bit off about NYCC this year and there were some incidents that occurred I heard about which put a damper on some of the fun but I suppose that happens every year and we don’t always hear about it. I look forward to this time of year even though my body always hates me after it’s all over and I don’t want to walk for days. This year was no different but its New York Comic Con and over 10 years in my excitement level for it hasn’t slowed down one bit.
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