With only a few hours of sleep and catching the 5 a.m. bus to NYC, I could not have been more excited for my journey at New York’s Comic Con (NYCC). This was in 2019, and with Comic Con coming back in full play post-pandemic this Oct. 12-15, I can’t help but reminisce about my first Comic Con experience.
From seeing giant sculptures and artists galore to herds of cosplayers and lines of people waiting to see their favorite guests, I felt immersed in a whole new world. Every square inch of Javits Center was filled with exciting interactions and surrounded by communities of all kinds. These communities were diverse, ranging from tourists and comic novices to gaming enthusiasts and more, all of which had a mutual interest in having a good time. Comic Con holds a unique factor in its universally understood purpose among seasoned and new attendees.
Jefferson Gonzalez, a media studies student, said, “I have never been to Comic Con, but I have always wanted to go to any convention of sorts. It’s always fun to be in a bubble with people who have the same interests as you and you feel welcomed.”
Community and belonging are often attributed to the Comic Con experience. Yousef Davidowitz, a graduate computer science student and member of the Dungeons and Dragons club, said, “Conventions like Comic Con not only celebrate an overlooked art form but help to establish a sense of community. Despite being influential, comics can still be a niche medium, and conventions are a great way to meet like-minded people.”
I recognized just how powerful of a community Comic Con can build through my experience with one of my favorite shows, which is based on the Purge series. James DeMonaco, the writer, executive producer, and creator of The Purge, admitted the show was the invention of fans.
According to SYFY Wire, DeMonaco said, “It was actually the fans at previous Comic Cons who kept asking me what happens the day after The Purge… It’s the questions we hear that resonate the most and then we put it to our writers’ room and they tackle it.”
Needless to say, I felt at home with the packed theater of fans who made this all happen during the Season 2 Premiere of The Purge at NYCC.
This sense of community and gathering of like-minded individuals through the passion for games and media can have deep personal impacts.
Dickie Cox, Associate Professor of interactive digital media and lifelong gamer, added, “I often attribute Dungeons & Dragons as the thing that saved my life in my early teenage years.”
Cox continued, “I appreciate the opportunity to explore real and imagined worlds and to rethink the worlds that we occupy in new and novel ways. Video games are also third places that are outside of home, work, and school. In those third places, players are in community with one another and curate, enact, and perform facets of their identities.”
Gonzalez also shared a way in which gaming impacted his life for the better. “Video games also help bring people together. I met my best friend in 6th grade, but I transferred schools for high school and we have been apart since. But with video games we have a way to connect with each other digitally, and it has helped strengthen our friendship till this day.”
It’s these kinds of impacts and connections that Comic Con strengthens through its events, creating a community for all to be a part of and feel appreciated. As someone who was just entering the gaming enthusiast world, this feeling was immediately apparent as soon as I stepped foot through the convention doors.
This is the feeling I hope to see again this 2023, which marks the convention’s fully fresh restart post-pandemic. NYCC has held strong in its dedication to its fans, despite the rough tumbles of lockdowns and strict COVID-19 precautions.
Will this be the year that New York Comic Con comes back its strongest yet?
