It’s official — New York Comic-Con is now bigger than Comic-Con International. With 151,000 attendees this past weekend compared to 130,000 fans in San Diego at Comic-Con International in July, New York Comic-Con can finally claim the title of the one con to rule them all. We’re not surprised — NYCC has been the superior mega-con for a while now. Here are a few ways in which NYCC has surpassed Comic-Con International.
It’s become a week-long celebration of all things “super”
This year, NYCC officially burst free of the Javits convention center and became a city-wide event with live comedy shows, celebrity panels, and other events taking place all over New York City. With everything from Doctor Who trivia to a live Q&A with the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast moderated by William Shatner, NY Super Week offered something for every fan who wanted something fun to do once the show floor closed.
The cosplay is more creative
Maybe it’s NY Comic Con’s proximity to Halloween, or maybe it’s just that the Big Apple has always been known for fashion, but this year the cosplay crowd really brought out the big guns. (Often literally.) In addition to a plethora of Groots and Rocket Raccoons, fun mash-up characters were all the rage. In addition to our buddy Every Johnny Depp Character above, we particularly enjoyed Ronald McThor, an answer to what would happen if Ronald McDonald became a citizen of Asgard.
There is a zero-tolerance policy for harassment
ReedPop, the organizers of NYCC, made their policies on the growing problem of sexual harassment at cons abundantly clear with tons of online coverage and rules and safety regulation postings all around the Javits Center. The organizers also helped to foster a safe, inclusive environment by offering panels on such topics as shattering negative female stereotypes and the importance of diversity in the comic book medium. It’s time for the slow-moving Comic-Con International to follow suit.
Many panels actually focused on comics
Sure, there are plenty of showcases for celebrities who have no business being there (I still have no idea why Jack Antonoff from .Fun had a panel), but since Hollywood saves most of their big reveals for San Diego, NY Comic Con gets to be more comics-focused. Marvel revealed their 2015 Secret Wars crossover, while other panels focused on everything from getting your comics project Kickstart-ed to a chat with the granddaughters of Golden Age comics greats like Bill Finger and William Moulton Marston. Also, unlike San Diego, NYCC streamed many panels online.
Artist Alley is extremely creator and fan-friendly
While the scope of NYCC means it’ll never be as comics-focused and creator-friendly as, say, Heroes Con, the decision to make Artist Alley its own section of the con for the past few years was a smart one. Putting Artist Alley in its own giant room means that fans can browse for artwork, score sketches, and chat with their favorite creators without having to push past someone playing a demo of the latest Borderlands game. Indeed, the success of NYCC’s Artist Alley led to this past June’s Special Edition, a two-day con focused entirely on comics and comic book creators that will hopefully catch on the way that the bigger cons have. In the meantime, let’s hope that San Diego follows NYCC’s lead and gives artists some space where they won’t get lost in the crowd.