All Photos By Gail
Ladies, gentlemen, and inter-dimensional beings, gather ’round for a cosmic adventure through the lens of a Comic Con rookie! Hold on to your utility belts and power-up those light sabers because, folks, we’re about to dive headfirst into the whirlwind that was my inaugural voyage to New York Comic Con. Now, before you start judging my ‘capturing cosplayers’ skills, let me lay it out there – my game was weak. But hey, in my defense, I was too busy getting lost in the kaleidoscope of geekdom that is NYCC!
In this first of two mind-blowing photo recaps, join me on a rollercoaster ride through the not-so-serious side of cosplaying. We’ve got a smattering of low-stakes heroes and villains who conveniently stumbled into my field division (by which I mean, they were just there when I pointed my iPhone).
I’ll also share some epic, immersive step-and-repeat photo ops, because who can resist striking a heroic pose in front of a backdrop that screams “Adventure time”?
You can also brace yourselves for encounters with monumental inflatable characters from your favorite manga series’, towering over the crowd like friendly giants in the concrete jungle. EEK!
Did I mention monsters? Yes, there will be monsters, because what’s Comic Con without things that go bump in the night? So buckle up, strap in, or don your favorite superhero cape, because you’re in for a treat. This is the tale of a wide-eyed newbie’s initiation into the fantastical realm of NYCC. And fear not, true believers, for this is only Part One! Stay tuned for the grand spectacle that awaits you in Part Two, where I’ll take you on a stroll through the creative haven that is Artist Alley, coming your way in a few weeks or whenever I manage to make it happen.
Without further nonsense, welcome to the chaos, the costumes, and the colossal characters of my New York Comic Con odyssey! First up, some cosplayers for your geek-loving pleasure
Hawk Woman and Superman turned out to be friends of my pal Ken, who is such a hardcore Comic Con nerd, he attends the show on all four days! Talk about a SuperHero!
My favorite thing about this capture of an inflatable Godzilla costume is how it looks like he’s about to bite that guy’s head off! Nom!
Who is she dressed as? No Idea!
Sunday was Family Day at Comic Con, and it was crowded as fuck! This young lad is cosplaying as Kirby, the titular character and protagonist of the Nintendo video game series. Also, Pink!
I think this is a random, lower-tier Star Wars character. I appreciate the pose!
Monkey King and Mario.
It was super fun to see all the parents dressed up with their kids. Here, Wolverine dad (whose mustache game is strong) accompanies his daughters Bat Girl and Deadpool, who’s evidently some kind of crazy-gifted gymnast. Woo!
ET, too tired to phone home.
Random Elf nerd goddesses shopping for make-up.
OMG, so scary! It’s Ryuk, the demon from Death Note!
Manga is big deal at Comic Con, and by big deal I mean a giant inflatable big deal.
This bad ass dude is call Goku and he’s the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball metaseries created by Akira Toriyama.
This wild-eyed boy about to stomp on you represents Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation from the manga series One Piece. And yes, I had to look that up.
If you’re fan of the Spy x Family manga series, it might cool to get a photo posing with its main characters, the Forgers. Why is the daughter’s head so big?
If you want to be a little bit sexy, you could pose alongside Hime, a female character who serves as the mascot of anime streaming service Crunchyroll. I love her hair!
This guy looks like adventure is his middle name. He is known as the Imbibitor Lunae Dan Heng from the role-playing game Star Rail. Hot.
Do you like cute cats? Who doesn’t. Check out Mega Cat, poised to charm outside the Mega Cat Diner Pop Up which was part of the booth from MegaHouse, a major Japanese toy manufacturer. Oh, the cuteness.
Speaking of cuteness, this is Dog Man from Dog Man and Cat Kid, a children’s mystery adventure book from the same author who brought you Captain Underpants!
Next Stop: Cat Bus photo op!
You could get your photo taken with these two different Spiderman figures and say that you met them, even though they were just mannequins. Who would know?
Bucket List of The Dead: Get Eaten by a Shark and live to tell the tale!
You can’t escape Dragon Ball! This cosplayer is maybe going to make this their Holiday Card photo! I approve!
I promised you some monsters, and monsters you shall have! This is Meatball, designed and built by KNB EFX Group under the direction of Greg Nicotero for the 1994 John Carpenter film, In The Mouth of Madness. Scary!
Look how cute these little guys are? They are from the Plunderlings collection and you can have all kinds of fun adventures with them.
Holy Hell! It’s The Ravager from Mess Bucket Comics! Don’t get your hands near his mouth!
OK, we’re going to Peace Out on Part One with these Pink Monsters from Tokyo Sakura Toys! Thank for reading ad stay-tuned for my insane Comic Con 2023 Photo Recap, Part 2!
