When the boss at my internship first asked me if I wanted to go to Comic Con this fall, I’m not going to lie, I was pretty nervous. I had heard so much about it: the insane crowds, the breach of fire code – the cosplays. But, honestly, it didn’t take me long to say yes. I knew this could be a once in a lifetime experience and I was not going to miss it.
I ended up getting tickets for Friday. The day started with me walking through the streets of Hoboken dressed head-to-toe as Sylvie from Loki (don’t think too highly of me, I have zero sewing skills and bought it off of Etsy). The PATH was pretty empty on the way in, but as soon as I entered the city, I saw them. One or two at first, then more and more as I got closer to the Javitts Center. Fellow cosplayers started emerging as we all made our way to what was sure to be the event of the year. As we walked side by side, we all nodded and smiled at each other. Even if we didn’t recognize who the other was portraying, we appreciated the love of the art.
The way people had described Comic Con in the past, I was expecting a mob of people where you couldn’t move an inch in either direction. Although that’s what some of my more experienced friends had warned me of, 2021 Comic Con was much different. They had limited the number of people that could attend, and because of it, the crowds were much more manageable. Sure, there were some lines inside, but nothing out of the ordinary.
It didn’t take me long to realize I was going to be spending a lot of money that day. The pop-up shops that snaked through the hall had every nerdy thing you could possibly imagine: shirts, jewelry, chocolate, signed memorabilia, even life-sized lightsabers. My favorite, though, was the art. So many artists had prints on display based on a fandom or unique art of their own. I bought several, including a Spongebob/Squid Game crossover piece that I couldn’t leave without.
I think the most memorable part, however, was interacting with the other cosplayers. I felt like a total celebrity, with people asking to take pictures with me or literally just pictures of my costume. And I did the same, snagging pics with the Predator, fellow Loki variants, and even a Jedi-Shrek. I honestly wish I had more than a day there because I feel like there were so many other people there wearing something amazing that I just didn’t get a chance to see with everything going on.
Overall, Comic Con ended up being amazing. I had high expectations and they went above and beyond. The people there were so kind and welcoming, with everyone hyping each other up over their costumes and shared interests. I definitely don’t see this being my last Con, and I’m already looking forward to next year. In the meantime, it’s time to start thinking of my next cosplay.
Spoiler Alert is an Opinion culture column used to give reviews for movies, television shows, or other related media.
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