JACOB JAVITZ CENTER, NEW YORK, NY- Last weekend was New York City Comic Con 2016. I had been looking forward to the event since April, just to come down with annoying allergy symptoms. I packed a mini pharmacy in my bag and off I went to Comic Con. Gil and I put our cosplays on (Kingdom Hearts Hermione Granger and Hufflepuff varsity student), we picked up Alondra, and drove to the Jacob Javitz Center. We were grateful to find a cheap parking lot. I left my keyblade in the car. Yes, I worked hard on it, but my strength was limited to carrying it along all day. Thank goodness I had the wand as a backup prop. Gilberto looked great in his Hufflepuff varsity jacket. My sister opted to wear a Star Wars shirt and brought her light saber. (She is not in any photos. She hates taking photos).
The line to get into the Javitz Center was not bad. We only waited half an hour before having to present our badges. Alondra and Gil took it all in as we went through the main entrance. Several movies and television shows had advertisements covering the walls while cosplayers posed for photos. The amount of people attending was chaotic. We made our way to the show floor first.
The show floor had various pop culture franchises lined up for people to shop and test out. LEGO was building Batman, Yu-Gi-Oh had a prop of Blue Eyes White Dragon, and even Sailor Moon got her spot on the show floor. Gil and I got to observe the new game play for Kingdom Hearts 2.8. Alondra enjoyed meeting the T-Rex from “T-Rex Tuesdays”. Designed cars were on display in the main lobby and Wonder Woman was the muse of every painter in a small art show.
While taking a much-needed lunch break, we got to see amazing cosplays. I admire the work that goes into the costumes the same way I put labor into mine this year. I believe the cosplays people choose represents a small part of themselves. For example, I chose to do a combination of Hermione Granger and Sora because not only do I love books, but I take the friendships I make to heart.
Artist alley was another hallway down. Alondra bought some artwork based on Avatar: The Last Airbender. We got to see so many talented artists, colorists, and illustrators. Gil sadly had to leave early due to work, so Alondra and I carried on. We left the Javitz Center and walked a block up to check out BookCon. It was not at all what I expected and very empty. It is a lot better when they have the entire Javitz Center to themselves.
New York Comic Con 2016 did feel a lot more stressful this year. It could have been the amount of people in attendance or the fact that I was sick. Either way, something had changed about it. Alondra and Gil had a great time. Happy con everyone!
Photos: Rosa Elena Burgos
Last Updated: December 29, 2021