The Great Ten

A couple hours after placing this text, ReedPop canceled New York Comic Con 2020. I had already decided not to go. It would have been my 11th. I skipped the first few because I’m simply not about crowds and therefore don't want to pay to be in a crowd. But then I secured a press pass in 2010 and something happened: I fell in love with NYCC.

The sense of acceptance and community in celebrating comics was definitely something I was about. The early cons were exactly that—a celebration of comics with few gaming, TV, and movie properties. It was comic nirvana. Meet creators, get free swag, buy exclusive merch, and simply take in everything good about comics.

As Marvel and DC became multimedia empires, their respective booths grew larger and larger and focused less and less on actual comics. In fact, Marvel’s booth got so large (and loud) that DC started to eschew the Show Floor and carved out a space for themselves down by the south entrance. Marvel's booth became about the sizzle—a large video board to host gaming tournaments, a giant stage to host cosplay parades, screens everywhere touting their TV shows and games. What it became less and less about was comics.

That’s why the DC area has always been my little haven. Off the Show Floor, it gave me a place to stop and breathe and really interact with creators I was there to meet. It's not uncommon to see other creators hanging out or snapping pictures while they wait for their assigned signing/sketching times. I have gotten both Jorge Jimenez and Scott Snyder to sign things for me in years past while they simply interacted with fans outside the booth. DC was easily my favorite spot in the whole show.

Badges from previous NYCCs

Madeline Vega

On top of that, the DC area was kind a great location to see cosplayers starting or ending their walk through all the pop-up photo studios outside. It was a perfect spot to witness the creativity and craftsmanship of costumes and makeup.

While I’m enjoying the virtual aspects of cons at home, I will definitely miss the sense of community that comes from conventions. I will miss engaging artists as they quickly sketch something. I will miss the sense of wonderment as to what the next costume walking through the door might be. I’ll miss you NYCC.