By Thomas Gillen
Arts & Entertainment Editor
With each passing year, it seems that New York Comic Con continues to increase in popularity. The lines get longer and the exhibition floor becomes increasingly congested with people moving from vendor to vendor. While its size may be intimidating to newcomers, the experience is still thrilling year after year. With panels such as “Iron Fist” and “Doctor Who,” and guests like Stan Lee and Jenna Coleman, this convention from Oct. 6-9, at the Javits Center, was one fans would not soon forget.
One of the biggest issues of this year was the new system by which fans entered the Javits Center. In previous years, there was one entrance at the side of the center where all fans would go through to enter the building. While the area was packed with people, there were no long lines present. This year, however, fans greeted by two lines that wrapped around the building and several hours wait to get inside, because the staff was only letting in one group of fans at a time. There was also a lack of staff outside, so most fans were aimlessly walking around the building until finding the right line to get on.
Once inside, fans are greeted with a steady amount of panels, autograph and photo-op sessions, and hundreds of vendors to occupy their day. While there were several popular panels this year, one of the biggest was the BBC America Takeover that showcased TV shows “Class,” “Doctor Who,” and “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.”
The panel was held at The Theater at Madison Square Garden instead of one of the main stages at the Javits Center. Fans were treated to several trailers from “Class” and “Doctor Who” and a screening of the first episode from “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.” Attending were several stars and writers from each show, including The Doctor, the title character in “Doctor Who,” played by Peter Capaldi.
The new Marvel series on Netflix, “Iron Fist,” was also a popular panel, as new footage debuted and several cast members held a Q and A. Fans also had the opportunity to meet some of their favorite heroes and villains throughout the four-day event. Some popular guests included Jon Bernthal, from “The Walking Dead” and “Daredevil;” Jenna Coleman from “Doctor Who;” and Adam West, who is most famous from playing Batman in the 1960s TV show.
Perhaps the most popular guest was legendary comic book writer Stan Lee, who made his final appearance at New York Comic Con. Possibly thousands of fans lined up for autographs and paid a hefty price of $100 to meet their hero one last time. Comic book artist John Romita Jr. was also present, and will be appearing at Post on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Along with panels and guests, another popular aspect of Comic Con is cosplay, where people dress up as their favorite character and walk the show floor. Once again, some of the most popular cosplays were Harley Quinn, the Joker, and Deadpool. The Margot Robbie and Jared Leto versions of Harley Quinn and the Joker were the most abundant, as they were main characters in the movie “Suicide Squad,” which released in August and is still in theaters. Some of the more inventive cosplays included an eight-foot tall clown, and several homemade costumes.
Even though New York Comic Con keeps expanding, there is still nothing like it in New York. It’s amazing to see thousands of fans come together each fall to support their passion. As long as Comic Con continues to grow each year, it will remain in New York for a long time.
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