How nice it was to walk to Sephora along 34th Street and to be met with, “OMG! Is Comic Con happening this weekend?!” Even though I was dressed up as a character from a little known franchise to the mundane world – I wasn’t Storm or Wonder Woman – it was nice to rock a qi pao dress in the New York nightlife while buying some make up. Why yes you can be cosmopolitan and nerdy all at once.

One of the reasons why I love New York Comic Con is that I feel that it is THE comic con. While San Diego may host the largest and most exciting – seeing celebrities is a huge draw, it has also lost focus. New York Comic Con still keeps to comic and nerdy roots. Even when I was confused with will.i.am as a guest, I read up on his upcoming robot project and it still had marriage to New York Comic Con’s show theme. Contrast that with San Diego having the cast of Glee and Twilight. I enjoy going through the dealers hall and finding things from childhood when I first got into all things nerdy and nostalgic; She-Ra and Jem dolls and Archie comics galore.

I really did feel that NYCC was much more crowded than usual. The main concourse was a nightmare to navigate. As much as I love a mecha cosplay or two, it really hindered traffic flow from point A to point B. The dealers hall was very crowded on Friday and Saturday. Sunday was not as crowded.

Programming at NYCC never disappoints. Because I was exhibiting for most of the con, I missed out on a few interesting panels – Avatar: Legend of Korra, Once Upon a Time, Kodansha, R L Stine, Sleepy Hollow, etc. There were some really interesting topics and guests this year. One such panel had the creator of Trigun talk about manga and how much it fascinates stateside audiences. There was certainly enough programming aimed at varying fandoms. I wish I could have made it to all of them!

Working the exhibit floor was a different experience for me.  Even though I have been an exhibitor in my professional life, I can now say that I dressed up as my favorite character from the iDolm@ster franchise, Azusa Miura in her many outfits while promoting some of anime’s finest titles. I had a blast on Sunday handing out Akira and Wolf Children posters. I really felt that I was doing something good for the industry – encouraging tween anime fans to graduate from the usual fluff and check out some timeless classics. I also enjoyed talking to otaku veterans about how they first saw Akira and how they felt when their minds were blown. Overall, being an exhibitor was a positive experience.

The only downside I have with New York Comic Con is the inconsistent press policy. I can accept that New York Comic Con may be a bit more stringent since it is highly industry influenced (not that it’s a bad thing). However, Reed Pop, NYCC’s parent owner, hires a third party to take care of media approval. I tried going through another site that I write for, but to find out one editor was able to get in and I was not. I also found out that outlets with just Facebook pages were able to get in. While I do appreciate the process being electronic this year (as opposed to paper last year), consistency and content need to weigh in as much as numbers. A Facebook page with 100,00 followers may post up cosplay photos, but they can easily buy followers. Yet, a freelance webzine that produces insightful content, but may not be as popular as CNN, can get rejected.

While I do love New York Comic Con, I’m afraid that the rapid growth may make it harder to acquire badges. Prior to the con, badges sold out at Midtown Comics within hours upon release. While there were online sales, those sold out pretty fast too! Scalpers were selling badges online for double or higher the original retail price. People bought that up! I seriously hope that New York Comic Con’s ticket system will not falter to the likes of the more exclusive San Diego Comic Con. I love this con too much for it to turn into an exclusive clubhouse.

Many thanks to We Rise and Harmony for private photoshoots. I thoroughly appreciate your hard work and effort into the time you take to have cosplayers have nice photos of their art. Additional thanks to Harmony and family for their loving hospitality. I also wanted to give a special shout out to Funimation and American Cosplay Paradise. Without you guys, I probably wouldn’t be able to attend New York Comic Con 2013. I was willing to accept my loss, until ACP posted an opportunity for iDolm@ster cosplayers.

Overall, I recommend New York Comic Con for anyone who embraces nerd culture – from comics to otakudom, from Whovians to Potterheads, from Sailor Senshi to amazons, from Pokemon trainers to air benders, and everyone else in between. The only downside is that it’s starting to get much more crowded on Friday and Saturday. If you’re here for shopping Thursday or Sunday is the way to go. If you’re from out of state and are remotely curious about New York Comic Con, save up and spend a weekend in the city. All in all, a very good con and I’m already plotting some heroine cosplay projects for next year.

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