Through Lens: A Decade at New York Comic Con

Walking through the doors of the Javits with my head high and eyes gazing at the all of the brands and companies fighting for my attention hoping for an investment of sorts, potentially mindshare if not a a monetary one over the weekend. Bins full of lanyards crowded as individuals of various ages and backgrounds grin from ear to ear as the satisfying clipping sound completes their preparation for their badge(s) of honor. There’s a look that they all share and it’s obvious. They’re ready, it’s time and without any hesitation or words they embark on and immerse themselves in the pop culture phenomenon in the city that never sleeps. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the one, the only, New York City Comic Con. It was something I could used to I thought.

My best friend summoned me to midtown Manhattan on a Friday morning. Ascending the ever long stairs of the prominent Midtown comic just outside of Times Square, I was convinced to spend a cool 65 dollars to get myself a weekend badge for 2010’s New York City Comic con. I was at point in my life where things shifted a good amount and I wasn’t exactly sure if I’d be able to attend the con again. It was an escape so impressionable that I did not want to miss it. I made a promise to myself to make the trip every year, no matter what. Barely 20 years old I knew if I could make good on my promise I’d have a lot to look back on in down the line.

On a semi chilly October morning I connected my badge to a lanyard through the clip hole before placing it around it neck and entering the show floor. The routine was the same as always yet so much had changed. The occasion marked a number of things. It would be the last time I’d posses a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses, my very first comic con purchase about a decade ago. It was the last comic con in my twenties. It’s the last of this decade but the first that was mostly a solo journey.

Advertising and partnerships I’ve seen the famed convention ballon past its mostly comic book and anime roots which were the poster brands for the badges coupled with string lanyards akin to shoelaces. Looking back, they probably were shoelaces. New York’s con, as popular as it was, never reached the fever pitch heights that it’s west coast counterpart, San Diego had with its huge Hollywood stars and summer blockbuster drawing power. San Diego may still boast the bigger show, physically and from a Hollywood standpoint, but New York built more than a machine over the years. NBCUniversal was entered in two ways by using one of their networks in the ever correlated SyFy Network for their sci fi appeal to the demographics. Secondly they went after the one thing that every con attendee sees, feels, touches, and uses…the lanyards. Building on their Upfront and fall schedule the lanyards were all branded with the Dracula television series. Neither the lanyard or show lasted but it was a sign of how the convention was on the cusp of tremendous growth in the early to mid 2010s.

While San Diego had appearances of Marvel Cinematic Universal stars, New York focused on the more local and grittiness of the big Apple. Enter Netflix. The streaming giant fended off possible collapse trading in mailing DVDs for streaming content on the very same devices we use everyday, including the ones being used to read this piece. Landing big television show streaming deals and being available from smart TV, phones, tablets, and video game consoles Netflix looked further. Now in their customers backpacks and backpacks in addition to living rooms, they pushed forward to original content. Netflix only turned the heads of cable companies but also Marvel fans when the two companies partnered to tell amazing stories of local heroes such as Harlem’s Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Hell’s Kitchen’s Daredevil which started it all off. High quality content delivered in New York featuring heroes that were based in New York. What was missing? Panels at Comic Con in New York. An incredible run of panels each year not only featuring the stars but also showed clips of the upcoming seasons took place for the better of the second half of the 2010s. Queue halls where fans lined up to get main stage panel entry were handled with wristbands and needed an alternative solution for the growing number of names, people, and companies coming to New York Comic Con.

The ballon had burst once AMC network arrived to the party. They hoisted big banners for each new season of The Walking Dead which each passing year. The television show was Sunday night staple and had enough fuel to transform New York City Comic Con. AMC bypassed the lanyards and went straight for the badges. The Walking Dead has graced the convention badge for over half a decade now. With each season growing in its prime and automatic main stage panel appearance each year the Javits needed not only more space but renovations. AMC would continue their impact by pioneering the next big move preceding New York Comic Con week by having an experience for their television show offsite. Loft spaces and warehouses nearby were first to be utilized before the Hammerstein Ballroom and Madison Square Garden would ultimately become regular partners.

New York Comic Con underwent the digital transformation which was inevitable. Midtown Comics, the comic book store where I first got badges, no longer sold them. No other stores sold them. The organizer went solely online for selling badges. Account verification began moving the queue from the streets to our fingertips via our devices. The rise of Twitter and Instagram took engagement to different heights. Cosplays we’re more tied around photo shoots and networking. Merchants rose with popular items such as loot crates and the wildly desired funko pop figures. Pre convention lotteries and apps were leveraged to avoid gridlock and ease the potential madness. Video games and anime took a back seat but have since are starting to regain some of the big presence they’ve once had. The video game becoming a multi billion dollar industry and anime like Dragon Ball and My Hero Academia doing great in movie theaters with animated films will definitely play a role in the next decade of New York City comic con. Hotels, restaurants, and even Broadway have all gotten a piece of the convention as well.

A good exhale followed before I began walking to the show floor. I took a moment of reflection. To see the conention transform over the years was incredible. The partnerships, the technology, social media, and much more. In the time span I completed multiple marathons including one ultra marathon, obtained three degrees, and worked for the best company when I've never thought I'd get a chance to. I kept my promise to myself. I thanked my best friend for attending a decade straight. Our growth showed in the moment. It wasn’t one of indifference nor utter elation. It was an understanding that a milestone that had been in the making for a while. We devoted ourselves to helping other friends and connections to having a successful Comic Con as we have without anyone really guiding us. As I traversed the Javits I kept the same thing in mind as I did last year to be more present. This time, I hit the reset button. I knew nothing, I attended for nothing. All that I had was the atmosphere and an opportunity to have an amazing experience.