Comic Con 2014- New York City

Notice the city was a little more crowded this week? Did it look like Halloween came early this year? If you noticed these things, then you were catching sight of this years Comic Con in New York City. Comic Con has grown over the past few years. Fred R. Conrad explores the recent changes and growth of Comic Con in his article “At New York Comic Con, Growing Pains Come With the Crowds”.

Comic Con is held in the Javits Center in New York, which can only hold up to 133,000 people. However, Reedpop found a way to pack even more people into the fun. Selling about 155,000 tickets, everyone is still complaining there needs to be more tickets. Therefore, Reedpop created Super Week, a week long event in connection to Comic Con. They also had Chevy and Uber offering rides to and from the center. Restaurants are throwing food trucks around the Javits Center to not have their restaurants overcrowded. This was all done in order to get more people involved in Comic Con.

However, many fans of Comic Con complain that the convention isn’t just for Comic books anymore. There were people dressed for animes like Attack on Titan (although there is a manga, which is a Japanese Comic Book), a panel for Bobs Burgers, and even more. The world of Comic Con isn’t just Comics anymore. Although some people do not like this, Reedpop thinks that Comic Con is catching hold of all the fandoms.

I think that the convention is expanding to more than just Comics is a good and a bad things. It is nice that the convention is growing to cover all sorts of fandoms inside this world. Expect the issue is this convention was made just for Comics. If we want, we could have another convention for comics, movies, games, tv, etc. Maybe like Media/Gaming Convention. Something along those lines. However, that would just be another day of traffic jams and over population in the city.

However, I am really disappointed I did not get to go this year. I love dressing up and this would be a perfect opportunity to see other people dressed up as well. There were many amazing costumes ranging from popular video games like Assassin’s Creed to Movies like Frozen and, of course, the comics like Iron Man. It is especially interesting to see when a big group of people dress up for the same show/movie/game/comic.

Overall, the overpopulation at Comic Con was resolved nicely with the whole Super Week thing, vendors outside, and the travel services. However, it would of been much better if they could of rented a bigger venue (if there was one). As for Comic Con not just being comics, it all depends on what you want. Would you rather two, separate conventions that leads to more days of traffic or one convention that isn’t purely comics? I prefer the second option.

_{Border Lands}

11 Responses to "Comic Con 2014- New York City"

Ann Privorotskiy says:

October 15, 2014 at 10:10 pm

I had a good amount of friends who got dressed up for Comic Con, and it was definitely amusing to see the reactions on people’s faces when they’d catch sight of them. I definitely agree with you saying that the expansion of this event is both a positive and negative thing. On one side, it surely bring a greater amount of revenue and attention. People are able to network and meet a diverse group of fans. On the other hand, the large variety of fantoms makes the entire event sort of impersonal. I think that the option for a Comic Con as large as this one should stick around, but in addition to this giant Comic Con, there should also be sub-Comic Cons that target specific groups of people. For instance, one could be exclusively about comics, and another could be solely dedicated for anime lovers. Either way, I think the event is like a second Halloween and it’s fun watching people get so excited about it.
Bethany Freynk says:

October 19, 2014 at 3:29 pm

It is interesting to see such a colorful occasion become a controversial topic. It is fascinating to see people so passionate about this pop- cultural event and spend massive amounts of time, effort and money on buying, sowing, and putting together all the intricate costumes worn at Comic Con. Yet, I do agree that over the four days that it goes on, the city feels a lot more packed. Comic Con includes more and more shows, comics, and movies every year, causing the Javits Center to be filled to the brim with character impersonators and fans. It would be interesting to go to Comic Con once just to experience such a unique environment full of creativity and celebrities, but I am not stimulated to spend money on such an overcrowded event. Sydney and Ann provide great ideas for the future. I agree that Comic Con lacks sub- categories that can be spaced out by day. For example, I am not interested in any Japanese anime or cartoons; yet, it would be cool to see people wearing homemade costumes from Disney movies such as Frozen and panels from TV shows such as The Walking Dead. Thus, dividing the convention by topic would make it significantly more accessible to all those interested in attending. I understand that Reedpop wants more revenue, but there are definitely more effective ways in attaining the same amount of profit.
ehughes1 says:

October 19, 2014 at 9:01 pm

After reading this article, I believe that ReedPop is making the best move possible by implementing a Super Week leading up to the New York Comic Con. The Jacob K. Javits Center, where the convention is held, has a limited capacity of attendants, so expanding the convention to include a whole week’s worth of related events seems like a good idea. With an endeavor as large as this one, I would not expect any return on investment for a couple of years. But as it gains popularity and earns a reputation over the years, it should significantly increase ticket sales and build a wider fan base of comic books.
I could see why some critics are complaining that the focus of Comic Con is being shifted away from comic books and is including movies, television shows and video games in genres of science fiction and fantasy. This expansion should be seen as a good thing, as you are allowing people of diverse interests and backgrounds to attend the convention. Of course, you can’t make everybody happy, but ReedPop is attempting to make this addition of Super Week easier for attendants by providing free transportation and a wider variety of food choices offered by food trucks near the convention center. As you said, I would rather have one convention that offers attendants a diverse experience rather than two separate conventions that cater to two separate needs and leads to more days of traffic and waves of crowds.
michalsudo says:

October 19, 2014 at 10:53 pm

I agree with what Erynn said, you can’t make everyone happy. The fact that the image of Comic Con is undergoing change isn’t necessarily bad, what is bad about this change are the people who serve as catalysts for this change. The fact is that Comic Con is a an event targeted at a specific audience group that has a very specific similar interest. Those who come to Comic Con and are not following the conventional Comic Con “rules” aren’t being respectful of the common interest the event was formed upon. This disregard for the implied rules established for each division of art is comparable to coming to see an opera with a overflowing,buttery popcorn holder, or clapping at the end of a scene in a movie. Because the shared interests are different, the obvious approach is to have different events rather than forcing two different groups with different interest together. The best way to do this might be to have a day dedicated for each particular costume design, a day for superheroes, another for t.v. shows etc.
nicholasleung says:

October 19, 2014 at 11:16 pm

I personally love all the wacky parts of Comic Con. Sure, it has become a lot less focused, but that’s what makes the event so much fun. The whole Super Week idea is great because it makes the fun twice as long for fans who can’t make the main three days, and the hodgepodge of panels makes it all the more pleasurable. You do make a good point, though: maybe two, separate categories for Comic Con might make people happier. At the same time, what if one category has a ton more people than the other? Then the other category loses out, and the amazing array of artists is also reduced because Comic Con would become too specified. The strange, geeky beauty of Comic Con is that almost ANYONE can be a part of it, and it gives up-and-coming artists to show off their work to the world and possibly inspire people who have never heard of them/took interest.
holdencoreystein says:

October 20, 2014 at 7:22 am

I think it is great that Comic Con became such a big event/festival/convention/party. Humans are not meant to be serious creatures 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. People have imaginations and creativity and it’s nice to see that Comic Con allows over 100,000 people to flock to various cities and be whoever they want to be for a few days. In a city where people either take things too seriously or not seriously enough, Comic Con serves as a reminder that it is okay to have some fun and let loose every now and then.
Isabel Vulakh says:

October 20, 2014 at 10:01 am

Comic Con is one of the most interesting and exciting events in New York City. The streets, along with my Instagram and Facebook newsfeeds, are flooded with people dressed up in crazy costumes in honor of their favorite characters. Like Sydney said, I think it is great that Comic Con is drawing in all sorts of crowds. Comic Con now attracts not only comics fans, but also fans of a diverse range of animated characters. You can see Disney characters mingling with superheroes and anime characters. Some avid comic fans might not like the increasing volume of new types of Comic Con-goers because in a sense they believe Comic Con is diverging from its original roots, but this new array of characters adds to the diversity and fun of the whole experience.
christosbakalexis says:

October 20, 2014 at 12:45 pm

This was an extremely interesting article! Comicon, like many other events over time become less “authentic” to appeal to a larger audience. From a perspective from someone like myself, who is not a comic book fan, i see this as beneficial. Television shows, movies, celebrities, fandoms are now all incorporated in comicon. Maybe I will attend one day!
j96lee says:

October 20, 2014 at 12:59 pm

I, myself, wanted to go to Comic Con this year. I watch a lot of television shows and movies that hosted panels. I was very excited to see the cast of Arrow, Game of Thrones, the Avengers, and many more. I think it is amazing the costumes that people create and wear. Many people spend so much time and money on these costumes specifically for Comic Con. Comic Con is an amazing way to unite fans from all different comics, TV shows, movies, books, etc.
Beatrice Margolin says:

October 21, 2014 at 1:10 pm

I can understand why comic fans would want Comic Con to be strictly for what its namesake suggests, but the point of Comic Con should not be for the “purists” to get upset about their event being ruined by other forms of media joining the ranks. Comic Con was created so eager and passionate fans could express their love for any piece of media and connect with others who felt the same. Fans should not be judged for liking the “wrong” thing, nor should they not be allowed to participate in an event that is truly about creativity and camaraderie. I would definitely like to attend Comic Con in the future, but it would be disappointing if the environment turned out to be hostile instead of welcoming.
layanahnsouli says:

October 21, 2014 at 1:18 pm

I never knew there was a conflict regarding the expansion of Comic Con. While the continuous expansion of the convention is a sign of its ever-growing success, I can see how this might take away from the sense of unity among its attendees. The more widespread the event becomes, the less unity there is among the different participants. So in this sense, I can understand why there is a level of discontent with the growth of Comic Con.

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