We Went To Our First Comic Con Since COVID. This Is What It Was Like
One of the things that we have missed the most during the lockdown is attending conventions. The first comic con I ever attended was New York Comic Con in 2013, so it was fitting that my first one since COVID would be NYCC 2021. Culture Slate's Clarice Taylor and myself swung by the convention along a cross country road trip from Boston to Los Angeles. This is what the experience was like.
A week before the convention, we received an e-mail detailing the entry process. In addition to the usual information about picking up badges, we were told to download an app to display our COVID vaccination cards. The alternate option was to bring our physical CDC cards and IDs. When we arrived at the convention, we scanned the QR code in the app, and were given wristbands to show our vaccinated status. In addition to being vaccinated, everyone in the convention center also had to wear a mask indoors.
RELATED: Fans Are Obsessed With This Surprise ‘Star Wars’ Series Dropping On Disney+
One thing I was super curious about prior to the convention, was how this would affect cosplay. What we found was that many people wore costumes that already had masks as a part of the character ensemble, and then wore medical masks underneath. What was novel was that all the maskless costumes had custom masks added to them. One of our favorites was this fantastic Rey from Star Wars with a custom-made mask to match her outfit.
The other big question I had was how busy the convention would be. NYCC is one of the most attended conventions in the world with over 250,000 attendees in 2019. This staggering number was reduced to 150,000 this year. The extra empty space between bodies on the convention floor was clearly visible. What would have been a crowded Friday afternoon felt like a casual early Thursday morning.
The extra room to walk was a welcome change from the usually overpacked pre-COVID convention halls. It allowed us to quickly amble down every major aisle and see the booths in record time. Despite there being less attendees, the floor itself was as filled as ever with vendors, and we were excited to see all the great art and merchandise in person that we had been missing for the last two years. These giant and mini Grogu’s caught my eye.
It is hard to believe that this is the first convention that I have attended since Grogu's big reveal on The Mandalorian way back in 2019. He has been the cutest internet meme for two years, yet I have not seen much custom merchandise, art, or cosplays in person outside of anything in major retailers. I am excited to attend more conventions, especially Star Wars Celebration next year, where we will see all the new Mandalorian art and cosplays that fans have made.
As always, there also was some really awesome fine art, like this atmospheric painting of Darth Vader on the operating table where the iconic black mask and suit was born. The exhibit hall was filled with many booths displaying fantastic pieces like this one.
Overall, New York Comic Con 2021 was a great experience. It felt clean, safe, and actually a lot easier to navigate than prior years. I look forward to enjoying this hybrid space for a while where conventions are happening, but are less packed. However, if it is anything like the road traffic in New York and Los Angeles, this period of emptiness will not last long. I fully expect 2022 to be filled with jam-packed conventions with hundreds of thousands of people inside one building. Maybe the only lasting difference will be a few more people washing their hands and covering their nose when they sneeze. I’ll take that.
