By Ezae Darby and Kate Dempsey
This past weekend, The Vanguard attended the 2024 New York City Comic Con held at the Jacob Javits Center. Fans were treated to booths based on their favorite comics and anime, free giveaways, and exclusive early access to new video games such as Little Nightmares 3.
Thursday kicked off with an exclusive preview screening of HBO’s new series Dune: Prophecy. Celebrity voice actors, such as Hayley Atwell, Cameron Monaghan, Josh Brolin, and Elizabeth Olsen, were also in attendance to provide fans a chance to meet their favorite stars. Voice-acting legends like Phil LaMarr (known for Samurai Jack and Green Lantern) and Christopher Sabat (famous for voicing Vegeta, Piccolo, Yamcha, and Shenron in Dragon Ball) were also present, along with the original cast of Teen Titans.
Andy Park, director of visual development at Marvel, also tabled in the artist alley, warmly embracing fans. He took a moment to offer advice to future artists, emphasizing the importance of being prepared.
“I attended San Diego Comic Con when I was 19, where I met Rob Liefeld, the creator of Deadpool. I gave him my portfolio, and he offered me an internship. The rest is history,” Park told The Vanguard. “You never know who you will meet.”
The weekend was also filled with fan meet-ups, tournaments, and gaming duels in Mahjong, Rivalry of Warlords, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Panels ranged from perfecting horror writing and romance writing to a last minute surprise appearance by DC Studios co-chair James Gunn, who offered fans an exclusive first look at the trailer for the new animated show, Creature Commandos. The surprises didn’t end there—celebrities Tom Hardy and Kid Cudi made guest appearances at some of the panels.
Vendors brought an impressive array of exclusive merchandise, from limited edition figurines and comics to pop culture themed mystery boxes featuring icons like Hello Kitty. Fans were spoiled with rare finds, and some even got to meet Walter Emanuel Jones, best known as the Black Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
The artist alley was brimming with talent, bringing together both emerging and established creators. Fans could purchase the latest work from their favorite artists or discover new talent. For legendary artists like Todd McFarlane, long lines of eager fans showed just how revered they are in the comic world.
Alex Sinclair, a celebrated colorist for both Marvel and DC Comics, spoke about the importance of the comic world being a collaborative effort to produce comics for fans to love.
“The most fulfilling part is working with other artists. Comics are a collaborative medium, and it’s been the most rewarding aspect—creating each page, cover, and book as a team has made me a better artist,” Sinclair told The Vanguard.
Sinclair’s advice to aspiring comic book writers is to continuously practice in order to hone in on their craft. “Draw every day. Practice your craft like an athlete practices their sport. You should feel strange if you’re not drawing daily—it should be a part of you, not something you have to force,” he told The Vanguard.
The cosplay scene saw an abundance of different characters, with fans bringing their A-game. Attendees came dressed as characters from Marvel, Star Wars, Fallout, One Piece, Invincible, and more, creating an atmosphere of creativity and passion. To cosplayers at the convention, it serves as a place of community and a shared love for the characters they are passionate about.
“I really enjoyed that aspect of going to a convention where you can immediately become friends with someone regardless of like their age, gender, where they come from, all walks of life,” Ellie, cosplaying as Ellen Joe from the anime Zenless Zone Zero, told The Vanguard. “When I go to conventions it’s just so easy to talk to people.”
To other cosplayers, what was once a niche has now become mainstream with dedicated space for everyone to openly express their love for their interests. To these attendees, Comic Con is the opportunity to be their most authentic selves and enjoy it with others.
“I’m so from an era where like it was not cool to be into anime and be a geek nerd or whatever, so to see it be so widely celebrated now is awesome,” Mel, a cosplayer as Ada Wong from the Resident Evil video game, told The Vanguard. “People of all walks of life have a space to come together and celebrate the things they love.”
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Interested students can order pre-sale 2025 Comic Con tickets at newyorkcomiccon.com.