New York Comic Con 2021: The Famed Comics Convention Returns In-Person
New York Comic Con has returned to in-person events. The famed comics convention, which has become a cultural touchstone for many enthusiasts, was all virtual last year due to the pandemic. But the convention was not without its hiccups.
New York Comic Con was filled with special guests
The return of in-person events for the first time in over a year meant that New York Comic Con was going to pull out all the stops. And they did not disappoint. According to the convention’s official website, an assortment of celebrities from the world of film and television were in attendance.
Star Wars fans were thrilled that Hayden Christensen — who played Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the prequels — is coming to the convention. He will be signing autographs, and taking pictures with fans, on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10. Although he wasn’t participating in any of the convention’s panels, he will be there promoting his upcoming appearance in the Disney+ series, Kenobi, which just wrapped filming.
Other celebrities in attendance include David Harbour of Stranger Things, WWE wrestler John Cena, and Star Trek legend William Shatner. Unfortunately, however, many celebrities canceled before the convention, too. Afua Richardson, who will be starring in the upcoming Marvel film Black Panther: World of Wakanda, canceled her appearance. WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase canceled as well.
There were plenty of vendors, too
Fans of the genre often go to New York Comic Con for the vendors, too. There’s no better place to get exclusive memorabilia than at the convention. And fans enjoy meeting the creators, too.
SyFy was on hand at the Dark Horse Comics virtual panel, where the creators talked about the future of the industry. And according to legendary artist Scott Snyder, things were just getting started for the indie comics world.
“I love that Dark Horse is embracing the wide-open frontier aspects of [the comics industry] and welcoming in new voices and taking risks and all of that,” he said. And even though Snyder acknowledged that the industry was volatile right now, he holds out hope. “There’s a lot of excitement around independent, creator-owned comics in all kinds of ways.”
But some vendors fell short of the mark
Not all of the vendors at New York Comic Con did a good job with pleasing fans. According to Bleeding Cool, Funko — a manufacturer of figurines — fell very short of the mark in its presentation.
“One year ago, Funko had one of the worst convention experiences with their 2020 New York Comic Con event to help combat bots,” they said. “However, Funko has outdone itself with this year’s 2021 NYCC event, which included no lottery system, a new waiting queue, and last-minute reveals. These past couple of conventions though have really gone downhill.”
Though there are clearly still some kinks to iron out, we’re certain that fans will be back at New York Comic Con tomorrow.
