Jennifer Newman
I went to Comic Con with one goal: to get into the “Once Upon A Time” panel. Last year when I went to the convention, I realized (too late) that you have to wait forever to get into any panel and was not able to see ones that I wanted. But oh, did I learn my lesson. I waited five hours for this panel, and I have no regrets…because I went for two days. On my second day I saw more anime and cosplay than I could process. My favorite was one of Ana from “Frozen.” However, I did meet a sassy Elsa who I did not care for after she stole someone’s seat. Yet overall, the community at Comic Con was friendly. When you’re with a group of people who are willing to wait hours for the same fanbase as you… it’s easy to start a conversation.
Anthony DeRosa
Comic Con and I have bit of a complicated relationship. For one, we only see each other for a single weekend once a year and I’m always the one who ends up paying for everything. Then before I even know it, Monday rolls around and I’m down $300 and discarded like yesterday’s trash — but not without a small consolation prize for saying hello. This year it was a Harley Quinn statue that ran me $100 after a bit of haggling. If you think that’s a lot of money, there was a rarer one next to it going for $350. I’m at least economical in my shame. But that’s the beauty of Comic Con — it’s a place where shame goes to die. Nerdy indulgence is the name of the game and its a motto I truly embrace. This year I spent a lot of time photographing awesome cosplayers and even more time photographing awful cosplayers to laugh at with my roommate later. Fat, bald Wolverine will forever live in infamy. I also enjoyed looking down at the lowly con peasants from the elevated and spacious press lounge. That part was cool.
Melissa Kramer
My experience at Comic Con was a fun one for sure. It was my first time experiencing the event and I was very excited and honored to attend. My goals for my day at the Javits Center were definitely unlike other Comic Con veterans. My goals were to meet and/or see Hulk Hogan (yeah, brother!), Bill Nye and the voice of Spongebob Squarepants, Tom Kenny. In addition, to enjoying the experience and taking it all in, I accomplished all of this throughout the day. I saw Hulk Hogan and Tom Kenny from afar and somehow met Bill Nye. I joined the line of 150 who had the opportunity to meet him and I was one of them. I waited three hours, but it was well worth it to meet a part of everyone’s childhood. Nye distributed, personalized and signed his new book for free. Usually, every autograph costs money at the event. That was surprising. It was a refreshing sight to see everyone’s face light up and their passion to be at Comic Con. It was nice to see other’s passions as an outsider looking in.