Cosplay on Parade at NY Comic Con 2013

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Features

Published on Wednesday, 16 October 2013 17:35

Written by Renzo Adler

The New York Comic Con returned to the Javits Center on October 10 - 13, 2013, bringing with it a cavalcade of costumed comic aficionados. Recently the subject of cosplay has become a very contentious one. Some people argue that cosplay is about petty one-upmanship, or "attention whoring” or that the people making these costumes have no real investment in comics and cartoons and that they just want to be seen. But at this years' NYCC, none of that cynicism was apparent to me. I saw people of all ages and backgrounds who truly love the wellspring of imagination that is comics, and wanted to express that love through deft craft.

I offer to you a small sampling of these costumed fans. I also offer the reminder that fandom is not about competition and ostracizing, it's about community and acceptance. There is no "fake nerd girl" hiding in your closet to steal away the legitimacy of your identity. We must work to forge an identity based on mutual love and appreciation of all things weird and “geeky.” You have your way of expressing your fandom, and these people have their way.

All photos by Renzo Adler.

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