The weekend of October 7-12, I got the opportunity to go to the biggest pop-culture event on the east coast -- New York Comic Con.
This kind of event is something I’ve had on my bucket list since high school, being an avid fan of all things fantasy, especially Harry Potter. As the super hero era came into pop culture and fantasy because old news, I didn’t feel like it was my scene anymore.
I was so wrong.
Comic Con is a hodge podge of hundreds of different fandoms and all the attendees express their love of the culture in their own way. Some wear t-shirts, some hand out flyers pretending they’re living the life of their favorite characters, and some do really intensive cosplays. Everyone is just as excited as you are about just being there. They could care less about what show, movie, comic book, novel, or web show you like.
Nerds are great.
Being in a convention hall as large as the Javits Center, surrounded by 100,000 of your closest friends, you learn a lot of things about yourself and people as a whole. Here are five lessons that I learned last weekend at New York Comic Con.
1. People are awesome.
Never in my life have I seen a room full of so many excited people of all ages. The thing that struck me was that regardless of where I was, I never felt like I couldn’t talk to any person I saw. Everyone wanted to share his or her experiences with one another, and everyone wanted to make sure that you have as great a con as you can. At one point, I was waiting in a room for an event to start, and I saw a beautiful picture next to the woman sitting next to me. I immediately leaned over to her, mid event, and asked her where she got it. She gave me full details of where to find the artists booth, how much it cost, and even gave me the artist’s business card. I now own the picture I saw thanks to that woman. People are so cool.
2. Everyone has a passion.
Every person on the planet earth has something they are excited about. The fantastic thing about Comic Con is that it is not only a convention for all things pop culture, it is a convention for all things creative as well. There are panels where experts talk about breaking into the television business, authors of books giving advice on writing, animation workshops, and a whole room filled with artists who have made their own headway in the illustration business or just freelancing prints. And they’re all gorgeous. Comic Con will unite you with any creative passion you may have.
3. There are so many muscles in your legs and feet.
Oh man. Never in my life, except maybe when I was in marching band in high school, have I been able to feel every single muscle in my calves and feet twinge with every step. Every day, my group woke up at 5 a.m. and didn’t get back to the hotel until about midnight, with no sitting in between. The commute from the hotel to the convention center consisted of driving to a train station, which took us to the city where we had to walk a mile to the center. And then do it all again at the end of the day. I have never been so exhausted or in so much pain. I sat on any hard surface I could find, just to give my legs some rest. My poor butt still hurts.
4. Celebrities are humans too.
A cool thing that Comic Con offers is the opportunity to meet a lot of celebrities. Last weekend, I spoke to Clark Gregg and Chloe Bennet from "Agents of SHIELD," Felicia Day, Nathan Fillion, and I were able to listen to the casts of multiple shows speak. And they were all so sweet and real, it was unbelievable. Sometimes, you forget that they’re real people too: down to earth, excited about meeting people, and tired.
5. Surrounding yourself with excited people is inspirational.
No one at Comic Con will tell you that your idea or passion is silly. Everyone in that convention center has tried things, failed, and made their way back up. And they’re so happy about it! They want everyone to hear their story and share their advice with anyone who will listen. Leaving Comic Con, I wanted to create something, anything, just because I felt that I could.
I believe that everyone, whether you consider yourself a super fan or not, should attend a con. I was shaky when my friends invited me to join them: my anxiety had a field day making the decision to go or not to go. There are a lot of people, don’t get me wrong, and not all are the best people. However, seeing a whole other side of what I had called “fandom” expanded everything I thought about super fans ten-fold. There are things that I love on the Internet that I didn’t know other people even knew about until I saw detailed cosplays of the characters and creators.
Comic Con is a reassurance to every nerd in the world, letting him or her know that no matter how much you might get teased at home, there is a convention center filled to the brim with people just like you.
