On Thursday, August 8th, New York Comic Con released their latest props and weapons policy, much to the dismay of its attendees. The policy in its entirety can be viewed at the following link: NYCC Props and Weapons Policy. For those who don't want to read through the policy, the following portion is what caused an uproar for attendees, specifically cosplayers:

Prop weapons and prop firearms will be allowed providing they are composed of foam or cardboard only.

New York Comic Con is a convention that has evolved over the years, changing its focus from comic books and their creators to comic books, television, movies, books, anime, celebrities, and cosplay. Cosplay has become a large portion of the convention for many attendees, whether it is participating or simply getting a picture of or with your favorite character. Obviously, safety is priority number one, but when this policy change was released on Thursday evening, there was a huge backlash.

Let me give you a little background information on cosplay for those who may not be familiar with it or the process involved. To create the amazing costumes and props that attendees see each year, cosplayers use a variety of materials from cardboard to foam to thermoplastics to 3D printed materials to metal to wood to PVC. Basically, any material is up for usage when it comes to hand-creating a one-of-a-kind cosplay. Most cosplayers spend months planning and working on their cosplays, particularly for larger conventions such as New York Comic Con. Many cosplayers use materials such as PVC, 3D printed plastic, and thermoplastics to create props, spending many hours (sometimes 100+) to create their props. Often, these props and weapons complete a cosplay, pulling their entire costume together and bringing characters to life.

Imagine Darth Maul without his dual-sided lightsaber.

Imagine Link without his Master Sword.

Imagine Deadpool without his katanas and multiple guns.

Imagine Harley Quinn without her giant mallet.

Imagine a Ghostbuster without their proton pack.

It's pretty weird, right?

That is what this new policy change entails. Yes, these props can be made from foam or cardboard. However, the majority of these props require the use of sturdier materials or are purchased so the cosplayer has no say in materials. Now, take into consideration that these props take time to create. With less than a month until convention, cosplayers would either have to scrape their props and weapons, rush to make new ones, or pay for rush shipment to have them received in time. So cosplayers responded and New York Comic Con listened.

At 12:30 PM on Friday, August 9th, less than 24 hours later, New York Comic Con revised their props and weapons policy to include the following stipulation:

At the discretion of Security onsite, the following may be allowed:

• Plastic and Metal Shields
• Lightweight Plastic/PVC Props/Light Sabers
• Toy guns as long as they do not look like real ones, cannot function or shoot projectiles and have an orange tip on the barrel

If any of the above items are deemed unsafe by NYCC Security, they will not be allowed inside the building. They will only be allowed as long as they are deemed safe and will not cause harm onsite.

Problem solved, right?

Well, yes, the props and weapons policy has been solved, but this points to an even larger problem within the current operations of New York Comic Con. Let me explain.

Back before the first round of ticket sales, New York Comic Con announced that anyone who potentially wants to purchase a badge and attend the convention, they must complete a fan verification process. This is similar to the process that San Diego Comic-Con International uses. It's a way to limit scalpers as well as add an additional layer of security to the badge purchasing process. Additionally, it gives the convention an opportunity to see what types of badges people are interested in. It's not a bad system, but attendees were up in arms.

Why the need for an extra step?

What if I decide last minute to purchase a badge?

What happens to badges that are purchased but not assigned to a fan verified account?

People are resistant to change given the many pros and cons. But New York Comic Con has spent the last few years trying to maintain its status as the largest East Coast convention as well as to prove it can party with the big boys like SDCC. The days leading up to and after the ticket sale were intense and people were extremely unhappy with what was going on.

Lo and behold, after much upheaval by attendees (and potential attendees), NYCC reopened their fan verification profile due to the large volume of people who didn't complete the process the first time around or did so incorrectly, leading to a large number of badges being unclaimed. Originally, these badges were supposed to be reclaimed and a refund automatically given, hoping to limit scalped tickets. By reopening the process, New York Comic Con threw out the entire reason for the process in the first place.

Now, I think it is great that New York Comic Con is taken into consideration their attendees and listening to their complaints, but they're going about implementing change in the worst way.

If you're going to require fan verification, then require fan verification and people will learn for next year or you decide not to implement it again. With how quickly badges are sold out, there is no shortage of people wanting to attend. This is a policy you should stand your ground on, especially if they truly believe it is for the benefit of the attendees and to limit scalpers.

If you're going to implement a super strict, and frankly ridiculous, weapons and props policy, be aware that you're not going to be enhancing the experience for your attendees and have gone way off from what every other convention does. In this case, they did the right thing by altering their policy, but they also damaged their reputation by implementing this stupidity in the first place.

I understand that New York Comic Con is, at the end of the day, a business and a business is in the market for profit. However, given these two major missteps, New York Comic Con has a lot to make up for. With attendee morale low, it'll be interesting to see what the actual convention is like, what additional changes they may make, and how this will affect next year's experience.