New York Comic Con is back for its first in-person event since 2019

NEW YORK: New York Comic Con has returned following a virtual event last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fans were back Friday (08 OCT. 2021) at the Jacob Javits Center for the comic book culture festival.

Special COVID protocols were put in place: Attendees 12 and over must be fully vaccinated and children 11 and under must show proof of a negative COVID test. All attendees must wear masks except when eating or drinking. 140,000 fans are expected in-person this year.

Sophia Guerrera of Hoboken, New Jersey, who spent almost three months making her costume said, "It's definitely a bit nerve-wracking, you know. COVID is still a real issue, but hoping that we can get through it and my dress here is like 10-foot diameter so I'm hoping that will keep some people away."

Felix Hernandez said it felt the same as 2019. "This is my second time coming to it. It feels great to be back. A lot of new things I haven't seen. A lot of people with cosplays and that's good to see."

Kassandra Rodriguez and Konstantine Makrygiannis came as "Catwoman" and "Joker," respectively. "This is my 10th year coming to Comic Con and it's just great like being here. Last year was virtual -- it's not really the same. You just want to experience it here 'cause you want to see all the different costumes and buy the merch and stuff like that so it's definitely great to be at Comic Con," said Rodriguez.

'This is actually my first year here. That being said it's great to see all my favorite characters. Great to see all my favorite people. Definitely like a surreal experience being around everybody," added Makrygiannis.

In addition to the in-person event, fans who are unable to attend in person can purchase digital tickets valid for all four days. The event concludes Sunday.

Panels this year include cast and crew from Star Trek: Discovery and the soon-to-be-released Star Trek: Prodigy. Comedy Central will host a Ghost Hunters Live! panel and there will be a conversation as well with the cast and crew of upcoming Sony film Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Y: The Last Man and What We Do in the Shadows from FX.

Featured guests at this year's event include John Cena, William Shatner, David Harbour, and Hayden Christensen.