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The 5 Best Things I Saw At NYCC 2017

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Jenn Northington

Director, Editorial Operations

Jenn Northington has worked in the publishing industry wearing various hats since 2004, including bookseller and events director, and is currently Director of Editorial Operations at Riot New Media Group. You can hear her on the SFF Yeah! podcast nerding out about sci-fi and fantasy. When she’s not working, she’s most likely gardening, running, or (obviously) reading. Find her on Tumblr at jennIRL and Instagram at iamjennIRL.

View All posts by Jenn Northington

My New York Comic Con has always been about work rather than play. When I first started going, it was as a bookseller working a publisher’s booth. These days, I have meetings with publishers about Book Riot partnerships. But in between all the business, I get a little bit of time to roam (when I’m not standing in 40-minute coffee lines, that is). Here are my five favorite things I saw at NYCC 2017, in the order I saw them.

1. A Maui Cosplayer

a brown-skinned young man with shoulder-length curly hair in a grass skirt, red tanktop, and sandals, holding a large ivory hook

I won’t lie to you—I have rewatched Moana several times, I have Alessia Cara’s “How Far I’ll Go” on a playlist, and I frequently find myself humming “Shiny” for no good reason. So when one of the very first cosplayers I spotted on Thursday after entering the Javits was Maui, I was VERY EXCITED.

2. A Tiny Rey

a very young girl dressed as Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Cosplay is always the best part of NYCC for me—I love seeing how creative people get—and tiny cosplay is the most heart-melting. (Also, I own Star Wars: The Force Awakens.) This Rey kindly put down her lunch to pose for me; the Force was very much with her.

3. Shipwreck: Jurassic Park

Attending Shipwreck is the best NYCC tradition I have. This year’s line-up included the amazing Alisha Rai. The writers were assigned characters from Jurassic Park to write erotic fanfiction about (YES REALLY), and they did not disappoint. I encourage you to sift through the #shipwreckny tag on Twitter, although not at your desk as it is extremely NSFW. In case you were wondering, the winning fic by Nate Waggoner mashed up a T-Rex with Boogie Nights. Yes! Really!

4. This Loki Cape Blazer From Hot Topic

a black blazer with slit sleeves and green piping

One of the delights of having a press badge this year was getting to see Hot Topic’s fall preview. I got to see several Loki- and Sailor Moon-inspired items, but the one that really takes the cake is this cape blazer. One, because I didn’t know cape blazers were a thing and now I am VERY EXCITED. Two, because now I’m having visions of screaming “Say my name!” in the middle of a PowerPoint presentation.

5. Punk Rock Spider-Man

A Spider-Man cosplayer with a denim vest covered in patches, a metal-spice mohawk, red converse, holding a red guitar

Really, the photo speaks for itself.