Some might consider it bad form, or even bad taste, to show as much skin as some of the attendees did down at New York Comic Con 2018 (NYCC) – but I don’t know any of those people.
The famous anime/cosplay/comics/fantasy movie weekend, held October 3 – 6, was littered with booty-baring leotards, crotch-defining spandex and enough bouncing décolletage to make a porn PA blush.
NYCC was also doing its due diligence to put safety first. A standing vertical banner located prominently on the Jabobs Javits Center floor reminded attendees that “Cosplay Is Not Consent.” Meaning, just because a person is sporting a provocative costume or embodying a sensual character, this does not grant permission to get grabby – or even gabby. Nice.
Where Was The Hentai?
The popular pornographic art form hentai was nowhere to be found at NYCC.
Though NYCC attendees may appreciate hentai’s various depictions of BDSM, hermaphroditic couplings and endless iterations of pegging, neither hentai nor any other erotic depictions of manga were evident anywhere at the show.
Japanese anime at the convention is mainly synonymous with gaming – unless, of course, one happens to be dressing like one of the many infamous schoolgirl heroines popular in many Japanese animated television series. Short-skirted adult women channeling their inner Ryūko Matoi were certainly in attendance.
Meeting The Cosplay Queen
The most adult aspect of NYCC was the cosplay on display. Fans dressing like their favorite character from a fantasy movie, comic, video game and — yes — Japanese manga and anime littered the massive convention space. Plenty of people also posed for pictures outside. This is where the real creativity of the gathering was, as men and women fashion both store-bought costumes, as well as homemade ones, to represent the characters they love — or even ones they created just for the day.
The undeniable cosplay queen in this universe is Yaha Han. An entrepreneur, model, designer and media personality, Han is the quintessential cosplayer. She also designs some of the costumes she wears and is presently selling a line of materials made specifically for cosplay use.
“I developed the line with users like me in mind,” Yan said. “We have unique finishes… spandex fabrics and PVC, with a concentration on it all being durable, as well as breathable.”
As Yan and all cosplayers are well aware shifting, stuffing and popping one’s body parts into sometimes very tight and revealing outfits, comfort, possible tearing and wear are all high concerns. Yan seems to have this well in hand with her line of clothing.
Artists Skirting That Line
The basement floor of the Javits was devoted exclusively to what NYCC called “Artists Alley.” Here, independent as well as well-known comic illustrators had set up tables selling artwork, offering commissions and signing for fans. Lots of busty heroines were on display, as were rippling muscled men, and a few of the artists were strictly exploring the erotic side of the street. One such lady, Canadian Genevieve FT (pictured in the lede image), was showing off her books of nude non-narrative BBW gay girl encounters, what she calls “sequential illustrations.”
“I don’t worry about it so much,” the petite, soft-spoken lady began, addressing the question of the possible stigma from sketching erotica and pin-up art in this particular arena. “I can still be mainstream, if I want to be. But with the main stuff I do I am showing body positive sketches of women of different shapes.”
Balancing her work between the nudes she draws and working for companies like Archie Comics, FT works exclusively freelance. She also said that living in a “cheap” city like Montreal keeps her overhead low.
By all reports, NYCC now trumps the original Comic Con in San Diego. Fans, producers, retails, cosplay queens and artists all descended for this weekend for another year of showing off in a bunch of different ways.
All images via Joseph Swarctz.
