Sarah Cochran
Winners of the Cosplay Showcase stand on stage together at NC Comicon on Sunday in the Raleigh Convention Center. NC Comicon was a two-day weekend event that hosted exhibits, panels and special guests in an inclusive comic book pop culture experience.
On March 17 and 18, the Raleigh Convention Center hosted NC Comicon, where hundreds of fans of all ages came to celebrate, buy and explore all things nerd. On the ground floor of the convention center, a multitude of booths were available to patrons to search for their favorite comic, anime or music groups merch. Attendees also had the option of staying on the first floor and listening to panels.
Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” comics and Jen Cohn, voice actor of Pharah from “Overwatch” both made appearances at this year’s event. Both guests talked about their experiences and gave behind the scenes information about each of their projects. After or before their panels, they and other celebrity guests could be found on the ground floor signing autographs and interacting with fans.
The panels were not all focused on celebrity guests. Found at the event were topics like a critical analysis of politics in the “Star Wars” franchise, a discussion about the emergence of queer couples in comics, the issues in cosplay diversity and profound dramatic readings of smut fanfiction. The panels, usually offered in hour intervals, successfully represented the diverseness and kookiness of the Comicon community.
NC Comicon held up to its namesake with crates full of different comics to choose from at an average of $1 per comic and the buyer’s room held an insane amount of plushies, manga, K-pop and anime posters, figurines, fan art, video games and much more.
The booths’ owners were more than willing to help people peruse through their merch, offer information about each item, or discuss their favorite items. A large portion of the items, especially the clothing and pins, were handmade or fan-made so each detail was taken into consideration and the items were of relatively high quality. Lauren Smith, a staff member at NC Comicon, discussed how to approach the plaza of booths and tables.
““Walk around and see everything first,” Smith said. “It’s a lot to take in so don’t try to do everything at once.”
At a con, one would expect a healthy amount of cosplayers and NC Comicon did not disappoint. There was a huge variety of characters; some characters were straight out of 2000s-era cartoons like Cosmo and Wanda from “The Fairly Oddparents,” while others came straight from popular anime such as, Sailor Jupiter from “Sailor Moon.” The cosplayers were more than willing to be photographed with or to just be photographed, but Seth McKay, another staff member at NC Comicon, said he would like people to remember the rules of photographer with cosplayers.
“It is important to remember that cosplay does not equal consent,” McKay said. “Definitely ask before you take any pictures or anything.”
As a newcomer, walking into the sea of cosplayers and rows upon rows of booths with what seems like an infinite supply of merch may appear perilous, but NC Comicon presented a kind, friendly and safe place for people to feel at home. McKay and Smith both offered helpful advice for those new to con-like functions.
“My biggest thing would be to talk to other people,” Smith said. “Ask to take picture with them. Ask to take pictures of them.”
McKay said that attendees can bond through shared interests.
“Ultimately, we’re all just a bunch of nerds who like the same things,” McKay said. “We like good stories. We like good characters. We like good villains. We like, you know, things that inspire us and drive us to congregate and dress up like weird freaky aliens and you know whatever else.”
NC Comicon, because of the sheer amount of events and merch, guarantees that there is something for everyone. Whether it’s dressing up and play fighting in the corners, silently flipping through comic books, or writing so-bad-that-it’s-good fanfiction, they have an event, panel, or booth waiting for anyone to discover and fangirl/boy over.
This year’s NC Comicon may have passed, but similar events like Animazement and Raleigh Supercon are right around the corner for those looking to celebrate all things pop culture.