New York Comic-Con is one of the last comic-conventions of the season and one of the most anticipated. Not only will you be waiting in line to meet some of today’s most accomplished actors (i.e. Paul Rudd), but cosplayers come for one last-ditch effort to bring out their biggest and badest costumes to date.
This obviously isn’t a comprehensive list of the impressive cosplays seen at the New York Javits Center this year. With over 200,000 attendees, it would be impossible to highlight them all. But just in case you missed out on the big event held in early October, check out these 10 cosplays you may have missed at NYCC 2019.
Green Goblin
It’s time to do the slow clap, everyone, because this guy’s Green Goblin is off the charts! Every inch of this cosplay appears to be handmade and is loaded with detail. If Marvel ever needs any help coming up with a costume for yet another silver screen version of this Spider-Man villain, they should go to Jay Doherty.
And Jay is a relatively new cosplayer. He made this Goblin piece for Halloween last year, but the internet wanted to see more. So he created his own Instagram account (located right here) where people can try to spot all the little nods in his costume. Did you catch the dangling Spider-Man?
Mario Borderlands
There are just no words for this cosplay. Sure you could go to NYCC dressed as Troy from Borderlands or slap on some overalls and a mustache for a comfy Mario cosplay. But why settle for one when you can cosplay from both games?
Akellyz is a cosplayer, prop maker, and makeup artist who has a reputation for thinking outside of the box. His cel-shading transfers from makeup to cosplay pretty flawlessly and is something to be admired. In addition to the Borderland props that come with his Mario cosplay, he’s even built a real moving, blinking, and smoke breathing baby Yoshi prop!
Wonder Woman
The thrill of seeing someone in a Wonder Woman suit has been strong since the DC heroine’s conception. But the newest rendition (the 2017 Wonder Woman film starring Gal Gadot), helped spark a whole new respect for Diana of Themyscira.
Ashley is a New York-based cosplay commissioner who has a knack for making cosplay armor (definitely recommend checking out her Supergirl look). This Wonder Woman design, in particular, is a unique concept that takes inspiration from various sources. It’s a mix of Jim Lee’s Injustice 2 adaptation, another cosplayer’s artwork, and even some of Ashley’s own twists.
Thanos and Venom
It is always astounding to see the work that can transform your everyday Joe into something as menacing as Venom. Dave, who goes by Symbiotic Cosplay, brought his full-bodied Venom cosplay to NYCC and was met with some serious rivals (that Thanos looks like one tough cookie!).
Believe it or not, this is Dave’s first cosplay attempt. It’s a hand made suit that appears to be made out of foam and maybe some latex? Spill your cosplay secrets, Dave!
Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey has only a couple of vague trailers at this point, but that hasn’t stopped cosplayers like Emma here from trying out Harley Quinn’s new look. Emma roped these ribbons together by hand, a process you can see for yourself on her Twitter. By the looks of it, a ton of thought, time, and dedication went into making this cosplay look as accurate as possible. We love seeing that kind of hard work going into a cosplay!
Some of Emma’s other cosplay inspiration comes from popular fandoms such as Rooster Teeth, Dead or Alive, and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Steampunk Batman
Why dress as Batman when you can be an ultra-intimidating Steampunk Batman? This cosplay proves that all Bruce Wayne needs to fight crime is 19th-century industrial armor and some goggles. Okay, and maybe some high-gadgetry weapons circa 1850.
This cosplay was so widely accepted that it actually earned third place in the NYCC Eastern Championships of cosplay. Steampunk Batman is no stranger to conventions, so chances are if you missed him this time around, you can catch him at another con sometime in the future (way into the future).
One Wicked Elphaba
Jillea has been brewing up a storm on Instagram with all of the massively detailed cosplays she’s been putting out lately. One of which (witch?) is this original design of the Elphaba from the popular book and Broadway musical Wicked. Everything from the dress, the cane, and the hat is handmade by Jillea which includes heavy foamwork, sewing, and painting. The monkey is animatronic, too!
This cosplayer breaks down most of her cosplay build in her IG Stories. She’s also the one who brought the gender-bent Lumiere and Buzz Lightyear cosplays to Fan Expo Canada earlier this year.
Handmade Supergirl
Nope.
Casey cosplay made every inch of this suit. The details on the suit (sewed by Casey), was cut via Cricut before it was attached (by Casey) for a more emphasized look. Even the boot covers and the attached cape where someone made into perfection by this talented cosplayer.
Lex Luthor
While we’re on the subject of DC superheroes, let’s talk about this Lex Luthor cosplay build that stopped people in their tracks at NYCC. Jamal Johns is pretty famous for his armor builds. Most of these are inspired by the Injustice 2 game, but he also draws inspiration from areas such as Final Fantasy and Super Mario.
One look at Jamal’s cosplays and you can see the amount of work that went into making these suits of armor. The more intricate and bigger they are, the more impressed you’ll be. Most of his armor work includes LED lights as well so be prepared to be amazed.
Iron Man and Rescue
If you have never tried putting together an Iron Man suit in your free time (but who hasn’t, right?), it’s tough work. If there are no online patterns involved, figuring out the templates for each suit is enough to break you down and leave you sobbing for weeks. But that’s exactly what Shannon Rona did in order to make her Pepper Potts Rescue armor (minus the tears, probably). It’s fully decked out, arc reactor and all, which makes Shannon’s cosplay work all the more satisfying to see come to life.
By her side, naturally, is Iron Man a.k.a Tony Stark. The suit is worn by NY Tony Stark who is known for his likeness to Robert Downey, Jr. Like Shannon’s suit, this one is made entirely of foam (think the stuff you see on gym floors) with a removable helmet and an arc reactor intact.
