PHOTOS: Brooklyn fans flock to 2014 Comic Con

October 12, 2014 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Comic Con 2014 at the Javitz Center. Photos by Mary Frost

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Comic Con, the four-day celebration of comics, pop culture, electronic media and computer games brought more than 130,000 fans to the Javitz Center this weekend to meet artists and creators, attend panels, purchase collectibles and dress in fabulous, mostly hand-made costumes in a ritual known as cosplay.

Brooklyn talent ran rampant, as fanatics emulated their favorite characters — from Spiderman to Super Mario — and professional artist-cosplayers brought their creations to life on stage.

Many enthusiasts worked for weeks or months on their costumes. Bedford Stuyvesant resident Tai Johnson came disguised as the Marvel superheroine “Storm,” a mutant member of X-Men who can control the weather.

Nailah and Karen Peters, from Canarsie, outfitted themselves as appealing — if somewhat twisted — Raggedy Ann and Little Red Riding Hood characters.

Blake Salamon, also from Bed-Stuy, posed for photos with two characters from the role-playing game Brave Frontier.

Kurt, from Brownsville, dressed as another X-Men member, Iceman (who has a chilly way with water).

Cecil Baldwin, Mara Wilson and Symphony Sanders, talent in the cheerfully creepy podcast “Welcome to Night Vale,” autographed mysterious Night Vale-themed objects for long lines of costumed admirers.

“Comic Con is a great place to meet fans,” said Brooklyn resident Baldwin, who narrates the show. “We get the chance to meet them face to face.”

Enthusiasts come dressed as Night Vale characters — such as hooded figures — even though they’ve never actually seen the characters. “It’s radio theater — the visuals exist in the listeners’ brains,” Baldwin told the Brooklyn Eagle. “People are very creative when they visualize what the characters look like.”

Brooklynites made themselves felt at the NYCC Eastern Championships of Cosplay, which took place on Saturday. Cici James, who operates Brooklyn’s sci-fi bookstore Singularity & Co, dressed as Yuki Mori from Space Battleship Yamato.

Brooklynite Ruby Taki, a professional cosplay designer, blew away the crowd with her “Metal gear REX,” a tank-like, robotic construction which she operates from within.