Special Feature — Reflections on NYC Comic Con 2025 

 Special Feature — Reflections on NYC Comic Con 2025 

By Kami-Leigh Agard

I recently got the experience of a lifetime—NY Comic Con 2025, a four-day marathon of the best in comics, cosplay and pop culture at the Jacob Javits Center. I discovered a subculture, where individuals with autism and other special needs are breaking barriers through their fandom and content creation for self-expression. In the following column, Rockaway Beach Autism Families’ board member, Joseph Munisteri a.k.a. Joe Butterfly, who is on the autism spectrum and an artist, game designer and passionate disabilities advocate, shares how NY Comic Con is like celebrating New Year’s Eve, a time of reflection and setting new goals. Joe spoke at two panels: Incorporate Diversity and Accessibility Into Costumes & Content Creating and Empowered Through Expression: Cosplay and Content Creation for People with Disabilities.

Authored by Joseph Munisteri

Four days of being surrounded by some of the biggest names in pop culture, leaving me, an overstimulated neurodiverse person with autism, anxiety and ADHD—tired but passionate. That passion fuels me with hope, creativity and inspiration. When I think of pop culture, I immediately think of New York Comic Con (NYCC), which is basically a comic book trade show, but it’s so much more.

NYCC is also about anime, pop culture trends, art, games, dressing up in costumes (otherwise known as cosplay), and community. Over the 14 years I’ve been attending NYCC, I have seen how the show has grown, changed and adapted over the years. When I first started attending, NYCC was only two days and occupied just a small area of the Javits Center. Now it’s four days, taking over the entire Javits, even expanding offsite. I have seen cosplay, which is the art of dressing up and role playing as a person’s favorite character from an anime, comic, movie, book, or even something completely original, grow from being taboo and misunderstood to now being a cultural phenomenon. Today, you could ask any middle or high school student if they knew what cosplay was, and they would likely be able to answer immediately, eyes lighting up with excitement.

These emotions are amplified for those with autism and others in the neurodivergent community. This is because in a world where much of life is beyond control and unpredictable, cosplay is unique in that it allows people to step into roles and personas that they are familiar with and thus as a result, have more control over.

Yet there is something powerful to be said about the inspiration and hope that NYCC brings, as it feels like a totally different world, a hidden city that only exists for a few days, then suddenly vanishes. What makes it even more unique is that every year, it’s a totally different experience; giving hope and Inspiration, incredibly powerful emotions that can absolutely change the way a person feels, and the motivation and ability to power through things that overwhelm. I also should probably mention that I was a guest speaker at two panels, so that also amplified my anxiety, yet the excitement kept me going. It’s a beautiful thing to see how people from all over the world meet in one location over shared interests for just a few days. One of my favorite aspects of NYCC is not just the panels and getting to see and hear my favorite creators, but also over the years, I’ve become friends and even pen pals with them. I also for the first time, meet people I interact with online.

And even more powerful is for me, NYCC is a time of reflection, like how everyone else celebrates New Year’s Eve—for me, that is NYCC. I get to reflect on my own journey as an artist and creator. And sometimes, just sometimes, the things others say to a person, leave an impression. This year, the first words said to me were, “Joe, you did the thing! Congrats!” which really caught me off guard, as it was in reference to a Kickstarter I launched exactly one year ago at NYCC for my card game, “Butterfly Space Rescue.” My Kickstarter barely made it to the finish line, but I did it, and to top it off, I was able to bring that project to life. So, with that in mind, I say, we must change our thoughts on the world around us, because sometimes, there are tiny, yet incredible worlds hiding right in front of us, yet we don’t even realize it.

Rockaway Stuff

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