Get ready to geek out again: New York Comic Con will return this fall

Time to bring your Zombie Deadpool cosplay out of storage because one of the biggest comic conventions in North America is returning this fall.

New York Comic Con announced it will return as an in-person event Oct. 7-10 at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan, albeit with limited attendance and strict safety protocols. Provided it actually takes place, it would be the biggest pop culture convention to return to in-person activities since the COVID-19 outbreak began.

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It will look much different than in previous years, however.

ReedPop, which runs NYCC, says attendance and badges sold will be strictly limited to allow for physical distancing, which will be enforced on site. Masks will be required to be worn by everyone entering the convention — from fans to exhibitors and staff. Temperature screenings will be required as well, and there will be sanitizing and cleaning procedures in place throughout the four-day show.

There's also the "Three H" restriction being put in place for this year. NYCC will have a no handshakes, no high-fives, no hugs policy, so you may want to work on your elbow bumps and any other touchless greeting technique you can think of.

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NYCC is the highest-attended comic con in the U.S. It's even bigger than the Oscars of the Geek world, San Diego Comic Con, which will once again be a virtual event this summer. Taking that into account, it will be interesting to see how limited the crowds will be.

The official website of NYCC says discussions about attendance limits are still ongoing. Nearly 200,000 people attended the last NYCC in 2019, which wasn't even close to record attendance in 2018, which had more than 250,000 fans.

To allow for proper spacing, the number of tickets sold will likely be greatly reduced. Then there are the exhibitor booths. The convention floor of the Javits during NYCC is always packed with vendors, publishers and even film studios setting up shop. Many exhibitors sell convention exclusives that draw long lines of fans hoping to buy them, so managing the crowd flow could prove to be quite challenging.

It should be noted that NYCC will have a virtual event as a companion to the in-person con, so fans who can't make it or don't feel comfortable yet attending a show can still take part in the fun.

NYCC isn't the only major convention returning this year. ReedPop revealed a slate of other cons that will return as in-person happenings, after being canceled or being turned into virtual events in 2020 because of the pandemic. The others include:

• Florida SuperCon at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Sept. 10-12
• Emerald City Comic Con at the Washington State Convention Center, Dec. 2-5
• C2E2 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Dec. 10-12

Those shows will have the same safety protocols in place as New York Comic Con. Full details here.