This past month, Manhattan experienced the latest iteration of the New York Comic Con, an event that is dedicated to the community behind the popular mediums of comics, video games, television shows, movies, and more. In the past ten years that it has been set in New York, NYCC has grown from its humble beginnings as a terribly disorganized debacle to the largest comic-book convention in North America, surpassing even its western competitor: San Diego Comic Con. This year, 170,000 people from all across the world came to New York to attend the event, and it seems that this number is set to grow exponentially as time goes on. Many people view Comic Con as beneficial for Manhattan, bringing in a large source of revenue from tourism. The people who attend Comic Con from places that are not close enough for them to simply commute from home every day need to eat, sleep, and will most likely see other sights while in the area. In this way, NYCC helps provide local businesses with a steady stream of income for the weeks surrounding the event.

However, the event is not without its downsides. Because of the sudden influx of people every year for the weekend, Manhattan somehow becomes even more congested than it already is, with more people clogging up the streets and public transportation. Many people who attend Comic Con are coming from beyond “true” city environments into one of the biggest cities in the world. This lack of adjustment to the pace of a large city can cause an astounding amount of human traffic even outside of the convention center, generally slowing down the rate at which people travel throughout New York. In general, these unfortunate blockages cause quite a bit of trouble for the residents of Manhattan.

While NYCC is a fantastic event for those interested in the social aspect behind popular media, those who are not interested are inconvenienced by the sheer amount of people who migrate to New York for the weekend. Regardless of how people feel on the matter, it looks like the convention is not going anywhere anytime soon.