Costumes Continue To Amaze And Astound At Comic Con

PHOTOS: The Cosplayers Of New York Comic Con 2018

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Comic Con regularly brings out the best characters and creativity from fans and this year's event at the Javits Center was no disappointment.

When you enter the New York Comic Con, you travel to another world where comic book favorites jump off the page and into real life for one weekend in October.

Ray Deforest, posing as Aquaman, started visiting the exhibition years ago with his father.

"He introduced me to comics when I was a little kid and it's been our connection ever since. He's gone now, but I honor him every day and every time I come to a Comic Con," the Staten Island resident said.

It wouldn't be Comic Con without costumes and thousands showed off their favorite characters, as thousands more took photos.

"We all look a little goofy, but it's classic… It's great," Richard Cintron of Poughkeepsie told CBS2's Clark Fouraker.

Cintron spent the last five months designing costumes for himself and his four friends.

Even the younger kids get involved, learning to read the comics and creating their own costumes of favorite characters.

All of it culminating in a four-day weekend where fans get an exclusive peek at the latest releases from brands like Marvel, Amazon, and Netflix.

PHOTOS: The Cosplayers Of New York Comic Con 2018

"They're connecting with people that they know. They're meeting with artists they really care about and characters they care about." Teresa Navarro of Woodbridge said.

Some fans though say as the conference has grown so much over the years, it's become less about fans connecting and more about brands making money.

Event organizers expect some 230,000 attendees by the time Comic Con closes Sunday night.

"In general, the stuff I'm most interested in, Comic Con has phased a lot out of. And it feels to me these days very commercialized," Audrey Silverman argued.

Still, attendance - and energy - are high as fans get to spend a weekend in their favorite character world for the 13th straight year.