Cosplay isn’t a requirement to enjoying New York Comic Con, but it’s certainly not uncommon. Fans and hobbyists can work for months to bring their favorite characters from tv, movies, video games, comics, and more to life. Cosplay, like any art form, doesn’t discriminate. Age, race, gender, sexuality, body type, artistic ability — doesn’t matter, you can become whoever you want to be for a weekend. Featured here are only a fraction of the costumes that appeared over the weekend. Some are classic recreations, some are imaginative twists on old favorites, and some are just plain unique. You may not recognize all of them, you may not recognize any of them, but there’s no denying the heart and soul that go into making these wearable works of art.

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