Lifestyle
It’s not for Halloween — it’s Comic Con, where Black and Caribbean cosplayers find community
“So what’s my name? Watch out! I’m Black Freddie, and I’m blaaaack. Ha ha ha ha ha. Even as we get older, there’s an inner child … that lies within us. They are us, you know. We’re still them because the inner child lives in us,” said Antwone Coward, who was dressed as Freddy Krueger at New York Comic Con in 2024.
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Isaac Campbell for NPR
For 19 years, New York Comic Con (NYCC) has been the East Coast’s most celebrated gala of geekdom. In 2024, the convention welcomed more than 200,000 attendees. In 2025, that number swelled by 50,000, making it the, or one of the, most highly attended conventions in the U.S.
From novice nerds to masters, every October, the Javits Center teems with enthusiasts attending author, actor and production company panels, autograph signings and fandom meetups. They play console and tabletop games, enter contests and spend their precious gold and silver coins on NYCC exclusives and trinkets. But, arguably, the most exciting thing about the event is seeing the thousands of people who bring their favorite book, comic, movie, television show or video game character to life through cosplay.
“There’s some crossover because Caribbean culture really makes you celebrate yourself and be very comfortable in your skin and always down to party and have a good time. I feel like that aligns well with cosplaying in general,” said Maurice Grant. Kishel Browne (from left), Dimitri Grant, Brianna Streater, Taijah Edgecombe and Maurice Grant pose here for a photo at New York Comic Con 2024 dressed as characters from the anime series Demon Slayer.
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Attendees gather at New York Comic Con, held at the Javits Center in Manhattan, on Oct. 18, 2024.
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Cosplayers are a community unto themselves, and at NYCC, the likelihood of passing by a fully functioning DIY transformer costume is as great as passing someone on the street who had a bodega bacon, egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast. Characters from classic horror movies, the DC Universe and Marvel are always popular choices, as are those from the Star Wars and Game of Thrones franchises. The anime community is well-represented too; fans in Chainsaw Man, Dan Da Dan, Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia costumes can be seen sauntering down the halls, snapping selfies together.
“A way to express yourself here is by going to another world by different design. You can be a fantasy, be anything you want… It feels amazing. It’s the best thing in the world to express yourself, to feel free, to have a great time. You know what? If you have a dream in life, chase it,” said Daniel Thompson dressed as Static Shock.
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Meilani Ambrose as Momo from Dan Da Dan (from left), Leila Baez as Angel Dust from Hazbin Hotel and Isabella Harold as a Brazilian interpretation of the vocaloid, Hatsune Miku.
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Isaac Campbell for NPR
Cosplayers dance outside New York Comic Con at the Javits Center in Manhattan on Oct. 18, 2024.
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Finding your tribe within the denizens of cosplayers, when that tribe is a minority group often not expected to engage in the activity, is especially heartwarming. While it’s true that these types of events are generally considered safe spaces that welcome geeks and nerds of all heritages, many Black and Caribbean cosplayers say the community at NYCC is nothing short of thrilling.
The mutual excitement is contagious, because more often than not, they tell NPR, they grew up isolated from their community at large because of their geeky and nerdy interests — as well as from cosplayers of other backgrounds. The people featured here hail from, or have roots in Barbados, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Haiti, the U.S. Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, Dominica, Saint Lucia and the Dominican Republic. Many speak of cosplay’s power to build or strengthen family bonds and friendships or how it provides an outlet for escape. Seeing others, of all ages, who look like them at NYCC, takes an already electrifying experience to new heights. For four days, Black and Caribbean cosplayers can find each other. Their joy is a powerful affirmation of how glorious it feels to be seen by your scene.
Attendees dressed as a Power Ranger, a stormtrooper and Rogue from the “X-Men” franchise incorporated Puerto Rican flags into their costumes at New York Comic Con 2024.
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“Growing up, I was, like, the Black nerd kid. Knowing the fact that I found people who are like me who have, like, the same interests is actually pretty fun. And I’m gonna be honest: I have never even thought about cosplaying before,” said Kyle Mallett, posed here (from left) for a photo with Kris Mallett, Aiden Graves, Hailey Barnett and Jessica Johnson dressed as characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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Zayrha Rodriguez
Isaac “Soup” Campbell is a photographer based in New York City. You can see more of Isaac’s work on Instagram at @moresoupplease.
The American Library Association’s list of the most frequently challenged books of 2025 includes Sold by Patricia McCormick, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer: A Memoir.
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American Library Association
The American Library Association has released its annual list of the most commonly challenged books at libraries across the United States.
According to the ALA, the 11 most frequently targeted books include several tied titles. They are:
1. Sold by Patricia McCormick
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
5. (tie) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
5. (tie) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
8. (tie) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
8. (tie) Identical by Ellen Hopkins
8. (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
8. (tie) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Many of these individual titles also appear on a 2024-25 report issued last October by PEN America, a separate group dedicated to free expression, which looked at book challenges and bans specifically within public schools.
The ALA says that it documented 4,235 unique titles being challenged in 2025 – the second-highest year on record for library challenges. (The highest ever was in 2023, with 4,240 challenges documented – only five more than in this most recent year.)
According to the ALA, 40% of the materials challenged in 2025 were representations of LGBTQ+ people and those of people of color.
In all, the ALA documented 713 attempts across the United States in 2025 to censor library materials and services; 487 of those challenges targeted books.
According to the ALA, 92% of all book challenges to libraries came from “pressure groups,” government officials and local decision makers. While 20.8% came from pressure groups such as Moms for Liberty (as the ALA cited in an email to NPR), 70.9% of challenges originated with government officials and other “decision makers,” such as local board officials or administrators.
In a more detailed breakdown, the ALA notes that 31% of challenges came from elected government officials and and 40% from board members or administrators. In its full report, the ALA states that only 2.7% of such challenges originated with parents, and 1.4% with individual library users.
Fifty-one percent of challenges were attempted at public libraries, and 37% involved school libraries. The remaining challenges of 2025 targeted school curriculums and higher education.
The ALA defines a book “ban” as the removal of materials, including books, from a library. A “challenge,” in this organization’s definition, is an attempt to have a library resource removed, or access to it restricted.
The ALA is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to American libraries and librarians.
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This week, Phil Pritchard, NHL’s Keeper of the Stanley Cup, joins us to about taking the cup jet-skiing and panelists Alonzo Bodden, Adam Burke, and Dulcé Sloan beef with the Pope and get misdiagnosed.
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