New York Comic Con 2015 was held over the weekend of October 8-11 and broke the record for convention attendance with almost 170,000 people confirmed for the four day event. However, NYCC 2015 is about quality just as much as it involved quantity this year. The convention itself was obviously packed, but that wasn’t what made the individual con-goer feel small; it was the replica arches from Jurassic Park that towered over the entrance of the convention. The panels exist to show their audiences who the actors are behind their characters they play on screen; however, that can’t be done without reminding people of the separation between fiction and reality. Walking through the arches from the iconic Steven Spielberg film makes the dichotomy between fiction and reality seem non-existent; the fans are able start their Comic Con completely immersed in that fiction, which is the best way to begin.

First and foremost, everyone wants to hear about the Game of Thrones panel. People also want to hear about Jon Snow’s character, but that was off-limits for discussion – audiences will have to make like Jon Snow and continue to ‘know nothing.’ During the Q&A portion of the panel, the fans asked which character the actors would like to work with on the show that they haven’t yet, and of course, Jon Snow came up again; Finn Jones who plays Sir Loras replied, “He’s dead so you couldn’t possibly work with him anymore.” Naturally, this was said in a teasing tone that aroused an excited response from the audience and an “Oops.” from his co-stars.

Dormer describes the relationship between Margaery and Cersei as something akin to The Cold War that would result in mutually assured destruction – certainly a rather charming description for their characters. Dormer was asked to comment on her resemblance to Kermit the Frog’s new girlfriend and did so with class. She had a message for her bullies from childhood who made fun of her nose and has been able to wear it like armor, as Tyrion would say. Finn plays Dormer’s on-screen brother, but it seems like that role has found its way into reality as Finn came to Dormer’s defense.

Batman is the heart of all comics, and Comic Con wouldn’t be the same without him. Scott Snyder is the author of the current run of Batman in the “New 52″ series and discusses the character he has created and made his own. Snyder talks about his own fears that life might be meaningless and how Batman can rise above that fear: “Batman is a creature that has been created entirely out of meaninglessness, a random act of violence where his parents are killed over basically nothing, and instead he turns himself into this engine of meaning and he says, ‘we all matter, every life matters.’” Snyder is able to take his anxiety and depression and translate the commentary of mental illness into meaningful art. This is why people love his rendition of Batman, but more importantly, Snyder’s own love of Batman lends to his capacity for telling his story.

The Bat-Universe panel had other revelations too, answering many burning questions. One of the questions for the creators of ”Grayson” was, “Where is Nightwing and when is he coming back?” Writer Tim Seely replied that “Dick Grayson is Nightwing.” While many of the burning questions were answered, that doesn’t mean that the answers were unanimously satisfactory. This new take on the character of Dick Grayson has him as a former Robin, and now former Nightwing, in order for him to take on the role of super-spy. Another new comic that was discussed was ”Robin War.” Creator Tom King describes this as a battle of the Robins: “Everyone wants to be like Batman, but they can’t all be like Batman. All the Robins are back.” This comic describes what all of its readers fantasize about, but the comic details the problems that arise when imposters without training start causing more harm than good.

Another one of the highly anticipated panels was for the Netflix Original, Daredevil series. Charlie Cox plays Matthew Murdock, also known as Daredevil. Cox explained how he practiced with a blindfold in order to incorporate tendencies of being visually impaired in order for it to seem more natural. Ironically, Cox’s fear about playing the iconic character was correctly portraying the character’s lack of fear. One of the biggest reveals of the panel, other than Cox’s British accent that is otherwise so aptly masked in the show, was the introduction of new characters. Daredevil season 2 will involve both Elektra and The Punisher. When asked if she could really fight when approached about the role of Elektra, actress Elodie Yung replied, “Basically, I can kick your ass.” The panel ended with having to replay the preview clips because the fans were cheering so loud that no one could actually hear the dialogue. That’s what is called a true fandom.

One does not simply discuss fandoms without bringing up Firefly. Even a decade after the film follow-up to the cancellation of the show, their following remains as dedicated as ever. Alan Tudyk made a surprise appearance on the panel which he wasn’t originally scheduled for. “Please welcome to the stage everyone’s favorite dead pilot,” as Alan Tudyk is introduced, even when he isn’t expected, but he’s always welcome. For a show that’s been over for more than a decade, the fan questions get pretty interesting: “If Malcom Reynolds and Han Solo walk into a bar, who walks out?” to which Nathan Fillion replied, “Everyone else.” Of course.

For the fans that find that this isn’t enough to satiate their Firefly love, there’s always the spiritually related show, Con Man. It’s a show about a show that gets cancelled too soon and the actors’ interactions with their cult following at conventions. If just reading about what happened at a comic convention makes you long for the real thing, the next best option is to check out the fictitious recreation of the convention world in Con Man.