PHOTOS: The best womens costumes from NY Comic Con 2012

Cute. Dedicated. Badass.

The passionate women who attend NY Comic Con are a diverse bunch. They fearlessly assume the identities of their favorite characters from anime, video games and comics– regardless of how skimpy or intricate the costumes may be.

This was my third year attending NY Comic Con and I was amazed by the costumes this year. A few trends emerged, including the breakthrough of Homestuck as the series of choice for Generation Y women, and the popularity of Harley Quinn and female versions of Thor and Loki.

Scroll down for my favorite women’s costumes from this year’s NY Comic Con. If yours is missing, please fill us in by leaving a comment below!

Woman Warriors

NY Comic Con 2012-107

Katana demonstrating her high-kick on the convention floor.

NY Comic Con 2012 Pics-16

Cammy from Street Fighter.

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-29

A girl in steampunk attire looks ready to take names.

Rock On

NY Comic Con 2012-187

These ladies played homage to the Rocky Horror Picture Show with spot-on outfits (including briefs stuffed with socks).

Mermaids Represent

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-27

The Little Mermaid.

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-22

Mermista from She-Ra.

The Scantily Clad

NY Comic Con 2012-188

Rest assured, if there is a bikini-clad woman walking through Comic Con, there will be a million guys with cameras surrounding her!

Sexy women of NY Comic Con 2012 logo

Poison Ivy and Witchblade.

NY Comic Con 2012-212

Liliana of Magic: The Gathering and Morrigan of Darkstalker.

NY Comic Con 2012-194

Captain America USO girls.

NY Comic Con 2012 Pics-11

Bondage fashion from Fifth Element.

NY Comic Con 2012-75

A bikini-wearing Cupid at a dating booth.

Self-Made Woman

NY Comic Con 2012-53

This young woman is dressed as a character she created, tentatively named Frostbite.

End of Days

NY Comic Con 2012-150

A retro zombie.

NY Comic Con 2012-110

Models from a “Women of Armageddon” calendar.

Homestuck Mania

NY Comic Con 2012-35

If you were under 20 years old an attending NY Comic Con this year, it’s likely you are a Homestuck fan; the web series seems to have replaced Hetalia as the Gen Y fan favorite. Here two women portray Roxy Lalonde and Dave Strider from Homestuck.

Blue Ladies

NY Comic Con 2012-196

Girls portray two versions of the same character, Meulin Leijon from Homestuck.

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-19

Latula Pyrope.

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-26

Raven from Teen Titans.

Anime and Japanese Culture Fans

NY Comic Con 2012-18

Hatsune Miku looking fierce.

NY Comic Con 2012-138

Black Cat from Spiderman (l) and The White Violin from Umbrella Academy (r).

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-11

The Professor from Nichijou with his black cat Sakamoto.

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-21

Haruko with her guitar (er, ukelele).

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-17

Kagome from InuYasha.

NY Comic Con 2012-126

Nekomata (cat demon) and Little Red Riding Hood.

NY Comic Con 2012-27

Pikachu from Pokémon joined by an anime-inspired schoolgirl.

NY Comic Con 2012-50

Japanese Vocaloids.

NY Comic Con 2012 Pics-10

Totoro.

NY Comic Con 2012-68

Performers from the Maid Cafe at NY Comic Con.

NY Comic Con 2012-69

Urusei Yatsura (r) with a friend from Doctor Who.

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-10

Cheerleader from The Venture Bros.

Thor and Loki

While these godly brothers were portrayed by male actors in the recent Avengers film, Thor and Loki were popular women’s costumes at this year’s NY Comic Con.

NY Comic Con 2012-209

Caution: Villainous Loki is roaming the NYC streets!

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-31

The female, Comic Con version of Loki bared more skin than the film version.

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-24

For once, Thor and Loki seemed to get along well at NY Comic Con.

NY Comic Con 2012-96

…Although Thor did raise her hammer a few times to keep Loki in line.

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-28

This Loki even brought along an eight-legged horse in a Baby Bjorn, which she said was part of the Norse mythology.

Bodysuit Divas

Bodysuit divas at NY Comic Con

Black Cat from Spiderman (l) and Catwoman from Batman (r).

NY Comic Con 2012-94

Sweet Pea from Sucker Punch.

Perfect Hair, Makeup and Accessories

NY Comic Con 2012-116

Astral from Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.

NY Comic Con 2012-114

Cerebella displaying a hand-crafted skull hair clip.

NY Comic Con 2012-119

The Red Miles.

NY Comic Con 2012-29

Ciel from Black Butler.

The Next Generation

NY Comic Con 2012-205

Marceline of The Adventure Time and Princess Bubblegum.

Girls at NY Comic Con

If this year’s turnout is any indication, NY Comic Con will remain popular for decades to come. Young attendees ranged from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles junkies to the ubiquitous Homestuck fans. Now that NY Comic Con has merged with the Anime Festival, high schoolers mix freely in all sections of the convention center– proving that comics, anime, sci-fi and fantasy have broad age appeal!

Wonderful Women

NY Comic Con 2012 Pics-20

She-ra.

NY Comic Con 2012-42

Perhaps the most adorable costume at NY Comic Con this year belonged to this toddler dressed as Wonder Woman. She modeled her outfit for the cameras then rushed into her dad’s arms.

NY Comic Con Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman was well represented at NY Comic Con in 2012. Here she changes from jeans to stretch pants to a patriotic skirt!

X-Girl

NY Comic Con 2012 Costumes-15

A female Gambit.

Harley Quinn

NY Comic Con 2012 Pics-14

Harley Quinn was arguably NY Comic Con’s most popular female costume this year. Here a fangirl models Harley from Arkham Asylum.

Harley Quinn costumes at NY Comic Con

Three more ladies modeling Harley Quinn outfits, complete with two-tone corsets.

Everyday Style

NY Comic Con women in everyday dress

These fashionable women weren’t wearing costumes but were dressed in amped-up versions of their everyday attire. Their style ranged from Lolita to punk.

What’s your favorite women’s costume from NY Comic Con?

Share your opinion by leaving a comment below!

>> Click here to read “PHOTOS: The Best Men’s Costumes from NY Comic Con”!

About Leslie Koch

I'm a New Yorker with a passion for travel and art. I founded DowntownTraveler.com after returning from a year-long backpacking trip around the world. Find me on Twitter at @leslietravel.