ComicsXF’s Adam Reck and Dan Grote were only at this year’s New York Comic Con for a brief window of Thursday into Friday, but we tried to see as much as we could in two days and bring you our hot takes on what was trending, what was working really well and maybe a few things that weren’t so great. Let’s start with:
The Big Announcements
Adam: Jim Lee made waves before the convention even started by taking a firm stance against DC Comics’ use of AI at his retailer day speech, saying DC “will not support AI-generated storytelling or artwork,” as long as he and DC General Manager Anne DePies are in charge. Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski followed suit the next day at the Spider-Man panel saying Marvel has “never used AI” and “we will not be using it, and we don’t condone it.” This was in stark contrast to the blowback “Conductor of X” Tom Brevoort received recently from “playing around” with Gemini in his Substack newsletter. These are bold stances in the face of massive corporate investments in AI tools (that were of course already offset by claims of AI used on props in the upcoming Wonder Man TV show). I guess we just have to hope that the execs at Warner Bros. and Disney are supportive of not using it in the comics.
DC Comics dominated NYCC headlines with a slew of exciting announcements including a new take on the Vertigo imprint, essentially turning it into their in-house indie label. The DC K.O. event will include a wide swath of non-DC characters, including Vampirella and Annabel from The Conjuring. DC will follow K.O. with a publishing umbrella called “Next Level,” including a Skottie Young/Jorge Corona Lobo series and Batwoman by Greg Rucka and Dani. Tini Howard and Babs Tarr are getting their own Black Label Gotham City Sirens book. DC’s range even extended to the BOOM Studios panel, where the incredibly titled Swamp Thing is Killing the Children was announced.
Marvel pulled back the curtain on some new initiatives, including the X-Men “Shadows of Tomorrow” lineup, a new Iron Man penned by DC and GI Joe’s Joshua Williamson with art by Carmen Carnero, new Queen in Black and Spider-Man: Death Spiral events, and the “we assure we’re not kidding” end of the very successful Ultimate Universe with Ultimate Endgame, which will mark Marvel’s first foray into Blind Bag comics through the direct market. Marvel’s partnership with Webtoon had its own panel, but the announcements mainly boiled down to reformatted previously published stories.
In Indie news, Oni Press announced Guilherme Petreca and Mirtes Santana’s new adorable Superpunk about a kid who gains “punk rock superpowers” after listening to a punk cassette backwards. Ignition Press announced Jim McCann and Joe Eisma’s mystery romance The Other/Half, about a PI and a socialite who swap roles to find a missing diamond in Golden Age Hollywood.
Dan: Oni had a killer NYCC, which started with the unveiling of a new logo that didn’t suck and only got better from there, with not just what you mentioned, Adam, but announcements about the acquisition of Matt Kindt’s publishing library and cartoonist Dave Baker’s Halloween Boy. I got to chat briefly with Oni President and Publisher Hunter Gorinson, which you’ll hear soon, but I’m truly impressed with the gains Oni has made the past few years. Ignition is also launching hot out of the gate, with exciting books like Leah Williams and David Baldeon’s Voyeur and Stephanie Williams and Letizia Cadonici’s Roots of Madness. Always great to see great things happening in the indie space.
Hip-Hop & Comics
Adam: Comics and hip-hop have a long history of inspiring each other, but that relationship felt palpable this year as folks lined up around the Whatnot booth to get their hands on the new Marvel + Mass Appeal collaboration Legend Has It, a comic book that has Sanford Greene designing superhero alter egos for some of hip-hop’s biggest names. Those who stuck around Friday night got to see hip-hop royalty on stage as Nas, Slick Rick, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, De La Soul and Mobb Deep’s Havoc talked about the creation of the book, honoring the memories of late De La Soul member David “Trugoy” Jolicouer and MF Doom, and the love of a “good crossover.” In Artist Alley, Run DMC’s Darryl McDaniels continued his long-standing NYCC tenure, promoting his new Christmas in Hollis kids book. And while it wasn’t in Javits, local dispensary NYC Bud hosted Kool Keith for the launch of his own graphic novel from Z2, drawn by artist Sean Von Gorman. What’s very clear is that publishers continue to find value in reaching new audiences through the world of hip-hop, and that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Attendance
Adam: As far as I know, NYCC did not sell out on Thursday and was still selling tickets up until the day before. This is the first time in years that I can remember this happening, and there was a noticeable maneuverability through aisles and crowds. To be clear, there were still giant masses of humanity lined up for a variety of booths and creators. But when you attend every year, you get a sense of how crowded it is by how easily you can get from place to place, and while Friday seemed fairly normal, at least on Thursday it wasn’t too bad. More on this in a second as it relates to…
Artist Alley
Adam: This year boasted an incredible slate of talent with lengthy lines for hot artists like Absolute Batman’s Nick Dragotta or the ever-beloved Chris Claremont. More interesting to me was the mix of mainstream comics pros and a variety of illustrators. In the past several years, the floor has been dominated by comics professionals domestic and international. And while I don’t have hard and fast statistics on this, it did seem like the number of comics pros was down this year (perhaps due to — and I’m speculating here — travel restrictions or a general lack of desire to come here?). This gave more floor space to a wide variety of artists, including Magic: The Gathering designers, independents pitching self-published work and Instagram-famous comic strip creators. The overall effect was a much more art-forward assembly, with “name” folks signing their comics for fans and speculators side by side with vendors selling original zines, art, stickers and keychains.
Comic Publisher Booths
Adam: Also different this year was a new approach to the con floor layout for comics publishers. Marvel maintained its hallowed home in the center of the show floor, with a “pop-up” store selling pins, variants and showcasing a few MCU props, and maximizing brand synergy with the newly aligned Webtoon and clothier Heroes and Villains in close proximity. But a once-forgotten corner of the floor in the top right of the layout was filled by DC, with their biggest presence at the con in over a decade. DC fans could try out the new Lego Batman video game, see John Cena’s Peacemaker costume or take photos in front of a stories-high mural of their characters. Nearby, Mad Cave, IDW, Bad Idea and ComiXology all combined for a comics-centric area with lots of room for foot traffic. Downstairs, Tiny Onion took up a big slot (back to back with Sandstorm) at the front of Artist Alley, selling shirts and variants, and hosting signings. And the new Ignition Press filled the spot DSTLRY had last year, hosting signings from a good chunk of their creative teams. I’m always happy when I see comic books being a focus at a comic-con, and even if it was just for brand recognition, it meant more awareness of what’s on the racks and what folks could be reading.
What was that ‘Big Rig’?
Adam: I don’t know what a Post Malone “Big Rig” is or what it has to do with Vault Comics, but the pop star’s name was plastered all over a Mad Max-esque truck close to the DC booth.
Dan: Basically, Adam, Vault is dedicating a portion of its publishing line to Z2-style comics involving musicians, and Big Rig is Post Malone’s comic with Vault EiC Adrian Wassel and artist Nathan Gooden. It’s about a truck that fights demons! Pretty sure ol’ Posty made an appearance at the show.
Collectibles & Speculator Stuff
Adam: As usual, huge parts of the show floor were dedicated to collectibles. Blind boxes, action figures and display pieces continue to be big business. So whether you wanted a Swarovski crystal Spider-Man for the china closet, a marked up Labubu (or Lafufu), or a punk rock Universal Monster from Culturefly, there was probably something that would appeal directly to your fan brain. One of the biggest showings this year was a surprise to me — Walmart. The mega-chain not only had a giant booth on the floor, doing live unveilings of collectibles, but a “Walmart Delivers” game outside. It marked a significant play to tap into the same market as eBay, Whatnot and others who were similarly hawking exclusives through live broadcasts at their booths.
The show was also awash in variant covers, blind-bag comics promotions and your typical CGC grading and signature witnessing. Heidi MacDonald of Comics Beat reported that there were over 1,300 comic cover variants being sold this weekend, and it wasn’t unusual to see long lines of folks waiting to have their books graded, or speculators bringing large piles (or even boxes!) of comics to be signed by big names. One of the weirder booths I saw was 7BAP selling what they called “high grade” “uncirculated” comics, which sounded a lot to me like someone found ’90s overstock in a warehouse and was trying to upsell it.
Who is buying all of these slabs and what it means for the comics market if the priority is based more on perceived scarcity than on the art and stories therein is a larger existential question. I will say I witnessed an interesting stand-off between a tween boy and his parents as he tried to get them to buy him a slabbed issue of Spider-Man. Their confusion over why he would want a comic book he couldn’t open or read and their concern over the heady price tag warmed my heart.
River Pavilion
Dan: One of the biggest changes in the layout of the convention this year was that the cosplay area was moved out of the River Pavilion. Instead, the uppermost floor of the main concourse was cordoned off to all but those with press, cosplay and professional badges, and content creators and cosplayers were given an area in front of the pavilion, leaving the pavilion itself open nearly entirely for press and some additional literary panels. I recognize this is a personal thing and not indicative of the average fan experience, but I cannot stress how difficult it was to race up to the River Pavilion for a scheduled interview only to have to wade through a sea of wings, swords and other large props, and constantly be in the way of someone taking a photo. This was a gift for me, and I appreciate it.
Claw-Grabbers & Vending Machines
Adam: As a Jersey Shore native, I couldn’t help but smile to see how many booths had boardwalk-esque claw machines and capsule vending machines. Mighty Jaxx, Sanrio, Aphmau and more all had chances to win prizes (after a purchase, of course) using the format.
Cosplay
Dan: One year, with a little more planning and forethought, I’m going to go to NYCC or another con and only take pictures of Final Fantasy characters. Nearly 30 years after the original Final Fantasy VII was released, I feel like I saw more Clouds and even a couple Sephiroths this year. But my two favorite cosplays this year were a Mog dressed in female Mandalorian armor, and someone who cosplayed as Damian from Mean Girls. Danny DeVito, I love your work!
Adam: My favorite was probably a Buzz Lightyear costume that was completely crocheted from the helmet all the way to the boots. Just incredible craftsmanship. I also saw a very effective Chamber cosplay made with some simple pieces of orange and yellow fabric. Overall I’m always amazed at how clever and complicated folks’ outfits are. I salute their dedication!
Off-Campus
Adam: Every year, NYCC’s reach seems to extend beyond the Javits with varying levels of success. While there weren’t any citywide advertising pushes, Marvel did invite guests to sample frozen treats at a traveling Super Hero Scoops ice cream truck, and to see sets from the Fantastic Four: First Steps film at the Hudson Mercantile. I didn’t seek out the ice cream (I’m lactose intolerant, wah wah), but I did meet H.E.R.B.I.E., who was expertly animated by a pair of controllers off to the side, and it was adorable.
The Things They Carried
Dan: This was a light show for me, spending wise. The upside of only doing one day at NYCC is you don’t have all the time in the world to agonize over purchases. I bought a trade of Daniel Warren Johnson’s Do A Powerbomb, one of the few DWJ series I don’t have in physical, because I wanted to pump my fist and cry on the train home, I guess. I also bought a copy of Gotham by Gaslight, as well as Captain America #339, in which Cap fights the Horsemen of Apocalypse in a “Fall of the Mutants” tie-in, and, in new comics, a copy of the aforementioned Voyeur #1 from the Ignition Press booth. I also bought a sticker that I won’t describe here because it’s a gift for someone.
Where I came up short was buying stuff for my kids. My daughter loves the Sanrio character Kuromi, so I went to check out the My Melody & Kuromi display, but the merch was underwhelming, and the line to get something from the gacha machine was Disney-ride long. My other big booth stop was RSVLTS, aka real-life Dan Flashes [Ed. note to himself: Turns out Dan Flashes is a real store]. The RSVLTS booth at NYCC tends to consist of racks of whatever extra shirts they had lying around — all at their original $70 price — so it’s a grab bag. I did see a Snoopy shirt I thought would be perfect for my son, if a size too large, but by the time I went back for it, it was gone. Makes me want to eat Doug’s mom’s wig.
Adam: I spent way less at the con this year, due to budget and not really being there very long. But I did score a variant copy of Voyeur, the “sexy Mothman” variant of Department of Truth, a beautiful She-Hulk print from Alexander Lozano, a copy of David Harper’s Stilt-Man zine, and work from Luke McGarry, Dian Sakhu and Kaveh Taherian.
Random Observations
- I saw an attendee wearing roller skates. And as someone who fell and broke his wrist the last time I wore roller skates, I commend this individual for their confidence and skill at traversing the crowds on wheels.
- My thanks to Kayou, the Chinese card company who is launching new card themes in the states including My Little Pony, for hooking me up with a Tokidoki cookie!
- Shout out to SKTCHD, Comic Book Couples Counseling, The Oblivion Bar and The Short Box Podcast for an entertaining team-up live show/panel.
- CXF podcast panel when?
Adam Reck is the cartoonist behind Bish & Jubez as well as the co-host of Battle Of The Atom. Follow him @adamreck.bsky.social.
Dan Grote is the editor and publisher of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Paul Winston Wisdom. Follow him @danielpgrote.bsky.social.
