Suffolk Comic & Art Expo invaded the Stony Brook University Student Activity Center on April 14, 2019 with a bigger & better show since its debut in 2018!
The one-day show boasted wall-to-wall Golden, Silver, Bronze, and Modern age books, various collectibles, and custom crafts. You could also find CGC authorized dealers Android’s Amazing Comics and Royal Collectibles with a copious amount of graded books, as well as rare variant covers. And with Royal Collectibles’ CGC Signature Series Witnessing, comic fans were lining up to have their favorite books signed all around the impressive Artist Alley.
This year, the Artist Alley featured artists & creators like Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, Billy Tucci, Sean Chen, Alé Garza, Peter David, Mark Morales, and Marat Mychaels… and dozens more! Having such an incredible line-up is part of what makes Suffolk Comic & Art Expo so special because the opportunity to have this kind of personal interaction with many of these artists is very difficult at larger conventions. But here, I saw creators take their time to talk to fans and really get to know the supporters of their art. That’s what this hobby is all about!
On top of their own comic books, prints, and other merchandise, artists will typically have spots open for commissions where they will create one-of-a-kind pieces of art for you. These range from comic book sketch covers, custom trading cards, or even larger scale art! Some of the pieces I saw being worked on were: Batman portraits by Scott Williams, a Darth Maul headshot by Sean Chen, an intimidating Hawkgirl by Chris Campana, and gnarly Venom sketches by Will Torres.
And while you wait, you can check out the many vendors specializing in modern toys, Funko Pops, customized sign art by Art In The Garage, and of course boxes and boxes of comics! This year’s show also had an awesome door raffle for just $5 where you could enter to win 1 of 4 statues: Shazam by Gallery, Thanos by Marvel Premier, Captain Marvel by Gallery, and Batman Who Laughs (SDCC exclusive). Plus, you might even see some cosplayers roaming around!
I had a great time seeing all the art and enjoyed bumping into some of my favorite artists like Creees, Nick Justus, and Studio MA-EN’s Enrique Lopez & Marimar Lopez. For my personal collection, I picked up a copy of Creees’ upcoming comic book Lab Raider by Black Mask Studios, a Topps Star Wars trading card by Nick Justus, and a chibi Batman sticker by Studio MA-EN. And I was able to cross an item off from my Bucket List… a Batman sketch from a legendary Batman artist: Scott Williams!
Also unique to this year’s show was the series premiere of Batman The Fan Series with a screening and live Q&A… only at Suffolk Comic & Art Expo! I thought this was pretty cool since 2019 marks the 80th anniversary of Batman!
8 hours later, the second Suffolk Comic & Art Expo came to a close but it was hard to kick some people out! Extreme fans were still trying to squeeze in another purchase, snap a picture with an artist, or rushing to Royal Collectibles to finish up their CGC witnessing. It was a jam-packed day focusing on the spectacular hobby of comic books and it was all due to the personal passion of the show’s owner Phil Russertt. If you haven’t checked out more of what Suffolk Comic & Art Expo has to offer yet, check out their website, Instagram, and Facebook for additional information.
LesDudis 