New York Comic Con returned to the Javits Center from October 3-6, 2019 and it was bigger than ever! Occupying not only the main convention center, The Manhattan Center, and Madison Square Garden, but now Hudson Yards Park as well, NYCC was absolutely packed with special guests, content, exclusive products, and so much more!
With media headliners such as Tom Hiddleston, Paul Rudd, & Billy Dee Williams, and special comic guests like Jim Lee, John Byrne, & Chris Claremont, fans could cross off some bucket list items by meeting their heroes! Whether you’re upstairs on the Show Floor, downstairs in the Artist Alley & Autographing Areas, or somewhere in between in the Crystal Palace, there was a multitude of ways to get immersed in the New York Comic Con experience!
Some of the fan experience activations included an Amazon Prime interactive display for The Expanse where fans turn fantasy into their very own reality, as well as an exclusive NBC Comedy display featuring Superstore, The Good Place, and an 8 ft tall Dwight Schrute Funko POP! photo op:
(For additional photos, be sure to check out the full Facebook photo gallery!)
2019 was a big year for comics as well because it saw the major success of DC Comics‘ DCeased series, Marvel Comics‘ House of X & Powers of X, and a major 301-issue milestone for Image Comics & Todd McFarlane’s Spawn! Despite having a extremely full schedule at the convention (including an acceptance of a Guinness World Record), Todd McFarlane made time everyday to meet & greet fans with free signings at the Image Comics booth:
Many other major & independent comic book publishers had a presence at NYCC as well: Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, BOOM!, Zenescope Entertainment, Absolute Comics, and Sorah Suhng Art.
And many comic book creators were available throughout the Show Floor and the ever-expansive Artist Alley:
Here fans could seek after autographs, original sketches & remarques, submit to CGC, or simply meet their favorite creators on-site.
We were able to meet some fantastic artists like Artgerm, Philip Tan, Jen Bartel, Tyler Kirkham, Marat Mychaels, Tony Moy, Creees, Adam Kubert, J. Scott Campbell… the list goes on & on!
But one of the biggest (literally) exhibits was Arcade1Up‘s 16-foot arcade cabinet!
On top of having various cabinets available for free play at NYCC, Arcade1Up’s enormous arcade drew a crowd of eager gamers to give a go at Capcom’s Marvel Super Heroes!
In fact, many opportunities at New York Comic Con are indeed free! From backdrop photo ops, to giveaways, and even product demos, NYCC is the place to experience the latest & greatest.
Sony and Camouflaj Studios’ Iron Man VR was available all weekend where gamers could “step into” the Invincible Iron Man suit. (Iron Man VR is scheduled for release on February 28, 2020 for the PSVR.)
DC Comics also once again took over the South Concourse for a number of freebies. Throughout the convention, comic books, buttons, and posters were handed out, with Harley Quinn pins exclusively for DC Universe subscribers (as well as an immersive DCUHQ pop-up at the Hudson Yards Loft featuring “The Fantabulous Evolution of One Harley Quinn Gallery”), and a beautiful lineup of Birds Of Prey costumes (in theaters February 7, 2020):
And, of course, costuming was seen everywhere! From the casual cosplayer to the most advanced, fans were flying their geek flag high & proud!
We witnessed some amazing homemade cosplayers including plenty of Star Wars Mandalorians, Marvel Cinematic Universe Avengers characters, and this incredible Alien cosplay team-up:
But the place to be was definitely the official NYCC Championships of Cosplay (presented by Singer) which took place on Saturday at the Main Stage. All of the contestants of the competition were so talented and displayed such craftsmanship & creativity! But only one winner walked away with the $3,000 first place prize: @Akellyz‘ super-detailed cel shaded Mario!
And as if all of that weren’t enough, the Show Floor has an unbelievable abundance of vendors & products – 30 aisles of comic books, collectibles, costuming, video games, and so much more!
Renowned manufacturers like Kotobukiya, Bandai, and Funko were just some of the big names. Here’s Sentinel’s 1/6 scale Re:Edit Iron Spider on display:
As well as Hasbro‘s latest crowdfunding Haslab project: the all-powerful Destroyer of Worlds… Unicron!
The Show Floor is also where you can also view the legendary Alex Ross‘ gallery:
As well as other up and coming artists like St. Louis freelance illustrator Nate Jones who designs stunningly bold 3D quote pop culture posters:
Topps also had an exciting booth set up for this year’s comic con, including giveaways, a “Take a Card, Leave a Card” wall, and even free signings with Matthew Modine (Stranger Things) and James Arnold Taylor (Star Wars):
So whether you’re shopping around, in the market for an original piece of art, or looking to meet your favorite celebrity or comic creator, New York Comic Con is your one-stop all-weekend event! And with the dates for next year already set for October 8-11, 2020, you’ll want to brace yourselves for the biggest pop culture convention on the East Coast! There’s no show quite like NYCC and with so much to see & so much to do, you’ll need to go and experience it all for yourself!
When planning your trip to New York Comic Con, remember that it’s impossible to see everything! But don’t worry – the key is to have a great time and enjoy what you do get to see! Grab free swag, meet fellow fans, and take in as much as you can! For even more, be sure to view full photo gallery online as well as the video recap below.
And for more information on New York Comic Con, visit their website.
LesDudis 