For its 11th year, Garden State Comic Fest found a new home at the Essex County Codey Arena in West Orange, NJ! With over 200 booths of vendors, artists, cosplayers, and special guests, GSCF was bigger & better than ever, taking over both of the arena’s NHL-sized skating rinks and proudly continuing its tradition as New Jersey’s coolest comic con.
The June 28-29 summer event featured media guests such as Sesame Street’s Steve Whitmire & Kevin Clash, James Saito (Shredder from TMNT 1990), and Sean Kanan from Karate Kid Part III & Cobra Kai, as well as comic book legends Walt & Louise Simonson, Jim Starlin, Mark Bagley, a rare appearance by Larry Lieber, and many, many more! Both days were filled with meet & greets, photo ops, panels, and plenty of opportunities to enjoy both rinks, which were each designated as the Vendor Hall and Artist Alley, respectively.
Shop a wide array of collectibles: action figures & statues, Funko Pops, TCG & trading cards, Barbie, anime merch, LEGO, swords & lightsabers, video games, and, of course, all the comic books you can dream of! We’re talking about key issues, sets, bargain books, exclusive variants, and all kinds of slabs… perfect for resubmitting to CGC as you meet the many comic book creators in Artist Alley! Thanks to official facilitators Agents Of Slabs and The Collectible Conservancy, you can preserve your CGC yellow labels with an authorized witness as you obtain additional sketches or signatures. So whether you’re sending in a pre-show Chris Campana sketch cover or you’re one of the lucky ones who added Larry Lieber to your collection of vintage Marvel books, they’ve got you covered:
Garden State Comic Fest not only makes it easier to meet mainstream & indie creators but actors & celebrities, too. If you’re looking to meet popular voice actors or the talent behind your favorite on-screen superheroes, GSCF offers a more accessible and less overwhelming environment to do so! Bring nostalgic memorabilia to get autographed (or find something unique on the show floor) and get ready to make special Garden State memories:
And with excitement both indoors and out, from a lively atrium featuring cosplayers, a full-scale Fallout display by Pros & Cons, a step-and-repeat photo backdrop, and even concessions, to the iconic Ghostbusters Ectomobile outside along with fandom meetups & photoshoots, Garden State Comic Fest truly leveled up the “fest” for 2025! Not to mention all of the amazing panel programming happening all weekend long including a tribute to Greg Hildebrandt, the ins & outs of comic book crowdfunding, and a Q&A with GSCF’s very own Dave O’Hare:
This was a can’t-miss Garden State Comic Fest! But if you missed it, don’t worry because there are plenty of other chances to experience all that GSCF has to offer. Not only will they be back at Codey Arena next summer, but coming up first is actually the brand new Garden State Comic Fest Vineland in November 2025, then Winterfest returning in January 2026, and Garden State Anime Fest in April 2026! So be sure to stay tuned on their official pages for upcoming announcements and in the meantime, check out our photo gallery and video recap below:
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