Summer means the return of New Jersey’s coolest comic con, Garden State Comic Fest, continuing its annual tradition at Codey Arena in West Orange, NJ with hundreds of vendors, artists, and special guests, this time on June 27 & 28. With record-breaking attendance, fans had the opportunity to meet childhood heroes, from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman to the Pink Ranger herself, Amy Jo Johnson from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Two full-size skating rinks packed with collectibles, comic creators, and activities meant there was something for every kind of fan!
Each day saw lines of eager fans (above), both General Admission and sold-out VIPs, ready to enjoy panel programming, paid photo ops, and other meet & greets, including this year’s ThunderCats guests (Larry Kenney, Lynne Lipton, Peter Newman, and Pete Cannarozzi), Sailor Moon voice actors (Terri Hawkes & Susan Roman), and a totally tubular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reunion featuring Paige Turco, Michael Turney, James Saito, and Kevin Clash. Not to mention an impressive lineup of comic book artists & writers such as Walt & Louise Simonson, Jim Starlin, Bob Camp, Chris Campana, Jan Duursema, Tom Mandrake, Keith Williams, Chrissie Zullo Uminga, Reilly Brown, and many more!
Whether you’re looking to get your collectibles autographed or commission an original art piece while at the convention, it’s best to arrive as soon as possible to avoid long wait times or potentially missing a specific guest’s cutoff altogether! So if you can, definitely take advantage of the VIP early entry and the free on-site parking options… You’re likely going to spend quite some time at this one!
And then there’s the shopping: thanks to incredible vendors like Komic Knights, Fester’s Funhouse, Pandora’s Box, Aardvark Toys, Elite Comic Sales, and Boone Enterprises, you can browse all kinds of comic books, trading cards, and assorted action figures & toys, from loose out-of-package display pieces to mint-in-box treasures ready to be signed by one of the special guests to further add to your convention memories. Looking to get that autograph authenticated or a signed comic graded? CGC (via Agents of Slabs) and JSA were on-site offering those services as well! All of that, with even a concession stand for quick bites, and GSCF truly is a collector’s one-stop shop.
This was quite possibly the biggest and most action-packed Garden State Comic Fest yet, so you definitely won’t want to miss the next GSCF events! Coming up next are GSCF Vineland on November 14-15, 2026, Garden State Winter Fest on January 23-24, 2027, and Garden State Anime Fest on April 17-18, 2027. Be sure visit the official GSCF website for more information, and in the meantime check out additional photos here as well as our video recap from the weekend below:
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