Batman may have been seen on the streets of New York recently, but don’t worry, The Joker hasn’t been wreaking havoc. It was just time for this year’s New York Comic Con (NYCC).
The East Coast’s largest pop culture convention was held at the Javits Center Oct. 9-12.
HBO Max also hosted special panels with first look footage for the highly anticipated and upcoming HBO Original series IT: Welcome to Derry, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, And season two of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake. During the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms panel, co-creator and executive producer George R.R. Martin was joined by co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer Ira Parker and stars Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell. Photo: Zach Dilgard/HBO
NYCC will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2026. Photo: ReedPop
Rapper and singer Post Malone hosted a panel about his hit comic Big Rig. Photo: ReedPop
Panels and Premieres
The four-day event welcomed 250,000 fans who were able to attend 570-plus panels and events packed with exciting announcements, exclusive previews, and highly anticipated trailer debuts from popular and anticipated series. The robust lineup included speakers from productions such as HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, FX’s The Beauty, and Apple TV’s Slow Horses.
“We had over 400 panels this year, covering anything and everything from celebrity spotlights, studio premieres, community programming, publishing announcements, and in-depth conversations,” said Kristina Rogers, vice president of ReedPop, a boutique group within RX, that produced the event, which saw more than 200,000 attendees in 2024.
The show floor, which boasted over 218,000 square feet of exhibit space, featured several large-scale booths that had either never been to NYCC or had not been at the event in many years including DC Comics, Hasbro, Games Workshop, and Walmart.
Here, fans could get their hands on the hottest merch from 650+ exhibitors like Funko, Bandai, Marvel, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, Capcom, and Webtoon, and meet over 500 Artist Alley participants including fan favorites George R.R. Martin, J. Scott Campbell, Jeph Loeb, Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Kim-Joy, Daniel Warren Johnson, Joe Hill, Arthur Adams, Denys Cowen, Majorie Liu, Scott Snyder, and more.
“Our team tries to ensure that all fandoms are represented at NYCC, and our programming slate is constantly evolving to emphasize trends in pop culture spaces,” Rogers said.
Comic book artist John Timms appeared on Artist Alley. Photo: ReedPop
Attendees browsed stacks of comic books. Photo: ReedPop
Expanded Pro Programming
“New this year was an expansion of our professional programming, which included tracks for comic publishing, educators, librarians, lawyers, and more,” she added.
Those looking to increase their industry knowledge, sharpen their skills, and expand their networks could visit a dedicated space for pros and content creators located in the Javits Center’s River Pavilion. This year’s offerings included a marketing summit with experiential marketing and events agency Experience12 and masterclasses with industry leaders like Josh Horowitz and global brands like Kickstarter, Warner Bros Animation, and the New York Public Library.
Rentable media suites and private office spaces were also available to allow industry pros to catch up on work between events or make deals right on site.
During a recent episode of the “Trade Show Talk” podcast, host Danica Tormohlen spoke with RX CEO Hugh Jones about the expanded B2B element of the convention. He said that “turning a B2C into a B2C2B—that’s not something we’ve seen quite a bit.”
HBO Max delivered chills at New York Comic Con with its “Face Your Fears” fan activation to promote IT: Welcome to Derry. The experience was set in a nostalgically familiar yet deeply unsettling 1960s child’s bedroom. The A.I-driven activation delivered personalized experiences to fans utilizing various interactive elements. Photo: Zach Dilgard/HBO
The show floor boasted over 218,000 square feet of exhibit space. Photo: ReedPop
The U.S. comic books market size was valued at more than $1.9 million in 2024 and is projected to reach more than $3.5 million by 2033. The growth is attributed to the increasing demand for diverse storytelling and inclusive representation within comic books, according to Grand View Research.
The use of comic IP in movie universes has also greatly fueled this growth. Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment have consistently made billions in box office sales.
That success has migrated to the events side, as well.
According to the New York City Tourism and Conventions Bureau, NYCC generates an estimated $80 million in impact for New York City.
Fans who could not attend in person were able to experience the event via livestreams of both the Main and Empire stages, which were broadcast across all NYCC social channels and on Popverse, ReedPop’s pop culture news site.
Looking Ahead
NYCC returns to the Javits Center October 8-11, 2026, to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
The four-day event welcomed 250,000 comic fans. Photo: ReedPop
The region’s most talented cosplayers brought their best work to the Cosplay Central Crown Championships qualifier on Oct. 11. After a fierce round of competition, Say No to Scrunchies was named first-place winner for their jaw-dropping portrayal of a wall clicker from The Last of Us, earning $1,000 and a trip to C2E2 2026 to compete in the USA National Finals of the Cosplay Central Crown Championship. Photo: ReedPop
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