New York Comic Con moving to a virtual event for 2020 has its drawbacks, but it also has its advantages: no moving against the tide of thousands of your fellow con-goers to get to where you need to be, no queue at the bathroom, and no need to memorize the vendor’s booth number before making your mad scramble onto the show floor trying to get your hands on that that all-too-limited convention exclusive you need this year. A virtual NYCC hasn’t slowed down the show exclusives, and we’re here to bring you the best of the best. Here’s a slew of NYCC/Metaverse exclusive merch to call out to your wallet like a mythical siren calling out to sailor.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Imperial Probe Droid Metal Ornament (Hallmark – $35)
The Empire Strikes Back turned 40 this year and Hallmark released many Keepsake Ornaments in celebration of it. This Imperial Probe Droid was originally sold at SDCC@Home in July, and quickly sold out. Thankfully, as in years past, Hallmark reserved a few thousand of this exclusive ornament for NYCC, and they even went a step beyond that this year. Seeing how high the demand for this droid was in the summer, Hallmark upped the production run from 3,200 to 4,700. It is a heavy ornament, made of metal, not plastic. Put it on a sturdy branch. You can find this on Hallmark’s site on Thursday at noon.
Bubblegum Jubilee of the X-Men PVC Diorama (Diamond Select – $50)
Everyone’s favorite bubblegum-blowing, firecracker-throwing mutant (No! Not Boom-Boom!), Jubilee, is coming at you in all her bubblegum blowing, firecracker throwing glory in this PVC diorama from Diamond Select Toys. Jubilee artfully dodges Danger Room traps in this 8″ tall statue. This NYCC exclusive variant of the standard, non-bubblegum-blowing Jubilee statue is limited to only 1,000 pieces and can be ordered from Diamond Select at the time of this writing!
This is Fine Pop! Vinyl Figure (Entertainment Earth – $14)
Could there be a more 2020 Pop! Vinyl than this recreation of the Gunshow “On Fire” comic strip by KC Green that led to the “This is fine” internet meme. I already have a place picked out on my home office desk (aka my dining room table) for this. While not technically an NYCC exclusive, you can still pre-order it right now from Entertainment Earth.
IDW’s Mystery Exclusives ($???)
Comics publisher IDW is being extremely cagey about its lineup of exclusives this year, and playing things very close to the vest. New exclusives will be revealed each day, in limited quantities. Be sure to follow IDW’s social feeds for what is being offered and when they’re going on sale. Sadly, one of them is not an exclusive signed and numbered version of the Jim Lee’s X-Men Artist’s Edition, which was set to make its debut at NYCC 2020, but is now delayed until January. As you wait to find out what this year’s exclusives are, you can buy what’s left over from past years for up to 50% off on their site right now.
NYCC 15th Edition Facemasks Set of 3
Okay, two of the three masks are pretty meh, but the third one is “Anti Con Crud Society” and that is worth the $25 price tag right there. Give the other two masks to friends. Available from the official NYCC Metaverse show store.
