By Beat Staff
It’s time for our annual picks and pans of con past! With contributions from Heidi MacDonald, Riccardo Serrano Denis, Justin Guerrero, Taimur Dar, Deanna Destito, Sean Dillon, Masha Zhdanova, Gianni Palumbo, Aaron Halls, Billy Henehan, Z. Rice, and George Carmona 3rd. Thank you to all!
WINNER(?): FOG LAND – I would kill to see the numbers for how much WEBTOON spent on marketing Fog Land at this convention. Costumed actors, that giant themed booth, trucks with advertisements on them, tote bags, desk mats, giveaways… not even Lore Olympus ever got this kind of treatment at NYCC. It was as omnipresent as, one might say, a fog. I still haven’t read Fog Land and honestly, I probably won’t— not just because it’s not really my genre, but also because it feels like this comic’s just constantly being shoved in my face by a megacorporation, like AI in my search results. It’s being advertised so much for a comic I’ve never heard anyone talk about in real life that the hype feels entirely manufactured and offputting. I wonder how it feels to be one of the other WEBTOON originals creators at NYCC whose comic received no advertising or merch or any kind of presence at the main booth… (MZ)
LOSER: POPVERSE – It’s really hard not to see this as a loss for Popverse, given their recent shuttering just days before NYCC began. One hopes the various writers, editors, and other such folk are able to land on their feet in the wake of the closure and that comics journalism can find a space to pay the people who work for them and uncover new stories beyond reviews and interviews. (SD)
WINNER: MARVEL COMICS – Marvel had one hell of a NYCC. New EiC Steve Wacker had a massive presence, ensuring fans for an exciting new era of the company— something that many, including myself, have been desperately wanting. With Marvel BRICK—their new affordable compendium line, a mission statement to publish primarily ongoing series, an entire manga label in collaboration with Kodansha, exciting crossovers—including new details on MARVEL X STAR WARS: HOPE ASSEMBLES, and much more, it’s a great time to be Marvel fan! – (GP)
WINNER: DMC: Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run DMC has written a comic book with Be the People, and the message is beautiful. His panel about it, which also focused on positivity, overcoming addiction, and building community, was inspiring. When I interviewed him afterward, I think I asked two questions because the man had so much to share about his experience and his positive message. We need more people like DMC. –DD
LOSER: Activations you can’t get into. I wanted desperately to get into the Camp Crystal Lake activation. The wildly popular attraction seemed really organized at the outset. Instead of standing in a long line for hours, you scan a QR code to get a spot in the queue. They’ll tell you when to come back. Great. Except I never got called back and instead got an “oops, sorry! Try again from the beginning tomorrow” text. No, thanks.–DD
WINNER: Horror novels. If you were looking for the latest in horror books, NYCC was the place to be. Richard Chizmar’s Killing the Boogeyman, Leopoldo Gout’s Rooted, and rising star Deena Helm’s Palestinian haunted house novel Our Cut of Salt were all available and featured prominently in the several publisher booths strewn about the show floor. If anyone wanted to get a sense of what’s currently happening in the world of horror, what’s hot and what’s next, they had every opportunity to do so at the con. —RS
LOSER: Themed panels. NYCC has always featured a solid lineup of themed panels that ranged from discussions on the JFK assassination in comics to the art of comic book recommendations aimed at bringing in new readers. This year, that selection was nearly nonexistent. The bigger companies got their chances to announce future projects during their own panels, but they’ve always been able to do that. It gave the programming a kind of business/corporate feel that made me really miss those beautifully weird and fun panels that centered on people just talking about the things they love without having to sell you something. —RS
Seconded! The handful of discussion-focused panels I went to were all corporate-sponsored cross-promoting panels, like the Romance Tropes Showdown panel moderated by Mashable and featuring mostly WEBTOON and Wattpad creators, and the global comics panel where most of the audience was WEBTOON employees and the whole panel ended with yet another Fogland promotional stunt. It all just feels kind of slimy to me. If you’re going to pay your way to the top of the comics world, maybe make it less obvious. Actually, the more I think about it, the more angry I am that a supposedly general “beyond borders” panel ended up being yet another WEBTOON PR stunt. — MZ
LOSER: The Whatnot Mini Mall. This is more an observation on what the mini mall activation meant to the con. It was a giant multi-booth store that catered to collectors. It featured hip hop collectibles, exclusive comic covers, and surprise drops throughout the weekend. It was perhaps the most corporate-forward thing at the con, a monument to overspending and excess. It looked like something that came out of an AI prompt that read “make something cool that can squeeze more money out of con goers.” Sure, it had a few arcade machines and scheduled guest signings, but it felt like it was a place reserved for big spenders. I hope never to see that thing again, but the way things are going it’ll probably be back and bigger than ever next year. —RS
WINNER: Comics. The most exciting announcements to come out of the convention this year centered around comics and comics-related news, not movie trailers or casting reveals. Marvel and DC laid out an exciting lineup of series and books for next year that gave fans a lot to look forward to. As far as breaking news was concerned, nothing overshadowed these announcements. Bendis on Magneto, Ho Che Anderson and Denys Cowan’s O.M.A.C. one-shot, Grant Morrison writing an original 007 comic, and a new Brian K. Vaughn and Cliff Chiang comic called Roam all point to a very interesting 2027 for the industry. Comics were king this time around. —RS
WINNER: IDW Publishing. I have to tip my hat to IDW for the biggest comic news out of NYCC that it not only had nabbed the James Bond license but that Grant Morrison would be penning the book. The fact that the news hadn’t leaked ahead of time by the usual players (Bleeding Cool) is a testament to how well guarded IDW kept the news. I’ll confess, I was a tad skeptical whether or not IDW could live up to all the hype it had teasing that its panel would have the comics industry talking. In this case, I’m more than happy to eat crow. No hyperbole to say that IDW is at the top of its game. —TD
WINNER: Absolute Batman. At this point, I think nothing more needs to be said about the phenomenal success about Absolute Batman. After winning Eisner and Harvey awards earlier this year, the series officially pulled a hat trick after nabbing the Harvey Award for “Book of the Year” during the weekend. Moreover, those who attended the “Jim Lee & Friends” panel were treated to a special advance look at the upcoming Absolute Batman animated series including Nick Dragotta designs and an animatic of the iconic sequence of Batman fighting the Party Animals from the first issue. As The Beat’s designated journalist of all things DC animated related, Absolute Batman animated series might possibly be on the same level as Batman:TAS when it debuted in the ‘90s. —TD
LOSER: AI. I’d be lying if I said it isn’t disheartening to see AI not only so ubiquitous but accepted and unchallenged by many as inevitable, especially entertainers I admire. So it does my heart good when entertainers aren’t shy about sharing their anti-AI stances. In a moment that went viral, actor Nicholas Cage took the stage to reveal that he refused to sign an AI waiver for the Spider-Noir television series and unlikely to work with Amazon again. My admiration for Cage has certainly increased now. —TD
WINNER: DC Booth. In correlation with its renewed success in publishing, DC has been putting on a top tier booth at conventions. This year’s NYCC was no exception. However, I have to highlight and praise the new and innovative digital queuing that the publisher implemented which allowed fans to request a place in line for talent signings. Those who were randomly selected would receive a text confirmation which they would present to booth staff along with the last 4 digits of the phone number. This is incredibly ingenious and much more efficient and fair especially for the high demand signings which previously utilized a wristband system and were pretty much claimed no matter how early you arrived at the DC booth. I’m hoping not only that DC continues this system but other publishers as well. Especially Marvel which pretty much stopped hosting creator signings at its convention booths some time ago. With a new era seemingly coming for Marvel, it’d be great if that included bringing back creator signings at its booth. —TD
LOSER: Panel/Schedule changes. Every convention and event has its hiccups. As the original Jurassic Park reminded us, when Disneyland first opened nothing worked. However, this year’s NYCC seemed to be particularly plagued by chaos most notably with regards to panels and scheduling in general. So much appeared to be in a constant state of flux in the last week or two. For instance, Wayne Brady’s “Improv Nerdvana” panel was canceled a week before NYCC, but many folks were unaware of the update and made the trek to the panel room only to be informed there and then of the schedule change. —TD
WINNER: PRESS ROOM – Once again, having a dedicated space to get away from the nightmare of the floor is the only way for a working journalist to survive NYCC. Power outlets and access to macaroni and cheese may be a low bar for amenities, but I’ll take it. (HM)
LOSER: Spider-Man cosplay World Record attempt. With so much vying for attention during NYCC, some might not have been aware that Jazwares and Disney Consumer Products attempted to break the Guinness World Records title for the largest gathering of people dressed as Spider-Man. That might have been the reason its attempt to break the record failed with the final verified count marked as 649 participants, just 36 people shy of the target record of 685. Though I’m sure it might be disappointing, it somehow seems in keeping with the character and his infamous “Parker Luck.” —TD
WINNER: The Showroom floor. Compared to the previous two years, this year’s showroom floor actually had much more booths related to comics. The booths with blind boxes are almost non-existent now thank god! You have of course Marvel and DC with their booths, the Marvel Comics webtoon booth, Webtoon, Boom! Yen/Ize, etc. Around the showroom are also more booths that sell/buy/trade comics, indie comics, and other comic-related media. It actually genuinely felt like a Comic Convention once more as you walk around the area. -JG
LOSER: Still no working Wi-Fi!! All the years I’ve been going to NYCC and not once had there been a day where I can sit in the press/pro lounge and use a reliable and stable wi-fi connection to either check when panels are happening, access the NYCC map, or check the slack for anything of note while i’m on location. Not even a portable router was brought to the press/pro lounge for everyone to use unlike in ANYC this year when for the first time the press lounge had a dedicated wi-fi set up there. For me this is a big loser moment as NYCC ditched the physical maps and tried to have everything be digital, so it is annoying when your internet connectivity is either non-existent or shoddy. – JG
WINNER: Supportive NYCC Staff. I’m always super appreciative of the support staff at NYCC who help usher lines and help with direction for attendees throughout the Javits Center. I got mixed around a couple of times this year and they were always there to point me in the right direction with some positive energy. – AH
LOSER: Blade Runner 2099. After being begged to come do an early morning press tour at the activation FOUR TIMES, we showed up early (not an easy task for me) only to be told they weren’t doing press tours! Luckily some kind hearted staffer took pity on us and let us in (it should be noted that I did have a ticket reservation, which helped.). The activation itself was elaborate and had some pretty cool moments but I’ll give it a middling grade. These are hard to do and a lot of effort went into it. Then at the panel, they ran out of giveaway hats and pins a couple of hundred in. I understand the remaining hats and pins were found the next day and were given away. I know it’s the fog of con, and NYC is a very hard place to put on an activation for many reasons, and the Blade Runner 2099 experience proved this. – HM
LOSER: Blade Runner I agree! The four new clips shown in the Blade Runner 2099 panel didn’t reveal anything significant and felt lackluster compared to their setups. After hearing about the wonder of the practical sets, the audience was treated to a short clip set basically in a big room with a wall of retrofuturistic filing cabinets. -ZR
WINNER: Dungeon Crawler Carl. Not even Absolute Batman could contend with the sheer amount of Dungeon Crawler Carl merchandise available at NYCC in 2026. Variant covers, statues, prints, t-shirts, stickers, laser etched cutting boards…I don’t think I was able to walk down a single aisle on the show floor or artist alley without seeing something Dungeon Crawler Carl related. And to all the Dungeon Crawler Carl cosplayers wearing flip flops around NYCC, the AI told me to add that “Daddy doesn’t like that.” ;) – BH
LOSER: The Marvel Prize Wheel. Giant wheel with giant problems to match. The slow line was made slower by the wheel having massive spin again spaces, and an attendant that was a strickler for the rules. After spinning you had to remember what you landed on as you walked around to the other side of the massive booth and stood on another long line. The prizes were underwhelming: a Rescue action figure from a past Marvel Unlimited subscription box, and pins and variant covers from previous conventions. It felt like Marvel was trying to clean out a junk closet as part of their move out of NYC. I heard one winner say they didn’t want the Rescue action figure only to be told that they had to take it. – BH
WINNER: Winners at the Wal-Mart booth. It seemed like an impossibly hard game. Teams of three had to match the total rolled on three dice by a dealer. Each player had a d4, d6, d8, and d10 in front of them. As I played with my daughter and friend, I didn’t think we’d have much of a shot of matching the dealer’s 13. But when I rolled a 4 on my d4 after my daughter’s 2 and her friend’s 7, the three of us each walked away with a great prize: an Usagi Yojimbo/Ninja Turtle action figure 2 pack for my daughter, a box of Pokemon packs for her friends, and a Terminal #1 variant signed by both Arthur Adams and Robert Kirkman for me. Even those who lost the game got to leave with some cool variant covered comics. And the staff couldn’t have been nicer! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but for two years in a row, one of my favorite booths at NYCC was the Wal-Mart booth. You know where to find me at NYCC ‘27. – BH
LOSER: Mystery boxes. Stop buying them. They’re full of unsold trash. My friend’s kid got a Pokemon cigarette case in a Pokemon box. There were Wonder Woman ‘84 socks in the Wonder Woman box, and similar junk in other boxes. Mystery boxes are where unsold merch goes to die after not being able to even be sold at a discount at Ross and Closeout Connection. These boxes aren’t worth your $70 and deserve to be in only one place: the trash. – BH
WINNER: Mogo. This one is a bit self-indulgent but if you attended the convention either on Friday or Sunday, you may have seen a brilliant cosplay of Mogo, the fan-favorite living planet Green Lantern. That was my friend Micheul Cheung aka @selecthumor. He actually did this cosplay a decade ago and apparently was already planning to do this Mogo cosplay before that infamous Hal Jordan funeral scene blew up that generated countless memes. I think it’s fair to say it was one of the most popular cosplays at this year’s NYCC. Be sure to tag him if you posted a photo on social media!
LOSER: NYCC Doubters. I saw a few people making predictions online that “everyone” was skipping NYCC this year. I’m guessing they had small sample sizes consisting of their personal friend groups. Because nope, NYCC was as packed and as popular as ever. This may have been the busiest Thursday at NYCC in history, thanks to discounted kids tickets available for Thursday this year. The other days were super crowded as well. – BH
WINNER: The Philippe LeBaune Gallery. The gallery, which specializes in comic art, celebrated its 5th anniversary with a small party on Saturday night. Mike Mignola, Jim Steranko, Frank Cho, Jared Cullum and Bill Sienkiewicz, among others were in attendance. Philippe gave a lovely speech thanking his patrons, his artists and everyone who has come through the gallery. He even brought out bottles of whiskey to celebrate, in addition to wine and beer. It was a fun, chill night at what has become my favorite art gallery in Chelsea. – BH
WINNER: Mick Foley. The legendary hardcore wrestler had an unending stream of fans in line to take pictures with him and get his autograph. In between photos and signatures, he also did press for his new movie, The Christmas Heartbeat. – BH
WINNER: Josh Johnson. The amount of love comedian Josh Johnson showed to the creatives and fans was beyond amazing. If you follow him on Instagram or anyone who got a picture with him, you could see the genuine interest in the comics he bought throughout Artist Alley as he talked them up. Comics have found a new Blerd Ambassador. – GC3
LOSER: Me. Of all the folks I know who tabled in Artist Alley and got a picture with Josh, I just kept missing him. Next time Josh, I will find you and get my picture. – GC3
WINNER: William Shatner. 95-year-old Shatner was in rare comedic form, bantering with Ben Stiller as straight man in the Star Trek Universe panel. With the energy of a man decades younger, Shatner shared memories of his early days with Trek, his philosophy on regret, and a running gag about his dissatisfaction with his hotel accommodations. Lifelong Trek fan Stiller also shared a piece of his prized Star Trek memorabilia collection, unveiling a Gorn head to delighted gasps from the crowd. – ZR
LOSER: VIP Ticket Holders. After a shakeup in leadership at ReedPop, many VIP ticket holders were so outraged by communication failures and changes to ticket benefits after purchase, that they’re filing credit card chargebacks to recoup the $1,000 ticket price due to breach of contract. VIPs who were supposed to have access to any panel without reservation were repeatedly denied entry due to overcapacity. Also, the “first access” benefit to signing reservations was changed to “priority consideration” under the new lottery system, leaving many VIPs with no signing reservations at all. A thousand dollars is no small investment, and many fans make sacrifices to afford it. They should be able to trust that ReedPop will honor its commitments. – ZR
WINNER WITH CAVEATS: Retailer Day. Giving Wednesday over to publishers and retailers is one of the best ideas NYCC has had in a while, but this year’s event had some hiccups, starting with bad sound. People were also talking a LOT during all the presentations making everything much harder to hear. Also the format was endless 5-10 minute presentations, and that is a long, wearying experience, especially when it’s mostly stuff we already know. I would have liked to see a panel or two – with all the smart people in the room, hearing them interact would have given rise to new ideas and not just reading the catalog. Both ReedPop and ComicsPRO (which organizes the event) had major staffing changes just before NYCC, so it’s understandable that some things fell between the cracks. Retailer Day is a strong event, it just needs some tinkering. (HM)
WINNER: Scott Snyder. Absolute Batman rules everything around it, but I also noted how many times Snyder’s name came up and people talked about how supportive and giving he has been. I feel like Scott makes a lot of people feel seen, and that is a real gift. (HM)
LOSER: The Mexican restaurant that I tried to have dinner at on Friday. I wanted to grab a quick bite before the Harveys and also meet up with some folks. This turned into the usual Comic Con gaggle of 10 people. I had made a reservation at the Mexican place that took over from my beloved Spanish Diner over in Hudson Yards, but watching the manager be snotty to seniors who didn’t have reservations gave me a yuck feeling, and then they gave me a super hard time about adding more people. That’s a no from me. (HM)
WINNER: La Barra at Little Spain. By contrast, the two VERY young managers at La Barra in Little Spain were super helpful when I explained I had an unexpected large party and had to leave quickly. They got me a very nice table, and the food (tapas) was delicious. Everyone got to eat dinner AND get treated well. I would expect no less from a Jose Andres restaurant. (HM)
WINNER: NYCC. Despite all the crowd and complaints this is still a place that brings people together. As I chatted with people they kept bringing up how inclusive and supportive the community is and how good it felt to connect with fellow fans or colleagues. In the end, that’s the most important thing. (HM)
