2026 New York Comic Con
October 8-11th 2026
Jacob K. Javits Center, New York, NY
Our Score: 3 out of 5 Stars
Making its 20th appearance in the Big Apple, New York Comic Con proved once again to be the mecca for all things Comics and Pop Culture. The Jakob K. Javits center located in the Hudson Yards area of New York City one again played host to the epic four day spectacle which unites fandoms from near and far. From Anime, Comics and Gaming to Television, Film and Collectibles this bucket list event for many is a dizzying assault on your senses which leaves attendees exhausted both physically and mentally due to the conventions top level presentations and sprawling layout.
October for some signifies the changing of seasons while for others it means NY Comic Con is just around the corner. This year marked the events 20th anniversary so we came in with high hopes that this year would one for the ages. After making our way through the mob like crowds which circled the giant venue all four days we instantly noticed that despite this being a monumental year for the convention there really wasn’t much fan fair in the way of celebrating the milestone. Despite minimal anniversary signage it seemed to be business as usual.
Taking up some of the more prominent floor spaces this year were big name brands like What Not and Walmart both of which consisted of multi-space displays boasting a bevy of special guests. Marvel elevated their space this year with a large focus on the upcoming release of “Avengers: Doomsday”. The brightly lit booth featured a number of costumes from the film along with its own stage and live DJ making it one of the must sees on the main floor. Not to be un-noticed was that of comic competitor DC who also had an impressive both showcasing their own upcoming film release “Clayface” which stars Tom Rhys Harries and Ruby Sear.
As we traversed some of the smaller isles of the main floor we came across an 
endless array of vendors with many attempting to entice fans with their own unique “Convention Exclusives”. Everything from limited edition vinyl figures and enamel pins to comic books and clothing each with their own set number of availability heightened the excitement for would be purchasers who rushed from location to location in hopes of bringing home some of these limited edition treasures. This years layout was noticeably more vendor heavy with fewer large scale content release displays. The balance between content release booths and vendors always seems to be an ebb and flow from year to year as a lot depends on timing. Though this years content releases were very minimal Peacock’s “Crystal Lake” immersive experience was a personal highlight. The multi-room walk through put unsuspecting participants directly in the middle of the streaming channels new horror series complete with live actors and potential danger lurking around every eerie corner.
For those looking to meet their favorite celebrity or artist attendees could make their way down to the lower level of the center which much like the main floor is sectioned off into three corridors equal in size to the upper levels. Section 1A housed the celebrity signings. Amongst the maze of velvet ropes convention goers could get all their favorite memorabilia signed by this years attendees which included the likes of Rosario Dawson, Hayden Christianson and Nicholas Cage. Moving over to section 1B known as “Artist Alley” was home to isles and isles of comic book writers, artists and creators from all the big name brands along with a vast number of smaller and more independent houses as well. For the costume clad in attendance section 1C was the place to be as it was dubbed “Cosplay Central” and hosted the always entertaining cosplay contest along with a massive free play arcade and VIP lounge. You never know who or what you will run into in this area making it a must see each year.
Of course what convention would be complete without a wide array of panels discussing recent and upcoming releases with some of the people who make them possible. Not confined to one specific location in the venue panel attendees would get their steps in bouncing between four different floors in an attempt to get some a glimpse of some of the latest trailers and releases. Some of the more anticipated panels this year included the “Dexter: Resurrection S2” Panel, The Fox Comedy Panel featuring Jon Ham and Joel McHale and the always popular AMC+ Spotlight which featured appearance by Catherine Zeta-Jones, Carrie-Ann Moss and Norman Reedus to name just a few.
Needless to say there is never a lack of things to do over the four day run of New York Comic Con and this year was no different. If you attended this year or a previous year you know our observations only scratch the surface. The only real way to experience all that NYCC has to offer is to go there in person and fully immerse yourself in all that one of the largest pop-culture conventions in the country has to offer.