2023 New York Comic Con Show Report
For New York, October means the bombastic return of New York Comic Con, an annual extravaganza held at the mammoth Jacob Javits Convention Center. For this year’s four-day show, autograph and photo hounds appreciated appearances by celebrity guests like Chris Evans, Ewan McGregor, Tom Hiddleson, David Tennant, Susan Sarandon, Dee Sinder, Karen Gillan, Tim Curry, Danny Woodburn, James S. Murray and Joe Quesada. Panels featured varied topics and guests, such as The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, with Scott M. Gimple, David Zebel, Greg Nicotero and Norman Reedus. The Guardians of the Galaxy movies’ Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, and Pom Klementieff were in panel conversation while Apple TV Plus presented Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, based on Legendary’s Monsterverse.
Of course, Artist’s Alley remained as a key feature with sketch card and comics artists eager to display and sell their wares. Collectibles of every imaginable (and some unimaginable) types bowled over even the most advanced hobbyists. The cosplay crowd continued to amuse and inspire due to the sheer imagination and creativity employed by the many players.
What was unexpected, at least to this writer and fellow show goer and Non-Sport Update writer, Bob Hulsart, was a marked increase in the amount of non-sport trading cards for sale. Cryptozoic Entertainment, for one, offered a wonderful, show-exclusive, dual LOTR autograph card of Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd for $150. Topps had free Star Wars promos and a number of new companies presented trading cards with a different slant.
Hro, for example, blends both the physical and digital worlds with their unique hybrid NFT products. Collectors can unlock the DC Multiverse by collecting both versions of cards available through the Hro mobile app and local retailers. VeeFriends was selling their whimsical and cute-as-a-button cards while Cyber Cel hawked cards with an Anime posture. Vintage dealers could also be found with a variety of cards from 1940 Superman and 1962 Mars Attacks to GPK and Star Wars Series 1 unopened boxes. Modern dealers advanced autograph and sketch cards of every stripe while specialty dealers went with high-priced items like 2019 CZX Super Heroes & Super Villains Gale Gadot /99 for $4,500, a 2008 Rittenhouse Archives Iron Man Movie Robert Downey, Jr. auto for $10,000, and a 1/1 2022 Topps Gilded Collection Cut Signature auto of Chadwick Boseman, also for 10Gs.
No matter what type of collectible you were seeking, there’s a decent chance it could be found at NYCC. If nothing else you’d have a lot of fun just looking. The show returns next October.
