The biggest annual fan convention of the East coast has come and gone, and once again ReedPOP provided those in attendance with the best in fan-based entertainment.
But the true question is, how did this year compare to the years past? With this being my fourth attendance it is easy to say that the company is far removed from the trials and tribulation of the pandemic era.
Since 2018 I have seen how this company works both inside and out, and every year, I have seen them persevere through many challenges. Whether it be the pandemic, talent cancellations, and even last year with the writers’ and actors’ strike. If there was any word to best describe ReedPOP it would be resilient, and it is safe to say that they master the art of strategic planning.
Over 200,000 attendees would enjoy four days of epic panels, major celebrity appearances, top level cosplayers, and more. Added to that, the people behind NYCC went all out to make sure that not only the fans in attendance would have an experience to remember, but the members of the media would be greatly accommodated as well.
This is something that I was looking forward to seeing this year more than ever, especially after the issue that I've experienced at this year's FAN EXPO in Philadelphia. How would ReedPOP handle everything this year? Will they be able to top themselves?
They did so and more. But part of that could be thanks to the appearance of MARVEL.
DC Comics has always been a staple of NYCC but just last year the playing field began to level with the appearance of MARVEL. This year ReedPOP stepped up majorly thanks to MARVEL who made a bigger impression than they did in prior years.
Last year they were represented on the showcase floor with a huge display full of costumes worn by the actors on the set of your favorite MCU films, along with a stage that would host a few fun Marvel themed shows that would excite the crowd in the showroom area. What we didn't see were actual actors from any of the movies we loved.
Since NYCC opened back up (post pandemic) we didn't see much of a Marvel presence. However, last year that changed when the comic book company announced that they would make an appearance at the event, all be it a small one.
In 2024, business picked up as Marvel came with some heavy hitters to represent the company with appearances of Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olson, Josh Brolin, Leslie Uggams, Tom Hardy, and more who made their presence through photo ops, autograph signings, and panel appearances along with a few surprise announcements.
This was the first time in four years that both Marvel and DC appeared in a big way. On the DC side we also had the cast of The Penguin and the cast of the upcoming DC Studios animated series Creature Commandos which includes James Gunn making his NYCC debut.
With that alone it made 2024 the biggest event to date for ReedPOP.
But comics weren’t the only attraction this year as you can't have NYCC without the presence of anime and they did not disappoint. Then there were the panels based on hit TV and streaming series as well which were a big hit this year.
As always there were so many panels and so little time. That, plus trying to reserve a panel is a battle royal. But let's talk about the panels that I was able to check out this year.
DRAGON BALL DAIMA PANEL
A QUICK LESSON ON SCHEDULING FOR NYCC: For those who will be attending NYCC (or SDCC) for the first time ever I will give you the advice that I didn't learn from previous years. SCHEDULE YOUR TRIP A DAY BEFORE YOU ATTEND!That way can avoid rushing to attend any event that you are planning to make. Last year I did just that and everything went as planned. Not to say that it didn't this year but I stupidly booked my hotel and train for the day of rather than the day forgetting that ReedPOP kicks off the event on Thursdays. My hotel was booked for that afternoon while my arrival into NY was at 4pm. This was all done before we knew what panels will be appearing as well as when they would be scheduled.
When ReedPOP announced that there would be a DRAGON BALL DAIMA panel on Thursday afternoon to kick off the event I knew I was screwed.
I had to reschedule my train at least three times to make sure I make it on time even if I couldn't check in early. Thankfully it all worked out at the end and I was able to make it in a time that I didn't have to rush. It was important that I make the kick off panel for a few awesome reasons.
The kick off panels are always great and will guarantee result in some awesome giveaways. If you recall, in 2022 the SUPER MARIO BROS movie and live Nintendo Direct panel kicked off NYCC that year and resulted in our first look at the Super Mario Brother's movie trailer, the surprise appearance of Jack Black (Bowser) and a bonus of a commemorative T-Shirt.
Then, in 2023 Toei Animation would have a Dragon Ball panel to kick off last year which resulted in the announcement of Dragon Ball Daima along with exclusive demo cards for the Dragon Ball card game and yes, a cool commemorative t-shirt featuring Goku mini.
This year, Toei Animation is back to kick off NYCC in the best way with the premiere of Dragon Ball Daima.
Just a little over seven months shy of Akira Toriyama's passing (March 1, 2024), the news of Toei doing a panel for his latest and final project was huge for fans.
The question lies whether they would pay tribute to this passing or even mention it at the panel as it is still fresh in the minds of fans around the world.
Once again hosted by Monica Rial (the voice of Bulma) the panel would highlight the new series and present fans with a screening of the first episode (which first premiered on Crunchyroll and then Netflix the next day after the panel). It was safe to say that most fans (who are more than likely subscribers to the anime streaming network) watched the episode already.
It would have been nice if they would have made it to the panel first or give us the English version of the first episode but that wasn't meant to be as they are selling tickets for fans to see the English dub of the first three episodes in theaters.
There was also no mention of which streaming network would get the rights to the English dub (Hulu, Netflix, and Crunchyroll are currently streaming the Japanese dub of the series).
While we were not provided with the English dub we were introduced to the actors who will play two prominent role in the series.
Fans were pleased to see the appearance of OG Young Goku actor Stephanie Nadolny reprising her role as the young Saiyan warrior along with newcomer actor Aaron Dismuke (known for his role as Alphonse Elric of Full Metal Alchemist) playing the role of new character Glorio as they talk about their experience working on the new series. We would also get news on various Dragon Ball games with updates on Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero, Xenoverse 2 DLC, and Dragon Ball Kakarot DLC coming soon.
Overall, fans were very happy despite any tribute or mention of Toriyama's passing. A part of me thinks that they did not want to put the crowd in a somber note to start off the four day weekend of events and maybe that was the right choice especially if they didn't have a plan to make it where they could uplift the fans in attendance. I doubt if ReedPOP nor, Toei Animation wanted them coming out like they just watched Wakanda Forever so it may have been for the best.
And as a traditional gesture, everyone in attendance (which could have accommodated up to 3000 people or more) received yet another cool commemorative t-shirt featuring Dragon Ball Daima. One again, a great way to start NYCC!
ONE PIECE PANEL
The next panel continues the anime fandom with the ONE PIECE panel which is hot off of the announcement that the studios would be taking a break from producing new episodes (and deservingly so after producing 1136 episodes dating back to 1999).
This panel was all about celebrating the series with producer Ryua Koike, director Satoshi Ito, along with actors Christopher Sabat (voice of Zoro), and Colleen Clinkenbeard (voice of Luffy) as they discussed their enjoyment of their work on the series and the fan appreciation.
Both Sabat and Clinkenbeard talked about finally getting the chance to watch and appreciate the show with their kids. Sabat humorously expressed his disappointment with his kids that their favorite character on the show wasn't Zoro.
Colleen and the cast would graciously thank every fan for their dedication after all these years.
The panel would end with producer Koike gifting Christopher and Colleen with exclusive hand drawn illustrations of their respective characters from the production team behind the show as a token of their appreciation for their ongoing performances.
Lastly, the audience got to see a sneak preview of things to come including the ONE PIECE special that will be airing soon in the wake of their hiatus, newly remastered episodes of previous story arcs with new and improved animation, lighting and shadow features, and storyboard animation of what is to come in the upcoming Fishman Island arc.
If was very safe to say that ONE PIECE fans left satisfied, grateful, and hungry for more. If anything I wish they would have addressed it would have been the reason why the English cast have yet to lend their talents to a video game. With over 50 games within various genres we have yet to hear the cast in any of the games. Even My Hero Academia and other newer anime series has been given the English dub treatment but for some reason the not One Piece.
With the popularity of the ongoing anime series as well as success of the Netflix series now would be the time.
But that is another question for another time.
ILL-UMINATI PANEL
Probably the most anticipated panel of the four day event came in the form of AWA's the ILL-UMINATI panel which guest starred legendary comic book artist Denys Cowan, AWA Chief Creative Officer Axel Alonso, and The Breakfast Club's own Charlamagne tha God to talk about their crowd funded graphic novel which tells the tale of a supernatural thriller that surrounds itself around the most talked about conspiracy theory in the Black and Hip-hop community. The "Black Illuminati."
Moderator Rob Markman talks within on how the project started, what to look out for with the series, the timing of this book in the essence recent scandals in pop culture along with other questions.
While this was the smallest panel I have attended the room filled to the brim with people wanting to see three groundbreaking figures in the same room. All three have respectively changed the game in their fields and to see them come together this way was a treat. But it didn't end there for me as I would have the privilege of getting some exclusive time with the three after the panel thanks to ReedPOP, AWA, and DKC.
BLEACH: TYBW PANEL
In what might be one of the top three panels this weekend came from the BLEACH panel as they provided an epic live line reading performance courtesy of actors Mazakazu Morita (voice of Ichigo Kurosaki), and Noriaki Sugiyama (voice of Uryu Ishida) read a few lines from three scenes of the Thousand Year Blood War series in front of 4000 fans in attendance (according to the translator of Morita and Sugiyama.
This was by far one of the coolest things to see in person. It was like we got to see inside of a sound booth. Of all the years of attending NYCC this was the first time we've ever seen something like this. (at least from the panels that I've attended).
It is amazing that in my first time appearing at NYCC in 2021 it was the BLEACH TYBW panel that I attended. That was the first time I ever felt what it is like to cover a major panel of that magnitude and listen to the crowd as they cheered to hear Morita-san shout out his iconic battle cry "BANKAI" as everyone's favorite theme song from the series was glaring over the speaker system.
We now go into 2024 and the panel returns bigger and better than ever. What a time to be a fan.
Morita-san was full of vigor the moment he was announced on stage. So much so my camera couldn't even capture him fast enough as he zooms out to the stage to greet the fans. He was a lot of fun and quite charismatic as you would expect.
Made me wish we could see him and Johnny Young Bosch side by side. Now that would be epic.
Sugiyama-san was also great but definitely the more reserved one of the two when talking about the show and their work on it.
We learned a little more from the two including whether they hang out with each other outside of working on the series.
Morita-san revealed that they do actually hang out and Sugiyama often helps him out when it comes to finding new computer equipment. He also said that he would make sure he would pay on a reasonable discounted price.
Overall, the fans of this series couldn't have been more leaving the Empire Stage.
And as a bonus fans in attendance would receive an exclusive demo deck of cards as a part of Bandai Namco's Union Arena series featuring BLEACH: TYBW.
This is a new table top card battle game Bandai Namco was promoting throughout the event.
CREATURE COMMANDO PANAL
IMO: In what could be without question was the main event panel of the entire event. Not because it featured the cast of the upcoming MAX original DC Studios: Creature Commando, but the appearance of James Gunn for the first time ever at NYCC under the DC Studios umbrella.
This was definitely a significant affair as we get to hear him in "Feige form" to not only promote the first installment into his DC Universe but also what the fans can expect from future projects.
While we got to hear from the majority of the main cast of Creature Commando which included:
David Harbour / as Eric Frankenstein
Frank Grillo / as Rick Flag Sr.
Zoë Chao / as Nina Mazursky
Sean Gunn / as Weasel and G.I. Robot
Maria Bakalova / as Ilana Rostovic
Alan Tudyk / as Doctor Phosphorus
Steve Agee / as John Economos
Gunn also talked about other works he is involved in which includes the debut of Krypto the Dog who will make his appearance in the upcoming Superman film which is inspired by a pup he and his family rescued name Ozu.
He also talked a bit about season 2 of Peacemaker starring John Cena and how much he has evolved as an actor since they first started working together.
Lastly, he briefly mentioned the upcoming Lantern series which stars Aaron Pierce as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan.
Listening to him and the cast talk about their excitement for the projects they are working on with confidence felt more positive and promising then we've ever seen before with DC.
Given that Gunn was highly praised for his work on both The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker it's easy to understand the anticipation for what's to come in the coming years with DC Studios. Once the panel was over the fans at the front bolted to the stage to shake hands, get autographs and speak to the cast.
Some how I managed to escape with everything intact. A very eventful panel.
FUTURAMA PANEL
On the last day of the convention I couldn't have attended a better send off panel than with the cast of Futurama.
In the only Main Stage panel that I attended I was not expecting such a fun spectacle as I did.
The panel included cast members John DiMaggio (Bender), Billy West (Phillip J. Fr, Dr. Zoidberg, among many others), along with supervising director Peter Avanzino, executive producer Claudia Katz, producer/ and moderator Lee Supercinski, and the legendary creator of Futurama and The Simpson Matt Groening all came together in what was the most entertaining panel of the entire weekend.
The panel started with a clip of the mock ad featuring Hypno-Toad who hypnotizes you to buy DVD box sets of well, Hypno-Toad hypnotizing you.
Once the cast was introduced to a rockstar level ovation the crew began to do a speed drawing competition between Avanzino and Groening. For every round Groening would cheat by having an already prepared and cleanly drawn picture of our favorite characters from the show followed by the real quick sketch which look nothing like the one he used to cheat with.
The segment was a lot of fun and there was a bit of a bonus from that contest as the sketches would become giveaways to those was were in line to ask a question to the cast.
The MVPs of the panel of course goes to both John DiMaggio and Billy West who had all of out crying laughing at their antics.
The great take away from this panel is not only how genuinely funny they all are but also how close they are as colleagues and friends working together for all these years.
Seeing the chemistry they all have together makes watching the show even better.
What they showed at that panel is why the show remained as popular as it has for so long.
A great way to end an incredible four days in New York.
ALSO NOTE:
While I did not make other great panels (mostly due to scheduling conflicts with other panels and interviews or that some panel reservations were locked up quick) there was no shortage of panels including the Lord of the Rings anime panel featuring Stephen Colbert, The Penguin panel, The Marvel Panel which had a surprise appearance of Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio who also announced the release date and showed a sneak peak of the trailer for Daredevil Reborn (coming March 2025), Sony Pictures snuck in the Venom cast panel, and Netflix's The Electric State which I was planning to attend but learned that Netflix restricted any press coverage in fear of anything leaking out.
One of the biggest and best spectacles of NYCC is the showroom floor. If you attend various comic book conventions they will always have a showroom/showcase floor with a number of merchant booths and displays of fandom related content for people to buy, take pics, or be entertained as you walk through.
However, NYCC's showroom floor is among the best in the country thanks to the collaboration of your favorite anime, comics, movies, and gaming companies and studios coming together to create some of the most epic sights one would see at any fan event.
The minute you arrive at the showroom floor at the Javits center you are greeted by a titanic balloon statue of Goku as you enter into the Toei Animation station which will lead you right into the awesome Tamashii Nation station which is connected to the Bandai Namco station.
But once you get deeper into the floor you encounter so much more as a sea of people are migrating to other parts of the area to see everything they can.
If you are a first timer to NYCC (or SDCC) you can be overwhelmed with everything around you as there is so much to see and it is all in your face at once. But as you traverse into the area you will encounter some other awesome attractions including the Gundam Base Pop Up shop (which is a place I go too often when coming to NYCC) which sells an abundance of Gundam custom build models known as Gunpla that you put together yourself along with other Gundam figures and more.
If you go further in you may encounter other cool pop ups like Atsuko which provides some of the coolest anime themed fashion around.
If you are a gamer, you may find yourself around the Capcom or Bandai Namco stations where you can try out some of their latest games.
Speaking of Bandai Namco and Tamashii Nation, there pop-up merchant area is among the best in the showroom floor as they often sell some of the best anime figures around with a few NYCC exclusives that you can only get there.
And if Tamashii Nation runs out of an item were fear not, they have a store in Times Square and It is a must go to for any anime otaku.
I went down there to pick up a Goku figure that was sold out at the showroom pop up and it was worth it.
I highly recommend you stopping by this place if you ever come to New York. Even with long wait lines you can get in there fairly quick as people are constantly coming and going.
Earlier I mentioned the Marvel Station which is also on the showroom floor which provides fans with awesome attractions, themed shows, and surprise appearances from your favorite actors like Tom Hardy (Venom) and Leslie Uggams (Deadpool & Wolverine) who appeared when I was walking through.
If you go even deeper into the area you may find other cool merchant stands with cool collectables you may see online or items that may be hard to find.
This year it was hard to get in and out without wanting to buy so much but I had to remember one important thing. Whatever I buy, I have to lug home on the train by my self.
Trust me when I tell you the struggle was real both physically and emotionally.
ARTIST ALLEY
I would also like to give a big shout out to this years Artist Alley turnout as it consisted of the biggest and best to ever do it in comic book's past and present.
The best of the best artist was around this year to greet fans (and sell a book or too along the way) and show their appreciation for their support.
This year was extra special, while we normally are graced with one of the G.O.A.T.(s) Jim Lee every year, we were also blessed with the appearance of other legendary page turners who made their appearance including Todd McFarlane who not only made his way to NYCC with a panel but also offer to do a limited autograph signing session for a lucky few and he did so for FREE!Trust me when I tell you that reservation sold out in seconds.
While I was sad that I would not get that opportunity to experience meeting the rockstar artist of our favorite Spider-Man books (and the creator of SPAWN) my journey was not in vein as another legendary rockstar artist from the 90s would also be appearing at artist alley.
That rockstar is none other than Erik Larsen who is widely known in the comic book community for drawing some of the best Amazing Spider-Man books during the hottest times in what was known as "The BOOM period" of comic books in the 1990s.
Some of his most popular books consisted of his illustrations of Peter Parker, MJ, the Sinister Six, and Venom which many believed he was one of the best to draw the character at the time. Even Venom creator Todd McFarlane said in a passed interview that Larsen's version of Venom knocked it out the park with how he depicted him with the elongated jaw and long tongue.
Larsen (along with Lee, McFarlane, Liefeld, Silvestri, and others) would leave Marvel to create IMAGE comics where he created his own legendary IP The Savage Dragon.
The book had become so popular it landed its own animated series.
His aggressive and in your face art style would become a thing of legend in the comic book industry.
It was indeed an honor to meet and thank him for my artist inspiration in him.
This made my weekend even more epic. Thank you Mr. Larsen for all of the work you have done with Spider-man, The Savage Dragon, and being a positive voice on your platform.
As always NYCC brings in the very best cosplayers in the country. There is only a few fan events where you will see high level championship caliber concept created and designed by some of the most talented designers in the country.
NYCC (along with SDCC, and Dragon Con) is the event that you show what you are made of. Not just because of the gravity of the event but also the venue itself that provides some of the best opportunities to get the best photos possible thanks to great natural lighting that beams greatly in the Javits Center to highly detailed and elaborate costumes of your favorite characters. It is all seen here. One may consider this the MET gala for all things anime, comics, movies, and games.
Only the best gather here and they never disappoint.
Out of everything that I was looking forward to this year nothing was more important than how ReedPOP would allow the press to cover the event.
One of the biggest reasons why I sing the praises of this company dating back to my first encounter with them in 2018 is how they cater to the press. My first experience with them back when they created Keystone Comic Con for the city of Philadelphia was nothing more than impressive.
At that time I have only heard about the Reed POP / Reed Exhibitions as the company behind New York Comic-Con which was known to be one of the best in the country and I wanted to see first hand how they operate. With my experience working with corporations for over a decade I was always interested in how the inner workings of a successful company plays out especially in terms of customer service, marketing, production, and promotion.
I was admittingly a fan of companies like WWE (despite my views on Vince McMahon), Disney, and Sony for how they market, promote and service their target audience with high quality production and performance.
It was to my pleasure that I learned how ReedPOP works and I couldn't have been more impressed by how they operate.
They fully understand what is important to the company and what helps them grow. One of those ways is making sure the press is accommodated so they can cover the event while making their assessment of the overall experience.
Added to that they will also go the extra measure of making sure that we can have access to other outlets happening at the event.
This is something that I deeply appreciate as going the extra mile or providing the little things that will later make an imprint in the minds of those you are reaching is something that I often tell to clients I work with as a freelancer helping to build their brand(s).
With my recent outing at this year's FAN EXPO in Philadelphia which resulted in the displeasing treatment of the press in attendance I was hoping that ReedPOP would counter that experience with a contrasting display. In fact, I had more than faith in them especially working and partnering with them in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
I am more than happy to say that they did not let me down and in fact they superseded my expectation even more this year.
As always the staff was very welcoming and willing to make sure to let us know what we can and can't do with the upmost respectful manor.
When it was time for action and I was covering panels on platforms like Empire Stage or the Main Stage we all worked together to make sure we were not in each others ways and even helped to make sure we both were in a great position where we can cover the panels right.
It is gestures and actions like that which gives me joy when writing articles about this company and event every year.
ReedPOP did something this year that helped the press greatly this year in that they provided a list to every company and/or studio that was participating in NYCC as a way to contact the press for interview opportunities or press coverage of their panels or other events.
This was a brilliant idea and also something that I wondered as to why no one thought of this before. During the days leading up to NYCC I began to receive hordes of emails inviting me to concerts, panels and press interviews which was great as I can now add on some other opportunities for TALK TIME LIVE EXCLUSIVE.
While I couldn't make them all due to scheduling conflicts I did manage to two I definitely did not want to miss.
The first was my interview with BANDAI NAMCO which of course is one of my favorite gaming and collectible companies and the second being the ILL-LUMINATI press interview featuring Charlamagne Tha God, Denys Cowan, and Axel Alonso which was one of those moments for me that I will look at and realize where I am at in life and how proud I am of the road I walked to get these opportunities. Something I always wonder if my late mother would appreciate as well especially because of how my life turned out. This reminded me of the press event I was invited to featuring the late great Kevin Conroy in 2018 which much like this was a surreal milestone (no pun intended to Denys Cowan) for me.
I can't thank everyone at ReedPOP enough for going the extra mile to make sure that not only the fans in attendance have a great experience but also people of the press as well because they also realize the importance of us too no matter how big or small the outlet is.
They also realize that at the end of the day, we are all fans of what this event is about.
Without question for me, my fourth year attending NYCC is the best to date. Everything from presentation, production quality, promotion, and especially customer and quality assurance this event had it all.
Even if you were not able to make every panel or every section of the Showroom floor, Artist Alley, or the autograph and photo section it would be hard to believe that you did not come out of the Javits Center full of happiness and enjoyment of your experience.
Someone I know decided to attend NYCC for the first time ever after only going to smaller local conventions with the fear and intimidation that big elaborate fan events like NYCC didn't carry the aura of the fans.
I challenged him to that to which he accepted. He acquired a one day badge just to get his feet wet just off of the chance that he wouldn't enjoy himself.
I am happy to report that after his first experience at NYCC he has relieved himself of his "Piglet complex" ( my pseudo-psychological analysis of someone who hides away and that is too afraid to come out of the proverbial bushes to face their fear or assumption of someone or something).
He reported back and said that I was right about this event. The problem now is that once you experience an event of this magnitude nothing else will compare to it. Welcome to the club and you can thank ReedPOP for that as I do every year. So to the staff, the guest, the merchants, and everyone who helped make this year the BEST I thank you dearly. And if you have not attended New York Comic-Con yet you owe it to yourself to make this a must on your list.
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