NEW YORK COMIC CON 2026 TOP FIVE MOMENTS

credit: ReedPop/RELX Inc. (RX)

The eyes of pop culture fans have been glued to the Big Apple as the 20th edition of New York Comic Con took place form October 8th-11th, 2026.

This year’s events made huge waves across the fandoms as news and memories were made. There’s no denying the events’ draw as a must-attend destination. As the curtain comes down on this year’s NYCC, there were some key events that made an immediate impact.

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These were the top 5 moments coming out of this years’ NYCC event (presented in countdown format):

veefriends #22 Cover B by Rob Liefeld (credit:VeeFriends)

5. VEEFRIENDS MAKES A GIANT IMPRESSION ON FANS!

Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Vee Friends” booth became a can’t miss destination for fans on all four days of NYCC. With the mantra of “Strangers become Acquaintances, Acquaintances become Friends, and Friends become Family” hovering their space, many became encompasses in the ever growing universe. This became even more welcoming to the comic community with their “VeeFriends Comics Annual Jump 2026”.

The collection of issues #1-22 was a big hit with new readers wanting to see what they hype was about. For those already familiar with the high energy of Vaynerchuk’s social posts and WhatNot streams, it’s a great compliment piece to collecting and NFT sphere which this area resides in.

On Friday, October 9th, 2026, VeeFriends set a Guinness World Record for a special edition of Issue #22. The Rob Liefeld Cover B for “Gentle Giant was certified as the World’s Largest Comic Book with a measurement of 7,312.7 cm² (over three feet tall)! How many times can fans say they witnessed a world record being set?

Vaynerchuk and his team delivered on a promised huge moment and look to carry this further with their comic line heading into 2027.

4. IDW gets shaken, not stirred while bringing the screams!

IDW Publishing came with huge announcements while facing a tough draw as they ran their “You Don’t Want To Miss This Panel”. The publisher went toe-to-toe with DC’s Absolute Universe Panel on Friday, October 9th and came with two earth-shattering stories. This is on top of major news involving their Star Trek and TMNT lines. Each have new creators (Gates McFadden from Star Trek: the Next generation writing Star Trek: Crusher; Matthew Rosenberg’s new TMNT run starting at #25) exciting the respective fanbases up with what they have in store.

As for the stories in question, the first compliments the growing success of “IDW Dark”. The horror line continues to deliver the terror with a major film production company on board for their comic spin-off stories. Blumhouse has joined up with IDW to give fans a new look at such franchises as “Megan”, “Happy Death Day” and “The Purge”. It got fans talking before the shock of the weekend occured.

Grant Morrison crashed the panel via video message with a bombshell of his own to drop. IDW now has the comic license for Ian Fleming Productions, home of the James Bond Franchise. Morrison has been tagged as the writer for the first series under this partnership. “Sunbreaker” is slated to drop into comic shops in 2027. Knowing the resume Morrison brings, it is anyone’s guess how this story will be but makes this easily one of the most highly anticipated series of the new year. This panel lived up to billing.

***Transformers: Bumblebee - Lost Planet (skybound)***

3. SKYBOUND HAD EVERYONE SEEING VISIONS!

Skybound Entertainment is no stranger to making memories happen at NYCC. Their “Energon Universe” panel is a staple for fans to be blown away with engaging conversation and huge breaking news.

This year’s event kept that streak rolling with ease. Transformers faithful got a long-wished upon announcement with the Dinobots slated to appear in the EU at issue #42. This event brings Dan Mora back for art duties on this issue. Grimlock with Mora art? Just take fans’ money now!

That wasn’t the only huge news for the EU. Battle FORCE 2000 is slated to appear in M.A.S.K. #8! The G.I. Joe side-team is a fan favorite and is sure to add some unpredictabilty to the action the Energon Universe is known for.

Speaking of action, G.I. JOE has a major defection taking place (but one fans have been waiting on) with The Baroness joining COBRA in the aftermath of the “Night Force” storyline. All fans can say here is “In Joshua Williamson and the team we trust”! The panel kept a high energy while complimenting the other major news Skybound delivered.

On Friday, October 9th, “Skybound Visions” was formally introduced. The new slate allows creators to take beloved characters into new, self contained spaces. Transformers: Bumblebee - Lost Planet by Tate Brombal and Matt Emmons lead the way in January 2027. G.I. Joe: The Island of Dr. Mindbender by Karl Kerschl and Doug Mahnke follows in February 2027. Turok: Son of Stone by Stephen Graham Jones and Leandro Fernández rounds out the debut series in March.

With this kind of creative direction, the possibilities are endless for characters featured here. It is a brilliant way to get new readers connected to these characters on a more direct level. Anytime the boundaries of storytelling can be challenged is always a win. With the trusted editorial leadership of Skybound involved, this is a sure fire bet to succeed. Fans, get ready!

2. DC COMICS PRESENTS PANELS OF ABSOLUTE JUSTICE!

Last year’s unoffical “King of NYCC”, DC Comics came into the Javits Center on quite the hot streak. The Absolute Line led by “Absolute Batman” by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta is THE book on pop-culture’s minds whenever it drops. For this year’s event, DC came in with much of the same winning formula as it had in 2025. The “DC: Vertigo & Black Label” panel featured many new projects, with Green Lantern: The Dying of The Light by Jason Aaron and Tirso & a “DC Black Label Presents” anthology series forthcoming, it wow’ed fans before the Vertigo line got a chance to unveil its’ newest slated releases.

The “Next Level” Panel came in with much hype behind it but was more of a celebration of the current movement in the Earth Prime DCU. With series such as “Legion Of Super-Heroes” and “Teen Titans” leading the way, fans were excited to hear what’s next. This especially rang true with Stephanie Williams and Khary Randolph’s “Vixen” & Cody Ziglar’s “Static”. All 3 creators were in attendance & gave updated hints about each series. Nothing was announced for an official FOC & release date. The only real surprise came via Alyssa Wong and Belen Ortega being tapped as the creative team behind “Starfire”. Fans will have plenty to be excited for here with the powerful Titan getting a solo series.

“Jim Lee & Friends” was secretive but great for those in attendance. With a “no cell Phone” policy, the intimate setting allowed for Rafael Grampá to chat with Lee in an insightful conversation surrounding “Gargoyle of Gotham”. Fans also witness some raw animated footage concerning the “Absolute Batman” series. While nowhere near the finihsed product, Fans (along with Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta) watched the transition from page to film take shape. It came close to upstaging DC’s major news of the weekend. Almost being the key word.

“DC Comics: Absolute Universe” was THE “hottest ticket in town” on Friday morning. The standing room only crowd gathered to hear secrets and news coming from the explosive universe. Fans received updates concerning current series and a debunking of a rumor of hiatus for “Absolute Batman”. They were not ready for what closed the panel down. It was confirmed the long-awaited crossover “Absolute Justice” is debuting in April 2027. Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreyra will be the creative team on this 5 part series. It blew the roof off the panel while being the buzz on social media. It almost cemented their repeat for being crowned “King”. Almost being the key word.

1. MARVEL’S NEW EIC MAKES A BOLD FIRST IMPRESSION!

stra wars/Marvel: Hope Awakens (Credit: marvel)

With major shake-ups such as an announcement of moving offices and a new EIC, all eyes were on Marvel Comics this weekend. Newly named EIC Steven Wacker wasted no time on setting a pace for his first NYCC with making major moves. On his “Bullpen Bulletins!” panel, Wacker broke news concerning a new Captain Marvel series by G. Willow Wilson and Rachael Stott, information on Daredevil #700 with Stephanie Phillips, and teased a new event called “1 Day”. Not too shabby for the first panel of a busy weekend.

The “Midnight Universe” was the talk of comic fans during NYCC. The panel was jammed to capacity early as creators Jonathan Hickman, Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Benjamin Percy broke down the future of the dark side of the MCU. It served as a solid lead-in for the double dose of Marvel magic on Saturday, October 10th.

“The Spider’s Web” was the new incarnation of Marvel’s Spider-Man NYCC panel. SPIDER-PUNK and SPIDER-MAN: NOIR led the way for new series in the broader Spider-verse. Fans were preparing for a huge reveal at the end of the panel and weren’t disappointed. “Crisis Of Faith” is an all new crossover event between Miles Morales: Spider-Man and Amazing Spider-Man. Promo art showed Peter and Miles fighting and it was alluded to as “No Punches Pulled”. However, one surprise element stood out.

During the Q&A portion of this panel, one fam asked about the polarizing topic of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s marriage being re-added into the timeline. Wacker addressed the question head on, stating how if the story is good enough, that could possibly happen. There was no dodging this which won fans over quickly.

Wacker went all of for NYCC’s “Hall H” Panel. During “House of Ideas”, Wacker brought out Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel from the MCU movies) as a guest. Vellani’s Image Comics book “Chachu” was not only mentioned but the cover was shown (except with one image covered up). The moment was a shocker as this kind of acknowledgement of another company has rarely been mentioned like this. It was a refreshing take as the other stories started to gain steam.

Wacker went for broke with the close. He brought out the one and only Kevin Smith to talk about the Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Awakens event. Smith went into a passionate reaction as ideas surrounding this event unfolded. It grabbed the crowd’s attention and never let go. The 6-issue event is slated for January 2027.

This was a much looser panel than the previous “Next Big thing” of years past. Nothing against the prior regime, but this reflected the new boss at the helm. Answers to Q&A felt more casual in direction. It brought out a new sense of Marvel with changes in the horizon. Wacker’s approach welcomed fans in and re-enforced what he’s trying to implement. Each panel was very energetic.

While not every announcement was earth-shattering, the ones that mattered were. It reminded fans of what Marvel is capable of letting loose. This sense of optimism was sorely needed and openly welcomed. If this is any indication of what is to come from “The House of Ideas”, fans will be screaming “Make Mine Marvel” in the months to come. An excellent opening “State Of Marvel” on display at NYCC,

UNTIL NEXT OCTOBER…..thank you reedpop & your team!

These were just the top moments to stand out! There was many more events that got fans on their feet! Keep an eye out on FLZ socials for more stories from the largest comic con of 2026!

Hit us up in the comments below and/or on FLZ social media and let us know your favorite stories were from NYCC!

Until next time, Thanks for reading.