New York Comic Con is back October 9–12, 2025 at the Javits Center, and this year’s guest lineup and show floor reveals are already blowing minds. From cast reunions to creator signings, cosplay, and exclusives, here’s our countdown of the biggest reasons NYCC 2025 is the pop culture event of the year:
10. A Head Start on Wednesday
For pros, the party starts early! Wednesday, October 8, marks Comic Book Retailer’s Day with Jim Lee and Todd McFarlane headlining over four hours of insider comic publisher presentations. Think storytelling, mentorship, and real industry talk before the main show even begins.
9. A Mixer Worth Mixing It Up For
Thursday night is The Comic Industry Mixer, presented by Comic Sketch Art, with IDW Publishing at the bar and Yen Press handling event bags. Expect food, drinks, and conversations with heavy hitters like Tom King and Courtney Menard.
8. Friday’s PopCultr Marketing Summit
NYCC teams up with Experience12 to explore how live engagement, tabletop games, and anime shape today’s marketing landscape. It’s professional development with a pop culture twist.
7. Batman, But Animated
Friday also brings The Art Knight: Batman in Animation, where Warner Bros. Animation creatives like James Tucker and Juan Meza-Leon dive into the Dark Knight’s animated legacy—from Batman: The Animated Series to Batman: Caped Crusader.
6. Kickstarter, Writing Workshops, and More
Saturday is stacked with pro panels:
- Kickstarter 101 for authors looking to crowdfund.
- Writing Workshop with Jim Butcher, Rachel Harrison, and more.
- Comedy Fandom and Influencer Music Discovery panels digging into new audience-building strategies.
- A Masterclass in Interviewing with Happy Sad Confused host Josh Horowitz.
5. Sunday Spotlight: Publishing & VTubers
The final day brings industry insights for aspiring writers, including:
- What Comes Next? with agent Alia Hanna Habib.
- Everything You Need to Know About Indie Publishing.
- Beyond the Mask, a panel on VTubers and content creation in the digital age.
4. The Harvey Awards Return
Friday night, the Harvey Awards spotlight the year’s best comics, manga, and graphic novels. It’s invite-only, but its impact reverberates across the industry
3. Guests, Guests, Guests
The star power is unreal this year:
- Marvel’s X-Men cast (James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Elliot Page)
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. reunion (Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet)
- Daredevil: Born Again’s Charlie Cox and Deborah Ann Woll
- Plus Simu Liu, Tatiana Maslany, Bryce Dallas Howard, Simon Pegg, Martin Sheen, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and SO many more.
2. Authors & Comic Legends
George R.R. Martin, R.L. Stine, Joe Hill, Tomi Adeyemi, Jim Butcher, Veronica Roth, Wendy & Richard Pini, Jim Lee, Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo…the list is packed with storytelling royalty from every corner of pop culture.
1. The Show Floor
It wouldn’t be NYCC without the booths! First wave includes Marvel, Funko, Loungefly, Crunchyroll, Bandai Namco, Nickelodeon, VIZ Media, Scholastic, and Paramount+—all ready with exclusives, signings, and giveaways.
Bonus: Pro Perks
Industry professionals can recharge in the Press & Pro Lounge or book private media suites and office space right inside the Javits. Don’t forget: Pro Registration closes September 5.
With panels, pros, publishers, and pop culture icons, NYCC 2025 is shaping up to be unmissable. Get your badges, pack your cosplay, and we’ll see you in New York this October!
ABOUT REEDPOP
ReedPop is a boutique group within RX – one of the world’s leading event organizers. Launched in 2006, the group has become the number one producer of pop culture events globally and a full-service digital content provider and media company. Delivering once-in-a-lifetime fan experiences curated specifically for localized audiences, ReedPop currently features events in North America and Europe, including New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), PAX West, East, and Unplugged, Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC), Star Wars Celebration, MCM Comic Con, Eurogamer Expo (EGX), MagicCon, Florida Supercon, BookCon and more. In addition to organizing and managing events, ReedPop owns and operates the pop culture news site, Popverse, which is the exclusive home for livestreams from all of ReedPop’s major comic cons. The staff at ReedPop are a fan-based group of professionals uniquely qualified to build and serve the communities with whom they share a common passion. (www.reedpop.com).
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Second Union is a pop culture/entertainment news portal created in 2016. Our aim has always been to bring our audience the latest information and updates regarding their favorite pop culture-related subjects. Via our website and social media platforms we explore the worlds of movies, television, comic books/graphic novels, music, video games, toys/collectibles and conventions. Our mission is to offer original content and unique points of view you won’t find anywhere else on the web. Our long-time goal is to ultimately become your favorite pop culture/entertainment news destination on the internet!
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