New York Comic Con kicks off Thursday with its tenth year and it promises to be the biggest celebration yet.
The four-day event will take place primarily at the Jacob Javits Center, but organizers have looked to the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Hammerstein Ballroom, and other nearby locations to handle the expected 180,000 fans.
“Last year, when we reached capacity we thought creatively to reach more fans,” said Mike Armstrong, the event director at ReedPOP, which has been running the con since its inception in 2006.
The Javits Center’s main floor will be where most of the action is, as exhibitors big and small show off their latest wares and celebrities appear for panels and more.
This year’s new policy of fan verification for tickets will make the event as accessible as possible, according to Gregg Katzman, marketing and events manager for Midtown Comics.
Tickets, which cost $50 a day for adults and $5 a day for kids, were prone to huge markups on resale sites in the past, but the new system has resulted in a “significant drop” in the secondhand market, Armstrong said.
Big panels range from a Neil deGrasse Tyson Q&A to one for “The Walking Dead” and celeb appearances run the gamut from Carrie Fisher to Keanu Reeves and Peter Capaldi, the current “Doctor Who.”
Another new addition to the weekend is Book-Con, which will take place all four days at Hudson Mercantile, 500 W. 36th St. The literary celebration will feature authors such as Ann Martin, Larry Correa and Lara Ellena Donnelly.
“It feels like a coffee house more than a convention center,” Armstrong said.
And, as ever, the city itself adds its own brand of magic, Katzman said.
“You can check out the rooftops where Daredevil jumps or the places near Times Square where the heroes once fought,” he said.
When: Thursday, Oct. 6 through Sunday, Oct. 9
Where: Javits Center; 655 W. 34th St.
Schedule: See a full schedule of panels, talks and screenings at newyorkcomiccon.com.
