Just Some New York Comic Con Coverage

The 2025 edition of New York Comic Con at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center brought back a lot of things, but what Comic Con and New York did most is bring people together.

Article by: Dave at Toy Store Guide
@toydelorean on Instagram

Apparently I have been attending New York Comic Con for 10 years. I only know this because they sent me a nice letter for our tenth anniversary. It is also interesting to note that this Comic Con, the version organized by ReedPop, has only been going on since 2006. In my 10 years it has evolved a bunch but at the same time it has stayed the same, at times the convention can almost seem stale when you go every year.

The Exhibitors…

Hasbro had a large presence with convention exclusives that were missing in previous years. DC also returned after a few year absence. Something noticeable about New York Comic Con is that most of the big exhibitor booths are reused and smaller versions from San Diego Comic Con.

At Toy Store Guide we get more excited for the smaller exhibitors, specifically when toy stores from around the country vendor at the Javits Center.

Returning to NYCC were Lost 4 Toys, Royal Collectibles, Bitz & Buttons, Collector Cave, and KnoWhere Toys.

Over the years the amount of vintage toys found at the comic con have diminished. Maybe because comics are taking back control of the con (which is good because it is supposed to be a comic convention), and maybe because of the amount of specific conventions that have popped up around the country. It is probably a better idea for a vintage toy vendor to set up at a toy convention or retro convention than at New York Comic Con, considering they are generally cheaper and they wouldn’t have to compete with corporate vendors. Although you can’t argue with setting up at a convention with an attendance of 250,000 (as per ReedPop’s parent company RX).

This year I was able to pick up some 90’s ToyBiz figures from The Cave, but possibly the coolest thing from any independent toy store was KnoWhere toys teaming up with Ramen Toy to bring convention exclusive M.A.S.K. figures to the show. Including Glow In the Dark versions. It is just plain cool to see a local independent toy shop’s logo on a figure’s cardback.

The Panels…

While not as big as San Diego, New York still has panels for days. Hasbro started the show off with a Thursday morning Panel, McFarlane also presented their planned slate which still includes DC characters. The crew from Bob’s Burgers held a panel full of questions. The bad news is that the show will not have one of their beloved Thanksgiving episodes this season, there will be a new Christmas special though.

As we have covered before, The Nacelle Company is our must see panel at any convention we attend. At their NYCC panel “How A TV Show Launched A Toy Company” CEO and Founder Brian Volk-Weiss and company discussed the history of how the hit Netflix show “The Toys That Made Us” propelled them into other collector based endeavors.

For anyone not in the know, they now produce a plethora of other collector based shows as well as a toy company, comics, and animation division that work together like saturday morning cartoons of the 80’s and 90’s. That universe of toys and storytelling is known as the NacelleVerse. See our coverage of The NacelleVerse HERE.

Nacelle’s foray into toys is not limited to IP’s they own. They are currently producing a toy line for the Science Fiction television series “The Expanse” and in an even more impressive feat Volk-Weiss and company gained rights to produce Star Trek figures. At the comic con panel Volk-Weiss explained how they came to acquire the license. Long story short, knowing that no other toy company was currently producing Star Trek they reached out and asked. Makes sense that a company named after something from the Star Trek universe be the one producing Star Trek toys.

After Thursday’s panel I chatted with Brian Volk-Weiss about the next two seasons of “The Toys That Made Us”. When asked about what new piece of info he was wow’d by while making the new episodes, Volk-Weiss explained that while interviewing for the fast food toys episode he learned how some Subway locations had kids meals with toys before the rest of the franchises were on board with the idea. Brian Volk-Weiss explained how with all the tidbits they discover while working on the shows there is never enough time to explore them all, including about the Subways that had weird toys before the rest.
Good news, watch below to hear Brian explain how he came across this Fast Food Toy History that won’t make it into the final version of the episode.

On Friday at New York Comic Con Nacelle held a Star Trek figure panel and announced updates including what will be coming in wave 3 and dropped a surprise pre-sale for wave two, which you can order at NacelleStore.com.

The thing we missed…

The full size Batman statue from Batman: the Animated Series at the Mezco Toyz booth. This is one of those things I found out about the day after the convention ended. Hard to believe, dang shame.

Biggest disappointment…

The biggest disappointment was actually a missed appointment. RoboCop himself was scheduled to appear with his partner Anne Lewis. Dr. Peter Weller and Nancy Allen were planning on attending the show to sign autographs and host a panel. Weeks before the con they announced that they would be postponing their appearance until next year. Something for us to look forward to for 2026.

The People…

The real reason for a lot of people to attend New York Comic Con is to meet up with friends. It is the main reason I attend Comic Con every year. It is a great excuse to spend time with the people who share the same interests. Whether they are friends you see all the time, friends you don’t see enough, or even friends you might only know from the internet. The artists and writers you can chat with at their booths, celebrity panels, and neverending amount of cosplayers add to the idea that it is the people that push New York Comic Con forward every year.