Don't miss New York Comic Con 2024, happening October 17 through 20. Popverse is here all four days, immersing ourselves in the pop culture party full of vendors, events, and celebrities from the worlds of comics, movies, TV, gaming, and more. 

Artist Alley at New York Comic Con is consistently stellar. For many fans, Artist Alley is the place where they can connect with creators from around the world. What’s not to love about finally getting the chance to talk to the people who made your favorite comics?

It is precisely because of the distinguished talent gathered in Artist Alley at New York Comic Con that the experience of browsing the area can feel like an Olympic event in itself. So what was the vibe like this year? I took a few trips around the entire space to give you the scoop on how things are hangin’ this year. 

First, everyone seemed to be great spirits overall because the room was not as hot as it has been in the past. Last year, you could be sitting or standing motionless and still end up sweating, which sounds a lot like Hell. This year, however, the room was a very reasonable temperature, I walked around in a suit and never once felt the urge to take my linen jacket off. 

Despite it being Saturday at New York Comic Con, there was way more room in Artist Alley than I was expecting. At one area in the upper echelons of the space, which tends to be the most crowded, there was enough space on the floor of that exactly one person could breakdance without bumping into anyone. It was a miracle. 

But don’t let this make you think that there was a sparse amount of people in the space. There was not. However, fans were actually staying mobile and there was a fair amount of turnover within lines to meet creators like Jae Lee, Timothy Zahn, Jeff Lemire, David Mack, Nick Dragotta, and Jeph Loeb. However, for creators like Tom King, Sara Pichelli, Greg Capullo, Ryan Ottley, David Finch, and Jorge Jiménez, fans had to hunker down and find their bit of zen in long lines that remained unmoving for a while. 

If you’ve ever walked through an Artist Alley at another major comic book convention, you might notice a certain type of comic book collector who wheels in short boxes of comics to be signed by one creator. I saw very little of that this year, except for in front of Adi Granov. The people do love their Iron Man, and are willing to brave the crowds of New York Comic Con to get their books signed. At the same time, there was a long line for the CGC booth, which was to be expected. 

So what are some standouts from this year’s Artist Alley scene? Chip Zdarsky made a group of small children laugh and cheer, which is exactly how I react to him as well. Similarly, Chris Claremont radiated benevolence and joy. There was a long line for famed comics letterer Tom Orzechowski, and I’ve never seen so much bloody Invincible cosplay in one place at one time. Newer companies like Tiny Onion and DSTLRY had plenty of activity in front of them at all times. It was great to see fans embrace companies outside of the Big Two with open arms. Fans were in good spirits, and there was little to no pushing or shoving I observed, which is always a welcome sight. Let’s keep this energy up, folks. 

As far as merch that folks were buying, I noticed that acrylic keychains and stickers of video game and anime characters were a draw for many attendees. There were sizable lines for artists like Crystal Fae with large prints of characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 — which is a whole mood. We all need a bit of Halsin in our lives. 

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