New York Comic Con at Javits Center Cancelled, Virtual Plans Announced

New York Comic Con is going the way of this year's San Diego Comic-Con. ReedPop has canceled the physical aspect of the annual gathering, which is held traditionally at New York City's Javits Center, and announced that it is partnering with YouTube for a digital event instead. From October 8th through October 11th, the New York Comic Con YouTube channel live stream exclusive panels. Starz is hosting a panel spotlighting American Gods, while CBS All Access is bringing the Star Trek Universe panel. DreamWorks Animation will host a panel on the best of television animation. Hulu and FX will also have panels. ReedPop says more announcements are on the way, and that the event will include premieres, announcements, fan contests, and more.

ReedPop says the event will include direct engagement using YouTube's Community and Live Chat features, facilitating Q&A's during panels. Fans can also join ReedPop's Discord community to continue discussions and join tabletop game nights.

In addition to the panels streaming live and on-demand via YouTube, ReedPop will also create virtual meet and greets, live Q&As, personalized autographs, videos, and professional workshops. ReedPop is also creating a virtual marketplace where exhibitors and creators can share items.

Ahead of New York Comic Con's Metaverse in October, ReedPop will be hosting Metaverse August from August 13-16 and will continue having similar events throughout the fall.

ReedPop canceled its March Emerald City Comic-Con event during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to ComicBook.com in April, Mike Armstrong, VP and Event & Sales Director for ReedPOP discussed dealing with the initial ramifications of the outbreak.

"Looking back, it all feels like a blur, but in the moment, it was definitely a bit of a whirlwind," he said. "The situation in Seattle was moving so rapidly, and we tried our best to make the best possible decisions each day based on the information that was currently in front of us. The team really pulled together at every step of the process to make sure our communications were on point and that we were doing the best that we could for all of our fans, exhibitors and partners. We really wanted to run the event because we know how important it is for all of the artists and small businesses that depend on shows like ECCC to make their living. We figured that if ECCC was postponed, it would be one of the first dominoes to fall, and we held out as long as we could."

In discussing New York Comic Con, he stated, "There's no metrics or parameters per se because every city and situation are different. The important thing is that we maintain constant communication with the buildings, our exhibitors and our fans. If we stay committed to that, I'm confident that we'll make the best decisions we can."