NY Comic Con Experience Brought Together Comic Fans, Creators, Celebrities: Lucas Museum Panel, Kayou Trading Cards,

NY Comic Con Experience Brought Together Comic Fans, Creators, Celebrities: Lucas Museum Panel, Kayou Trading Cards,

Note: See below for a slideshow and short videos provided by Kayou Trading Cards and Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, founded in part by George Lucas: 

New York Comic Con (NYCC) is the East Coast’s largest pop culture convention and the only one that takes place in the comic book, publishing, media, and licensing capital of the world — New York City.

NYCC is an event for fans where they can be unafraid to let their geek out. Whether they are looking to be inspired by award-winning comic artists and anime creators, get star struck over their favorite TV and film stars, or treat themselves to exclusive fandom great and unique artwork, NYCC offers the best in pop culture so that every fan can find something they are passionate about waiting for them. At NYCC, everyone is invited to embrace their inner hero or root for the villain while they create memories with the people they care the most about, all while celebrating a weekend they’ll never forget.

New York Comic Con Wraps 2025 Show with Over 250,000 in Attendance for Weekend of Celebrity Appearances, Comic Icons, Jaw-Dropping Cosplay, and More!

The Best of Pop Culture was on Display at the Javits Center from October 9 through 12,  with a Jam-Packed Lineup of Guests from Productions like HBO/HBO Max’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, FX’s The Beauty, Apple TV+ Slow Horses, Plus Top Comic Creators and Leading Exhibitors

New York –  And that’s a wrap! New York Comic Con (NYCC) concluded another successful event, as more than 250,000 attendees made their way through the Javits Center from October 9 through October 12 to experience the best of fandom and pop culture, from a star-studded celebrity lineup, to iconic comic creators, must-have merch, captivating cosplay, and so much more.  Attracting visitors nationwide, this year’s NYCC is projected to have delivered an estimated $35 million boost to New York City’s economy, according to figures from New York City Tourism + Conventions.

Among the standout moments at this year’s show was a roster of star-studded panels packed with exciting announcements, exclusive previews, and highly anticipated trailer debuts from popular and anticipated series including HBO / HBO Max’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Apple TV+ Slow Horses, Prime Video’s Cross, FX’s Alien: Earth, Paramount Pictures’ The Running Man,  Tubi’s Breaking Bear, HBO’s IT: WELCOME TO DERRY, FX’s The Beauty, Prime Video’s Hazbin Hotel, AMC/AMC+’s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Paramount+’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Netflix’s Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, appearances by major stars like James McAvoy, Elliot Page, Sigourney Weaver, Simu Liu, Laurence Fishburne, Bryce Dallas Howard, and iconic voice actors from beloved series like Avatar: The Last Airbender’s 20th Anniversary spotlight, Bob’s Burgers, and Critical Role. Comic fans also packed the rooms for programming like rapper and singer Post Malone’s panel on his hit comic Big Rig, MARVEL COMICS: Spider-Man and his Venomous Friends, MARVEL COMICS: Next Big Thing, AWA’s spotlight on UFC champion and WWE superstar Ronda Rousey tied to her debut graphic novel Expecting the Unexpected, and DC Comics: Gotham City. 

The show floor was the ultimate shopping experience for fans looking to get their hands on the hottest merch from over 650 top exhibitors like Funko, Bandai, Marvel, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, Capcom, and Webtoon, while over 500 Artist Alley participants filled the show floor, featuring fan favorites George R.R. Martin, J. Scott Campbell, Jeph Loeb, Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Kim-Joy, Daniel Warren Johnson, Joe Hill, Arthur Adams, Denys Cowen, Majorie Liu, Scott Snyder and many more.

The region’s most talented cosplayers brought their best work to the Cosplay Central Crown Championships qualifier on October 11, putting a spotlight on creativity, and craftsmanship.  After a fierce round of competition, Say No to Scrunchies was named first-place winner for their jaw-dropping portrayal of a wall clicker from The Last of Us, earning $1,000 and a trip to C2E2 2026 to compete in the USA National Finals of the Cosplay Central Crown Championship.  Annie Ex Machina took second place and also won fan favorite for their take on Mollymauk Tealeaf from Critical Role, while Akellyz captured third place as the Korok Sage from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.  Rounding out the competition, Warheart Cosplay earned top honors in the Armor category, as Clayton Carmine from Gears of War, Honeybird Cosplay won the Needlework category as Hook from Hook, and Rotten Artist took the FX category with their Oni Minotaur from Dead by Daylight.  The event was judged by an expert panel featuring Sayakat Cosplay, Silhouette, and May Jean Cosplay, who evaluated each entry for excellence in design, detail, and performance.

“Every year, we are reminded that New York Comic Con is more than a convention, it’s a community.  The energy and passion for pop culture that fans bring to this event is palpable and what makes it so special,” said Kristina Rogers, VP of ReedPop US Comics Portfolio, BookCon, and Star Wars Celebration. “NYCC continues to set the standard for live events and the participation from studios, creators, and, of course, the fans, shows how powerful the community is in shaping the pop culture landscape.”

Fans who were not able to make it in person were able to experience the biggest moments of New York Comic Con, via live stream for both the Main and Empire stages each day across all NYCC social channels and Popverse, ReedPop’s pop culture news site.

NYCC will return to the Javits Center next year on October 8 through 11, 2026, to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

You can check out highlights of New York Comic Con news at NewYorkComicCon.com and on Facebook, X, and Instagram, in addition to pop culture news site, Popverse.

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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Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Sneak Peek Panel:  Martin Scorsese, JR, Boris Vallejo, and Julie Bell Talked  About the Power of Visual Storytelling at New York Comic Con  

New York, NY, October 14—At New York Comic Con, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art gave fans an early look at the forthcoming museum and presented a conversation moderated by legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese with artists JR, Boris Vallejo, and Julie Bell. These storytellers came together to share their perspectives on the power of narrative art and the importance of celebrating popular art forms. The sneak peek of the museum included a 5-minute video that featured renderings, artworks in the collection, and a pre-recorded interview with the co-founders, George Lucas and Mellody Hobson. 

Opening in 2026, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will be the world’s first institution dedicated to the exploration of narrative art—or what the founders call “the people’s art”—celebrating visual storytelling across eras and cultures, from ancient cave drawings and children’s book illustrations to comic books and digital media.  

The panelists shared excitement about the forthcoming museum and what it will mean for different genres of art such as illustration and street art to be celebrated permanently within a museum for the first time.  

Martin Scorsese, the esteemed director, producer, editor, writer, actor, historian, movie buff, film preservationist and champion of artists’ rights, shared while moderating the panel: “Visual storytelling is very close to my heart. George has been speaking to me about his vision for the museum for many years, where there is no distinction between high art and low art, just images that spark emotion, where we’re told stories that hold us together – stories that connect us. It’s fundamental to who we are as human beings. For me, it was pictures that lead to books, to reading, and to art.” 

JR, the creator of monumental public art projects that inspire passersby to ask questions and confront their own perceptions, shared: “I feel the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is a place where we will be surprised. You’ll walk into the museum, and you’re walking into thousands of stories. That’s what I think is fascinating about narrative art – we are made of stories; we cannot live without stories. That’s such an incredible thing that we need in this society today. We need stories to help us share common emotions.” 

Boris Vallejo, a globally beloved fantasy artist famous for his illustrations of Tarzan, Conan the Barbarian, and Doc Savage, said when asked about why his work resonates with so many people said: “The only thing that I can say is that I just paint it with all of my soul.” 

Julie Bell, the first woman to ever paint Conan for Marvel and an artist and illustrator known for her hyper-realistic heroic fantasy and wildlife paintings, noted: “Stories are what create a culture, bringing us together. They teach you how to be human. The picture is the thing, and you can’t unsee it… I hope that people of all ages walk into the museum, especially little kids, and are enthralled by these gorgeous images, and then have all the feelings from the stories and the characters who they want to grow up to be.” 

Photos from today’s historic “Sneak Peek: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art” panel are available here. 

The Lucas Museum’s full press kit is available here. Panelist bios and headshots are available here. 

In advance of the museum’s launch, the public is encouraged to sign up to be the first to hear about exclusive opportunities with the Lucas Museum at lucasmuseum.org/join-us. 

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About the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Opening in 2026, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is a first-of-its-kind institution dedicated to illustrated storytelling across time, cultures, and media. Co-founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum’s collection features works by artists including Norman Rockwell, Kadir Nelson, Jessie Willcox Smith, N. C. Wyeth, Beatrix Potter, Judy Baca, Frida Kahlo, and Maxfield Parrish; as well as comic art legends such as Winsor McCay, Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta, Alison Bechdel, Chris Ware, and R. Crumb; and photographers Gordon Parks, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Dorothea Lange. The museum also houses the Lucas Archive, containing models, props, concept art, and costumes from Lucas’s filmmaking career. 

Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with a landscape by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA and Stantec as executive architect, the museum will be located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, on an 11- acre campus that includes new green space and a 300,000-square-foot building with galleries, two theaters, a library, restaurant, café, retail store, and community spaces. 

Stay Connected
In advance of the museum’s opening, the public is encouraged to sign up for exclusive news and access at lucasmuseum.org and follow the museum on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

Rendering of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Kayou Delivers Star Power, Superfan Excitement at NYCC

Kayou, China’s No.1 collectibles company and top trading card brand, made a splash at its first-ever New York Comic Con appearance, delivering nonstop superfan excitement all four days!

Voice legends Maile Flanagan (Naruto Uzumaki) and Tara Strong (MY LITTLE PONY’s Twilight Sparkle) created unforgettable fan moments, signing Kayou cards featuring their iconic characters, posing with fans and cosplayers.

Plus, NYCC attendees got an exclusive first look at Kayou products coming to the U.S., from our MY LITTLE PONY, NARUTO, and tokidoki collectible trading cards; to the MY LITTLE PONY card game that will launch at retail in early 2026. All the deets in the release below.

Kayou Shows Up for the Superfans at New York Comic Con with Unforgettable Fan Moments

From star appearances to exclusive card-drops and surprise reveals to interactive experiences, Kayou’s U.S. convention debut at NYCC delivered four days of nonstop superfan excitement

NEW YORK, October 14, 2025 — Kayou’s highly anticipated U.S. debut at New York Comic Con was a showstopper and the ultimate superfan celebration. China’s No.1 collectibles company and top trading card brand, Kayou, delivered fan-first experiences for NYCC attendees celebrating anime, pop culture, and trading card enthusiasts with four days of nonstop activities.

From sold-out signings to cosplay meetups, surprise giveaways, and rare card displays, Kayou’s booth was a can’t-miss destination on the show floor. Countless fans lined up daily beneath the yellow Kayou flag to get their hands on exclusive NYCC trading cards, admire Kayou’s craftsmanship, and meet the iconic voices and artists behind their favorite fandoms.

Superfans showed they’re “here for Kayou,” too, joining in the festivities:

• Exclusive Kayou Card Signings: Voice legends Maile Flanagan (Naruto Uzumaki) and Tara Strong (MY LITTLE PONY’s Twilight Sparkle) created unforgettable fan moments, signing Kayou cards featuring their iconic characters, posing with fans and cosplayers

• tokidoki’s 20th Anniversary: Fans celebrated 20 years of tokidoki cuteness and chaos enjoying Kayou-card-inspired cake and collectible cookies with legendary tokidoki creator Simone Legno, who also signed commemorative brand posters

• Live MY LITTLE PONY Artwork: MY LITTLE PONY lead comic illustrator Andy Price created exclusive artwork onsite, amazing fans with a giant, 4-by-6-foot hand-painted Twilight Sparkle Kayou card created in just eight hours, and one-of-a-kind Pony sketches

• NARUTO Cosplay in Action: Fans struck a jutsu pose and celebrated Naruto’s birthday with Kayou’s Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura cosplayers. Plus, NYCC NARUTO cosplayers got to meet fellow cosers, creating epic group photos taking over social media

• MY LITTLE PONY Ponified Looks: Show attendees transformed into their favorite Mane 6 characters with magical face paint and cutie marks, posting selfies on social media and walking the show as Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and more

• Giant Card Climb Challenge: In the Javits Center North Concourse, fans snapped fun pics at the top of the Kayou Giant Card staircase for a chance to win Kayou merch

NYCC attendees also got an exclusive first look at Kayou products coming to the U.S.:

• MY LITTLE PONY, NARUTO, and tokidoki collectible trading cards available at major retailers later this month, including Target, GameStop and Barnes & Noble

• MY LITTLE PONY Card Game, a trading card game that combines the beloved storytelling of the MY LITTLE PONY Friendship is Magic animated series with innovative gameplay, launching at retail in early 2026

From October 22 to 27, Kayou will join TikTok Brand Select Day with a series of exciting livestream sessions featuring MY LITTLE PONY, NARUTO, and tokidoki collectible cards. Fans can join the fun on social media and during the live sessions for a chance to win signed cards from our New York Comic Con talent. It’s a week-long celebration of fandom and collectibles — bringing the energy of NYCC straight to TikTok!

About Kayou
Kayou is China’s No.1 trading card company and China’s leading pan-entertainment product company, selected as part of the Global Unicorn Index 2025 published by Hurun Wealth, and trusted by a portfolio of nearly 100 licensed IPs across anime, entertainment, and pop culture. Kayou unites scale, speed, and creative innovation to deliver next-level collectible experiences fans have never seen. As the company brings trading cards and collectibles together under one roof, Kayou introduces a whole new dimension of excitement, creating deeper connections for fandoms worldwide. For more information, visit kayouofficial.com and follow @kayouus on Instagram and @kayou_us on TikTok.

Banner Image: NYCC Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Image Credit – Sean Fitzpatrick