Tag Archives: Javits Center

Convention Report, Podcast

Comic Timing Episode 277 – Toy Fair 2026 In Review

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We’re back for what has now become our annual Toy Fair episode! Ian and Kris are here to give their takes on this year’s trade show. How did 2026 compare, as the toy industry faces some real life hurdles such as tariffs and inflation? Highlights include their experiences at booths manned by Mattel, Hasbro, Spin Master, Lego, Bandai Namco, and Funko, thoughts on the upcoming Masters of the Universe movie and the related toy line, WWE x Street Fighter, swapping Barbie heads, Cars as a franchise turning 20 years old making us all feel old, Optimus Prime is our Truck-Dad, Pokémon pinball, the return of Crossfire to have its theme song get stuck in all of our heads again, KPop Demon Hunters toys EVERYWHERE, some New York City geography and survival guide tips, and so much more.

Show notes:

Mattel: 0:16:04

Hasbro: 1:21:04

Spin Master: 1:53:58

LEGO and Bandai Namco: 2:10:05

Kris’ Day 2, including Funko: 2:47:50

You can support future releases of Comic Timing and get in on the occasional early releases of the show at http://www.patreon.com/ComicTiming. Video versions of most episodes are at http://youtube.com/@comictimingpodcast, along with Raph’s new shorts series, Raph’s Comic Catch-Up, so go ahead and subscribe if you haven’t already done so.

You can also follow Comic Timing on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/comictiming.bsky.social, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ComicTiming/, and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/comictimingpodcast. And please, if you can, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts; it helps attract new listeners! Finally, you can join in on the conversation at our Comic Timing Fans group on Facebook, which is a great place to hang out and talk comics.

Follow Ian on Bluesky, and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/i_am_scifi. Kris is lampbane on Bluesky, and you can check out her various other works at http://linktr.ee/krisnaudus.

Thanks for listening, we’ll catch you next time, and as always, there’s always time for comics!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:21:25 — 185.2MB)

Convention Report, Podcast

Comic Timing Episode 263 – New York Comic Con 2025 Convention Report

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New York Comic Con 2025 has come and gone, and now it’s time to break it down and discuss it. Ian is joined by Kris and Raph for the bulk of this one, and then Chad Burdette pops in for his thoughts about an hour or so in! We go through what changed since last year including major revisions to the show floor layout, some news from the con including DC’s return to New York Comic Con with a full booth after thirteen years away, Jim Lee and DC’s stance on AI and the upcoming entrance into the public domain of Golden Age Superman, the new X-Men slate post-Age of Revelation (poor soft boy Doug Ramsey) and Joshua Williamson’s Iron Man over at Marvel, The Harvey Awards winners, Rick Veitch’s shelved Swamp Thing run from 1989 will finally see publication, the full return of Vertigo, and more. Plus, Kris and Ian got to see the full-length All You need is Kill Anime movie months before it hits screens in the US, some Star Trek news out of the panel, some talkof parties attended, books and other swag obtained at the con, people seen and hung out with (hi Jamal go see him at Baltimore Comic Con and check out the panels he’ll be on), Mothra, Raph treating people like human beings, and more more where that came from!

Be sure to check out Chad’s work over at the Comic-Watch site, and on their YouTube channel!

And here’s the video version of this episode:

You can support future releases of Comic Timing and get in on the occasional early releases of the show at http://www.patreon.com/ComicTiming. Video versions of most episodes are at http://youtube.com/@comictimingpodcast, along with Raph’s new shorts series, Raph’s Comic Catch-Up, so go ahead and subscribe if you haven’t already done so.

You can also follow Comic Timing on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/comictiming.bsky.social, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ComicTiming/, and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/comictimingpodcast. And please, if you can, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts; it helps attract new listeners! Finally, you can join in on the conversation at our Comic Timing Fans group on Facebook, which is a great place to hang out and talk comics.

Follow Ian on Bluesky, and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/i_am_scifi. Brent posts regularly to YouTube on his channel, BK’s Bullets and can be found on Bluesky. Kris is lampbane on Bluesky, and you can check out her various other works at http://linktr.ee/krisnaudus. Raph is on Twitch at RaphDoesStuff, Instagram, and Bluesky.

Thanks for listening, we’ll catch you next time, and as always, there’s always time for comics!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:51:18 — 109.1MB)

Extra Point, Podcast

Comic Timing Extra Point – Episode 20: Nineteen Years of New York Comic Con

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Hey gang, here’s a quick Extra Point with Ian solo, as he reflects on how times flies. This was recorded right before Day One of the NINETEENTH New York Comic Con. There’s discussion on how the show has changed, how Ian’s tackling of conventions has evolved, and some other thoughts along the way. Wanted to make sure we had a release this week for ya, so enjoy the reflection!

You can support future releases of Comic Timing and get in on the occasional early releases of the show at http://www.patreon.com/ComicTiming. Video versions of most episodes are at http://youtube.com/@comictimingpodcast, along with Raph’s new shorts series, Raph’s Comic Catch-Up, so go ahead and subscribe if you haven’t already done so.

You can also follow Comic Timing on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/comictiming.bsky.social, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ComicTiming/, and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/comictimingpodcast. And please, if you can, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts; it helps attract new listeners! Finally, you can join in on the conversation at our Comic Timing Fans group on Facebook, which is a great place to hang out and talk comics.

Follow Ian on Bluesky, and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/i_am_scifi and check out Brent’s YouTube channel, BK’s Bullets.

Thanks for listening, we’ll catch you next time, and as always, there’s always time for comics!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:52 — 13.5MB)

Podcast

Comic Timing Episode 226 – Anime NYC 2024 Convention Report

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It’s been a summer full of conventions and convention-adjacent things in New York. Kris and Ian dive into Kris’ journeys to Stationery Fest and Flame Con 2024, followed by their joint venture to Anime NYC. The duo discuss how Anime NYC’s move to August affected the con, all the panels they attended, the merger of Play NYC and Anime NYC, how the loudness that is hololive can impact the exhibitor hall, the inclusion of Critical Role as guests, and more. More includes plenty of subway and public transit talk, where the best bathrooms are at Javits Center when Javits North isn’t in the floor plan, and why microphones are a necessity at panels. And lots more more!

You can watch the YouTube video version of this episode here:

Ward Kimball with Osama Tezuka and Fredrik Schodt

As referenced in the episode, here’s the photo of Osamu Tezuka, Fredrik Schodt and Ward Kimball that was then drawn into the Osamu Tezuka Story. And here’s a link to Zack Davisson’s book, The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai: Ghosts, Demons, Monsters and Other Mythical Creatures from Japan. And finally, Dracula eating a hamburger.

You can support future releases of Comic Timing and get in on the occasional early releases of the show at http://www.patreon.com/ComicTiming. You can also follow Comic Timing on Twitter at https://twitter.com/comictimingpod, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ComicTiming/, on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/comictiming.bsky.social, and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/comictimingpodcast. And please, if you can, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts; it helps attract new listeners!

Follow Ian on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/i_am_scifi, on Bluesky, and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/i_am_scifi. Kris is on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/lampbane and http://www.twitter.com/KrisNaudus for the professional Tweets, lampbane on Bluesky, and you can check out her various other works at http://linktr.ee/krisnaudus. And you can read her articles at Make Use Of.

Thanks for listening, and we’ll catch you next time!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:11:56 — 82.2MB)

Convention Report, Extra Point, Podcast

Comic Timing Extra Point Episode 17: Convention Catch-Up – New York Comic Con 2023 and AnimeNYC 2022

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And there came a time when Ian finally found the opportunity to release recordings made at recent conventions. That time is indeed today! Depending on your definition of recent, that is. First, we flash back to last year’s Anime NYC, just in time for this year’s Anime NYC, as Ian interviews manga translator for books such as Cat + Gamer and Marvel’s Demon Wars, writer and beer buddy, Zack Davisson, as well as artist Robert Wilson IV from Oni Press’ Heartthrob, Vault’s Barbaric: The Harvest Blades, Bitch Planet issue 3, and a bunch of posters for bands such as Metallica and Weird Al! We then flash forward to New York Comic Con 2023, as Ian runs through his experiences at the convention, followed by convo on the floor with Donovan Morgan Grant and artist and creator extraordinaire, Mr. Jamal Igle. This includes discussion of The Harvey Awards, the existence of Death Note: The Musical, attending the Steve Ditko panel on a whim, and so much more.

Follow Ian on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/i_am_scifi, and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/i_am_scifi; You can find more of Zack Davisson’s work at https://zackdavisson.com/ and you can follow him on Bluesky. Robert Wilson IV can be found on Instagram and at https://www.robertwilsoniv.com/. Donovan is at https://twitter.com/donoDMG1 and check out his podcast “Questions: We Don’t Have Answers”. Finally, Jamal Igle can be found at https://twitter.com/JAMALIGLE, on Bluesky and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jamal_igle_artist/

Thank you to all who support and listen to the show in any way, and we’ll talk to you next time!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (49.7MB)

Convention Report, Podcast

Comic Timing Episode 210 – The New York Comic Con 2022 Wrap-Up

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New York Comic Con 2022 was held from October 6-9, 2022. Now that the con has been put to bed, this Comic Timing/CGS crossover episode goes into the minutia of what went down, from the mindset of longtime convention attendees, artist alley participants, and one first-timer. The crew consists of Ian Levenstein (haven’t missed a NYCC yet!), Kris Naudus, Jamal Igle, Julian Lytle, and Donovan Morgan Grant. They discuss both positives and negatives, ranging from layout to inconsistent rules management, panel slate, the exhibition floor, crown management, and a whole lot more. Plus some comic book recommendations at the end to round us out. 

You can support future releases of Comic Timing and support the production of various podcasts at http://www.patreon.com/ComicTiming.

Follow Ian on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/i_am_scifi, and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/i_am_scifi; Kris is on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/lampbane and http://www.twitter.com/KrisNaudus for the professional Tweets. You can find Jamal Igle on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jamaligle and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jamal_igle_artist/. And be sure to check out Dudley Datson and the Forever Machine on Comixology! Julian is on Twitter at @julianlytle and you can read his movie reviews at https://idobi.com/author/julianlytle/. And you can find Donovan at https://twitter.com/donoDMG1, on his podcast Questions: We Don’t Have Answers, and at DC Comics’ website!

Finally, be sure to check out Comic Timing’s new YouTube channel for additional content and releases.

Thank you so much for continuing to follow the show, and we’ll catch you next time!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:06:19 — 60.2MB)