WHO WERE THE BIG COMIC WINNERS AT NYCC 2025?

New York Comic Con has wrapped up its 2025 campaign. Fans from all over the world made the Javits Center their home for the past 4 days. While in attendance, they were exposed to many forms of fandom.

In the comic genre, publishers brought their A games. There were many unforgettable moments made with huge announcements. In the end, here are the top 5 comic brands that won NYCC 2025!

5. VEEFRIENDS HAS ARRIVED!

The universe built by Gary Vaynerchuk returned to NYCC with a clear mission at hand. Their unique “collectability” focus was a huge crowd pleaser. Gary led the charge with a signing Thursday at the Wal-Mart booth. Those in line got the first chance to get an exclusive VeeFriends Comic and sticker pack.

The rare collectible VeeFriends comic created a huge buzz. It helped kicked off the debut of VeeFriends issues 5-7. It never hurts having variant covers from Jae Lee, Jim Mahfood, & David Mack to help get fans attention.

The VeeFriends booth was a must attend fixture of NYCC. There was never a quiet moment as fans become immersed in the “new Pokémon, New Marvel”-esque universe built by Vaynerchuk. Except this brand to only get bigger and better in the upcoming weeks. If you missed out on what this universe is bringing, make sure to hit up their website & WhatNot streams. It is the best way to learn and grow in this fast-rising community.

4. BOOM! Brought the BOOM to NYCC

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Boom! Studios returned to NYCC in a monster way. Literally. At their Saturday panel, there was plenty of news coming out concerning Something Is Killing The Children.

DAY 1 RECAP!

The smash series announced a return to present timeline in issue 50. Erica Slaughters adventures have taken a detour since the events of the House of Cutter fallout. As big as that news was, it stood behind a crossover no one saw coming.

“Swamp Thing Is Killing The Children” is a joint venture between Boom! And DC Comics. The story will be under BOOM! bring Erica Slaughter to the swamps of Louisiana. It is an event that fans will be amped up about when it debuts in 2026. A strong way to leave NYCC on with this monumental reveal.

3. THE SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR SKYBOUND

Skybound Entertainment crossed into many fandoms for their NYCC trek. Thursday, they had an off site event for their “Invincible Vs.” video game. This game gave off “Marvel vs Capcom” vibes while being its own standalone entity. Video Game fans will be over the moon with this fighting smash-up.

It complimented an Empire Stage panel centered on the Prime Video animated series. Lee Pace Was announced as the voice of Thragg. If you know the comic story, this is a huge deal as more hype was added for the series return.

DAY 2 RECAP!

Not to be outdone, the Energon Universe held its annual panel on Saturday. The crowd was very energetic as reveals were popping off involving the shared universe. Matt Trakker follows Miles Mayhem from the M.A.S.K. Franchise into the EU.

Fan-favorites like Road Pig & Road Block were announced to join the G.I. Joe side of things in upcoming weeks. Factor in a new Optimus Prime EU toy from Hasbro & Fans have much to be excited about from Skybound.

2. MARVEL BRINGS OUT THE HEAVY HITTERS FOR NYCC!

Being the epicenter of their comic universe, Marvel protects NYCC like its’ their home turf. As far as the MCU goes, they have an excellent panel teasing shows like “Daredevil: Born Again” and “Wonder Man”. When it comes to comics, Marvel also came with a ton of heat to get fans fired up!

“Spider-Man and his Venomous Friends” started the party Thursday. Attendees witnessed teaser art for the upcoming “Death Spiral”. This Spider-event centers around Spidey, Venom and Eddie Brock: Carnage. The news didn’t stop there. “Queen In Black” will be their next event for Summer 2026. Following the fallout from Venom #250, expect this one to make some waves heading into the new year.

DAY 3 RECAP!

Marvel’s favorite mutants also generated headlines with their “X-Men” panel. With the aftermath of “Age Of Revelation” transforming into “Shadows of Tomorrow”, there’s much to process. The panel unloaded an entire new line of books following this event story. “Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant”, “Inglorious X-Force” and “Rogue” were just a few of the multiple titles mentioned. More will come after the crossovers’ conclusion.

Arguably their biggest panel gave the biggest bombshell of news for the weekend. Marvel’s “Next Big Thing” panel clued fans in on the futures of “Infernal Hulk” and the Ultimate Universe. Time is ticking away for the latest incarnation of the UU with April 2026 being the end date. Even with this news along with fallout from “One World Under Doom”, another news story broke that shook the internet.

JOSHUA WILLIAMSON is returning to Marvel to write IRON MAN. Carmen Carnero is on art. Need we say more?

As big as this news was, their best panel slid under the radar. Friday night, Marvel & Mass Appeal held a joint panel for “Nas & his legendary friends.” This co-incited with “Legend Has It“, a new kickstarter campaign blending comics & Hip-Hop. With NAS, Slick Rick, De La Soul, Ghostface, Raekwon and DJ Premier in the building, this was a magical moment.

For any true hip-hop fans, this was an extra special moment. New York City was the perfect place to have this discussion. The crowd brought the energy like few could dream of. It truly felt like a history making moment as it deserves to be remembered as.

Even with that heat, one other publisher came flying in to take this year’s crown…and 1:

DC COMICS SET NYCC’S PACE WITH A PROMISE TO THE FANS

This was a tough call between the “Big 2”. Both had amazing panels. What gave DC the edge in this debate was a speech given at Retailer Day on Wednesday. DC publisher, president and chief creative officer Jim Lee spoke to the crowd with a commitment to fans. Lee vowed while he is in charge, there will be NO A.I supported in art and storytelling. This drew massive cheering and became a larger moment than anyone realized.

Lee’s declaration sparked discussion in Marvel & Image Comics panels. Marvel EIC C.B. Cebulski echoed Lee’s stance. Cebulski stated that A.I. art & storytelling wasn’t welcomed at Marvel and how they have gone to great lengths to avoid it.

The same feelings were re-iterated in the Image Comics “Future of Comics” panel. Hearing how A.I. wasn’t welcomed became a catalyst to celebrate the true art and stories coming. In that category, DC didn’t let anyone down.

The rebirth of DC Vertigo featured such creators as Deniz Camp, Chris Condon, Kyle Starks and James Tynion IV. February 2026 sees four new titles leading the pack of new Vertigo releases. Having the options for Mature Readers sparked many positive reactions.

It was capped off with a Black Label announcement no one saw coming. Seeing Swamp Thing ’89 pop up on the screens left the audience in shock. This commitment to stories never stopped here.

“Gotham City” featured some of the new titles based around the Bat-Verse. Leading the pack was “Absolute Batman”. Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta addressed the audience about the excitement of this vision. Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and The Joker were all mentioned in talk, but another stole the show.

“Absolute Catwoman” by Snyder, Che Grayson, and Bengal was unveiled. Seeing how impactful this new universe has been, it only built up to a fever pitch with their main attraction.

“DC K.O.” knocked fans out of their seats. Snyder and company revealed more about the fight to be Absolute Champion. The “All Fight Month” broke down more of the mysterious tourney. Thinking of all the combinations for the 2nd rounds had fans hooked. That wasn’t even the knockout punch!

“DC Next Level” threw the spotlight on upcoming titles. “Deathstroke The terminator”, “Barbara Gordon: Breakout” and “The Demon” sparked a reaction from the crowd. Two books were the ones fans had the most reaction to due to creative teams announced. “Lobo” returns via Skottie Young & Jorge Corona.

As cool as this is, it took a back seat to “Batwoman” by Greg Rucka and Dani. The return of fan-favorite characters and titles lit up fan’s attention with a commitment to great storytelling. With what “All In” established, stakes are high with “Next Level.” Seeing the characters and creators involved, there’s much to be optimistic about.

Oh yeah, Joshua Williamson is taking on the Legion Of Super Heroes. Next level indeed. A perfect way to cap off their monster news stemming back to the declaration of committing to storytelling.

Overall, NYCC 2025 gave comic fans much to be bursting with anticipation from. Having publishers and creators calm fears with their public stances on A.I. art/storytelling was a bold but needed move. This led to enjoy the medium we know and love feel more special.

Thank you to Reed Pop & all the creators and PR teams for allowing NI to be press for events.

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