Since 2006, New York Comic Con has hosted a slew of programming for purveyors of all things fandom, including debuts and previews of several new releases in TV, animation and art. This year’s convention was no exception. Attendees cosplaying their favorite characters flocked to the Javits Center from Oct. 17-20 to indulge in panels, autograph signings, shopping, and experiences like a McDonald’s food truck that handed out free Chicken Macs, or photo ops featuring SpongeBob Squarepants. There was no shortage of exciting announcements or things to do at Comic Con. Here are some of this year’s standout releases.

Breaking the Chain

The weekend featured a rare appearance by Matt Groening, who most famously created fan-favorite cartoons The Simpsons and Futurama. He participated in panels for the shows alongside cast members including Hank Azaria, John DiMaggio, and Billy West — rewarding fans who asked questions with large hand-drawn sketches of the shows’ characters. 

On Friday, Groening participated in an informative and unique discussion with panel cartoonist and Mutts creator Patrick McDonell to promote McDonell’s latest book, Breaking the Chain: The Guard Dog Story, a compilation of panel cartoons featuring the Guard Dog, a character in his signature Mutt’s cartoons. The pair discussed the art form that launched their careers, offering fans insight into the difficulties of drawing Popeye, interactions with Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, and the idiosyncrasies of creating daily or weekly panel cartoons. 

Thanksgiving and Christmas Under the Sea

Other standout panels included a celebration of SpongeBob SquarePants’ 25^th anniversary. The cast, including SpongeBob’s voice actor Tom Kenny, gathered to reflect on their time with the show, and performed two table reads of classic episodes — the beloved “Band Geeks,” and the Halloween-themed “Scaredy Pants” — for an audience of nearly 4,000 people in between debuting clips for upcoming releases. 

Fans were offered a sneak preview of an episode of The Patrick Star Show, which was renewed for its fourth season over the weekend, titled “Thanks but No Thanksgiving,” and featuring the titular star visiting family outside of Bikini Bottom. While the clip was short, one could gather that the family has a witchy secret brewing beneath the surface of their family dynamic. Fans were also shown a clip of the upcoming stop motion feature, SpongeBob and Sandy’s Country Christmas, which is expected to premier in December, according to the panelists.

Horror at NYCC

Concurrent with the Halloween season, horror held a strong presence at this year’s Comic Con. Peacock debuted clips from their newest series Hysteria!, featuring horror legend Bruce Campbell of The Evil Dead. The series, set in the 1980’s, concerns the satanic panic culture of the time, and the relationship between heavy metal, the church, and a social climate of fear and skepticism in a small town. 

Prominent horror director Mike Flanagan signed autographs and participated in a panel discussion for Netflix’s Fall of the House of Usher alongside cast members including Carla Gugino. Flanagan’s film, Hush, was recently revived on the big screen in NYC.  

Additionally, Jon Hamm from Mad Men participated in a panel discussing Fox’s Grimsburg, which marries horror and animation, and previewed the first episode of its forthcoming second season. While there is no official release date, fans can expect new episodes by next year.

Comics

The weekend also marked the final appearance of David Harris, who starred in the comic-influenced film, The Warriors, chronicling the fictional namesake gang’s journey from Gramercy Park to their home turf on Coney Island after being falsely accused of murder. The film, a cult classic, presented comic book-style visuals on screen. Harris was in attendance all weekend signing autographs and taking pictures before passing away on Oct. 25 at the age of 75. 

The marriage between comics and film was showcased throughout the weekend, with veteran actor Jon Voight in attendance promoting the re-launch of Atlas Comics — the brand that preceded and eventually turned into Marvel. Atlas is reviving several underground characters from the 1970’s including Devilina, with a line of figures slated to be released by Walmart. 
New releases across art and media debuted at New York Comic Con, and more are sure to debut next year. They have already started announcing programming for next year, and you can stay up to date here.