Contributed by collector and Overstreet Advisor Art Cloos
Photos by Alice Cloos

The 2018 edition of Mike Carbonaro’s Big Apple Comic Con took place on Saturday and Sunday April 14-15. Once again it was held at the Penn Plaza Pavilion, both adjacent and connected to the Pennsylvania Hotel which is located at 401 7th Avenue in New York City. The show ran on Saturday at 10 AM to 7 PM and on Sunday at 10 AM to 6 PM with early admission at 9 AM on both days. The Pennsylvania Hotel offered its hotel rooms at a special discount rate for the show.

This year Big Apple offered an extensive variety of ticket options for people attending the con. Early admission tickets included a special gift and were $75 for either day. General Admission for either Saturday or Sunday was $25 and a two-day pass was $40. On Saturday, children under 14 could get in for $10 and enjoy free admittance on Sunday. Also on Sunday, all U.S. Military personnel and New York City municipal employees purchasing tickets at the box office could buy them at half price.

The dealer line-up was impressive with many of the Big Apple’s traditional sellers in attendance along with some first timers. They included Dave & Adam’s Card World, Metropolis Comics, Anthony’s Comic Book Art, Gary Dolgoff Comics, CGC Comics, Toytastik, CBCS Comics, ComicLink, St. Mark’s Comics, Kryptonite Comics, Superworld Comics, J&S Collectibles, Lady Arielle, AB Tees, Albert Moy, Alex Needleman, BACC Internal US, Bay 94C, Best Comics, Brick Swap USA, Capital Sports Decor, Chris’ Comics, Comic Book Underground, Dylan Young, Gary Platt, Good Time Toys, Harley Yee’s Rare Comics, Little Nemo, Nostalgic Investments, Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find, and Silver Age Comics.

The celebrity guest list included Wilson Cruz (Star Trek: Discovery), Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks), Jennifer Chi (Sailor Moon), Michael Copon (Power Rangers Time Force), John O’Hurley (Seinfeld), C.J. Ramone (The Ramones), Johnathon Schaech (Legends of Tomorrow), Jénel Stevens (Black Panther), Larry Storch (The Batman/Superman Hour), and Taimak (The Last Dragon).

Featured artists in Artist Alley included Jim Steranko, Ramona Fradon, Toshio Maeda, John Cassaday, Mike Royer, Esad Ribic, Neal Adams, and Bob Camp. Legendary comic book writer and author Peter David was also in attendance. Artist Alley guests also included Alex 2 Guns, Alyssa Spector, Armando Batista, Association of Rhode Island Authors, Art by Peluso, Bumblebee Studios, Creees Lee, D. Jude Miller, Day One The Comic, Dennis Carroll, Jr., JaCo Tartaruga, James Groeling, John Kotsis, Johnny Flid, Lethal Ware, Meldoodles, Mindy Indy & Patrick McEvoy, Natalie Villafane, Nikky Swerdin, Razriel - CG, Star Comicz, Steiner, Steven Defendini, Tammy Jackson, and Theo A. Rosenblum.

The best way to describe Big Apple is as a big time show in a small setting, located in one of the biggest cities in the world, which has a long history in the evolution of modern comic fandom. With a strong representation of Golden to Modern Age comics and original comic art, coupled with hallmarks of a modern comic show such as apparel, toys, and other comic-related items, along with some all-star comic and artist guests and an array of panels ‒ it really does not disappoint. Most importantly the crush and over wheeling intensity of shows such as Comic-Con International, is not there despite it being a well-attended show. 

For Allie and I, it’s also like old home week because everywhere we turned we ran into old friends among the dealers and guests that were there. I always enjoy speaking to ComicLink Consignment Director Douglas Gillock whose insights into the hobby are most informative. I met up with Rob Pistella and my good Facebook buddy Paul Zuckerman. In particular, I had the chance to reconnect with four of my former students who are big time comic fans and cosplayers (all four of them were in full costume for the show).

Speaking of cosplayers, there were many and my former students, including Jimmy Labetalol and Nikki Loba, entered to win the cosplay contest. Unfortunately, they came in fourth, but given their costume designs, it shows how good all the entrants’ efforts were overall.

Despite a dealer room that at times was once again just too warm, but with an elevator that worked perfectly (something that could not always be said in past shows), it can be safely said that the show was a successful edition of what has become a New York institution. Fans, dealers, and professionals are all looking forward to future Big Apple conventions.

Since the show is located in the heart of Manhattan there is a wide variety of transportation options from subway lines to the PATH trains out of New Jersey and the Metro North line from Westchester and Connecticut and the Long Island Rail Road from Queens, Brooklyn, and of course Long Island. A taxi, bus, or ferry were options, and there are multiple parking lots for those who drive to the show.

Finally, you will not go hungry if you go to the Big Apple show. From street carts to fast food to world class (and I really mean world class) eats, there is truly a vast number of places to get rid of hunger pains. To give one example, on Saturday night Allie and I ate dinner with Harley Yee at Mustang Harry’s on 7th Avenue and 29th Street. It is a classic Irish Pub with wonderful food and wonderful staff. But as good as it is, it is only one of many such eateries to explore in the area.

Date and venue announcements have not been made for the 2019 Big Apple show, as of this writing. Fans should check in to the Big Apple website for updates on plans and location for next year.