Contributed by collector and Overstreet Advisor Art Cloos
Photos by Alice Cloos
The Big Apple Comic Con was held on Saturday, March 25, 2023, courtesy of Mike Carbonaro, whose comic conventions have been a popular attraction in New York City for over 25 years. Originally founded in 1995, he began the 27th year with his aptly titled “Big Apple Back To Spring” at the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan.
There was a strong turnout of creators in the artists alley including Roy Thomas, Jim Steranko, Jamal Igle, Bill Plympton, Russ Braun, Brian Kong, Fred Harper, Buddy Scalera, Kyle Willis, Reilly Brown, Brian Postman, Clay McLeod Chapman, Sabien Willis, Jon B. Cooke, James Sherman, and others.
The dealer line up was strong. They came from all over the east coast and many of the Big Apple’s traditional sellers were there, along with some first timers. They included Superworld Comics, Alex Needleman, Harley Yee’s Rare Comics, Kryptonite Comics, Next Generation Comics, Golden Age Comics, St. Mark’s Comics, Silver Age Comics, The Encounter, Comic Book Station, Captured Collectibles, Toytastik, Silver Age Comics, and many others.
Illustrated World Gallery had a beautiful selection of comic art and comic art dealer Anthony’s Comic Book Art had the usual gigantic display of both comic book art and vintage comics. Lon Allen represented Heritage Auctions at the auction house’s booth.
In terms of media guests, the highlight of the day was meeting The Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine and drummer Gina Schock. I have been a huge fan of them almost from the band’s beginning right up until today. They were incredibly sweet and friendly, and I was floating on air the entire day after talking to them.
The cosplayer Beautiful Diz was an invited guest at the show. Allie was happy to see more families cosplaying together and she said some of the kids outfits were especially cute. As always at Big Apple Shows, Captain Zorikh was there and this time he and C Blaze hosted the new event, Cosplay Cabaret, where cosplayers got to show off both their costumes and performing talents as well as running the traditional BACC cosplay contest.
The show offered some cool panels including one on how comics evolved from dime books to pulps to the comic book format we know today. Bill Plympton held an animation master class for aspiring animators, and Roy Thomas gave two talks on comics. Film trailers were shown during the day including fright filled shorts.
The best way to describe Big Apple Comic Con is to call it a big time show in a small setting, located in one of the biggest cities in the world. As such you never know what you are going to encounter for sale there. From clothing to jewelry and much more there was something for everyone. One of the cool things the show does is give charities free tables and admittance to the show. This time it was for Teamchristopher.com, which has raised over $300,000 for Autism Speaks.
There were a lot of comics for sale at this show. It was cool to see a nice amount of 1940s books. In particular, I was impressed by the sale of a beautiful Marvel Mystery #51 by comic dealer Harley Yee. There were a lot of Silver Age books, including a high grade copy of Green Lantern #1 and Incredible Hulk #1 CGC 9.4. As has been the norm over the last few years, Silver and Bronze Age Marvel titles were in the clear majority, and for some dealers, those titles were virtually the only titles on display. However, in talking to dealers, several noted that DC Silver and Bronze books are becoming more interesting price wise for buyers as the price of Marvel keys has climbed so high over the last several years.
According to Joe Fish of Superworld Comics, he has noticed that some major books that went crazy during the pandemic years began to regulate and correct themselves. As those Silver Age keys come back down in prices, the more significant Golden Age titles, meaning mainly Timely, Nedor, etc., have retained their value. “My speculation is that the scarcity of these books in high grade, and the originality and shock value of the cover art aided in the increased interest during the pandemic,” Fish said. “Now with the crazy Silver Age Marvel boom that took place over the last two years, the market is finally starting to correct itself. At this point, I foresee a possible boom of Silver Age DC keys on the horizon. These books are highly underrated, even more difficult to find in higher grade and they’re slowly starting to gain the recognition that I think they warrant.”
This was reflected at the dealers’ booths with some DC keys such as the first Brave And The Bold and Teen Titans. Overall sales seemed to be brisk, and I suspect that most dealers were happy with their sales for the day. Allie and I found a few things to take home and we were very happy with what we found. Of course, as at every show beyond the comics there were toys, action figures, independent publishers and more.
We met up with friends at Big Apple, including my buddy George Papadimatos, who is an actor working on a TV pilot based on his family and life as a comic lover. I talked to Ted VanLiew of Superworld Comics and Vince Zurzolo of Metropolis Comics, comic and video dealer Pat Dunne and his friend Eileen, and Joe Simon’s grandson, Jesse Simon.
There are countless dining options in the area, from street carts to fast food to world class restaurants. The New Yorker has three restaurants, including Trattoria Bianca, an amazing Italian trattoria; Tick Tock diner, which serves breakfast all day and famous sandwiches; and Butcher & Banker, a world class steak house. The convenience of eating in the hotel during the show cannot be overstated, however they are many other options nearby.
With all the things to do in New York City, you might consider making a vacation out of going to the show and checking out some of what the city offers. There are a wide variety of ways to get around from buses to subways to its famed yellow taxi cabs, so it’s not hard to get to where you want to go.
The dates for the fall Big Apple Comic Con have not yet been announced yet, but it will be at the New Yorker Hotel located at 401 8th Avenue in Manhattan. Fans can check the Big Apple website or its Facebook page for the latest information on the show dates.
To see more photos from Big Apple Comic Con, check out our In the Limelight coverage.
