NY Comic Con 2018 Guide: Events, Panels, Tickets

NEW YORK, NY — Hundreds of thousands of superfans, gamers, cosplayers and comic book lovers will descended on New York City this week for New York Comic Con. The convention starts Thursday, Oct. 4 and will continue through Sunday, Oct. 7 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

New York Comic Con features some of the biggest names in entertainment working to promote some of the year's most-hyped releases in video games, movies, television and, of course, comics. Some of this year's guests include Bill Nye, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Rodriguez of the "Fast and Furious" franchise, "Lord of the Rings" Director Peter Jackson and "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" stars Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain.

The convention attracted 200,000 guests in 2017, making it the largest pop culture gathering in the United States, according to organizers.

Here's everything you need to know about attending New York Comic Con in 2018:

The Javits Center & Directions:

New York Comic Con will once again be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in the Hudson Yards neighborhood of Manhattan. The Javits Center is located at 655 W. 34th St between 11th and 12th avenues.

Driving through Midtown Manhattan to get to Comic Con will be a rough experience and parking near the convention center should be scarce. If you can tolerate sitting in traffic, taxis or ride-hailing services are a good, but pricey, option

Getting to the Javits Center using public transportation can be a bit tricky, but it's by far the easiest and most cost-effective method.

The closest subway stop to the Javits Center is the 34th Street-Hudson Yard 7 train stop. If you're not staying near a 7 train station you can take a 4, 5 or 6 train to Grand Central, a B, D, F or M train to Bryant Park or an A, C, E, N, Q, R, W, 1, 2 or 3 train to Times Square and switch to the 7 at one of those stations.

Unfortunately for convention guests, the MTA is making it harder to get to Comic Con this year. The 7 train will not run in Manhattan starting early Saturday morning and train service will be replaced by shuttle buses. Buses should be picking up passengers from the 7 train stations and taking them along the same route as the subway would.

Here's a map of the Javits Center and the surrounding neighborhood:

The Convention Floor:

Much of the action at New York Comic Con happens on the third floor of the Javits Center. The convention floor at New York Comic Con features more than 1,000 different exhibitors showing creations such as comics, toys, posters, artwork, video games and more.

For a full list of exhibitors, check out New York Comic Con's website.

Most of the main events such as panels, screenings photo ops, autograph signings go down on the Javits Center's first floor.

Check out a full map of the convention floor below:

Here's a map of the entire Javits Center layout:

Scheduled Events:

One of New York Comic Con's biggest draws is the extensive lineup of scheduled events. Fans will flock en masse to check out panel discussions, special screenings, keynote speeches, live shows and more.

Most scheduled programming will take place at the Javits Center, but a few events will be held at outside venues such as The Hammerstein Ballroom at the Manhattan Center, The Theater at Madison Square Garden and Hudson Mercantile.

New York Comic Con is also a huge event for fans of cosplay — the act of dressing up as one's favorite characters from movies, television, anime and comics. This year, New York Comic Con will host Cosplay Central on its fourth floor. Cosplay Central will host a number of cosplay workshops, panels and competitions. There will also be a special changing booth to get in and out of costume.

Check out a full event schedule here.

Tickets:

Tickets are only available for Thursday attendance at New York Comic Con, according to event organizers. All other days of the convention are sold out.

If you bought your tickets in advance — and did not have them mailed to you — you will need to pick them up at will call.

Tickets can be picked up at these times:

• Tuesday: 5–8 p.m.
• Wednesday: 8 a.m.– 7 p.m.
• Thursday: 7 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Friday: 7 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Saturday: 7 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Sunday: 7 a.m.–5 p.m.

Any other questions you have about attending New York Comic Con can be answered on the convention's website.

Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images