New York Comic Con 2024, NYCC, NYCC 2024, Audible, Wynona Earp, Fandom, Pinfinity, Universal, Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Epic Universe, Hard Rock Hotel, Xandra,
New York Comic Con (NYCC) is in the books and though the show is over that doesn’t mean the fun has to end. With four full days of programming and events NYCC brings hundreds of thousands of fans each year to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan to celebrate all things pop culture from comics, anime, video games, TV, movies, collectibles, posters, and of course the best artist alley there is. Additionally, with the writers’ strike over NYCC was able to finally feel like a fully formed show with a full slate of programming, top tier booths, and a tremendous amount of content over the course of the show.
Now that the dust has settled and I get to cover all the sights from the four day convention which means covering everything from the show floor to panels, offsites, and after hour events. My coverage over the years is ever expanding so I try to cover a bit of everything going on at the convention.
Most conventions now extend well past the convention hours and well outside of the show floor. After hour events can take many forms from overly large parties like Fandom as a way for attendees to let loose and unwind a bit or more intimate affairs like Audible’s Wynonna Earp: Tales from Purgatory Earper Event which saw a smaller but more dedicated crowd and even had cast mingling with fans. These events allow companies to provide exclusive experiences and interact with their fans in vastly different ways, though most still allow attendees to c get a drink and some refreshments after a long day at the convention and catch-up with friends as well.
As I always express to anyone attending a show what makes any experience special is that there is a variety of ways a fan can tailor their show experience so covering these events not only provides a bit more information on the event hosts but also gives newcomers to conventions another way they can look to experience a show.
As always I’d like to thank the hosting companies for inviting Hi-Def Ninja to attend and take part!
New York Comic Con Fandom Party
Continuing their 20th anniversary celebration from San Diego Fandom, the world’s leading platform for in-depth information on entertainment, brought their celebrated event back to the Big Apple after having skipped in 2023.
Hosting one of San Diego Comic-Cons most sought after parties, you can see a recap of the event here), Fandom continued that trend for NYCC and held an epic (pun intended) event this time partnering with Universal Orlando Resort to promote the launch of their upcoming Universal Epic Universe theme park set to open in 2025. Along with Universal Orlando Resort Fandom again partnered with Pinfinity which thankfully included their amazing Fandom lanyard and AR enabled collectible pin, something sorely missed from SDCC counterpart. The event was hosted by self-taught DJ and major TikToker XANDRA who brought the people to the dance floor all night long all held at The Venue on Music Row at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Not to get too off track but I did attend the Universal Epic Universe panel held at NYCC on Saturday and the new theme park looks amazing. This fully immersive theme park brings guests to explore five spectacularly themed worlds (Harry Potter Ministry of Magic, Universal Monsters Dark Univers, How to Train Your Dragon Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World, and Universals own themed Celestial Park) and will drastically change theme park experiences featuring multi-sensory environments, impeccable design and innovative technology throughout. On top of unique dining, shopping and entertainment experiences there will be three new Universal hotels with their Helios Hotel set directly inside the park.
Circling back to the party the event similar to its San Diego counterpart was again very hard to get into and fans had to enter a lottery in the hopes of winning a pair of tickets in order to attend. For the hundreds of fans that were able to attend they enjoyed a night of drinks, music, a dance floor filled with dancing roller skaters and an inflatable 14 foot man, and curated and immersive experiences including a scavenger hunt with prizes highlighting the five worlds of the Epic Universe, interactive photo booth experiences, Fandom branded arcade games and claw machines, and the return of the Fandom pillows.
But that’s not all, what would a Fandom party be without a red carpet ushering in creators, influencers, and celebrities including Penguin actors Rhenzy Feliz and Marié Botha, Marcus Choi, Juju Green, Lena Lemon, Influencer, Gabby Ortega, and others.
Overall the Fandom party continued to deliver and I’m looking forward to their 2025 shows which will hopefully include a New York Edition.
Audible’s Wynonna Earp: Tales from Purgatory Earper
On the other side of the events spectrum was Audible’s Earper event, a much more laid back affair set in at Porchlight and featuring ample food, drinks, a band, and for Earpers members of the cast mingling with the crowd.
But before the Earper event on event Audible hosted two panels at NYCC the first, “The Sounds of Storytelling! How the Genre’s Greatest Writers and Narrators Take Listeners on the Ride of Their Lives,” occurred on Thursday and highlighted some of the world’s best science fiction authors and performers which along with Emily Andras(Wynonna Earp) also included my favorite author R.A. Salvatore (The Legends of Drizzt). The second panel, Earp to Ear: Wynonna Earp’s Adventures Continue on Audible, held on Saturday afternoon provided some behind the scenes looks at the new Audible Original series, and included original cast members Melanie Scrofano (“Wynonna Earp”), Tim Rozon (“Doc Holliday”), and Katherine Barrell (“Nicole Haught”), along with creator, producer, and writer Emily Andras.
Speaking at the Thursday panel writer Emily Andras noted “Taking a beloved TV show and adapting it to this new medium allowed us to tell stories in a new environment…It was incredibly freeing and helped us reinvent characters and dive in the way we hadn’t been able to before,” when discussing the creation of the new Audible series. Emily on Saturday further expanded on her experience creating the adaptation by noting “When approaching the audio drama, I wanted to think of it from an auditory standpoint…The quality of the voice acting was incredible, bringing the characters to live in a new medium. It was such a fun process that I would love to create more audio content in the future. Audible was a wonderful partner throughout the production, and I’m thrilled with the positive responses we’ve received from listeners so far…”
After the panels though it was time to celebrate the new Audible Original with a special Wynonna Earp: Tales From Purgatory celebration event. Media and fans were invited to Porchlight perfectly captured the atmosphere of Purgatory and as mentioned above included food, drinks, and live music. Additionally the series creator and cast were on hand all evening, but not in a roped off VIP area, but rather hanging out and mingling with fans and supporters throughout the night.
Unlike Fandom the Audible event was much more laid back and again a perfect example of how a company can create memorable experiences for their fans and I very much look forward to continuing my coverage of other Audible events in the future!
Official Description for Wynonna Earp: Tales from Purgatory
WHAT:
From 2016-2021, fans fell in love with the great-great-granddaughter of legendary lawman Wyatt Earp through the TV series, Wynonna Earp. Following the final installment of the TV series, Wynonna is now coming to audio with new stories to tell The immersive new Audible Original Wynonna Earp: Tales from Purgatory picks up with Wynonna Earp (Melanie Scrofano) and her soulmate, the legendary lawman Doc Holliday (Tim Rozon) as they hit the open road in search of the promised land: Dollywood. Brace yourself for more wise-cracking demon hunters, earth-shattering revelations and all the genre-blending action you’ve come to expect from the cult hit TV series. Naturally, the trail is bumpier than expected while Wynonna catches us up on many fan-favorite characters from the series through an anthology-style collection of stories from Purgatory. This scripted audio drama will feature original cast members Melanie Scrofano, Tim Rozon, Dom Provost-Chalkley, Katherine Barrell, Varun Saranga, Dani Kind, Martina Otiz-Luis, Greg Lawson, and writer Emily Andras.
Listen to Wynonna Earp: Tales from Purgatory and don’t miss out on this essential new installment for fans exclusively from Audible, premiering October 17.