This was probably to be expected, but ReedPop has confirmed that this year's New York Comic-Con will no longer take place in Manhattan's Javitz Center. Instead, the show is going fully digital like the San Diego Comic-Con before it, but whether that's something to be excited about depends on how much you enjoyed the mostly underwhelming Comic-Con@Home.
From October 8th to October 11th, the New York Comic-Con YouTube panel will be live-streaming panels, with the press release noting that, "Starz will bring the epic American Gods, CBS All Access will feature the legendary Star Trek Universe, DreamWorks Animation will showcase the best of television animation, and Hulu & FX will add to the slate of exciting programming for fans worldwide."
Warner Bros. is likely to skip the event due to DC FanDome taking place later this month, while Marvel Studios rarely has a presence there, so that's unlikely to change this year, unfortunately.
On the plus side, this year's New York Comic-Con will give fans the opportunity to participate in talent Q&A’s during panels, while it's promised that there will (somehow) be meet & greets, personalized autographs, videos, and professional workshops for fans to get "up-close and personal."
"We are thoroughly disappointed that we can’t gather together, in-person for the New York Comic Con we love to build and our fans love to revel in. We look forward to this weekend all year long, just like you, and with this being our 15th edition, we were particularly excited. I will miss walking up and down artist alley and seeing friends that I’ve made since we were in the basement at the Javits Center," said Lance Fensterman, President of ReedPop. "While this year will definitely be a different experience, we are going to look to bring the best and most engaging event to our fans, exhibitors, and studios through our partnership with YouTube."
It's certainly a shame that the New York Comic-Con can't take place as planned, but 2020 has been a difficult year for conventions, and we don't even know if they'll be taking place next year. You can't fault organisers for attempting to go digital, of course, but Comic-Con@Home was dubbed a flop due to a lack of interest on social media, so they're clearly something of a niche event.