Convention Recap: Garden State Comic Fest
Contributed by collector and Overstreet Advisor Art Cloos
Photos by Alice Cloos
The 2026 edition of Dave O’Hare’s Garden State Comic Fest was held on Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28, at the Richard J. Codey Arena in West Orange, New Jersey. The new location features additional parking, bigger panel rooms, a huge lobby area, and New York City Public Transportation stops in front of the arena.
O’Hare first had the idea to create his own comic convention after attending New York Comic Con in 2013. He told a friend about his idea to host a show, and that friend bet him $20 that he wouldn’t do it. After investing $3,000 into starting the new show and calling in favors, O’Hare hosted his first Garden State Comic Fest and won the bet.
“Our events have something for everyone, from the serious collector looking to find that super rare book to the casual fan looking to just have a great time. From comics and art to vintage toys and pop culture items. Over the past 12 years due to the high quality of vendors, artists, fans, and the comfortable atmosphere, I feel GSCF is certainly one of the best comic conventions out there,” O’Hare said.
The special guest list included Amy Jo Johnson, Terri Hawkes, James Saito, Michael Turney, Paige Turco, Pete Cannarozzi, Susan Roman, James Saito, and others.
Creators included Kevin Eastman, Louise Simonson, Walter Simonson, Jim Starlin, James O’Barr, Dave Devries, Barbara Friedlander, Bob Camp, Chris Battista, Bob Sharen, Casey Cruz, Chris Baptista, Gus Mauk, Bob Wiacek, Bud Larosa, Buzz, Chrissie Zullo Umnga, William Russell, Zeea Adams, Tom Mandrake, Scott Hanna, Rudy Nebres, Rick Parker, Ralph Macchio, Peter Sanderson, Paul Mounts Michelle Delecki, and just a whole lot more. For those who could not make the show Boone Enterprises Authentic Autographs offered a send-in autograph service for all of the celebrity guests at Garden State Comic Fest 2026.
Show partners included Jersey Mike’s Subs, Turtle Back Zoo, Midtown Comics, Daves Timewarp Comics & Games, CGC Comics, and others.
There was a lot to do, to see, and to buy at this show, including two show exclusives that fans could buy. The first was Shredder #16 with a cover by Scott Hanna and it was signed by him, Kevin Eastman, and James Saito (Shredder in the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie). The second one was TMNT #19 by Michael Turney who played Danny in the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
Garden State Comic Fest Fans could purchase tickets to go to the Brew at the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo for 50% off the general admission price. Brew is an annual 21-and-up after hours fundraiser for the zoo that includes food, craft beer, and animal presentations. All they had to do was go to the box office and show their Garden State Comic Fest ticket to redeem the offer.
The Premier Vendor Animei Gamer Zone offered free-play stations at the convention with a Mario Kart Tournament on Sunday.
They hosted panels through the weekend, highlighted by TMNT 35 Years Later: Comparing TMNT To TMNT 2 with Kevin Eastman, Michael Turney, Paige Turco, Kevin Clash, and host Dave Maulbeck. The Making of a Masterpiece panel about the 1995 Marvel Masterpiece set welcomed Dave DeVries, Dimitri Patelis, Nelson DeCastro, and Peter Scanlan to discuss unique interpretations by the artists, the inspiration for the set, and how it came together. These creators were together for the first time in over 30 years.
There were vendors from all over the east coast including 2-Land Comics, 3D Layer Art, Aardvark Toys & Comics, Absolutely Awesome Collectibles/Gary Platt, Agents of Slabs, AJ’s House of Comics, Amber Gryphon, Armory AnimeiZone, Awesome Minis Bicycle Bell Comics, Captain’s Treasure, Trove Choose Love, Celebrate Life, Comic Collision, Duen Cosmetics, East Side Mags, Elite Comic Sales, Eleventh Hour Fester’s Funhouse, Ganon’s Toy Box, GIT Collections, Gothvix, Groundbreaking Comics, Guildworks Publications, HeroVerse Collectables, Howard Tauber, Humble Comics, Irreverent Warrior, Island Collectibles, It’s Alive Comics, Kenny’s Comics, Komic Knights, Loot Pursuit, M&J Collectibles, Movie Cell Illuminations, Moving Pictures Comics and Collectibles, Morales Hobbies, Nemesis Comics & Games, Nerdbox Comics, New Jersey Veterans Network, NRG Comics, Next Generation Comics & Cards, Pumpkin Wizard Publishing, St. Mark’s Comics, Stormwatch Comics, Sumo Comics, Undisputed Comics King, Unstoppable Comics, V8 Collectibles, Zeebos Toys, and Zenescope Entertainment, among others.
Instead of hosting a traditional cosplay contest with a set time, Graden State Comic Fest turned the entire weekend into a stage. Five secret judges were picked to be on the lookout and if they picked someone they asked them if they wanted to be in the contest. Then the fans would vote for the winner. Prizes were awarded to the finalists and the Best in Show.
We got to the show early and were quickly greeted by Mike Carbonaro, whose booth was the first one in the venue and featured Golden Age comics including some vintage Batman books. There were a lot of comic book dealers at the show. For the most part, Marvel books dominated dealer walls, but DC’s Absolute line was on numerous displays, which was good to see. Most dealers were pleased with their sales, and Saturday, in particular, was a very strong day for them. I did not go home empty handed as I found two books to add to my collection.
I was happy that I got to meet up with some friends at this show. My recently married good buddy Pat Dunne and his wife Eileen were there, and it was great hanging out with both of them. Nathan Rose was there with his giant art portfolio, and we discussed his coming to our second annual NJ Comic Art Show pizza party at our house in August. Also I talked to my longtime friend Sal Zurzolo for the first time since Covid, because we were constantly missing each other at shows so we had a great time catching up.
There is a strong emphasis on comic book sellers at this con, but Allie was impressed with all the unusual craft and non-craft superhero related items available at the show. They included superhero towels, action figures, statues, Star Wars and Star Trek items, crystals, and more.
Allie loved the show and the fact that it is family-oriented. We both noted that there were many families among the attendees and kids appeared to be having a really good time while the parents looked for comic books and toys. We were especially impressed by Artist Alley.
The Cody Arena offered both a snack machine area and a concession stand which sold hot dogs, hamburgers, pizzas, sodas, and more. As we left for the day, Allie and I both agreed that we can’t wait for next year’s edition.
The Garden State Comic Fest will return in 2027 with a date to be announced. It will be at the Richard J. Codey Arena at 560 Northfield Avenue in West Orange, NJ. Attendees can look for updates on their website.
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Convention Recap: Garden State Comic Fest
Contributed by collector and Overstreet Advisor Art Cloos
Photos by Alice Cloos
The 2026 edition of Dave O’Hare’s Garden State Comic Fest was held on Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28, at the Richard J. Codey Arena in West Orange, New Jersey. The new location features additional parking, bigger panel rooms, a huge lobby area, and New York City Public Transportation stops in front of the arena.
O’Hare first had the idea to create his own comic convention after attending New York Comic Con in 2013. He told a friend about his idea to host a show, and that friend bet him $20 that he wouldn’t do it. After investing $3,000 into starting the new show and calling in favors, O’Hare hosted his first Garden State Comic Fest and won the bet.
“Our events have something for everyone, from the serious collector looking to find that super rare book to the casual fan looking to just have a great time. From comics and art to vintage toys and pop culture items. Over the past 12 years due to the high quality of vendors, artists, fans, and the comfortable atmosphere, I feel GSCF is certainly one of the best comic conventions out there,” O’Hare said.
The special guest list included Amy Jo Johnson, Terri Hawkes, James Saito, Michael Turney, Paige Turco, Pete Cannarozzi, Susan Roman, James Saito, and others.
Creators included Kevin Eastman, Louise Simonson, Walter Simonson, Jim Starlin, James O’Barr, Dave Devries, Barbara Friedlander, Bob Camp, Chris Battista, Bob Sharen, Casey Cruz, Chris Baptista, Gus Mauk, Bob Wiacek, Bud Larosa, Buzz, Chrissie Zullo Umnga, William Russell, Zeea Adams, Tom Mandrake, Scott Hanna, Rudy Nebres, Rick Parker, Ralph Macchio, Peter Sanderson, Paul Mounts Michelle Delecki, and just a whole lot more. For those who could not make the show Boone Enterprises Authentic Autographs offered a send-in autograph service for all of the celebrity guests at Garden State Comic Fest 2026.
Show partners included Jersey Mike’s Subs, Turtle Back Zoo, Midtown Comics, Daves Timewarp Comics & Games, CGC Comics, and others.
There was a lot to do, to see, and to buy at this show, including two show exclusives that fans could buy. The first was Shredder #16 with a cover by Scott Hanna and it was signed by him, Kevin Eastman, and James Saito (Shredder in the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie). The second one was TMNT #19 by Michael Turney who played Danny in the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
Garden State Comic Fest Fans could purchase tickets to go to the Brew at the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo for 50% off the general admission price. Brew is an annual 21-and-up after hours fundraiser for the zoo that includes food, craft beer, and animal presentations. All they had to do was go to the box office and show their Garden State Comic Fest ticket to redeem the offer.
The Premier Vendor Animei Gamer Zone offered free-play stations at the convention with a Mario Kart Tournament on Sunday.
They hosted panels through the weekend, highlighted by TMNT 35 Years Later: Comparing TMNT To TMNT 2 with Kevin Eastman, Michael Turney, Paige Turco, Kevin Clash, and host Dave Maulbeck. The Making of a Masterpiece panel about the 1995 Marvel Masterpiece set welcomed Dave DeVries, Dimitri Patelis, Nelson DeCastro, and Peter Scanlan to discuss unique interpretations by the artists, the inspiration for the set, and how it came together. These creators were together for the first time in over 30 years.
There were vendors from all over the east coast including 2-Land Comics, 3D Layer Art, Aardvark Toys & Comics, Absolutely Awesome Collectibles/Gary Platt, Agents of Slabs, AJ’s House of Comics, Amber Gryphon, Armory AnimeiZone, Awesome Minis Bicycle Bell Comics, Captain’s Treasure, Trove Choose Love, Celebrate Life, Comic Collision, Duen Cosmetics, East Side Mags, Elite Comic Sales, Eleventh Hour Fester’s Funhouse, Ganon’s Toy Box, GIT Collections, Gothvix, Groundbreaking Comics, Guildworks Publications, HeroVerse Collectables, Howard Tauber, Humble Comics, Irreverent Warrior, Island Collectibles, It’s Alive Comics, Kenny’s Comics, Komic Knights, Loot Pursuit, M&J Collectibles, Movie Cell Illuminations, Moving Pictures Comics and Collectibles, Morales Hobbies, Nemesis Comics & Games, Nerdbox Comics, New Jersey Veterans Network, NRG Comics, Next Generation Comics & Cards, Pumpkin Wizard Publishing, St. Mark’s Comics, Stormwatch Comics, Sumo Comics, Undisputed Comics King, Unstoppable Comics, V8 Collectibles, Zeebos Toys, and Zenescope Entertainment, among others.
Instead of hosting a traditional cosplay contest with a set time, Graden State Comic Fest turned the entire weekend into a stage. Five secret judges were picked to be on the lookout and if they picked someone they asked them if they wanted to be in the contest. Then the fans would vote for the winner. Prizes were awarded to the finalists and the Best in Show.
We got to the show early and were quickly greeted by Mike Carbonaro, whose booth was the first one in the venue and featured Golden Age comics including some vintage Batman books. There were a lot of comic book dealers at the show. For the most part, Marvel books dominated dealer walls, but DC’s Absolute line was on numerous displays, which was good to see. Most dealers were pleased with their sales, and Saturday, in particular, was a very strong day for them. I did not go home empty handed as I found two books to add to my collection.
I was happy that I got to meet up with some friends at this show. My recently married good buddy Pat Dunne and his wife Eileen were there, and it was great hanging out with both of them. Nathan Rose was there with his giant art portfolio, and we discussed his coming to our second annual NJ Comic Art Show pizza party at our house in August. Also I talked to my longtime friend Sal Zurzolo for the first time since Covid, because we were constantly missing each other at shows so we had a great time catching up.
There is a strong emphasis on comic book sellers at this con, but Allie was impressed with all the unusual craft and non-craft superhero related items available at the show. They included superhero towels, action figures, statues, Star Wars and Star Trek items, crystals, and more.
Allie loved the show and the fact that it is family-oriented. We both noted that there were many families among the attendees and kids appeared to be having a really good time while the parents looked for comic books and toys. We were especially impressed by Artist Alley.
The Cody Arena offered both a snack machine area and a concession stand which sold hot dogs, hamburgers, pizzas, sodas, and more. As we left for the day, Allie and I both agreed that we can’t wait for next year’s edition.
The Garden State Comic Fest will return in 2027 with a date to be announced. It will be at the Richard J. Codey Arena at 560 Northfield Avenue in West Orange, NJ. Attendees can look for updates on their website.
Popular Topics
Overstreet Access Quick Links
