New Jersey Comic Expo

Not sure why they thought it would be a good idea to put it in the Rockaway mall...but they decided to do so. The attendance was incredibly small and they pretty much would let in whoever applied first. The con is literally just an artist alley that takes place the Rockaway Mall...in one of the former stores. It's honestly smaller than most artist alleys. Sure there's two floors...but the low turnout does not make it worth it. If you're just starting out as an artist...you'll barely make enough to cover your table. Just avoid this one. There's plenty of other small cons that you can start off with if you're local. They also don't do background checks on their artists. Literally ANYONE can apply to this con. They don't care if your art is bad, traced, or straight up stolen. There's always one vendor that goes there that's a notorious plagiarist. The con is just a huge cash grab.

The price at $250 for a 6' artist alley table was steep, plus the $65 event insurance they make you buy. Unusual for cons to require that, and unnecessary in my opinion. Not nearly as many attendees as I'd hoped, and most of them seemed more interested in the collectibles vendors located in the aisle opposite my table. At times it felt like I saw more bored vendors browsing tables than actual attendees. Other artist alley artists I spoke to agree: very few made table. Very little interest or attention was given to artists selling original comics. Attendees seemed mostly to be looking for Marvel and DC products.

The upside is the event manager I communicated with before the event was top rate. James replied to my emails lightning-fast, and was professional, courteous, and friendly. At the event itself, the atmosphere was positive and the fans seemed happy to be there.

This is definitely not a con to attend if you're out of the area and need to get a hotel. I would not have made table if I came from far away and needed a room.

Venue was huge but located in the middle of nowhere! Layout was logical, plenty of signs to help you find your way.

I, too, went as an artist in artist alley. The price is ridiculous for a first year convention in New Jersey. Their pricing reflects how much they charge over in Long Beach, California (it's the same organizers as Long Beach Comic Con). But that convention is a long time established convention. They accepted WAY too many vendors and artists for the attendance. Another thoughtless moneygrab on their part, as this is their first year, and they aren't even sure about how many customers there will be! Turns out, there were too many vendors for how many attendees there were. All the other artists and vendors I talked with said they did not make back their table / booth cost. And if that wasn't bad enough, the organizers of this con are so greedy that they are already planning another first time convention in New Jersey again (Anime Fan Fest New Jersey), They are charging $225 early bird price for an artist alley table there, and "small press placement" exhibitor early bird is $450... based on no positive statistics at all. Unbelievable that they keep doing this.

This convention is more for you vendors and cosplayers. The table price is steep ($215!), artist alley is a rectangle pushed towards the back of the venue and surrounded by dealers with things such as toys, plushes and weapons. The wide aisles were mostly used for traffic that was looking to go from one booth to another to buy collectibles, very few artists made money (after speaking with a few).

The staff seemed unsure on set up times and areas, the emails sent were rather unclear. After the convention started we did not see any other event staff, we could not even locate any type of security either.

The convention is nice if you are looking to attend and see some cool cosplays or if you sell toys, but for now it's a pretty big avoid if you are selling artwork. Maybe they will be better in the future.