New York Comic Con has become the latest literary event to go online only because of the coronavirus pandemic, Variety reports.
The annual convention, which bills itself as “the largest pop culture event on the East Coast,” will no longer take place at New York’s Javits Center, which just months ago was transformed into a field hospital to help treat patients in the midst of the city’s Covid-19 crisis.
Instead, the event will take place on the convention’s YouTube channel from Oct. 8 to Oct. 11.
“We look forward to this weekend all year long, just like you, and with this being our 15th edition, we were particularly excited,” said Lance Fensterman, the president of ReedPop, the company that produces the convention. “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.”
The convention’s move to virtual doesn’t come as a surprise. Over the past few months, dozens of literary and pop culture events have canceled their physical gatherings, including the Brooklyn Book Festival, Texas Book Festival, Portland Book Festival, Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and San Diego Comic-Con.
In a statement on its website, New York Comic Con offered some advice to its fans: “Stay safe, stay nerdy, and remember: NYCC fans wore masks before it was cool.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.