If you happen to be a pop culture aficionado, you might recall lanky Jimmie Walker enthusiastically shouting his signature catchphrase, “Dy-No-Mite”, on the Norman Lear 1970s sitcom Good Times. And that begs the question...what does that phrase have to do with the annual four-day Comic Con festivities in New York City?

Amidst the endless fans dressed as superheroes and villains, and the mountain of merchandising for sale, were two of the original cast members from Good Times — BernNadette Stanis and Ralph Carter — at a booth featuring an array of pictures of the cast members. Given the shift of Comic Con New York (and any Comic Con gathering, perhaps) in recent years from television and movie-themed nostalgia to the more current era of anime and manga, this was a true reminder why this is an event for fans of all ages. There is something for everyone.

As an annual attendee of Comic Con New York since its inception in 2006, post-pandemic the overall attendance looked like it was at a record high. Just getting down one of the lengthy merchandising aisles could have been a half-hour proposition. But as I passed a group of protestors on behalf of the still current Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) just blocks away from the Jacob Javits Center, I wondered how this would impact Comic Con. Aside from conversations with Ewan McGregor and Dr. Who alum David Tennant, the panels were few and far between. And what I did see (or at least hear about) were not exactly all that memorable.

Amongst the various promotional pushes and merchandise, there as one clear standout, Chucky, which in the TV series form is will conclude the first half of the current third season on USA Network and Syfy on October 25. “The Country is Chucked” read the massive banner when you walked into the Jacob Javits Center. Billboards, pictures, dolls, lunch boxes, buttons, stickers...that addictively creepy Chucky was lurking at every corner of Comic Con!

In the veritable sea of merchandising for sale, the immediate observation was the cost. That annual budget you might normally set aside will probably have to be significantly increased for your next Comic Con. Then there was the notable decline in the number of comic book vendors and the rise in the anime and manga merchandise.

In the category of independent comic book creators, three in particular caught my attention. One was Paul Thayer, who was showcasing his Project Naosis, which follows the elite unit of Project Naosis as they face the rebellion of Crimson Payne; and the four-part Omega 2090, which tells the origin story of the heroes Omega, Thorn & Helcate.

Next was cartoonist Carolyn Belefski, who writes and draws the comic strip Curls and collaborates with writer Joe Carabeo on the comic books Black Magic Tales, French Fry Club, and The Legettes.

And 2-Land, which is both a comic book series and an animated cartoon from Jay the Teller, is set in the city of Tuland inhabited by a new species scientifically identified as Homometazoas (or, more commonly, Huminals).

Personally, I recall the days of seeing the same faces each year at the various booth. This year there seemed to be only a handful. One was Ernie Ayala of Island Collectibles, who is never short of must buy classic television and movie-themed pictures and posters.

Another was Artoons, which offers a wide array of colorful handmade memorabilia.

Since no Comic Con is complete without those standout superhero and villain costumes and a creepy clown (or two), here are a few to sample.