Comic books and entertainment properties were central to the recent New York Comic Con, but there were deviations from typical pop culture fare.

While Disney’s Marvel promoted upcoming streaming series for Disney+ including Wonderland (October 29) and season two of Daredevil: Born Again (March 4), it didn’t come armed with blockbuster movies. And Warner Bros.’ DC Comics made a return to Comic Con after a 13-year absence, bringing with it a revival of its Vertigo label (Sandman, Hellraiser), which had been discontinued in 2020, ending a 27-year run.

Yet, Comic Con standard bearers aside, there were new spins on IP – first-time studio Gameplay Group launched Avatar: The Fighting Game – including crossovers, popup experiences, and unique pairings.

Among the IP that received a new sheen was Spin Master Corp.’s Rubik’s Cube, which it acquired in 2021. Licensee Cubios launched preorders on October 9 for Rubik’s WOWCube ($399) replacing the trademark two-by-two-inch-colored squares with 24 colored LCDs. The device rotates like a traditional Rubik’s Cube but rather than aligning colored squares, LCDs are used to play mobile games. Cubios introduced an earlier version of WOWCube several years ago and reached a licensing deal with Spin Master in 2024.

The language-learning platform Duolingo, meanwhile, took a booth to highlight an upcoming anime series with animation studio Titmouse. The YouTube series will feature five, 60-second episodes all in Japanese that are designed to promote Duolingo’s updated Japanese language courses. It also is part of an effort to fashion a connection between anime fans and language learning, Duolingo said. The venture came under criticism from some fans who argued that for animation to be considered anime, it must be Japanese made.

And while comic books and professional wrestling haven’t been typically suitors in the past, DC Comics and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) are developing two issues that will pair Justice league characters with AEW wrestlers. The agreement culminates with DC serving as the presenting sponsor at the wrestling organization’s marquee pay-per-view event, Full Gear, that airs Nov. 22 on the combat sports network Triller TV. AEW also airs on DC Comics parent Warner Bros. Discovery-owned TBS and TNT networks.

Sports also made a play for pop culture. Comic Con was awash in jerseys from fictional characters like Charlie Conway and Goldberg from The Mighty Ducks hockey film as well the Hanson Brothers from Slapshot, the latter complete with taped glasses. East Side Comics also introduced variant covers of biographical comics about the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani that were based on Fanatics’ Topps baseball cards.

Among the popup experiences, Toei Animation’s One Piece had its own booth replete with a giant inflatable balloon of its main character Monkey D. Luffy. The booth was stocked with licensed apparel, card games, collectible figures and fan art. Licensee Mercer Labs also featured an immersive exhibit away from the show that included 11 rooms dedicated to the anime. The exhibit launched on October 9 and will continue through November 30.

Production company MAPPA Studios, meanwhile, promoted manga author Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man with both a booth and balloons outside the Javits Center in New York that featured series lead character Pochita. And Viz Media also highlighted a Shonen Jump Shop popup that will be posted at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, NJ from November 21 to January 20 containing merchandise and photo opportunities.

“People coming here are going to see these in a completely different way, and to me it’s all about inspiring and creating a new way to look at anime,” said Roy Nachum, Co-Founder and Creative Director at Mercer Labs.