Mad Cave Studios Is Coming LOADED for NYCC 2026: Signings, Star Wars, John Cusack and a Whole Lot More

New York Comic Con is almost here, Crusaders, and Mad Cave Studios apparently looked at the four-day schedule and said, “Yeah, we’re taking ALL of it.”

Mad Cave is setting up shop at Booth #4457 during NYCC 2026 with a packed lineup of creator signings, convention exclusives, panels and appearances stretching across the entire weekend. We’re talking David Pepose, Steve Orlando, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Kyle Higgins, Stephanie Williams, Greg Pak, Delilah S. Dawson, Soo Lee, Alex Segura, Ed Brisson and a ridiculous amount of additional talent rolling through the booth. And yes, there’s Star Wars in the mix.

The bigger story here is how aggressive Mad Cave continues to be about expanding its presence. This isn’t some booth where you walk by, grab a postcard and keep moving. Between Mad Cave proper, Maverick, Papercutz, Nakama Press, licensed books and creator-owned projects, they’ve built themselves into one of those publishers where you can hit the booth multiple times during a convention and find something completely different happening. For NYCC? They are absolutely leaning into that.

Mad Cave Studios Booth #4457. Burn that number into the convention brain.

All scheduled signings at the Mad Cave booth are FREE, according to the publisher. Books will be available for purchase where applicable, and each signing will offer a free signing print or card. Some appearances have autograph limits and restrictions, so don’t be THAT dude showing up with a U-Haul full of long boxes expecting somebody to sign 347 comics while the rest of the line slowly dies behind you.

Mad Cave also notes that creators and signing times can change, which is standard convention reality. Check with the booth during NYCC for the latest information.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8

The madness starts immediately.

11:00–11:50 AM
Lazarus Order
Sloane Siegel and Juan Doe

12:00–12:50 PM
Egg Hunt
Benjamin Percy

Dick Tracy
Alex Segura

1:00–1:50 PM
Ruth Roche: The Phantom Hand of Comics
Joe Corallo

2:00–2:50 PM
Speed Racer
David Pepose and Alessio Zonno

Gatchaman: Leader X
Steve Orlando and Buddy Beaudoin

Yeah, Speed Racer and Gatchaman back-to-back at the same booth. That’s the kind of scheduling I can get behind.

3:00–3:50 PM
Escape from New York: Escape from Chicago
Kyle Higgins and Maria Wolf

Limit three signed items per person. No witnessed signatures.

4:00–4:50 PM
Nothing Can Stop…the Ape!
Jeannine Acheson and Tom Sniegoski

5:00–5:50 PM
I Didn’t Ask for This and New Romantics
Jennie Wood

6:00–6:50 PM
Hammer Head
Ed Brisson

The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre and Samurai Pizza Cats
Fred Kennedy

And because apparently the booth schedule wasn’t crowded enough, Mad Cave also has a Thursday panel.

All We Need Is (Queer) Love ft. Jennie Wood
3:00–4:00 PM
Pride Lounge, Room 1C02

The discussion will explore queer storytelling, representation, identity and how love informs the stories creators tell.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9

Friday kicks off with a pretty damn stacked ComiXology Originals gathering.

11:00–11:50 AM
ComiXology Originals x Mad Cave Group Signing

Kim-Joy, Quiet
Tula Lotay, Groupies
Pablo Raimondi, GhostBox
Lee Loughridge, Midstate
Michael Conrad, The 99 Legs

12:00–12:50 PM
Star Wars Comics Group Signing

Delilah S. Dawson
Soo Lee
Greg Pak
Chas! Pangburn

There’s a five-item signing limit per person, including the free prints, and no witnessed signatures.

If you’re a Star Wars reader, put a damn reminder in your phone.

1:00–1:50 PM
Dick Tracy
Alex Segura

2:00–2:50 PM
Archipelago
Martin and Xabier Etxeberria

Xanar and Mr. Tuxedo
Sean Ryan

3:00–3:50 PM
Pop Kill: Big Candy
Suspiria, variant cover artist

4:00–4:50 PM
Barbarian Behind Bars and Astro Quantum
Andrea Mutti

Then Friday gets an interesting curveball.

Mad Cave Presents: John Cusack Discusses New Graphic Novel, Momo
4:15–5:00 PM
North, Room 406.2

Yep. John Cusack at NYCC talking comics.

Cusack will join Jonathan James of Daily Dead to discuss his first graphic novel, Momo, including his move into comics, collaborating with artist Ignacio Noé and bringing the surreal project to life.

That’s one I’m curious about.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10

You already know Saturday at NYCC is insanity. Mad Cave apparently decided the proper response was MORE INSANITY.

11:00–11:50 AM
The Dirt Beneath the Devil
Dan Panosian and Lee Loughridge

12:00–12:50 PM
The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre and Samurai Pizza Cats
Fred Kennedy

Hammer Head
Ed Brisson

1:00–1:50 PM
Pop Kill: Big Candy and Denver

Jimmy Palmiotti
Amanda Conner
Dave Johnson
Suspiria

Limit three signed items per person. No witnessed signatures.

That hour alone is going to put some mileage on the line.

2:00–2:50 PM
Maverick Group Signing

Lan Pitts, Beat Every 1-Up
Richard Ashley Hamilton, SCOOP, Tectiv and Leo Da Vinci
Arianna Irwin, Penelope’s Escape from the Platypusary
Jimmy Gaspero, Penny and the Yeti

3:00–3:50 PM
Weekly World News
M.K. Perker

4:00–4:50 PM
Temporal
Stephanie Williams and Taurin Clarke

5:00–5:50 PM
Underworld Universe Group Signing

Mark London, Honor and Curse: Eternal, Mister Nemo and Exit City
Nick Marinkovich, Honor and Curse: Eternal
Rich Douek, Exit City

That’s a full Saturday, fam.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11

Sunday is NYCC’s Kids and Family Day, and Mad Cave is bringing Papercutz-friendly material into the spotlight before finishing the convention with another blast of Star Wars.

10:00–10:50 AM
Attack of the Stuff and Clyde
Jim Benton

11:00–11:50 AM
Undercover Monster and Ever Trip
A.C. Medina, Mina Elwell and Max Bare

12:00–12:50 PM
Aw, Nuts!
David Perry

1:00–1:50 PM
Solar Sisters
Amit Tishler and Elliot Sperl

Then comes the Sunday main event at the booth.

3:00–3:50 PM
Star Wars Comics Group Signing

Soo Lee
Delilah Dawson
Greg Pak
Arianna Irwin
Chas! Pangburn
Adam Lance Garcia
Dan Abdo
Jason Patterson

There’s again a five-item limit per person, including free signing prints, with no witnessed signatures. Before that signing, Mad Cave and Lucasfilm Publishing are also taking the Star Wars action to the panel rooms.

A New Galaxy of Star Wars Comics from Lucasfilm Publishing and Mad Cave Studios
1:45–2:30 PM
Room 1C03

Lucasfilm Publishing, Mad Cave staff and creators will dig into the companies’ Star Wars publishing partnership with news, upcoming stories and looks at what’s coming next. Translation?

Star Wars fans might want their asses in those seats.

For Comic Crusaders, this is exactly what I want to see when a comics publisher announces its NYCC plans. Creators. Comics. Signings. Panels. New projects. Opportunities for readers to actually interact with the people MAKING THE BOOKS. You know, the COMIC part of Comic Con. Crazy concept, right?

We’ll be roaming the Javits Center throughout New York Comic Con 2026, so if you’re heading to the show, keep Mad Cave Studios Booth #4457 on your radar. With this many creators rotating through the booth across four days, chances are we’re going to find ourselves over there more than once. And knowing us? Probably more than twice.

New York Comic Con 2026 runs October 8–11 at the Javits Center in New York City. Signing schedules, guests and appearances are subject to change. Check Mad Cave Studios for the latest scheduling information.

Wepa!

The Crusade Never Ends!