Walmart Marketplace is determined to stake its claim in the collectibles arena, and it’s doing so at one of the largest pop culture events in the country: New York Comic Con (NYCC), running Oct. 9-12 at NYC’s Javits Center. The retailer has also added the Shortboxed comics marketplace, with a catalog of 75,000 books from thousands of sellers, to the Walmart Marketplace assortment, some of which will be featured at the show, and plans to broadcast 25 exclusive Walmart Live livestreams from its NYCC booth.
Additionally, the Walmart Delivers Lo-fi Play truck will be featured at NYCC; Walmart had introduced the event-friendly themed trucks in August 2025. The booth itself will feature three dynamic “realms,” each with exclusive products, interactive quests and collectible rewards:
- The Hero-verse: Where pop culture icons come to life;
- The Wonder Dome: An arena for collecting, battling and trading; and
- The Dark Realm: For fans who like collections with an edge to them.
“This isn’t just a booth — it’s a manifestation of Walmart as a digital destination for collectible comic books,” said Michael Mosser, VP and Category Lead, Walmart U.S. Marketplace in a blog post. “We’re ramping up our efforts to make collecting accessible for all — families, fans and first-timers — delivering the latest, some of the rarest and the most exciting exclusives at the best value, both online and in-store. And with secure, authentic transactions, you can shop with confidence.
The NYCC activations build on Walmart’s launch mast month of a weekly livestream for collectors in partnership with TalkShopLive and WeTheHobby.
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Booth to Feature Exclusive Limited Editions of Comic Books
Walmart also will use the event to debut limited-edition comic books created in collaboration with DC, Marvel, Image and Skybound as giveaways and prizes throughout the event. “Collectors know not all covers are created equal and many of the comics we’re giving away are the kind of print runs that disappear fast and get talked about for years,” said Mosser.
One of the exclusives was created by Gary Vaynerchuck, CEO of the character universe and entertainment company VeeFriends. The NYCC-specific bundle will feature VeeFriends Special Store Edition A Comic Book and a mini-sticker of the fan favorite character Flex’n Fox. Stickers in the bundles will have various rarities, adding an extra layer of excitement for collectors. While these bundles will be given away free at the event, a limited run of exclusive books graded by card grading service CGC will be sold by VeeFriends via a Walmart Live event on Oct. 9.
Other magnets for collectors will include signings by industry legends Todd McFarlane, Stan Sakai and Tom King.
