Grace Malko, Contributing Photographer

From illustrations of Courage the Cowardly Dog to vintage Superman comics, comic book lovers found their haven in the Elm City last Sunday. 

New Haven Comic and Collectible Spectacular descended again upon New Haven, organized by comic aficionado Tom Fiore at the Annex YMA Club bingo hall. Collectible vendors, visiting artists and professional comic collectors manned booths from wall to wall, selling posters, Funko Pops, eclectic mementos, vintage comic books and signed artwork.

“I’ve been doing shows since 1985 [and the New Haven] show for the past eight years,” said comic seller Jonathan Scungio over his bins of rare comics, some prices marked in the thousands.

The Spectacular began in 2006, shortly before the birth of Tom Fiore’s daughter, who helped behind the ticket booth at the entrance on Sunday. Fiore’s family wasn’t the only one present. Droves of parents and children milled between the booths of the Spectacular, poking through action figures and plush cartoon characters.

Fiore was inspired by comic book fairs he attended as a kid to create the Spectacular. The children weaving between the stands on Sunday reminded Fiore of the joy events like these brought him.

Beneath the unused bingo scoreboard and among rows of comic books from his childhood, Fiore remarked on the legacy of his passion for collecting comic books and the Spectacular. 

“It’s liberating. I do hope that this catches on and people continue it. People have gone off and run their own shows that started by coming here and setting up,” said Fiore.

In addition to comic sellers, artist Jeff Brennan — known for his concept art and work on Courage the Cowardly Dog and Dragon Tales — was in attendance. He sold signed artwork and greeted friends and familiar faces from the comic book selling circuit. Brennan emphasized the significance of these events for a working artist. 

“Most of the time I don’t really get to see a response, that’s part of what I do these shows for. Now I get to find out how much this stuff meant to people,” Brennan said from behind his table of Cartoon Network characters.

Event-goers echoed the same sentiment. Yara Mustafa GRD ’28 pointed out the nostalgic and intergenerational value of comic conventions.

“You get to meet people that were a part of your childhood … who contributed to things that you really enjoyed, and then say thank you for contributing to those memories,” she said.

The New Haven Comic and Collectible Spectacular will return on Dec. 14 in the Annex YMA hall.