BROOKLYN, NY – 11/12/24 – In response to overwhelming demand, Brooklyn Independent Comics Showcase (BICS) will be expanding to two days for its upcoming fourth year. The event will take place on April 26 and 27, 2025, and span two indoor floors and an outdoor courtyard within Industry City.
“Due to BICS’ dramatic growth and community response, we’re happy to announce that it will become a two-day event next year,” said Aynsley Leonardis, BICS Event Director.
Started in 2022, BICS was established by St. Mark’s Comics® as a space for local, independent artists to showcase their talents and wares. The legendary comic book and collectibles shop has long been an advocate for supporting the comics industry and the neighborhoods in which it resides. After 36 years in Manhattan’s East Village, St. Mark’s Comics opened its doors in Brooklyn three years ago. With the new location came a renewed passion to provide a platform for local artists.
Leonardis worked with Industry City — the creative retail space that houses St. Mark’s Comics and over 550 companies, restaurants, and more in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park area — to secure the courtyard outside the store’s location to hold the first event. She, with St. Mark’s, has worked over the past few years to develop BICS into a can’t-miss event for the comics creating community.
BICS was a success from year one, with about 50 vendor tables at the inaugural single-day event. Through continued promotion and word of mouth, that number doubled in year two to over 100 tables and doubled yet again in 2024.
“We had 260 vendors across 200 tables for 2023, and had to turn people away,” said Mitch Cutler, co-owner of St. Mark’s Comics. Seeing the event’s evolution, the team polled their vendors to gauge interest in moving to a two-day format.
More than 75% of respondents loved the idea, prompting the shift for 2025.
The event plans to include panels in 2025, and vendor applications will open on January 7th, with more details to be announced in the coming months. Anyone interested in securing a table should join the mailing list by registering on brooklynindependentcomicsshowcase.com. You can also follow bicsbrooklyn on Instagram and X for the latest updates.
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