Tiny Onion, Bad Idea, Mondo, and Naruto TCG reveal San Diego Comic-Con 2026 plans

San Diego Comic-Con 2026 opens in San Diego, California on Thursday, 23 July, running through Sunday, 26 July across the San Diego Convention Center and surrounding Gaslamp Quarter venues. Independent comic studios, collectable makers, and trading card distributors are deploying physical convention perks, off-site venue takeovers, and gated product drops to convert convention foot traffic into paid subscribers and direct-to-consumer fans.

Creator James Tynion IV‘s production house, Tiny Onion, is running a series of creator panels alongside an off-site event at local comic shop Now or Never Comics on Saturday, 25 July. The studio is also celebrating nine Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards nominations. To reward paying supporters, Tiny Onion has restricted access to its private convention signing event strictly to 2026 Onion Club members.

Simultaneously, publisher Bad Idea is locking its convention panel freebie, a flip-book previewing It Demands Sacrifice #1 and Lancer #1, behind a requirement that attendees follow their upcoming Kickstarter campaign for ENIAC by Matt Kindt and Doug Braithwaite. Bad Idea will also hold an invite-only Tiki Party at Bali Hai on Shelter Island on 25 July, releasing a 100-copy variant of It Demands Sacrifice / Lancer #1 signed by filmmaker David Yarovesky and artist Tony Fleecs.

This reliance on convention access to build paid subscriber networks mirrors a growing trend across independent publishing. Geek Native previously covered how publishers use limited print runs and convention exclusives to encourage direct subscriptions. Restricting signing access to paid Onion Club tiers and tying physical panel gifts to crowdfunding activity allows smaller studios to secure ongoing digital revenue long after the convention hall closes.

Beyond print publishing, high-value collectables and trading cards are taking over adjacent spaces. Brand Mondo will host its annual “Toy Talk” panel on Thursday, 23 July, in Room 7AB, detailing upcoming releases and offering booth exclusives, including a 1/6-scale Deadpool figure from X-Men: The Animated Series and Masters of the Universe figures.

In card games, hobby distributor Zvezdar is launching the Naruto Mythos TCG in North America ahead of its November global release. Operating out of the Marriott Marquis demo space and the Rocketship exhibit booth, the distributor is distributing event promo cards for Summoning Jutsu and Shadow Clone Jutsu, while previewing 22-karat gold foil Legendary chase cards for collectors.

Television studios are similarly shifting resources away from traditional hall presentations toward urban street marketing. FX is promoting American Horror Story Season 13, which brings back core cast members Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson under showrunners Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, with a fleet of “13 Flavours” ice cream trucks touring San Diego. The activation dispenses free ice cream while sending fans on a physical search for a secret location teaser on Saturday evening.