I stood under The Biltmore’s chandelier and felt the schedule hit like a cold gust: three days, hundreds of names, one building. You can almost hear the panels lining up in your head—artists, showrunners, auctioneers. I read the guest list twice before I believed how stacked this was.
At The Biltmore’s grand lobby you can already sense the energy — Lineup highlights
I’ve been following comic festivals long enough to know when a roster matters. The inaugural ICON Festival of Comic & Narrative Art (November 6–8) stitches together creators you actually want to see: Thomas Jane, John Wick creator Derek Kolstad, Daniel Warren Johnson and Nick Dragotta from Absolute Batman. Movies & TV has the exclusive on the full programming slate, and the names read like a comic-book Mt. Rushmore.
Expect headline panels that aren’t filler: Dragotta and Johnson talk shop about their Absolute Batman series; Kolstad and Frank Cho riff on Wolverine, the Hulk, and obscure characters such as Shanna the She-Devil; and Heritage Auctions alongside attorney Steve Morger host an Estate Planning session aimed at collectors who want to protect a growing comic cache.
When is the ICON Festival taking place?
The festival opens with a November 6 VIP reception and runs through November 8 at The Biltmore in Los Angeles. The official schedule and ticketing live on iconartfestival.com, and Movies & TV published the programming slate in advance.
At the ticket table you’ll notice three clear price bands — Ticket tiers and what they get you
You can pick the level of access that fits your budget and appetite.
- Sunday Pass: $75 (€70) — admission for November 8.
- Weekend Pass: $225 (€209) — admission for November 7–8, plus a collector’s swag bag and festival poster.
- VIP Pass: $375 (€349) — opening reception on November 6; access to an exclusive Saturday night event with Bill Sienkiewicz and guests including Thomas Jane; an ICON angel lithograph signed by Alex Ross; and all Weekend Pass perks.
I recommend checking the festival site for exact inventory and refunds; tickets can sell out fast when names like Alex Ross and Kolstad appear on the roster.
How much do ICON Festival tickets cost?
The three-tiered pricing above keeps options open for casual fans and collectors. When you compare value, the VIP perks are aimed at people who prize signed art and curated evening events.
On the showroom floor you’ll see the work, not just the signatures — Exhibits and collector-focused programming
There’s a museum-grade element here: The Art of Alex Ross Exhibit will present more than 100 original paintings, bringing a gallery cadence to a festival weekend. Heritage Auctions and Steve Morger will run a session on estate planning for comic collections, which is practical if you’re accumulating high-value art.
Bill Sienkiewicz hosts a Saturday-night special event with a small roster including Thomas Jane and writer-host Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter—an evening geared at collectors and industry pros who want conversation rather than just autographs.
At every panel you’ll overhear insights you won’t get on social feeds — Panels and programming specifics
The schedule favors creators who shape both mainstream and indie pages. Expect intimate conversations—Frank Cho with Derek Kolstad on character craft, Daniel Warren Johnson and Nick Dragotta breaking down sequence work on Absolute Batman, and booths staffed by artists like Ryan Ottley, Frank Cho, Dustin Nguyễn, and Babs Tarr.
Beyond names, the festival programs sessions for different appetites: script-to-screen storytellers, painterly masters like Alex Ross, and practical sessions for collectors and legal planning with Heritage Auctions. This mix creates a magnetic pull for collectors and creators alike.
Who is appearing at the ICON Festival?
In addition to the headliners mentioned, expect a long list of creators: Ryan Ottley, Eric Basaldua, Jim Cheung, Sanford Greene, Megan Huang, Dave Johnson, David Mack, Dustin Nguyễn, Alex Niño, Jason Palmer, Dan Panosian, Bill Sienkiewicz, Cat Staggs, William Stout, Joel Adams, Alice Darrow, Shannon Denton, the Escorza Brothers, Brian Haberlin, Willie Ito, Andy Park, Scott Shaw, Mark Texeira, and more. The full roster is on the festival site and in Movies & TV’s exclusive schedule reveal.
I’ll be there, watching which panels fill the fastest and which signings generate the longest lines. Will you be one of the collectors who presses for a sketch, or do you want the conversations that change how creators work—what are you prioritizing?
Tickets and full programming can be found at iconartfestival.com—I’m already planning which panels to sleep-talk about the next morning; which session will you regret missing?