New York Comic Con and more events will offer live streamed panels for those who can't attend

(Image credit: ReedPop)

Comic conventions are beginning to return, and the organizer of some of the largest ones is offering a special deal for people antsy to return and for those who are hesitant but don't want to miss out.

ReedPop, the organizers of New York Comic Con, C2E2, and more, has launched 'MetaVerse Memberships' - an annual membership program with benefits that include access to live streamed panels and exclusive first dibs on comic convention badges.

"Through a series of surveys over the past year, we asked nearly 100,000 fans what they wanted to see, and more importantly, how they wanted to see it," ReedPOP's global president Lance Fensterman said in the announcement. "We took all that data and sketched out our Metaverse Membership program, essentially built by our fans with what's most important to them."

Here's a list of what ReedPop's MetaVerse Memberships will offer:

Access to live video and/or audio streams of most panels for NYCC, C2E2, Emerald City Comic Con, and MCM London (and VOD access for 30 days after the show)
Access to purchase convention-exclusive merchandise
Access to unspecified "digital celebrity & talent panels" year-around - with exclusive access to at least one every three months
A limited-edition enamel pin for Metaverse Memberships

Metaverse Memberships begin at $65 per year, with an elevated $99/year 'SuperFan' level offering all of the above benefits, as well as:

Exclusive access to pre-sale events for tickets/badges to NYCC, C2E2, Emerald City Comic Con, and MCM London (two per membership per event)
First access to purchase photo ops and autographs, 48 hours before they're available to the general public
First access to purchase con-exclusive merchandise

"Our fans are the embodiment of our events and their feedback is invaluable to us. As a Metaverse Member, fans can enjoy all our shows have to offer, from wherever they feel most comfortable doing so," Fensterman continues. "At home or in person, Metaverse Memberships will enhance the Con experience in a brand new way and offer greater access to content and exclusives than ever before."

ReedPop plans to begin selling Metaverse Memberships in late June, just in time to offer early purchase of New York Comic Con 2021 badges on July 11 to its SuperFan level of members. After an unspecified time, NYCC badges will be available for purchase to those who completed ReedPop's Fan Verified process in 2019, and then lastly to the general public - while supplies last.

The last New York Comic Con, in 2019, boasted an attendance of over 250,000. For this year's first post-COVID-19 NYCC, ReedPop is limiting event capacity to an as-yet-unspecified figure and only selling single-day passes.

New York Comic Con is scheduled to take place October 7 through 10 at the Jacob K. Javitz Convention center in the heart of New York City.

ReedPop's Metaverse Memberships currently only apply to its four major cons - NYCC, C2E2, C2E2, and MCM Comic Con - but it's possible the company could expand the program at a later date.

Keep apprised of the dates for NYCC, C2E2, and all the upcoming events with our comic conventions schedule.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)