Stan Sakai Back At IDW? NYCC Announcements Are Coming...

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Posted in: Comics, Conventions, Events, IDW, NYCC, Pop Culture | Tagged: Christopher Cantwell, Mariko Tamaki, Matthew Rosenberg, NYCC, Patrick Horvath, stan sakai

Stan Sakai Back At IDW? NYCC Announcements Are Coming…

Stan Sakai Back At IDW? NYCC Announcements are coming with Christopher Cantwell, Patrick Horvath, Matthew Rosenberg and Mariko Tamaki

Published Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:57:13 -0500
by Rich Johnston
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Article Summary

  • Stan Sakai at IDW? A surprise NYCC 2026 panel appearance fuels fresh Usagi Yojimbo speculation and comeback buzz.
  • IDW promises major NYCC announcements with Stan Sakai, Christopher Cantwell, Patrick Horvath, Matthew Rosenberg and Mariko Tamaki.
  • Each panelist already has IDW ties, making Stan Sakai’s inclusion the biggest clue that new IDW plans may be coming soon.
  • IDW’s NYCC plans also include Peach Momoko, Star Trek and Fatal Fest exclusives, plus signings from top creators.

IDW's plans for New York Comic-Con include this particular panel on Friday, just before lunch. Which did quite a lot to catch my eye. Tell me what you think…

IDW Publishing: You'll Want to Be in This Room
Fri, Oct 9, 2026
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
North-Room 406.2
Do you think the panel title is exaggerating? Just wait until you hear what we're going to announce. Yes, we had one of our best years yet with fan-favorite franchises like Ninja Turtles, original hits like Beneath the Trees, and acclaimed genre imprints like IDW Dark… But that was just the beginning, and the news we drop in this panel will have everyone talking. If you skip the panel and see the news on your phone, you're definitely gonna feel shaken. Panelists: Christopher Cantwell, Patrick Horvath, Matthew Rosenberg, Mariko Tamaki, and Stan Sakai

What can we glean from this panel description about the news they may be dropping? Well, all of those creators have IDW projects right now… Christopher Cantwell on Star Trek, Patrick Horvath on Beneath The Trees, Matthew Rosenberg on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mariko Tamaki on Hello Kitty and Stan Sakai on… hmmm. IDW published Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo from 2019 to 2022, when he returned to Dark Horse Comics. Could he make the trip to IDW once more? Might it be something else? Could all the IDW attendees have something new to announce at IDW as well? One scoop I can tell you is that the IDW booth at New York Comic-Con 2026 will have, amongst other things:

  • A Peach Momoko glow-in-the-dark NYCC exclusive variant of her Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees: Halloween Special cover
  • An Andrew K. Currey NYCC exclusive variant for Star Trek: Zero Point #1
  • A Fatal Fest #1 NYCC exclusive ashcan

Alongside signing schedules, featuring creators like Mariko Tamaki, Patrick Horvath, Christopher Cantwell, Hannah Rose May, Matthew Rosenberg, Dan Watters, and the rest…

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