Renowned Comic Book Writer James Tynion IV Is Reinvigorating New York’s Creative Community

BusinessHollywood & EntertainmentRenowned Comic Book Writer James Tynion IV Is Reinvigorating New York’s Creative CommunityByJosh Weiss,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Josh Weiss is a writer covering the nexus of pop culture and Judaism.Follow AuthorMay 12, 2026, 04:23pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.US comics artist James Tynion IV poses during a photo session in Paris on February 3, 2026. (Photo by Joel Saget / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesIn 2019, after a six-year run, the Comic Arts Brooklyn (CAB) festival was held for the last time at Pratt University in Brooklyn. Not long after, the annual affair devoted to indie and alternative comics found itself placed on “indefinite hiatus," becoming one of the many in-person casualties Covid-19 pandemic.Now, half a decade later, Eisner Award-winning comic book creator James Tynion (Something Is Killing the Children, Department of Truth) is part of an initiative to fill that void with a similar convention dubbed Brooklyn Expo of Comics (BEC). Kicking off in November at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel church in Williamsburg, the gathering represents the first major endeavor organized by the Brooklyn Organization Dedicated to the Endurance of the Graphic Arts (BODEGA), a non-profit Tynion founded alongside fellow industry veterans Bryce Gold (creator of Pyrite Press) and Courtney Menar (formerly of Z2 Comics).“There was really a utility to create a larger organization that could help stand up the Brooklyn Expo of Comics every year," Tynion said over Zoom, “but also provide more resources to artists here in the city and create more incredible events that really help bring this community together."Gold agreed that the trio felt “the community wanted something, was hungry for something—specifically a show” in the vein of Comic Arts Brooklyn. "BEC is our fi...