Nerd Fest Brings the Small-Con Advantage Back to South Jersey

Nerd Fest returns to the Holiday Inn Swedesboro on Sunday, Sept. 20, with a deliberately affordable version of the comic-con experience. The Jersey Shore Comic Book Show event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1 Pureland Drive, with admission set at $5 and children 10 and under admitted free with a paying adult. The event is built less around a massive headline attraction than around the part of convention culture that can get buried when a show becomes enormous: artists at tables, independent writers with books in hand, collectors actually digging through boxes, crafts and toys scattered between comics, and enough room for somebody who is curious but not yet fluent in the culture to wander in without feeling like they missed a prerequisite. The current guest list gives the floor real comics pedigree. Neil Vokes has worked across Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image and other publishers, with credits including Untold Stories of Spider-Man, Superman Adventures and Adventures of the Mask. Bob Petrecca began his career with Marvel in 1990 and has contributed to titles including Captain America, Spider-Man, Green Lantern, Justice League Unlimited and Batman Confidential. Artist Jay Taylor brings indie and Dynamite Comics experience, while G.W. Fisher has credits that include Image Comics and Marvel Licensing. The show also leans into regional creators. Carmen Costa, a Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia-area writer and educator, will be there with work from Harpoon Creative Industries. New Jersey author Leonard Apa brings his superhero-era novel Introducing the Scarlet Scrapper, and L.S. King, Chris Massari and the husband-and-wife art team Not Just 2 Artists are among the additional writers and creators currently listed. That mixture is part of the appeal. A smaller show can put somebody with decades of mainstream comics experience a few tables away from a creator launching a new independent project. For attendees, that changes the scale of the interaction. The convention becomes less about getting through a line and more about discovering who is sitting at the next table. More than comic boxes The 501st Star Wars Legion is scheduled to appear in costume for photos and interaction with fans, while the Gizmo Bros. will bring their Hot Wheels die-cast racing setup, with attendees choosing cars, racing family and friends, and winners taking home a Hot Wheels car. The organizers say there will not be a formal cosplay contest this time, but costumes are still welcome. Vendor tables are expected to cover the usual wonderfully broad definition of “nerd”: comic books, paperbacks, non-sport trading cards, DVDs, posters, toys, anime, jewelry, totes, dog collars, key chains, crafts and collectibles. That breadth makes the event useful for both serious collectors and families who may be looking for one fun afternoon rather than committing to an entire convention weekend. Nerd Fest is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Swedesboro, 1 Pureland Drive in Swedesboro. Admission is $5, with children 10 and under free when accompanied by a paying adult. There is no cosplay contest planned for this edition, but attendees are encouraged to come in costume. The current guest and vendor lineup includes comic artists, independent writers, crafters, the 501st Star Wars Legion and the Gizmo Bros. Hot Wheels racing attraction. The largest conventions are good at scale. Nerd Fest is making the case for proximity. There is value in an event where a family can walk through the door for five dollars, a kid can race a toy car, somebody can take a picture with a stormtrooper, and a reader can discover that the person sitting behind a stack of comics actually drew something they already know. That is what we will be looking for in Swedesboro: not whether Nerd Fest can imitate a giant convention, but how much of the convention experience gets better when it does not try. Event Details

What | Nerd Fest (Jersey Shore Comic Book Show)
When | Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Where | Holiday Inn Swedesboro, 1 Pureland Drive, Swedesboro
Tickets | $5 adults; children 10 and under free with paying adult
Also | Comic artists and indie creators; 501st Legion; Gizmo Bros. Hot Wheels racing; costumes welcome (no formal contest)

SOURCE NOTES • Jersey Shore Comic Book Show — Nerd Fest
• Jersey Shore Comic Book Show — Nerd Fest guests