Here's How Huge New York Comic Con Has Become In 9 Years

Today is the first day of New York Comic Con!

From October 9-12 comic, TV, and film fans will flock to the Javits Center in Manhattan.

Now in its ninth year, NYCC is attracting crowds the size of San Diego's Comic-Con that started back in the '70s. While the two have no relation (NYCC is run by exhibitor ReedPOP) 133,000 turned out for the event last year.

If you're not familiar with NYCC, the four-day extravaganza offers sneak peeks at show screenings before they air on TV. In addition to a giant art gallery and comic display, there are games to play, freebies to collect, and if you're wandering around the showroom floor, you may even bump into a star from one of your favorite shows.

This year, even more people are expected to attend. Tickets for the four-day event sold out back in June in mere minutes after technical difficulties on the New York Comic Con website left some fans frustrated. ReedPOP tells Business Insider more passes have been made available for Thursday.

Here's how attendance has grown since the event began: