Gary Vaynerchuk's VeeFriends just broke the Guinness World Record for the largest comic book in history — a 7,312.7 cm² giant unveiled live on stage at New York Comic Con 2026. The record-breaking stunt capped a blockbuster weekend for VeeFriends at NYCC 2026, where the brand launched an oversized annual collection, exclusive Walmart and Funko partnerships, and a trading-card championship, staking its claim as a serious player in the comics industry.
The largest comic book ever made
The headline moment came on Friday, October 9, during Gary Vee's Whatnot-stage show, billed as "A GIANT Live!" — the unveiling of VeeFriends Comic Book #22: "Gentle Giant," with a variant cover by Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld. The giant edition measured 7,312.7 cm², beating the previous record of 7,030 cm², with an official Guinness adjudicator on stage to certify it. Asked if he was nervous, Gary told the official: "I really believe in my team."
The choice of character was no accident: issue #22 contains the origin story of the original VeeFriends character Gentle Giant, whose powers are based on gargantuan size. Only 4,400 copies of the record-breaking Liefeld variant were printed. The standard covers come from Jeremy Hyler (Cover A, who also handled interior art) and Jim Huggart (Cover C, who also wrote the story). The issue went on live release October 14, 2026.
Annual Jump 2026: all 22 issues, $19.99
VeeFriends also launched Annual Jump 2026, a new oversized collection inspired by Japanese manga compilations and Shonen Jump that gathers VeeFriends Comic Book issues #1–22 in a single book priced at $19.99. The all-new cover is by creative producer Jim Rugg, and the contributing artists read like a comics hall of fame: J. Scott Campbell, Rob Liefeld, David Mack, Jae Lee, Bill Sienkiewicz, Frank Cho, Chris Fason, Kate Windels and D.J. Coffman. It was sold at VeeFriends Booth #2835, where Gary Vaynerchuk appeared on-site alongside executive creative director D.J. Coffman, Jim Rugg, artist Chris Fason and writer/artist Kate Windels.
The pricing is a statement. As Gary put it in his NYCC interview: "This is about the stories, y'all, not just a flipping value." He has long argued that "comic books are the most underrated medium of storytelling in society" and should stand on "the respect level of meaningful best-selling, all-time literature."
Walmart, Funko and a $5,000 card championship
The weekend's exclusives kept coming. A VeeFriends x Walmart Comic Book Special Story Edition C continued The Battle for Balance storyline with a main cover by Chris Fason — just 1,500 copies of the ungraded base edition were given away free at NYCC, while a holographic CGC-graded edition sold exclusively on GaryVee's WalmartLive stream, including 155 graded copies with randomly inserted autographs from D.J. Coffman, Chris Fason and Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary signed live at Walmart Booth #2821 on Thursday afternoon.
Collectors also got a first look at Comic Book #23: "Jolly Jack-O," with artwork by Tim Jacobus — the original cover artist for R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series — offered as 341 CGC-graded mystery boxes (310 Orange editions, 31 Black chase editions, limit two per customer), plus a Jim Rugg blacklight poster limited to 100 copies. A VeeFriends x Funko Bitty POP! Mystery Collection, NYCC-exclusive at $3.99 a pack, rounded out the merch. And on Friday night at Lavan Midtown, the 2026 VeeFriends TCG Championship crowned a champion among the top 64 battlers, with prizes including a $5,000 VeeFriends Shop gift card.
The backdrop: NYCC 2026 ran October 8–11 at the Javits Center, the convention's 20th anniversary, drawing more than 250,000 attendees and an estimated $91 million economic boost for New York City, per ReedPop figures reported by ComicsBeat.
Takeaway: From a Guinness record to a $19.99 omnibus built for readers rather than flippers, VeeFriends used NYCC 2026 to plant its flag in the comic industry — and Gary Vee is betting that affordable, story-first comics can win the mainstream respect the medium has long been denied.
Watch: Gary Vee talks comics, collecting and VeeFriends at NYCC 2026 (Superheroes Ultimate) — a sit-down interview at the VeeFriends booth where he unveils Annual Jump 2026, explains why affordable comics matter, and discusses issue #22 "Gentle Giant" and the giant record-breaking comic.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Life of Riley (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0