Wizard World Big Apple Comic Con originally launched on March 2, 1996 as Big Apple Comic Con in the basement of the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City. The Big Apple Comic Con was the longest-running pop culture convention in New York City, as of 2016. The event was founded by collectibles retailer Michael “Mike Carbo” Carbonaro.

In 2009, Wizard World acquired the Big Apple Comic Con, changing the name to the Wizard World Big Apple Comic Con. Due to the growth of the nearby Javits Center event New York Comic Con, produced by ReedPOP, Wizard World gave up the New York market after the 2013 edition of the show, although the company has produced pop up shows and a cruise that sailed from New York Harbor. The Big Apple con is now back in the hands of founder Michael Carbonaro.

In 2009, the same year that Wizard World acquired the Big Apple Comic Con, Carbonaro established another independent one-day convention known as the New York Comic Book Marketplace, also known as NYCBM. That show has been on hiatus since 2014.