Genndy Tartakovsky, fresh-off the success of his feature film passion project Fixed debuting on Netflix, took New York Comic Con by storm on Thursday with a special presentation of the upcoming third season of his Adult Swim animated series Primal. He unveiled the teaser trailer of Season 3, and I was there to witness it on the big screen — along with hundreds of other enthusiastic NYCC attendees.

The show, which returns in January after more than three years, definitely takes a shift, as Spear is now… A Zombie! Tartakovsky, who’s been waiting to share this news for a year, said, “It’s F-in’ tremendous! So pulpy and different.” But he also told the crowd that he wants what worked in the first two seasons to also be prominent in this one — “trying to get the emotionality the show has, with a zombie.”

Tartakovsky then revealed some very cool Primal S3 sketches, including one of were-hyenas, though he admitted, “I don’t know if they’re in the show or not, but I thought I’d show them.” He then transitioned to gorgeous backgrounds of forests and waterfalls. “We’re doing hardcore, feature-quality s–t in some of the episodes”, promising “our scale is just as big [as the previous seasons]…” He then wanted to explain more but held back. “…And I can’t say anything”, which earned one of several huge laughs from the crowd.

Tartakovsky declared, “I trust my gut. It’s gotten me this far in over 30 years of making stuff,” which was followed by a massive round of applause and cheers. After the first 15 minutes of the panel, he devoted the remainder of the hour to an extended audience Q&A on highlights throughout his career, because he felt most Q&As at conventions he’s previously been to were too brief. This is just one of the many reasons why he continues to be one of the most respected creators in the animation community.

Look for more NYCC 2025 coverage coming soon to Animation Scoop!