How the system works when there's no block reward?

I've came across some articles arguing that it is a good idea to have no block reward at all, but I struggle to understand, how this would work.

I understand that the incentive for miners would be just transaction fees; but how new coins would be created? Even if there would be no new coins as a principle - where any coins come from? From some initial phase of PoW mining/any other initial distribution? If so, doesn't it give to much advantage for the early nodes (and therefore discourage others to join)?

how new coins would be created? Even if there would be no new coins as a principle - where any coins come from? From some initial phase of PoW mining/any other initial distribution?

Coins would be created the same way as today: from coin base transactions. That coin base transactions include fees and rewards, only fees (in a distant future), or only rewards (in the past), makes not much difference.