Emerald City Comic Con 2024 Recap
Apparently, I may have designated 2024 as the “Year of the Con” because I’ve decided to put several on my schedule. The first of which was Emerald City Comic Con, in Seattle, Washington. I’ve been one other time and that was 10 years ago. So why not return this year? Now to recap a fun filled weekend.
Before jumping into the recap, I want to thank the ECCC and ReedPop media teams for granting me a press pass to cover the convention.
I’ve only been to the Pacific Northwest for ECCC, so I can’t speak on other conventions in that direction, but it seems this show sits in a unique position. That region of the country is a creative hub, so to speak. The area is home to many comic creators, novelists and gaming companies. That’s just as it relates to the convention. Add in the music and film aspects and I can see why it carries the vibe it does; which is a heavily artistic one.
All of that was present as you traversed each level of the building. The guest list across the board was loaded with talent. Artist alley had constant traffic, from local talent and comic industry veterans to relatively newer ones carrying with them all sorts of creations. Comic publishers such as Oni Press and IDW Publishing, among others, were in attendance.
I do wonder, however, what it would take to get more comic publishers more routinely involved in the convention scene again. I do understand several have seemingly opted to increase their online presence via their own websites and social media instead. But in the past, they were a staple of comic conventions and a major draw for fans. This is a subject I’ll be addressing in a separate piece in the near future, so stay tuned.
When I cover conventions, my photo galleries are one of my favorite, and regular, pieces of content. The cosplayers are usually a major focus of that and they did not disappoint. Fans showed up in droves dressed as characters from comics, video games, film, anime, etc. There’s a strong passion and dedication for it and it was on full display throughout the weekend. Again, there’s that artistic and creative element on exhibit.
On the programming side of it, there were several panels I was interested in sitting in on and was able to attend two. The first being Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti doing what they do: Entertain the fans. Among the topics discussed were early moments in their careers, odd interactions with fans and backlash they’ve received about their handling of characters and stories. They also took questions from the audience. It was an entertaining and engaging panel throughout, centered on two talented and personable comic creators.
The other panel centered on world building in comics and included Brian Michael Bendis, Becky Cloonan, Lukas Ketner, Malachi Ward and Caitlin Yarsky. One of the questions that stood out concerned the process of starting a story and whether they started with character, plot, theme, etc. and when does it all come together. Panels are still a great avenue for creators to share insight into their individual creative processes.
Spoiler alert: I’m a big comic book guy, so that’s where a lot of my attention goes. That’s for programming, exhibitor booths and artist alley. That also includes the dealer area. So of course I managed to do some comic hunting throughout the weekend. And I came away with a nice stack of books for my collection. As a whole, the dealers at the show had a lot to offer comic fans. From cheaper books to more expensive and high end comics and included recent releases going back to the Golden Age. The varying tastes of the comic community were properly served.
On my end, I did drop the ball in regards to some of the content I wanted to produce. Part of that involved arriving later than anticipated due to travel issues. Also, with so much going on at conventions, I have to balance exploring the show floor and capturing the fun in photos and video with sitting in on panels and being a part of those conversations. You can’t do everything and that’s just how it goes.
One of my main goals from a content perspective at comic conventions is to give others an inside look at a specific show. That’s for people who couldn’t attend as well as those who’ve never been to any conventions. Prior to going to my first couple conventions, each of different scale, I had no idea what to expect at a full weekend event. I like to capture that in both photos and video.
One minor note about the location, which I heard voiced by others as well, regarded the restroom signage. This was specific to the Seattle Convention Center Summit building, as I can’t recall if it was the same in the Arch building. The sign displayed a person in a wheelchair and one other marking. I have no shame in admitting my confusion. There was no indication of what was actually behind those doors. I didn’t want to walk in and surprise anyone. I asked a convention staffer and they explained the signing. It was also stated how they’d had to tell multiple people due to how confusing it was.
Speaking of the buildings, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the use of both the Summit and Arch. The Arch building was used for will call and some autograph signings, while most of the convention was held in the Summit building. I’m curious if that’s how it will operate going forward or if the process and layout will be tweaked at all.
Besides seeing more comic publishers again, what else I’d like to see are more comic dealers and the return of physical program guides. The latter for obviously biased reasons as you’ll see below.
Overall, ECCC 2024 struck a nice balance across the board with its variety of offerings. That included comic books, video games, novels, anime, television and film. And again, the cosplayers absolutely showed out. This mix also extended to the fans. I saw plenty of solo attendees, couples, friend groups and families at the convention An important part of that involved all the kids having fun around the show. And as usual for conventions, even as a generally solo convention-goer, I found myself in multiple conversations with other people about events at the show and related to comics. That’s always welcome.
Full coverage links for the convention are listed below for your convenience.
The dates for next year’s show were already announced. Emerald City Comic Con 2025 will be held March 6th-9th. See you next year?