Emerald City Comicon

Oh my gosh. This year was my first time going — what have I been missing out on!!!
So much to see and do. I definitely did not see it all! :(Wish I had gone more than one day!
Make sure to check out a few panels and stop by the celebrity autograph area. I did not purchase any signature tickets or photo op tickets, but was allowed to walk up to the celebrities and say hi! I got to meet Scott Wilson (The Walking Dead) and Finn Jones (Game Of Thrones) — got to talk to each of them for a few minutes! SO cool!
So many rooms filled with comics, board games, art. There is just so much. I loved that there were a lot of local authors and artists there, you were able to chat with them and see how passionate they are about their work. Pretty amazing.
Also. DRESS UP! SO MUCH FUN! It’s cool seeing how crazy people get with their costumes! Some are SO amazingly detailed! My friends and I dressed up, it was exciting having people want to take photos with you and commenting on your outfits.
Bring cash, as a lot of places are cash only. Try to discover some stuff you’ve never been into before, keep your mind open to new things.
Lots of merchandise. I bought a comic! I was so excited! Haha. They have clothing, art, books, costumes, armor, jewelry. You can even get a tattoo here. Will certianly be back next year — already planning my next costume!

I am an artist that attended the alley in 2012, it has actually been a long time since I went to Seattle from Canada. You tend to see a con slightly differently when you are an unknown artist in the alley. Firstly, you know you are not someone like Jack Kirby, Brad Pitt or Stan Lee. If you are a decent writer and artist and are engaging to your audience, my opinion remains the very least you can do at any show, is cover the basic cost of your table, and have a good time. I probably have an opinion that I must have a decent time at a show to return, and cover the most basic costs, or I likely am reluctant to return.
That being said, I haven’t come back to the show in years.
Mind you, my experience was from 2012, anything could have happened since then. What happened that year was the alley was plucked in the back of the building (which I consider to be one of the worst setups for the alley since the audience stays in the front and rarely pursues as much when we are near the back), and a lot of big name artists were also in our section. The management had decided to create massive lineups to see those big names by making it clear to fans that by getting in those lineups would mean meeting a famous artist or writer. The lineups were long and coiled all over the alley, they actually blocked us from being seen for the majority of attendees at the con. 2 of the 3 days I was blocked by a lineup of people there to see someone other than me. People that may have been interested probably never knew I nor other talent was there. The final day many of the really well known artists had left a day early, and my sales were actually very good. Not enough to cover the table since the other two days were abject failures, but proof enough to me that when visible I must have art that people enjoy when they can actually see it.
Another irritation (this happens from time to time) is some people in the alley will be very competitive. Because we all seemed to have pretty dismal sales, at times other rival artists also making little got on each other’s nerves. The table beside me told me after I complimented a cosplayer’s costume to stay away from their customer. I realise you want your sale, one of my bottom lines are that I want to enjoy my time at a con. I like taking pics of great people at cons and their creative costumes, and this person acted like I was purposely blocking them from making any sale (I only asked for a picture once). No artists should ever block people from buying art from anyone, all I said was after they did their business with that artist if I could take a picture, and honestly, if they ended up buying from them or myself or not didn’t matter to me. No that’s not a huge issue with the con, but I think that artist needed to calm down, and probably the organisation of the alley made that situation worse. I got screamed at twice by that person in front of everyone, that was nuts and uncomfortable.
Other than my experience as an artist, the con is a fun show. The parties are all over the place, you can go all over the convention centre the days and nights in between and a lot of people want to have a good time with people they’ve never met before. I think that was the high point of the show.
The execs here seemed only to want to take my money from me. After I got back, I sent an e-​mail to their PR exec and complained about the organistion of the alley. I said if anything were done about it I would consider returning. Losing money on my table sucks and I am like any investor that unless I get a return on my investment I will go elsewhere. Since I am not a famous person, and do not have a mass fan following, I really think they didn’t care and in 3 years since no one has responded to the original e-​mail I sent. The only e-​mails I get now are to re-​attend, oblivious what my purpose was there, only that my attending their show from Canada somehow it’s going to be something I can’t see anywhere. I could care less. I am having a great time heading to shows where I am having fun and able to cover basic costs of being a seller. Any con that can’t get that is not worth my time. Would I ever do this con again? I am reluctant. If my work ever became famous I may have a different opinion. My opinion is this show is more about an attendee gushing over a famous artist and really treats unknowns like dirt.

Like PAX, I will review this day by day.
Friday: Get to con around 4PM (school had to come first) and go straight into Nancy Cartwright’s signing line (she’s the voice of Bart Simpson). Pay $ 60 for photo and autograph. She was amazing! Super kind and loved everybody. I then went to the next table over and met Bill Farmer (voice of all the Looney Tunes characters Mel Blank did after he passed and he’s the voice of Goofy) and because he had no line we talked for about 10 minutes. He had some really interesting things to say. I walked a couple more tables over and met William Salyers (voice of Rigby on The Regular Show) paid $ 10 for a picture and he told me what it was like to work for Cartoon Network. I then went and explored the Hall. Good day.
Day 2 (Saturday): Holy unorganized chaos, Batman! There were so many people there it was insane. The reason I gave it 4 stars was because to get to the celebrity signing area you have to go up 2 escalators. The minions said the people waiting in the queue got first priority and they wouldn’t open the escalators up to the others until 10 (15 mins after the con opened). They lied. 9:45 they opened the escalators, so the people waiting got screwed. Kind of disappointing. The PAX enforcers are far superior. I went to meet Stephen Amell and it was truly magical. Arrow is easily my favorite TV show and meeting someone who has inspired me so much was amazing. I got in line at 9:50 after I got my autograph it was 11:30. Totally worth the wait. I then walked down to get a photo op and was really happy to hear he remembered my name after 2 hours and dozens of people later. I walked down the artists alley and bought some awesome prints. Later that evening I attended the Comics of Comicon panel (a hilarious stand-​up comedy panel) and then watched the Urban Dictionary game show (as gross and amazing as it sounds). A truly spectacular day
Sunday: final day. I don’t have much to see except for the Movie Mash-​Up panel with was all the voice actors re creating famous movie scenes in various voices. It was amazing. Then I went home. I didn’t have much more to see.
Despite the few Organizing slip-​ups, the con was amazing and I will probably return next year.

We had 3 day passes but only went Sat/​Sun as hubby ended up having to work on Friday but 2 days was enough. We didn’t stay long on Sunday. Saturday was a crazy zoo. Sunday morning seems more calm.
The artists alley was amazing and it wasn’t just stuff that goes with comics and zombies. I got some cute animals stuff and super cute artsy stuff.
I am not sure we’ll be back next year. I don’t recall if they announced schedule before tickets sold out but that might be an issue if you only go one day.
Nearly all of the panels were on Saturday.
All of the other reviews are also excellent and I agree with nearly all of them. I am not giving 5 stars because the minions were insanely annoying in the panels.
There is a handicap section but if there are no handicap people then why can’t I as a single person sit there until handicap people come in? The lady was pretty rude.
Then they ask you to move inward so other people can sit in the outside of the aisle, they have no regard if someone wants to sit there or if yo wouldn’t be able to see. It was just rude and distracting.

I just went to Emerald City Comicon for the first time ever last weekend and it was amazing!!! I wasn’t one of the 3-​day pass holders, but forcing myself to just get a 1-​day pass was probably a blessing because this place wiped my paycheck faster than the slots with the pretty lights and pictures at the casino!
Local, independent, and many well-​known artists were there and I bought so many cute, awesome, nerd art! There were cosplayers and Bronies and so many TARDIS’s! And let’s not forget to mention the photo-​ops you get with some well-​known celebrities!
I’ve only gone to PAX before going to ECCC, and although PAX is definitely a lot bigger and more popular, there was still plenty to do. PAX is geared more towards video games and board games and all sorts of games, but ECCC has more to do with comics (obviously), art, and your favorite TV shoes/​movies. Totally different content, but you’ll still see PLENTY of cosplayers and people who dress up or come in wearing a graphic tee based off their favorite book/​cartoon/​etc! You won’t get as much swag as PAX and there aren’t a lot of things to try out, but there are PLENTY of things that make you stop every other booth that you really have to resist the urge to buy everything! Seriously… I thought this place was like a huge ass nerd art fair!
I know that there is the ever-​so-​popular SDCC (which I’ve never been to, but I heard that the crowds can be chaotic!) or PAX that sells out in minutes, but don’t let that fool you into thinking there’s nothing to see at ECCC. Although ECCC is a bit smaller than PAX, I heard it’s been growing more and more every year — I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes as big as PAX in the future!

I just went for something to do but I had a lot of fun. I am not very into this stuff but I do have a collection of Wonder Woman stuff. Some of my friends are very into comicon. I just enjoyed people watching and meeting some interesting artists.

We are blessed here in Seattle to have some stellar nerd conventions: GeekGirlCon, PAX, Sakura-​Con, SteamCon, Norwescon… you get the idea. ECCC is the largest comic book and pop culture convention in the Pacific Northwest with attendance growing from 2,500 in 2003 to an excess of 50K in 2012!
ECCC has something for everyone. There are interesting panel discussions with industry artists and writers. Always wanted to get that MOC figure of your favourite icon signed? You’re in luck. She’s doing a photo op and autograph session this weekend! They’ve boasted an impressive roster of media guests over the years: Patrick Stewart, George Takei, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Stan Lee, Edward James Olmos, and many more.
There is a massive Exhibitors area with modern and vintage titles plus other items like models, action figures, and statues. Budget accordingly. There is a lot to see and even more to buy. And one of the best parts of ECCC is the costume contest so charge those digital cameras and get ready to take a LOT of photographs.
My suggestion is to put yourself on their mailing lists so you don’t miss the chance to purchase tickets when they go live.

Review Number 400.
The Emerald City Comicon is one of my absolute favorite events of the year. This is three days of awesomeness that includes tons and tons of comic books (of course), crazy costumed characters, artists showcasing their stuff, exhibitors… exhibiting, and a lineup of celebrity guests that seems to get better and better every year.
This event is held at the Washington State Convention Center and this year the organizers found a way to nearly double the size of the event which kept everything from feeling too crowded although you could easily get yourself lost in the sheer size of the event as well. There were some complaints of people having to wait in line literally hours to get in the door and the maze-​like layout can get you turned around pretty quick, but overall it seemed like everyone was having a great time.
Since I am reviewing the event as a whole, I won’t touch on any specific celebrity appearances or other year specific topics, but they always do a great job of bringing in a bigger and better roster of talent each and every year. All the nerdiest genres are well represented by their biggest names so you can totally geek out when you get to the front of the autograph and photo opp lines.
If you have any interest in anything to do with geek culture which, to be honest, has pretty much taken over popular culture these days, you will want to check out this event. Whether you are into the latest TV shows, blockbuster movies, video games, artwork, graphic novels, comic books, or clothing, you will find something here to enjoy. Even if you just want to see tons of people dressed up in their favorite costumes, you will never a find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy… oops, I mean cooler building filled with passionate fans of all ages.

This was my first year attending the convention and I had a blast! Got to see Felicia Day, Patrick Stewart, and Will Wheaton. I would definitely recommend visiting any of Will Wheaton’s panels. He’s very entertaining! I also loved looking at all the costumes, meeting the various comic book artists, and visiting all the unique exhibits around the convention. Plus everyone was super friendly and nerdy, like me!
Some tips for fellow con-​goers for next year:
1. SCHEDULE YOURSELF: Print out a copy of the panels and guests you want to visit (ECC has an app, but I prefer good ol’ fashioned paper). Friday is a great day to explore, get all the signatures and photo ops out of the way (if possible), and get familiar with the layout of the convention. Saturday is a great day to cosplay and stand around (it gets really crowded). Sunday (not sure, didn’t attend this day) is probably the best day to visit all the booths you weren’t able to visit during the first two days of the convention.
2. PREP: Wear comfortable shoes, wear a sweater you can easily take off and tie around your waist or shoulders once inside the con, bring at least one bottle of water, some snacks, and a backpack. If cosplaying, bring a friend who is not cosplaying to help guide you around in your cumbersome costume and carry this stuff for you. Kind of like your own designated con-​goer. LOL.
3. ARRIVE EARLY!!! Arrive about an hour before the convention starts on each day. By doing this, you’ll be able to find some decent parking (maybe not right in the convention, but nearby at least) and move through the badge pickup lines relatively fast once getting into the convention. I did this and it worked out great for me!
4. PHOTO OPS: PART 1 (if you want one that is): After the staff opens up the convention area, run right away to the photo op ticket line (this year it was to the left of the badge pickup area when facing the badge pickup area), so you don’t have to spend a long time waiting to buy a ticket.
PHOTO OPS: PART 2: You’ll be told by convention staff and various ECC literature to arrive 20 minutes early to wait in line for the actual photo op. Don’t listen to them. Arrive at least 30 – 40 minutes early. The line is going to be huge!
PHOTO OPS: PART 3: You’ll be told by convention staff and various ECC literature that it will take 2 hours to print out your photo. It actually takes around 1 hour to an hour and a half. Return about an hour later and check.
PHOTO OPS: PART 4: Don’t go for the digital option. I’ve heard of horror stories where people were sent the wrong picture or didn’t receive a picture at all. Just get the actual photo and then scan it on your own time.
5. PANELS: If the panel is in the large main room, arrive 20 – 25 minutes early. It gets packed really fast! If you are planning on attending a smaller, but popular panel in one of the smaller rooms, arrive about an hour early (at least from what I read. For smaller, not so popular panels, arrive about 3 – 5 minutes early.
I hope this helps! I’ll be definitely trying to go back next year!

Compared to the years before this was not comicon. It was overly packed, poorly organized, and very commercial. Before it was about getting to meet the people who you’ve seen on tv or your computer, interacting with different displays, watching panels, and just being able to hang out with like minded people.
Will not be going back. :-(

Wow, this event was a lot to take in. I never imagined there would be so many vendors and people packed in there. After reviewing the convention center’s list of events, this one is the busiest or one of the busiest that they host. I saw a couple celebrities (Paul Scheer) and hundred of costumes.
If you are looking for collectibles like figurines, t-​shirts, comics, graphic novels and a whole lot more, this is definitely the place to go. I personally about some water color renderings from one artist that were pretty sweet. Outside of that though, there wasn’t quite as much to do/​see as I was hoping. They had some panels but none were very interesting except for the stand-​up which was a big surprise.
In the future, I might hesitate to pay the $ 40 entrance fee but would have definitely brought more cash to buy more prints and/​or graphic novels. Not all the vendors offered card so that became a problem fast. I look forward to next year and seeing what artists, writers and celebrities come.

I was not really that into comics or superheros… until I went to Comi-​Con.
I bought Saturday and Sunday passes for my boyfriend’s Christmas present this year, because he’s into that kind of thing.
It was surprisingly a good time! The coolest thing that I saw there (besides the awesome costumes and sweaty nerd boys) was all the artwork from the exhibitors. I walked away with some awesome prints and an itch to finish my art related college degree.
Unfortunately, I did not have the patience to wait hours in line to see Batman and Billy Dee Williams. I was kind of hoping they’d be more accessible but in hindsight, I should have expected that to be the case.
We went and spent about 8 hours there on Saturday, but we only went Sunday for a couple of hours, which was kind of a waste but we saw everything we needed to on Saturday. Next year, I’d get the one day pass. And dress up this time. Maybe I’ll be Wario or something.

Very, very solid convention. I am a 8 year convention attendee at my 22 years of age, and can say without a doubt that Emerald City Comic Con is one of the best conventions on the west coast. This convention retains traditional comic book values, while also divulging into aspects of pop culture (without exploiting it like San Diego comic con). The crowds are crazy, but if you have been to the mecca con known as San Diego Comic Con, this convention is a walk in the park.
That being said, is there room for improvement? Of course. Utilizing as much space as possible is a prime example of a much needed improvement (Is the giant room behind registration necessary? PAX makes use of every iota of space in the Washington Convention Center, so excuses are simply excuses Emerald City Comic Con). Also, better organization in general is important. Some of the staff arent on the ball enough to direct attendees, leaving many of us in a stupor.
Nevertheless, Emerald City Comic Con is worth the money. Freaking Patrick Stewart and Adam West are going… So come dressed up in a costume, bring snacks and water, and most importantly, have fun!

I heard about it a few months ago but didn’t pre-​order tickets until I saw the commercial for it on TV the weekend before. We decided to get tickets on Friday afternoon when it opened and it turned out to be the right decision. It may have costed $ 5 more than pre-​sale but the line was 90% faster than people that had to pick up badges, ha-​HA. The panels were decent and the convention space was ok. The gaming side had a lot of Magic tournaments going on and a place to play board games but nothing as cool as PAX. I’m glad we didn’t get the 3-​day pass. Not enough content to see.

This was my first Comi-​Con, so I have nothing to compare it to. But it was highly entertaining! The costumes, the people, very cool. However the lines for everything were horrendous and ticket prices were well lets say pretty pricey. It was held at the Convention Center in numerous large rooms.
Lots of great memories of fun people in fabulous costumes!!!

I’ve been to a bunch of comic book/​sci-​fi conventions, and this is the most overpriced and biggest let down. Mediocre events, but good celeb appearances.

I went this year with a three day pass. Overall, I had a lot of fun. Friday is clearly the day to do your shopping if you plan on it, because the exhibitors floor is fucking nuts on Saturday. Also, stuff can sell out, as I found out to my chagrin. Some highlights:
The Night Zero booth (yay free photos and double-​yay for supporting something local)
Wil Wheaton (90 minutes was not enough)
George Takei (Oh my!)
Edward James Olmos (just an all around awesome human being)
The Star Wars radio play with a bunch of famous voice actors (John Dimaggio and Billy West were hi-​larious)
etc etc etc.
There were a few cancellations that were kinda lame (I’m looking at you, Katie Sackhoff), and ironically, the line for people with presale tickets was about ten times as long as the line to just walk up and buy tickets, so I may just come with money in hand next year, but all in all I say the three day pass is worth it.
Also, where else can you find a woman dressed as Super Mario breastfeeding in public? Haha.

My first-​ever Con, so maybe I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I thought it was awesome.
Went on Saturday, it was extremely crowded and busy, but we expected that. Stood in lines for Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes autographs, didn’t take too long and everything went smoothly.
Went to The Guild panel with Felicia Day, Amy Okuda, and Wil Wheaton. He is hilarious!
ECCC was really a lot of fun, and I look forward to returning to it and beautiful (and rain-​free during our trip!) Seattle for next year’s Con.

this is my medina… my mecca would have to be the san diego (or international comicon.
this is the second year that i got the chance to go. last year i only went for sunday. this year i got to go for Saturday (best day to go) and sunday. made my rounds, went to some panels (vertigo, buffy – was dragged by friends), bought the collector book, and bought the things i wanted all dressed like impromptu bat girl on Saturday.
on sunday, i went to a couple more panels (DC, dark horse) and re-​made my rounds to have the monsters and dames collector book signed.
every year i learn something new… something for next time… like make a route on the little pamphlet to get more accomplished in less time. Remember to look through the guests on the website so you can be prepared to have the ones you love sign the artwork that you already own (i.e. have derick robertson sign ‘The Boys’).
it was good this year… it’s not at quest field center… it wasn’t last year either, and i doubt it will be there next year… they should fix the address.

The Emerald City con this year was in a slightly smaller space– more concise for the size of the crowd that showed up this year.
These people– the organizers– they should be given a round of applause, landing the huge amount of talent that they do year after year. It’s a geek fantasy come alive.