Emerald City Comic Con

Emerald City Comic Con, formerly Emerald City Comicon, is one of the largest comic book and pop culture conventions in the United States and the premier event of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. It has been held annually since 2003. The convention takes place in Seattle, Washington.

Emerald City Comic Con is organized by ReedPOP, a subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions specializing in pop culture conventions. ReedPOP is the organizer of some world famous fan conventions including New York Comic Con, PAX, Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo. It holds Comic Cons in Australia, Austria, Indonesia, India, France and other countries.

The inaugural edition of Emerald City Comic Con (then Emerald City Comicon) was held on February 9, 2003 at Qwest Field - West Field Plaza. It drew around 2,500 attendees which is a good number for a first convention. The attendance has been growing ever since. In 2016 Emerald City Comic Con was attended by 88,000 people over four days.

Just like other Comic Cons organized by ReedPOP, Emerald City Comic Con doesn’t focus solely on comic books. It covers films, television shows, video games, tabletop games, anime, manga, cosplay, science fiction, fantasy, and everything in between. The show is the ultimate celebration of pop culture.

The program of Emerald City Comic Con is similar to that of fan conventions. It includes panels, autograph sessions and photo-ops with entertainment guests and comic guests, various discussion panels, costume contests, Artists Alley, prize drawings, film screenings, and more. The convention features a large Exhibitor’s Hall where retailers offer a wide range of modern and vintage comic books, action figures, models, and other merchandise.

Every edition of Emerald City Comic Con has featured several dozen celebrity guests, mostly actors known for their roles in science fiction and fantasy films and television shows. Past gusts have included Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), William Shatner (Star Trek), James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Torchwood), James and Oliver Phelps (the Harry Potter film series), Carrie Fisher (Star Wars), Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Peter Mayhew (Star Wars), Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street), Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), and others.

Emerald City Comic Con was originally held in February. Since 2006, it has been held in spring, either in March or in April.