2024 marks my fifth year at Emerald City Comic-Con and my second year going as press (woohoo!) and each year I find my self more emersed in the community and more drawn to speaking to vendors and artists and fellow attendees, it's been the highlight of my year every year I have attended, and I knew I had to break down my personal favorite parts of this year's convention down with all of you!
Chris Evans (Yes, he gets his own section)
Jared Merrill
This is a no-brainer, if Chris Evans is at an event and I am in the same building my eyes will be on him. I went and watched his panel on Saturday and was so impressed with how well-spoken and charismatic he was, and by how much he commanded a crowd! Everyone I saw who had met him was just gushing about how sweet he was. This is the kind of a-list guest you need to drive a convention.
Layout
Now, space is something that I do feel like was both improved and was also a struggle this year. Things were more spaced out, which did cause a bit of a timing issue with making it from panels to singings, ideally, the setup from 2023 was a lot smoother. Everything happened in one building and the lines seemed a bit more organized even for the big photo ops\singings it was seamless. This year, specifically with Sean Astin and Elijah Wood, things were a bit of a mess. I think the answer is that if a singing sells out online only pre-paid guests should be allowed in line. Because if not you wind up with people in line for 4+ hours missing other things they paid for and then not getting a refund. ( Yes, this happened to me)
Twilight Cast
My highlight of this year's con was seeing the Twilight cast. Seeing them together always just fills me with so much joy. I unfortunately wasn't able to attend my meet and greets for them (because of the reason stated above) but standing there and watching them meet fans warmed my heart. It's always so beautiful to see the community those movies have made. I would love to see them + Taylor Lautner at a future con!
Community
Obviously, the best part of any convention is going to be the community. Seeing how people support each other, how willing people are to speak to people they've never met, how passionate people are about the fandoms they love, it's a real moment of human connection that I really only feel to that extent at a place like Comic-Con.
Cosplay
One thing I love it's people-watching, and of course, Comic-Con is the best place for that! The cosplay keeps getting more and more creative every year, with people going bigger and bigger. Lord of the Rings was obviously a huge focus this year with the cast being there, so there was a ton of incredible LOTR cosplay! But I will say, the niche movie characters are always my favorite to spot! Saw an incredible Rita Skeeter this year!
Shopping
I spent way too much money this year! Between pins, art prints, and mystery boxes, I left Saturday night with much more than I needed! The shopping at ECCC is always a fan's paradise with something for everyone. Even just walking through each area and seeing the variety of items available is always such a treat. I can only hope that there are more and more vendors year after year for me to spend my money on.
Keep up to date with all things Emerald City Comic-Con here!
Keep up with me!
Email: underpnkskiess@gmail.com (for press and interview inquiries only)
