It's almost time for my hometown's biggest comic show, the Rose City Comic Con, held at the Oregon Convention Center, just on the other side of the river from downtown Portland, Oregon. This year's show has expanded to THREE DAYS(!), and will be held September 8-10th.
This will be my fifth time at the show, which is really hard to believe, starting with my visit to the city in 2013 and moving here in 2014. Each year it grows a bit in terms of scope and scale, yet somehow manages to be of such a high quality show that does its best to juggle those who are primarily there for celebrities, comics, cosplay, and/or buying merchandise. That's not easy to do, but I remain impressed with how hard Rose City works on this.
As always, with a larger show like this one, there's a focus on the primary guests. A lot of attention will be paid to the people who are common names, even among those who aren't well versed in comics, like locals Kelly Sue DeConnick, Greg Rucka, and nearby neighbor Mike Allred. But there's also much better coverage for people who are doing great work in comics but aren't national names (yet), such as my friend Taneka Stotts and Aud Koch, among many others. For every Erik Larsen, Rose City is also giving a leg up to the Ibrahim Moustafa types as well. That's a big improvement in my opinion, as the show has a lot of people coming who will want to find great comics but aren't sure where to look. The featured guest list is a great place to start, especially since it has a ton of Panel Pals on it!
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| Beyond Cool: The Taneka Stotts Story |
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| Mandatory Picture? |
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| We're all just Heroclix to Jeff Parker |
- Kel McDonald, werewolf expert, editor, and creator of Misfits of Avalon
- Adam P. Knave/DJ Kirkbride of Amelia Cole and Once and Future Queen
- Kory Bing of Skin Deep and lots of pins
- M.K. Reed of The Castoffs and Science Comics: Dinosaurs
- Joamette Gil, the editor behind the award-winning Queer Witch Anthology
- Malachi Ward, of Island and other anthology projects
And of course, we'll see a presence from Portland's comics publishers and others, including:
I'll try to get some more details up on what these publishers are planning for the show, but I'm sure it will be some great panels and signings. Make sure you find them and check their show calendars. (I learned this was a big help when I was at SDCC.)
In addition to these people and publishers, there are a lot of others listed. Some I might know by sight if not by name. Some are possibly my new favorite creator or publisher. Remember that at any show, you should always budget at least $20 to try new things. It's part of the fun of going to a show!
Rose City also has great panels. I'll highlight those in a separate post later this week, hopefully. Here's the link to the full list. I will point out that Parker/Brothers is always a can't miss panel, and
My own attendance this year will be a little strange. I'll be there late on Friday, then probably again Saturday Morning, and possibly Saturday Evening. Sunday will likely be in the afternoon only. As you all know, I'm politically active, and there's some work to be done to combat the fascists who are also in town the same weekend as thousands of comic book fans. So while I want to be with my comics friends, I also need to be with my brothers and sisters out on the street making Portland safe for everyone and showing hate isn't welcome.
But I won't let that stop me from enjoying Rose City Comic Con, and neither should you. See you at the show! Hope to see you there!
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