ECCC Wrapped: Mixed Bag of Community Joy, Grumbles, Nerdisms

Directional banner at Summit Building for Emerald City Comic Con

The Evergreen Echo

The first recorded comic convention was held in New York City in 1964. It was a labor of love put on by enthusiasts and collectors to tell stories, trade and sell books, and meet some industry professionals. These early iterations were small, passionate affairs. What those of us privileged to have experienced a piece of over this past weekend was a convention with a size and scale unimaginable to those early pioneers. Thousands of fans flocked to Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) for comics and comic creators, but also for gaming, fantasy and sci-fi books, anime, manga, collectibles, panels, and celebrities of the big and small screens.

It’s a bit of a misnomer to call ECCC a comic con anymore, though. It has evolved far beyond vendors with dozens of short boxes filled to the brim with potential goodies willing to make a deal on a stack of '80s Donald Duck comics. In fact, this year had only a handful of vendors selling comic books. Most of these were firms from out of state who primarily do their business on the internet. Most of them had lots of key issues worth hundreds, including CGC (Certified Guaranty Company)-graded and sealed collectible comics and prepackaged storyline runs. This was not the place to try to get a stack of dollar comics or to try collecting a new run with a few inexpensive issues. There were bargains to be had, but these shops wanted to recoup the high cost of exhibiting and they needed the high-value books to do that.

The local shops that were present existed far enough from the action of the convention center to make the transportation and exhibition fees worth their efforts. Many shops from the Seattle and Tacoma area stayed away this year. The biggest shop to make an impression, Phantom Zone Comics hailing from Alderwood Mall, only brought bound editions. Their booth was a mix of trade paperbacks and hardcovers, set up like a traditional bookstore with tables and shelves.

There were still plenty of comic professionals signing, sketching, chatting, and getting cornered by fans who did not realize that their 20-minute theory on Aquaman's ability to communicate with sea life as part of a broader metaphor for climate change was not appropriate when other people waited patiently behind them. Yet, Artist Alley felt like an afterthought rather than the centerpiece it had been in years prior. The lesser known artists were trapped in small booths behind their works in attempts to showcase and entice, but the results were just more barriers between creators and fans. The miniscule aisles of Artist Alley didn't help alleviate the vibe either.

DEI banner at ECCC

The Evergreen Echo

This may be a larger symptom of the corporate takeover of the convention scene. We are being sold on a large scale, and the small, human interactions feel like they get crushed under the cosplaying boots of the people always moving to the next panel, the next booth, or the next event. There were grumbles—as there are always grumbles—that the convention was better before. "Before" always being a bit nebulous. The burden of choice that comes from large scale events like ECCC is like the constantly churning content algorithms on streaming sites. It often gets too overwhelming, especially when you know what you want, but either cannot find it, or cannot find enough of it to truly make for a satisfactory experience.

Those grumblers are valid. They have reasonable grievances. Though, they are missing something wonderful that ECCC has become over the years. The convention has become far more inclusive. The cosplayers mix with folks in T-shirts and jeans. The LGBTQ+ fans mix with the heteronormative. Those who love the lore of comic stories trade theories with those who know superheroes from film and television. 

The love of pop culture brings us together and gives us a common language. Evolution and change is not an enemy, but a strength. It’s true that corporate interests who see dollar signs instead of people make the experience taxing, but it’s also true that if we bring our genuine selves with our genuine excitement over a piece of art and culture, we can have an experience like none other out here in the real world.

Interacting is a fundamental part of being human. Interacting with passion and shared enjoyment is one of life's great pleasures. People smiled at each other in agreement of mutual fandom, gave compliments on costumes, and spoke animatedly about this booth or that one. ECCC is a place that brings people together not just physically, but communally. It captures our imaginations and as exhausting as it gets, it is still a time filled with joy. It’s good to be with each other and to see each other in the way we want to be seen, especially if others in our lives don’t quite get it. ECCC shows us that there are thousands who do get it and want us to explore this love together.

For a 4-day period every year, Seattle revolves around a convention that lets you let your freak flag fly. ECCC, for all its faults, is a fantastic experience and a way for people to come together to share what they love. As we sit now at home with our new treasures and memories, we know that though it is over, the next convention is just around the corner.