Rose City Comic Con Preview

Friday, September 18, 2015

Brian McIver, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Photo courtesy of Rose City Comic Con

Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to our pre show coverage of the Rose City Comic Con! This is GoLocalPDX's first run at covering one of the biggest nerd events in the Portland area. So we have compiled all the truly awesome reasons you should attend. There is a lot going on this year so let’s get this hype train rolling.

Vendors

One of the great things about any Comic Con are the deals, and the place to get said deals is from all the great vendors on the show floor. Looking for rare…well, anything nerd related? Chances are you’ll find it at one of the booths. From full size super hero and movie sculptures, Magic: The Gathering Cards, board games, every Funko POP figure you could imagine, and of course comics books. Looking for the best rare stuff? Be sure to come early. Looking for the best deals? Come late, as most vendors don’t want to pack a bunch of merchandise home.

Panels

Again, something that a lot of cons share are great panels of folks talking about a huge variety of nerditry, but something that makes Rose City stand out is that we have an incredible community of all things nerd. Just a few of our gems include Dark Horse Comics, LAIKA Animation Studios, and of course the television show Grimm shoots here. All of these people and then some are all going to be at this year's show. There are currently 101 events scheduled for this year with panels, guest speakers, and music.

Music

Of those 101 events there are a few musical guest like The PDX Broadsides and Kirby Krackle, among others. There is also a panel on nerd music creation. A little sad that The Doublclicks won’t be there, but the Nerd music scene is well represented at this year's show, and you might learn something to boot.

Artists

Comic books are an artist’s medium, so it makes sense that artists take up a good portion of the show floor. Comic writers, illustrators, beginners, and veterans all show up to pitch their newest series, their first series, or are just trying to sell some art work they have been working on exclusively for the show. Not only that, but some of the bigger names in comics will be there too. The list of special comic guests is huge. This is sometimes where new artists get their start also. The right person in the right place can become the next Bendis, Vaughn, or Staples.

Celebrities

You say you like famous people? Well son have I got the place for you! This years RCCC is one of the biggest for celebrity guests. Superman/The Atom Brandon Routh will be there. Manu Bennett, who has been in some of the biggest nerd movies and shows of the last three years, will be there. The original Uhura and Checkov will both be there, and….wait for it….Carrie “Freaking” Fisher will be there (I’m not excited at all). Seriously folks the list of celebrities is a mile long so check it out.

Cos-play

(Or costume play for you straights)

cos·play

ˈkäzˌplā,ˈkäsˌplā/

noun

The practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game, especially one from the Japanese genres of manga and anime.

This really is a highlight of any comic convention, and Rose City is no exception. People go all out with 8-foot talk Wookies, Capt. America, Doctor Who from every era and every age range, costumes with so much detail and craftsmanship that you’d think that WETA had made it in their own workshop. The costume contest is one of the biggest events of the show and is not to missed.

Rose City Comic Con truly is a fantastic event. It’s super fun for kids and adults, and adults who are kids at heart. It’s something that brings a community together like no other. People come to play games, see awesome costumes, and meet their favorite celebrity. It celebrates all that is nerdom in this city and it does it brilliantly. So now that you’re all cranked up go buy some tickets.