Top 10 Takeaways from Emerald City Comic Con 2019
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@georgehtakei just handling the stage at @emeraldcitycomiccon #legend #startrek
Over the weekend, Seattle hosted Emerald City Comic Con. To say there were a few changes made to the con this year is a bit of an understatement. The event, typically held within a one block radius of the Washington State Convention Center, was spread between a couple of Hyatt Hotels (obviously a new partner) that were actually a couple of blocks away from the convention center. In addition, and for the first time since I’ve been doing this, guests now have to go through a security screening to get into the main show floor and building; to be honest, they just aren’t as good as Disney at herding the proverbial cattle.
Anyway, aside from the new hiccups, this is honestly one of the most fun events to cover. I’ll say it again: ECCC is like Disneyland without the cranky parents. Here’s a quick rundown of my top ten takeaways from the weekend (I’ll go in depth on a few things later this week, but wanted to get these thoughts out before I crash):
1. Moving the larger panels and photo/autograph sessions off-premises (and several blocks away) did not work. More than once I met winded guests trying to run back and forth from the Convention Center to the Hyatt to make it in time for their autograph sessions or to catch panels. While I greatly appreciate the addition of cell service to my “con” experience, it made it nearly impossible to attend all the panels and have time to properly see the show floor.
2. The fans of Wynonna Earp are quite possibly the nicest people on the planet. I met a couple today that actually flew to Seattle from LA just to support #WayHaught or #DomKat or whatever you prefer to call them. The whole crowd was kind and wonderful and I’m ready be an Earper! Oh, and #FightforWynonna because wow, that’s a crazy story!
3. Rupert Grint is 30 and has muscles. He’s a man now, but he still has that Ron Weasley twinkle in his eye.
4. George Takei is a magnificent storyteller. I want to dig deeper into this so I’ll just leave it at that. One of the most interesting and educational panels I think I’ve seen.
5. Ian Somerhalder is the hottest environmentalist vampire to ever lecture me about climate change. I was already a believer, but he kind of makes me want to try extra hard.
6. Celebrities are not holding back on their politics. I think that day is gone and I’m totally here for it! I’d also like to go into this some more so I’ll save this one too.
7. Sonequa Martin-Green REALLY wants to be in Black Panther 2 and her fans were quick to come up with several ways for Marvel to make that happen. They were actually pretty good. Marvel, you should listen!
8. The kids from Stranger Things are a riot, even though I missed their panel because it hit capacity on a Sunday morning. Luckily, I got to catch them for a bit on Saturday and laugh at Finn Wolfhard having to ask his mom how often she does his laundry. They are, after all, still kids!
9. Mary McDonnell is running for President in 2020! She’s already been president of the Universe, how hard can it be to run America? Only kidding, but she is wonderful and a legend and honestly, I’d probably vote for her.
10. Con people are really wonderful. I honestly can’t think of another place in the world where you witness so much warmth, appreciation, kindness, sense of belonging and pure joy for four days straight. Maybe my experiences are limited, but I feel like everyone there is with their people, regardless of who their people are, and they are so genuinely happy.
See you and all your wonderful geeks next year, Emerald City!