The Pacific Northwest's premiere comic + pop culture show Emerald City Comic Con 2025 has come and gone, but if all you have are memories and regrets we got you covered. From a recap of all the big moments of the show, to VODs of all the panels from the Main Stage powered by Xfinity, and even details on the ECCC 2026 dates so you can do it all over again (or for the the first time).

Four days of comics, celebrities, workshops, cosplay, and shopping: that's what Emerald City Comic Con 2025 was for us Seattle. The Pacific Northwest's largest convention returned, decked out in flannel and jeans with holes in the knee in full-on grunge style, March 6 through 9 here the Seattle Convention Center. Popverse was there, and if you're reading this then likely you are as well (or you wanted to be).

Popverse was in the thick of it, with Editor Graeme McMillan, Video Producer Ashley V. Robinson, Staff Writer Grant DeArmitt, Video Editor Martin Vavra, Marketing Manager Jeremy Ross, and Marketing Coordinator Nathan Clark there all four days (plus coming in a day early to get ready). In that time, we conducted over a dozen interviews, filmed nearly two dozen panels, met hundreds of Popverse Superfans in our new Superfan Lounge, and wrote about everything from the showfloor to the Main Stage, and out and around to the best food and best coffee outside the Seattle Convention Center.

ECCC 2025 was a lot to take in, whether you're going all four days or just popping in with a one-day pass and a dream of seeing it all. That's why wescoured the maps, absorbed the schedules, sat in more than a few closed-door meetings where our colleagues at ReedPop Events have been planning this year's event, and and have walked miles (and miles) of the two con buildings all four days (and then some) to bring you news this entire long con weekend.

Prepare yourself for the best moments from Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con 2025.

Comics, Artists & Artist Alley at ECCC 2025

This year's Artist Alley at ECCC was bursting at the seams with over 450 creative types here - artists, writers, craftspeople, creatives - all with a story to tell and amazing work for you to see and buy. The ECCC 2025 Artist Alley was in the Seattle Convention Center's Summit building on Level 2 - with Writer's Block right next to it, and a load of exhibitor booths including James Tynion IV's Tiny Onion, Mad Cave Studios, and Penguin Random House.

And boy did we have some good finds in the world of comics, such as: 

• The fictional serial killer contest in James Tynion IV & Michael Walsh's new series Exquisite Corpse is more than just a comic book storyline... it's a game you can play
• A Netflix CEO shut down plans for new Black Mirror stories in comic form, says comics writer/publisher Neil Gibson (so it turned into something else)
• James Tynion IV & Michael Walsh's Exquisite Corpses is like a Stephen King book - despite the horror elements, you'll want the civilian characters to survive
• A connection between Fantastic Four leader Reed Richards' autism self-diagnosis makes a core part of FF canon a lot more sensible.
• Michael Walsh's horror anthony The Silver Coin is returning at Image Comics

If you were looking for some recommendations, boy, did we have some thoughts. Popverse's Graeme McMillan toured the massive Artist Alley area Thursday morning, and came back with six recommended tables to visit at Emerald City Comic Con 2025. 

From Artist Alley to comic publishers, ECCC 2025 has an eclectic mix of superhero comics publishers, manga giants, action/adventure outlets, and horror purveyors. Take time to find ones you like, but make sure to check out Michael Kingston's Headlocked Comics (Booth #10030), James Tynion IV's Tiny Onion (#20700), Mad Cave Studios (#20707). Insight Editions (#20503), and Ray Anthony-Height's Studio Skye-Tiger/TNH (#20005).

On Friday we picked up the comics newspaper TOP (Tiny Onion Presents), and Popverse's Grant DeArmitt talked to the people behind it all.

Shopping at ECCC 2025

Imagine a holiday market for geeks, and that's what you had at Emerald City Comic Con. Buy stuff for yourself and perhaps get ahead on gift-buying for friends and family (and even your mailperson!), as there was something just for you somewhere in the halls and aisles of ECCC. I've spent many of my paychecks at a comic convention, and our man on the ground Graeme McMillan has seen them all and had these ECCC 2025 booth recommendations.

And during the con, we dove into the amazing donuts & dice mash-up shop that is Dodecadonuts. 

There's also a number of exclusive items the ECCC exhibitors that were offered here for the first time. Check out the ECCC Exhibitor Exclusives list here.

Celebrities at ECCC 2025

After you meet PNW comics star Steve Lieber, there were other celebs here for ECCC weekend. ReedPop brought in the casts of Star Trek: Strange New World, Hazbin Hotel, Baldur's Gate 3, Fairy Tail, Dragon Ball Z, and Firefly/Serenity for us all to see, meet, and check out their panels. In addition to those groupings, were all sharing the same air with the likes of John Boyega, Bruce Campbell, and Katy O'Brian all weekend.

And if you looked around, there wereat least four voice actors from Marvel's X-Men cartoon here to agree with you that, yes, it's the best superhero cartoon ever.

Popverse livestreamed all of the big ECCC 2025 celebrity panels all weekend from the Main Stage powered by Xfinity, and so far we have we brought you the following hits:

• Baldur's Gate 3 hosted by Popverse's Ashley V. Robinson, with Neil Newbon, Devora Wilde, Jennifer English, & Aliona Baranova
• Hazbin Hotel / Helluva Boss by Popverse's Grant DeArmitt, with Alex Brightman & Brandon Rogers
• The Roswell reunion panel with Brendan Fehr, Majandra Delfino, Jason Behr, & Nick Wechsler
• The Dragon Ball Z panel with Sean Schemmel & Justin Cook
• Big Damn Heroes: Celebrating 20 Years of Serenity with host Ashley V. Robinson
• Happily Ever After: A Once Upon A Time Reunion
• Dead by Dawn: An Evil Dead Reunion with host Grant DeArmitt
• The Force of Talent: Spotlight on John Boyega with host Ashley V. RObinson
• A Taste for the Unforgettable: Hannibal Reunion with Mads Mikkelsen & Hugh Dancy

• Fairy Tail Forever: Celebrating the Magic with the English Voice Cast

• Charting New Frontiers: The Cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds with host Ashley V. Robinson
• Cosplay Central Costume Showcase

• Cosplay Central Crown Championships

The Hannibal boys Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy reunited on stage, and had much to talk about including ideas for a revival of the show, their thoughts on their characters' relationships, how out of the loop they were for a long time about the Fannibals fanbase, the other Hannibal Mads Mikkelsen originally thought the show was about, the dark story of Bryan Fuller petsitting Hugh's dog, and what Hugh's thoughts on his character possibly being coded autistic are.

In the aforementioned Hazbin Hotel, we learned about how Disney's Aladdin was Brandon Rogers' sexual awakening, how the cast went from co-workers to family on the con circuit, why Helluva Boss' '2 Minutes Warning' song became an anthem for people quitting their job, all the adlibbing done in the shows, and how Brandon and Alex Brightman are pining for Viola Davis to join them in the Hellaverse.

At the Roswell reunion panel, the cast talked about their first reaction to learning the show was canceled, and the creative mistakes they feel were made that hurt the show.

During the Baldur's Gate 3 panel, the gang speculated on what happens to their characters after the game ended, what they'd say to the idea of a live-action show, and news of a second wave of Funko Pops - beginning with Lae'zel.

Prose authors & Book Publishers at ECCC 2025

There's more to books than just comic books (believe me, even I have to remind myself of that sometimes), and ECCC's lit presence grew immensely in 205. This year's Writer's Block area had a bumper crop of 30+ talented scribes. If I was there with you, I would've led you directly to the likes of John Jackson Miller (WB-1) and Kelly Knox (WB-31) - and then tell you to go to the author events for Cassandra Clare, TJ Klune, Annalee Newitz, and Chuck Tingle.

The big news of the show was the surprise announcement by fantasy author Terry Brooks that he was retiring just days before the least of his next (and last?!) Shannara novel, and is passing the franchise torch to Delilah S. Dawson.

During the TJ Klune spotlight panel, the hit prose author talked about his self-identification as the 'anti-J.K. Rowling' and how he feels about people who continue to enjoy the Harry Potter series.

Popverse Editor Graaeme McMillan caught the YA Chills & Thrills panel, to hear authors J. Anderson Coats and Amanda DeWitt talked about supernatural horror vs. psychological horror.

And we caught up with Tara Theoharis, author of the Tomb Raider cookbook, on how she created that book despite Lara Croft never actually cooking in the games. 

Book publishers Penguin Random House were also here with their Book World booth (#20515), and our friends at Insight Editions (#20503) appeared for both book lovers & comic book lovers.

The Tavern at ECCC 2025

If you were looking to get fully immersed in con vibes, we'd recommend ECCC's The Tavern - a thematic lounge where you and your besties could relax, socialize, and refuel after a long day of conventioning. Consider it a 'save point' along the way, and where you can play a few games, grab a drink at Kraken's Keep, and perhaps have a dalliance at LARPing. There were also live Tavern performers this year with Jacques ze Whipper, Ginger Slingshot, and Earl the Bard - complete with a hurdy-gurdy.

Oh, and did we mention the 6-foot-tall Astarion Funko Pop from Baldur's Gate 3 here this weekend?

So what did we miss at Emerald City Comic Con 2025...?

While Emerald City Comic Con was as filled with celebrity guests, big panels (and, for that matter, small panels), and interesting and unexpected vendors and booths as any major regional con in the United States, it’s arguable that what people will remember more from attending the show this year is what they actually got to do there. Read more about that here.

And wow - check out the amazing cosplay we've seen (so far) at Emerald City Comic Con 2025.

And if you are thinking about attending Emerald City Comic Con next year, get a Popverse ECCC Superfan membership to get guaranteed first access to tickets, premium access to the celebrity photo ops & autographs, automatic reservations for Main Stage panels, access to an exclusive lounge, and more.