What to Do at Emerald City Comicon This Weekend

That stampeding sound you hear is every nerd in the country rushing to the Pacific Northwest in time for Emerald City Comicon, the annual gathering of geeks amid drizzle and spotty sun.

It'll be a jam-packed weekend of panels, parties, and appearances by celebs like Anthony Daniels (who plays C-3PO) and Marina Sirtis (Maria from Death Wish 3, among other projects). And if you're looking for some queer fun to keep you busy, you're in luck: there are plenty of LGBT events this weekend, both at the con and alongside it. Jetspace has an exhaustive list of the best events, but here are a few of our top picks.

Parties

Thursday: Drawn to Diversity 2. An unofficial kickoff, this gathering at the Gay City center features appearances from Northwest Press's Zan Christensen, Ashley Cook, Chris Lange, Sarah Rosenblatt, and Dylan Edwards. Meet some authors, and stick around for a reading.

Friday: Pink Party Comicon. A big shebang sure to draw a crowd, this Capitol Hill party will feature Kristian Nairn (Hodor) and a $1,000 cosplay contest. Tickets are about $20. Alternately, if your tastes run naughtier, you can sneak down the hill to the Eagle for Arf!, a monthly pup-play party.

Saturday: Insert Coin. The Eagle lights up on Saturday night with video game consoles. Challenge cute boys to Tekken, Mario Kart, and obscure Dreamcast titles while go-gos gyrate on all sides. Frequently spotted at this monthly party: Tyler Rush, whose homemade nerd costumes impart 100 percent geek cred.

Saturday: Board Game Meetup at Raygun. Switch off your screen and settle in for some analog gaming in a cozy cafe that serves snacks and booze.

Panels

Friday: Diversity, Representation, and the Changing Face of Mainstream Comics. Industry insiders talk about the mainstream industry's efforts to be more inclusive, and the times when they actually succeed.

Saturday: Love Machines: Robots and Romance in Comic Books. Not specifically queer, but moderated by yours truly (Matt Baume), so one way or another, you can count on things getting gay at some point. Of course, the real draw is hearing creator Josh Trujillo, artist J.B. Wolfe, and letterer Adam Pruett tickle us with tales of romance between human and machine.

Saturday: How Can You Help Diversity in Gaming? We've seen Tifa Robles speak on this topic before, and she's always spot-on with excellent guidance for making everyone feel welcome when they're having fun.

Sunday: Discussing Diversity and Representation in Fantasy and Sci-fi Comics. If you haven't had your fill of thoughts on diversity, you can wrap up the con with some concluding thoughts from industry pros about recognizing problematic representations.