Lilac City Comicon celebrates artists, writers from Pacific Northwest

If anything in Spokane resembles “The Little Engine That Could,” it’s Lilac City Comicon.

What was, in its inaugural year, hosted in the Globe Room in Cataldo Hall at Gonzaga University (attendance: 313) has drawn bigger crowds every year since.

The con, which has been held at the Spokane Convention Center since 2015, last year brought 5,310 fans of all things comic book, cosplay and pop culture to town.

That success, and attendee request, has inspired Lilac City Comicon founder and coordinator Nathan O’Brien to expand the con, now in its 11th year, to two days, Saturday and Sunday.

Lilac City Comicon came to be after O’Brien moved to Spokane from Seattle and learned there hadn’t been a comic convention in Spokane for more than a decade.

“It’s such a cool experience where it really ties in pop culture, art and comics and brings the community together,” O’Brien said. “It feels like Spokane really had a cool vibe and they were being deprived of that luxury.”

As the Lilac City Comicon attendance grows, so too does the number of special guests it brings to Spokane.

When choosing special guests to invite, O’Brien looks to highlight the Pacific Northwest’s pool of artists and writers. But he also looks for non-regional guests who enjoy what they do and meeting fans.

This year’s packed-to-the-brim Artist Alley features special guests actors Tim Russ (Tuvok in “Star Trek: Voyager”), Jeremy Howard (Donatello in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,”), Sandi Sellner (Alpha 5 in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”), Seattle’s Mark Carr (“Z Nation”) and Spokane’s Doug Dawson (“Grimm,” “Z Nation”). (Actors Doug Jones and Andrew Gray have canceled their appearances because of filming schedules.)

Special guest writers include Seattle’s Isaac Marion (The “Warm Bodies” series), Georgia Ball (“Kung Fu Panda,” “My Little Pony,” “Frozen”) and Spokane’s Brian C. Baer (“Bad Publicity,” “How He-Man Mastered the Universe: Toy to Television to the Big Screen”).

Special guest artists include Jonboy Meyers (“Hulk,” “Spider-Man,” “Justice League of America”), Jeremy Colwell (Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man/ThunderCats), Brett Weldele (co-creator of “The Surrogates”), Idaho’s Rayce Bird (winner of the SyFy series “Face Off”) and Seattle’s Blacky Shepherd (“Voltron: From the Ashes”).

And, last but not least, special cosplay guests include Jerikandra and Abi Sue.

This year’s special media guest is Spokane’s Burr Martin, who earned the moniker “Selfie Dad” after his recreations of his daughter’s selfies garnered national attention. He is also a member of the 501st, the Rebel Alliance and Seattle’s Costumed Characters for Causes.

If that wasn’t enough, Northern Quest Resort and Casino will present Clint Young, an Adam West-era Batman look-a-like, and his original Batmobile, which is the only Batmobile to have been ridden in and signed by both Adam West and Evel Knievel.

This year, O’Brien has also expanded the panels offered to attendees. Special guests will still be highlighted on the mainstage, but this year a conference room will host panels like “Writing and Publishing Process,” “Cosplay: Working with Extraordinary Materials” and “Understanding the Mythology of Fairies” as well as game demos and trivia.

Exhibitors will bring comics, toys, art prints, video games, actions figures, shirts, collectibles, books, games and more to the con, and there will be costume contests for both children and adults.

In keeping with the con’s local focus, attendees will receive a raffle ticket for every canned food or non-perishable item they bring. The food will benefit Catholic Charities of Spokane, and the raffle ticket will be entered into a drawing for Loot Crate subscriptions.

O’Brien’s “big little show” is getting bigger by the year, and it doesn’t show signs of slowing down. He’s already looking ahead to next year’s Lilac City Comicon and hopes to expand the floor plan and move to a bigger venue.

“It’s nowhere near the level of San Diego Comic-Con or Emerald City Comicon, but it’s just right for Spokane,” he said. “With our focus being affordability and comfortability, it appeals to all ages.”

This story has been updated to reflect changes to the guest lineup.