Rose City Comic Con Turns Portland Into a Hive of Scum and Villainy

An estimated 50,000 pop culture die-hards made their way to the Oregon Convention Center—most in costume—for the event.

Rose City Comic Con (JP Bogan)
By JP Bogan and Andi Prewitt

You might have spotted a maniacal clown, a raccoon wielding a laser cannon, or a living skeleton roaming the streets of Portland last weekend.

No, it wasn’t a sign that downtown has sunk to a lower circle of hell. The assortment of unusual characters was simply an indication that the annual Rose City Comic Con had arrived.

An estimated 50,000 pop culture die-hards made their way to the Oregon Convention Center—most in costume—for the event, held Sept. 22 through 24. The headliner was Zoe Saldana of Guardians of the Galaxy fame, and other well-known faces like Ralph Macchio and Rebecca Romijn were also there for selfies and autographs.

But the real draw for many will always be the cosplay, which is typically on point.

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Andi Prewitt

Andi Prewitt

Andi Prewitt is WW's arts and culture editor. She writes about Oregon’s trifecta of fun: craft beer, food and the outdoors. A native Oregonian, Andi’s claim to fame was being named Princess of Newberg. It’s all been downhill from there.

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