The Rose City is fortunate to have a plentiful bounty of geeks and even more fortunate to have it’s very own comic convention. Comic connoisseurs, gamers, otakus and anyone else just looking for a great time gathered at the Oregon Convention Center on Sept. 10th-11to attend the one and only Rose City Comic Con (RCCC).

It all started in 2011 when the son of Ron Brister, the RCCC Convention Director, asked him why Portland didn’t have it’s own comic convention. This was a question Brister could not answer, but he felt he could solve himself. With only $500, he started the business that is now RCCC.

”Mind you it was a ton of hard work and a great deal of risk. But I put together a business plan that showed we need to have just under 1,000 people show up in order to break even. 4,100 folks showed up that first show,” said Brister. “We knew we were on to something and that the show had already outgrew it’s first venue.”

Each year the Con features many artists, special and celebrity guests, exhibitors and panels. There’s a lot to do, and have no fear because RCCC is not specific to any one kind of person.

“There is something for everyone at Rose City Comic Con. I think what makes our show and attendees standout from other similar events is simple,” said Brister.“We are inclusive and passionate about providing the best experience for each and every person regardless of who they are.”

Taking a closer look at the show,  it is easy to see that RCCC takes pride in its vast selection of artists. Each artist provides something unique. They can range from lesser known independents, to experienced special guests anyone may recognize.

”We just choose to focus on creators, publishers, and all the amazing artists in the local and surrounding areas,” said Brister.

Along with the artists, Con visitors have the chance to meet, get autographs or take a photo with some celebrity guests.

This year RCCC included well known guests like Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia from the “Star Wars” movies, Robert Englund, Freddy Krueger from “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, and Caroll Spinney , who worked with Jim Henson on “Sesame Street” as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.

Taking up a large section of the Con is the exhibitors. Here, you can purchase a wide variety of items. Comics, figures, plushies, apparel, or even get a tattoo! These are things people cannot typically buy on the spot. Things could be rare or from another country. It also saves many the hassle of shopping online.

In addition to items for purchase, there’s also panels. RCCC attendees can go to many different kinds of panels throughout the day. Here people can ask questions to guests, debate about a topic or learn to survive the zombie apocalypse. There’s panel for everyone it seems.

There’s so much to do and see at RCCC, and it’s only expanding with future plans in the making.

“I would love to see the con start to stretch into more expansive gaming. Both Tabletop and electronic. It’s personally something that I love and would be happy to have a showcase for indie game creators,” said Brister. “We are also planning on expanding significantly into Anime and Manga programming starting next year.”

With all this said about RCCC, there is another comic convention in Portland. It’s called the Wizard World Comic Con: Portland. However, Brister believes the difference between both conventions are huge.

”Simply put, we are different shows entirely. They are a corporate-run public company that often brings the same guests through the convention year after year,” he said,”We believe that the community in Portland wants something with a more local feel so that in itself is something that defines us differently from them. We are also a comic convention, where as they are more of a celebrity fan expo. Both are totally fine for different reasons.”

So there you have it. Anyone planning to visit the the Con can either buy tickets off of the website (rosecitycomiccon.com) or at the on itself. Dressing up as your favorite characters, commonly known as cosplaying, is also encouraged.

Oh, and to anyone who isn’t familiar with comic conventions, here’s a little bit of advice:

“Wear comfortable shoes,” Brister said.