L.A. Comic Con 2025

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Though I didn’t exhibit, I received a pro badge and attended L.A. Comic Con on the Saturday and Sunday of the three-day show, held Sept. 26–28. On both days, I took the L.A. Metro to the L.A. Convention Center, only about a 25 minute ride for me.

In the past, the entire show fit inside the L.A. Convention's big South Hall, so I was surprised to discover that there were additional exhibition halls, with the bulk of Artists Alley/Small Press in a completely different hall downstairs, which, based on my guestimate, seemed to nearly double the exhibition space. The crowd sizes were pretty good throughout the convention center. 

The autograph area was down in the artists alley area as well, where people like David Tennant, Dallas Bryce Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Denise Richards, and Elizabeth Olsen were signing (the lines for Tennant were especially long!) I saw a lot of fellow cartoonists and publishers I know. My daughter was also there separately, helping out a friend at an artists alley booth!

One feature I appreciate about L.A. Comic Con is that its main stage is simply an open area in the middle of the main hall, so there's no waiting in line for a seat or to get into a room. In fact, my primary reason for attending L.A. Comic Con the past several years when I haven’t exhibited is to see the celebrity guests, a luxury I never have a chance to take advantage of at San Diego Comic-Con! Last year I saw actor Ewan McGregor and the year before that, 2023, I experienced one of my favorite comic con highlights of all time when the four Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings hobbits—Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monagham, and Billy Boyd—appeared together. 

On Saturday morning, I attended a sneak peak panel of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art that included moderator Jessica Alba, director Robert Rodriguez, cartoonist legend Frank Miller, and illustrator/painter Kadir Nelson. A short video of the new museum, scheduled to open in 2026, was shown—what impressed me was the number of comics and cartoonists represented in the video, ranging from Charles Schulz, to Winsor McKay, to Moebius, and many in between! (My metro ride to the convention center actually goes right past the museum.) I also watched part of the panel with David Tennant and Billie Piper, and later, Dallas Bryce Howard. Howard was a particularly fascinating interview and the last question from the audience asked for her memories of working with Robert Redford on Pete's Dragon and, in response, she provided a beautiful tribute to Redford.

The following day, I briefly attended a panel featuring a reunion of the cast of the film, Starship Troopers, which included Denise Richards, Casper Van Dien, and Michael Ironside.

But the main draw for my attending L.A. Comic Con this year was actress Freema Agyeman. Though she’s arguably best known for her role as Martha Jones, one of the companions of David Tennant’s Doctor Who—a role she has reprised, most notably in a series called Torchwood—I became a fan of hers on the television import series, Law and Order U.K. Like Howard, she gave a thoughtful and engaging interview about the acting process. She spoke about her various roles and her of Shakespeare, having appeared in a recent production of As You Like It.

Immediately following that panel, I ran to another panel that had started concurrently, on Toxic Fandom, that I enjoyed. 

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