The Emerald City Con kicks off this weekend in Seattle, and by all accounts, the show is growing into a very pleasant, comics centric weekend. The Seattle Times has a brief preview with attendance expected to be around 8000.

Guests include Adam Hughes, Mark Bagley, Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Golden, Mike Oeming, Gene Ha, Chris Sprouse, Frank Cho, Phil Hester and Darick Robertson. Publishers include Fantagraphics, Image Comics, Top Cow, Oni Press, Rorschach Ent., Gagne Int., Illusive Arts Ent., Boom! Studios and Arcanca Studio.

The comics kings of Seattle, Fantagraphics, are also getting into the mix with an AFTERPARTY!

Just wanted to invite any of you who are coming up to the Emerald City Con in Seattle this weekend to come to our Saturday night after- party at our bookstore/gallery in beautiful Georgetown. Both Fantagraphics and the Emerald City organizers will have postcards available at the con, complete with driving directions and bus information from getting there from the con (the store is quite close).

We’re providing beer/soda and some light snacks and a nice place to hang out. There’s a beautiful Jim Woodring show up on the gallery wall to check out. There’s also an excellent bar next door to us called the 9LB Hammer that has great taps and a lot of room to accommodate folks. There’s also a couple of great dinner options on the block. Emerald City’s never had any kind of real party scene and we’d like to rectify that. Come one, come all, and help us make it happen! It’s a beautiful neighborhood and we’ll treat you right.

PS: An earlier version of this post stated that Fantagraphics wasn’t exhibiting, but they are in fact setting up.