As the above twitpic from BackRoomComics shows, by 8 am, there was already a healthy line of people lined up to get in this year’s Emerald City ComiCon, and all signs point to a pretty busy show. (We’ll hit the floor as soon as this goes up!)

It was The Beat’s inaugural trip to Emerald City and Seattle in general, and the charms of the show and city were immediately apparent. With the downtown convention center locale, sparkling mix of old and new architecture, ready access to atmospheric food and drink and proximity of a large body of water — scenic Puget Sound — last night’s party hopping resembled nothing so much as a more manageable San Diego except with freezing cold. (Not below freezing but you could see your breath.)

Emerald City has certainly established itself as one of the premiere shows on the West Coast, alongside WonderCon and SDCC itself (and newcomer Long Beach Comic-Con); with that in mind, organizer Jim Demonakos has announced that next year, the show will be expanding to three days — March 4-6. In addition, he’s announced the Jet City Comic Show for September 25th, a one-day show focused on local creators and publishers. The Pacific Northwest from Vancouver to Portland is well established as a comics haven, and home to many publishers, so the ongoing enthusiasm for the pop culture experience known as “comic-con” seems pretty solid.

As for last night’s social scene, it was hopping. Above, Steve Rolston, Sabina, Dave McCaig and FBI’s Jacq Cohen at the LongBox launch party, which featured a three-hour open bar and lots of industry schmoozing.

The official convention kick-off party at Whiskey Bar was over capacity by the time The Beat’s party arrived, luckily there was a nearby outpost where Seattle’s famed microbrews and exotic English libations were pouring, and the festivities continued unabated.

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