4 Can’t-Miss Events at Rose City Comic Con 2025
A bevy of cosplayers show off their costumes at Rose City Comic Con.
It’s almost time for Portland’s biggest convention for nerdy obsessions: Rose City Comic Con. Put on by the team behind Washington, DC’s Awesome Con and Texas’s Anime Frontier, the convention celebrates sci-fi TV shows, fantasy movies, roleplaying games, and cosplay. Oh, and comic books. Organizers estimate 60,000 attendees will pass through the Oregon Convention Center this year, from Friday to Sunday, September 5–7, donning their best Starfleet uniforms and Mandalorian armor. Also, B-movie star and Oregon legend Bruce Campbell is on the bill.
This year is largely one of reflection, with panels on The Goonies, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who season 1 (the reboot—they haven’t resurrected William Hartnell), and Campbell’s long career; special guests include icons like Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Wil Wheaton and Supernatural’s Felicia Day. That said, several more forward-looking events dot the lineup, as well as meet-and-greets with figures like Liam O’Brien and Sam Riegel of the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role; Carla Gugino, who most recently starred in Lisa Frankenstein and several Mike Flanagan miniseries; and David Harbour, of Thunderbolts* and Stranger Things. And did we mention Bruce Campbell will be there?
Here are some of the highlights.
Goonies Summer continues at Rose City CC.
The Goonies Never Say Die: Cast Reunion Spotlight
10–10:45AM SAT, SEPt 6 | MAIN STAGE
Goonies Summer continues. Saturday kicks off with a packed Goonies panel. Famously shot in Astoria, Oregon (and a bit in Cannon Beach and Bodega Bay, California), the beloved kids’ film turns 40 this year. If Astoria’s celebrations were any indication, you’ll want to get to the event early. We’ll be missing Chunk and Data (no Brent Spiner this year, either), but Robert Davi, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Sean Astin, and Corey Feldman will share the main stage to chat about everything Goonies. As a reminder, while he did play Samwise Gamgee, it’s gauche to ask Astin any Lord of the Rings questions during this particular panel. Bonus event: For the true fanatics, head to the Remix Stage in the MLK Lobby just after for a Goonies-themed midmorning dance party.
Kelly Sue DeConnick: Going Where It’s Not Safe
12:15–1PM SAT, SEPt 6 | ROOM E141-144
Local legend Kelly Sue DeConnick has been a champion of feminist comic books for more than 20 years. She’s helped break down gender barriers while working on titles like Captain Marvel (the Marvel one, not DC), Avengers Assemble, and Wonder Woman. She won the illustrious Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for her work on the Amazonian superhero, and DeConnick’s own dystopian series Bitch Planet, a stridently feminist serial from Image Comics, earned her a Hugo Award nom. At this panel, University of Oregon’s codirector of comics and cartoon studies Kate Kelp-Stebbins will field audience questions and talk with DeConnick about her career.
It’s hard to believe that the Battlestar Galactica reboot launched more than 20 years ago.
Battlestar Galactica Cast Spotlight
12:30–1:15PM SAT, SEPt 6 | MAIN STAGE
Grab your gun and bring the cat in, then head to the Portland Ballroom for the Battlestar Galactica cast spotlight with Katee Sackhoff (Kara “Starbuck” Thrace), Mary McDonnell (President Laura Roslin), and the man himself, Edward James Olmos (Admiral William Adama). Maybe it’s because Portlandia parodied the 2010s obsession with the sci-fi melodrama, or maybe it’s because Sackhoff was born here, but BSG feels deeply connected to Portland. Ask the stars your most burning questions, like, What does Sackhoff think happened to Starbuck at the end of “Maelstrom”? Did Olmos ever wonder if Adama was a Cylon? Do any of them tear up listening to “Roslin and Adama” or is it just me? Maybe avoid questions about the Final Five and Opera House reveal, though.
His time in the TARDIS was brief, but Christopher Eccleston is still a fan-favorite Doctor.
A Doctor and His Companion: Billie Piper & Christopher Eccleston
4–4:45PM SUN, SEPT 7 | MAIN STAGE
When the BBC revived its iconic, decades-spanning science fiction adventure show Doctor Who, it was a major gamble. With dwindling popularity and ratings, the show’s original run ended unceremoniously in 1989, and a flop of a ’96 film set in the US didn’t do much to help the franchise (though Paul McGann was a terrific Doctor). But on March 26, 2005, a whole new audience was introduced to The Doctor and his fantastic TARDIS when “Rose” hit TV screens. Still ridiculously cheesy and low-budget, the reboot’s success was largely thanks to its cast. Though he only played the role for a season, Christopher Eccleston brought an intense, charismatic mania, anchored by the endearing Billie Piper as his starry-eyed companion, the eponymous Rose. Twenty years later (spoilers), Piper has returned to the TV show, and despite Eccleston’s public animosity toward BBC execs the pair have teamed up again for a series of audio dramas. For die-hard Whovians, this is a surprising and welcome opportunity to see the Ninth Doctor and Rose reunited at last.
Visit Rose City Comic Con’s site to view the full schedule and purchase badges (tickets).
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