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Emerald City Comic Con 2026 is just a few days away, as of this writing, and my wallet is already begging me for some restraint. But what are groceries and rent, I ask you, compared to the unmissable comic artists lining the walls at ECCC's revered Artist Alley? From titans of the medium's history to the folks currently making it, the Seattle Convention Center will be a wall-to-wall display of who's who in the comic book industry, and Popverse will be trying to rub shoulders with as many of them as we can.

To that end, we've assembled a bit of a list of some of the highlights of the convention - folks whose work even the most casual of comic shop goers may be familiar with. Bearing in mind that this is just a personal opinion, folks, here are Popverse's list of some of the most impossible-to-pass-up names (and booths!) at ECCC this year.

ECCC Artist Alley: Arthur Adams (Booth A-11)

Longshot co-creator Art Adams has been all over the comics landscape, from Godzilla to Gumby, but perhaps what comics fans know him best for is his decades-spanning career at Marvel. The pencils behind some of the most legendary adventures from the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Hulk, respectively, Adams is also a pioneer of creator-owned comics, helping from the Legend imprint under Dark Horse.

ECCC Artist Alley: Chris Claremont (Booth A-10)

And speaking of X-Men legends, you don't get much more X-Men legendary than Chris Claremont. Claremont, in case you've been living off-planet for the past 50 years, was the mind that gave us such stories as Days of Future Past and The Dark Phoenix Saga, and has been a consultant for Marvel Studios for some of their biggest titles. One has to wonder what he knows about the X-Men's entry into the MCU.

ECCC Artist Alley: Denys Cowan (Booth A-14)

Founder of Milestone Comics and creator of Static Shock, Denys Cowan's name is sacrosanct in the superhero world. Cowan produced one of the great titles of DC's nigh-mythical 1980s - the Dennis O'Neill-penned run of The Question, which, in this writer's humble opinion, should be spoken of every time someone mentions its colleagues, Watchmen or The Dark Knight Returns. 

ECCC Artist Alley: Liana Kangas: Booth M-02

Liana Kangas's art has appeared everywhere from the downhome streets of Riverdale to the lightspeed distances of Star Trek, so consider how lucky we are that she's swinging by Seattle. Kangas has also been behind some of the most interesting indie books in recent comics memory - if you haven't checked out her burger-greased Satanic heist tale (yes, those words are right) Trve Kvlt, you really should.

ECCC Artist Alley: Gail Simone (Booth O-11)

I know, I know, we all want to talk about Gail Simone's yet-to-be-outclassed runs on DC books like Birds of Prey and The Secret Six. But remember, too, that this is the individual who single-handedly put Red Sonja back on the top of the comic book charts, years after she first appeared on the comics scene in the 1970s. To this day, few sword-and-sorcery comics can go toe-to-toe with that seminal take on the character.

ECCC Artist Alley: Alyssa Wong (Booth M-01)

And last but not even inching toward least, Seattle will be blessed this year by one of both Star Wars' and X-Men's top contributors in the modern age, Psylocke scribe Alyssa Wong. And when I say Star Wars, I'm of course talking about the illustrious adventures of Doctor Aphra, which Wong wrote for years over at The House of Ideas. Oh, and her debut novel is set in the Old Republic? Don't miss it, all you Jedi out there.

Can't get enough? Here is:

• How to watch the ECCC 2026 Main Stage livestream for free!
• Where to find Popverse at Emerald City Comic Con 2026!
• The ECCC Artist Alley creators we're most excited for