I’ve been going to Long Beach Comic Con on and off for over ten years. I’ve seen it grow from a small show to one of the larger pop culture events in Southern California outside of SDCC and Anime Expo. They’ve hosted A-list celebrities like Jason Momoa and William Shatner as well as comic book luminaries such as Mark Waid, George Perez, Mike Mignola, Jim Lee, and Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons. LBCC had lines out the door in 2016 for a rare cast reunion of the short-lived Firefly series.

One of the things that set Long Beach apart was a focus on science, space travel, and education with its Space Expo. They even welcomed professional wrestling with exhibition matches put on by KnokX Pro Wrestling, an indie promotion run by WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi. Unfortunately, said promotion has been in the news recently for the violent, controversial actions of Raja Jackson, son of MMA legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

The con was popular enough that it spawned a sister show, the Long Beach Comic Expo, which was usually staged in January or February. The 2020 Expo was actually one of the last shows I attended before everything was shut down by the pandemic. Ever since then, the organizers have struggled to get back to where they were before. They returned in 2022 and 2023, but skipped out on 2024. COVID isn’t entirely to blame as rising competition from other conventions have certainly taken away from Long Beach, especially on Labor Day weekend. Anime Impulse OC at the Anaheim Convention Center about half an hour away. Despite being on the other side of the country, the popular DragonCon in Atlanta drew away potential guests and attendees. The following weekend also saw ToonCon in Pasadena and Creep IE Con in Ontario.

2025 was an odd year. As I arrived at the Long Beach Convention Center, I wondered if I was in the right place or if the entrance was in a different area. There was no signage or crowds. No music, no cosplayers doing photoshoots, and no food trucks. Celebrity cars like the Ecto-1 or the Jurassic Park Jeep weren’t parked out front as they would be in the past. The con had one table in the lobby to handle registration for everyone. Rather than the normal exhibit hall, LBCC 2025 was split between two ballrooms with the larger room upstairs used for exhibitors and the majority of guests while Artist Alley could be found downstairs next to the spaces used for panels.

This year’s Artist Alley included indie publishers Prism Comics and DC Comics writers Tim Sheridan, Jeremy Adams, and David Pepose, who has recently penned Space Ghost and Captain Planet for Dynamite. The big draw was another DC writer and animation legend Paul Dini, best known for his work on numerous DC animated shows. The co-creator of Harley Quinn gladly took photos of cosplayers dressed as the Joker’s iconic paramour.

Speaking of DC animation, George Newbern and Maria Canals-Barrera, who voiced Superman and Hawkgirl on Justice League, were signing autographs in the main hall. This was perfect timing for the voice actors with both characters trending thanks to James Gunn. Tons of other all-stars from the voiceover world were invited to LBCC. Rob Paulsen, Townsend Coleman, Cam Clarke, and Barry Gordon, who have brought to life dozens of characters, were there for a panel about the original Ninja Turtles cartoon. They greeted fans alongside Leslie Kritzer, Amir Talai, Morgana Ignis, and Georgie Leahy from the Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel series as well as cast members from the English-dubbed edition of One Piece. A reunion of actors from Boy Meets World were scheduled for the con as well with Will Friedle, Rider Strong, Bonnie Bartlett, and William Daniels (also known as the voice of KITT). Unfortunately, Danielle Fishel aka Topanga had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict.

This year’s exhibit hall would only take a short period of time to peruse. The majority of space was reserved for the guest celebrities. There wasn’t much variety when it came to the vendors. You had one exhibitor with a large assortment of cosplay props and weapons. The Droid Builders were present with a variety of R2 units and even a pink version of Rex from Star Tours. One vendor was armed with the ever-present Funko Pops and another had a decent selection of NECA figures. However, no vintage toys or a substantial assortment of Marvel Legends or Star Wars. Only 3 exhibitors sold comic books. Each one had a selection of discount back issues and wall books, such as a beautiful copy of Tomb of Dracula 10 (1st appearance of Blade) for $1100. Cali Coast Comics, who’ve previously exhibited at WonderCon, had a wide variety of $2 comics. I managed to pick up a few hidden gems like Infinity Inc 16, the first appearance of Mr. Bones who recently received a McFarlane action figure. The comic itself is probably worth ten times what I paid. Funny enough, I stopped by Comics, Toons n’ Toys in Tustin before hitting LBCC for their $1 Sidewalk Sale. Two of my best pickups were Wonder Man 1 and Mark Waid’s Irredeemable 1, the latter of which is about a Superman-type hero who turns evil.

While it’s good news to see Long Beach Comic Con make a return, one hopes there’s enough funds in the coffers for a bigger and better event next year. Dates are already scheduled for the 5th and 6th of September, 2026.