Tampa Bay Comic Con 2025. (Photo by Ryan Williams-Jent)
TAMPA | The 2025 Tampa Bay Comic Convention was held Aug. 1-3 at the Tampa Convention Center, uniting fandoms for an inclusive weekend of photo ops, panels, shopping and other experiences.
This year’s celebration featured guests from across film, TV, comics and more. Among many others, celebrities included “The Princess Bride” star Cary Elwes, original “Blue’s Clues” host Steve Burns, *NSYNC’s Joey Fatone, “Happy Days” superstar Henry Winkler and voice actors like “X-Men ’97’s” Lenore Zann and Keith David from “Gargoyles.”
“Tampa Bay Comic Convention is more than just a place for guests and vendors — it’s a home for fandom,” TBCC shared after the convention ended. “We’ve loved seeing so many of you connect with old friends and make new ones, all brought together by a shared love for comics, cosplay, and pop culture. These moments of community and friendship are the true magic of the con.”
This year’s panels included “LGBTQIA: More than just letters on a page,” which examined queer representation in publishing. Authors discussed “writing LGBTQIA characters that resonate with an underserved audience and connect with readers who might not identify as part of the queer community.”
“Cosplaying While Being Non-Binary/Trans As a Form of Gender Expression Q&A” was also featured. “Join an experienced trans cosplayer of 19 years as we go through the experiences LGBTQIA+ individuals have in the cosplay community and how cosplay can be used as a form of gender expression and affirmation,” it was described.
Celebrities also made news. Zann praised the LGBTQ+ fanbase of “X-Men The Animated Series” and its sequel series “X-Men ’97” while actor Ben Barnes, who starred in “The Chronicles of Narnia,” weighed in on J.K. Rowling’s anti-transgender rhetoric.
Tampa Bay Comic Con will return in 2026. Learn more at TampaBayComicConvention.com and view Watermark Out News’ photos from this year’s event below.
Photos by Ryan Williams-Jent.
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