Comic-Con Málaga 2025: A First Look at the San Diego Comic-Con Spin-Off in Spain

The original San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) dates back to 1970, and like clockwork, it has been celebrated every year since in beautiful Southern California. This year, however, marked the very first international spin-off in Europe — Comic-Con Málaga 2025, hosted in Spain.

It was also a first for this website: covering an event with our own press team. Together, Navi and I flew to Málaga to bring you the inside scoop directly from the convention floor.

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The First International San Diego Comic-Con Spin-Off in Málaga

If you’re an OG San Diego Comic-Con veteran like myself, you’ll quickly notice similarities with the original event. But just as quickly, you’ll notice the differences — both for better and for worse.

To be fair, my experience this time was not at all the same as my previous visits to San Diego. The organizers of Comic-Con Málaga were kind enough to welcome us as press, giving us freedoms and access not available to regular attendees. For that, thank you SDCC Málaga!

Let’s also keep things in perspective. The original SDCC has been around since 1970 — that’s 55 years to refine, adapt, and grow. This was the very first edition of a European spin-off, so it would be unrealistic to expect everything to go smoothly.

Several outlets reported issues such as overpriced food and drinks, overcrowded spaces, scheduling conflicts, long lines lasting hours, ticketing problems, and staff confusion. Annoying, yes — but not uncommon for large pop culture events of this scale.

Not everything was perfect, but that’s also true of the original SDCC. In fact, even though San Diego still offers far more in terms of content, experiences, and opportunities to see favorite stars, Comic-Con Málaga 2025 came surprisingly close to capturing the same spirit. With time, I truly believe this event will grow into a worthy sibling-convention to the original.

What Comic-Con Málaga 2025 Offered Fans

Like its older sibling, SDCC Málaga featured panels with exclusive content and appearances by stars from beloved films, TV shows, and studios. Some of the big names included:

• Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator, Total Recall, True Lies)
• Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, Sandman, Wednesday)
• Elle Fanning (Predator: Badlands, Maleficent)
• Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things, All Fun and Games)

The convention also hosted panels with comic book legends such as Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb — more on that later.

Outside the main exhibitor hall, there was a wide outdoor space called The Village, where fans could watch live broadcasts of the Hall "M" panels — Málaga’s version of San Diego’s famous Hall H experience. A food court with plenty of options rounded out the outdoor area.

Back inside, the exhibitor hall served as the main attraction, much like San Diego’s along with a "Collector's Hall" where you can see the current Sideshow Collectibles lineup. Big industry players such as Bandai Namco and Nintendo set up booths. Navi and I spent some time at Nintendo’s area, racing in the newest Mario Kart and battling through Kirby: The Forgotten Land.

Merchandise booths lined much of the hall, selling everything from books to collectibles. At the very back, I found one of my favorite parts of any convention — Artists Alley, where artists and cosplayers showcased and sold their creations.

We spotted the incredibly talented Peach Momoko, currently working on Ultimate X-Men and Demon Days. Editor’s note: just getting near her booth was a challenge, since she was constantly surrounded by fans.

We also had the pleasure of chatting with the amazing Yaya Han. Even if you’re not into cosplay, you’ve probably seen her work online. She’s one of the kindest people you’ll meet, and a true legend in the cosplay community. She graciously let us photograph her in her beautiful Mao Mao outfit (The Apothecary Diaries) — which we’ll be sharing with you soon.

If you’re like me, conventions are a chance not just to see stars, but to learn from creators about how the works we love are made. That’s why I made sure to attend several anime-focused panels from industry legends.

The "Orange Studio Way" — Anime at Comic-Con Málaga

This panel stood out because it offered both a look into the studio’s origin story and a breakdown of their unique CGI-first approach to anime production.

Founder Inomoto Eiji-san shared how his career began with challenges. Inspired by watching Toy Story in theaters, he pursued CGI animation in an era when it was considered “sacrilegious” for anime. He had to swim against the current just to be taken seriously as an animator.

We were shown Orange Studio’s workflow, which uses motion capture and assigns entire scenes to individual artists. Unlike the traditional pipeline where many animators contribute small parts to a sequence, this method allows each artist to fully realize their vision for a scene.

Examples from Beastars and Leviathan demonstrated how this approach creates distinct, cohesive results.

Thanks to Inomoto-san’s persistence, we now enjoy acclaimed series like Beastars, Leviathan, and Trigun Stampede. During the panel, it was announced that the final season of Beastars and a new series, Trigun: Stargaze, will premiere in 2026.

Star Wars: Visions Panel at Comic-Con Málaga

No Comic-Con experience is complete without the “Hall H experience.” Fans know the energy and spectacle these panels deliver, and this one did not disappoint.

The panel featured animation veterans and studio heads, including:

• Rodrigo Blaas – Director of Season 2’s opening episode, Sith
• Paul Young – Director of Screecher’s Reach
• Takanobu Mizuno – From Kamikaze Douga, director of The Duel (Season 1) and returning in Season 3 with a continuation of the Ronin’s story, animated in the style of Akira Kurosawa
• Masahiko Otsuka – Legendary animator from Studio Trigger, with past work at Studio Ghibli and Gainax

For those unfamiliar, Star Wars: Visions is an anthology series where each episode tells a unique story, produced by a different animation studio.

We got a retrospective look at highlights from Seasons 1 and 2, plus a preview of Season 3, which premieres October 29, 2025. Clips shown from upcoming episodes left us excited — and eager for more.

The Masquerade Cosplay Competition at Comic-Con Málaga 2025

Known locally as the “Cosplay Contest Runway”, the Masquerade competition brought out some truly impressive talent.

The event was hosted by none other than Yaya Han, alongside Anhyra Cosplay and Geheichou — a stellar lineup of cosplay icons.

One particularly memorable moment came when a couple got engaged on stage during the contest. These kinds of heartfelt surprises are a tradition at San Diego Comic-Con, and seeing it happen here in Málaga was just as touching. No matter how many times it happens, it never gets old!

TL;DR — Comic-Con Málaga 2025 Highlights

• First-ever international San Diego Comic-Con spin-off in Europe
• Featured big stars and anime legends
• World class cosplay in the house!
• Captured the Comic-Con spirit despite some growing pains
• Promises to return stronger in future editions

We got some more exciting things to talk about, so please head over to part 2 of this article!