Montreal Comiccon was in full force as it’s 7th annual edition took place at the Palais des Congrès from July 3 to 5, 2015.
Heroically bigger and better than ever, it’s constant expansion of their showroom floor had over 700 exhibitors filling the halls and chambers. Coupled with expanded programming rooms, the event occupied the totality of the Palais des Congrès, with over 50,000 fans circulating throughout the weekend.
From wares to wear, original art to reproduced art, and from new to collector comics and everything in between all these, the heart of pop culture was displayed and iconified, giving you access to your Heroes, SuperHeroes, Villains, Fantasy & Science Fiction characters; be it past, present or future.
Pop culture’s impact due to this past weekend’s event and throngs even had City Hall showing its love for Montreal Comiccon when Mayor Denis Coderre sent his well wishes after launching Montreal Comiccon at its press conference back in March.
On entering Comiccon, after passing the lines and security, it was somewhat like walking into the Star Wars Cantina paired with an imagined galaxy converging space station combined with the folk you would see at the Lord of the Rings Prancing Pony. All meters of interest were peakedly mingled at the entrance to Comiccon, with fans all sharing their interests and having fun, thru cosplay, being photographed, or just interacting and displaying their passionate interests as “fans”.
From meager and simple costumes to the most ornate, complex and classically reproduced, the love and fun enraptured the young and old alike to have a youthful weekend, that just proves that you’re always that wide-eyed one, taking things in as if it is the 1st time: that you read that book, see that film, or hear that iconic phrase.
Attendees had the chance to interact with such offerings, as: “being part of” the Wolverine & The X-Men cosplay fan club, “being exterminated by Daleks” from the Doctor Who Society of Canada, “sitting in the driver’s seat” of the DeLorean from Back to the Future, “hanging out” with Jedis and Stormtroopers from the Star Wars universe, as well as attending “Meet and Greets” with some favourite celebrity stars that included Ron Perlman, Gwendoline Christie, Hayley Atwell, Jason Momoa, Graham McTavish, Michael Rooker, Giancarlo Esposito to name but a few.
Highlights of some of the celebrity panels included Guardians of the Galaxy stars Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn; a gathering of Doctor Who companions Billie Piper, Karen Gillan, Caitlin Blackwood and special guest Eve Myles; the flamboyant crowd favourite John Barrowman and the towering beauty known as “Brienne of Tarth”, Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie.
The French-language cast of the Simpsons was met by a full-house of fans to view and listen to examples of live-dubbing, answer fan questions, and to be part of an unexpected autograph session.
An added spectacle provided crowds more than their money’s worth, when writer/director/actor Kevin Smith .entertained devoted fans for over to 3.5 hours.
Artist Alley was once again a huge hit with fans, featuring comic book creators Darwyn Cooke (DC: The New Frontier), Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night), Neal Adams (Batman), Nick Bradshaw (Guardians of the Galaxy), Francis Manapul (The Flash), Dan Parent (Archie), Mike Rooth (Captain Canuck), and comic book historian Rachel Richey (Nelvana of the Northern Lights), among others.
A prolific gaming area also took hold with attendees getting their game on, featuring participation from video game developers Ubisoft, Bioware and WB Games. The Multijoueur Indie gaming alley also saw expansion and participation while fans craving more cerebral board gaming, enjoyed the Tabletop Game Zone with the National Finals for a Pandemic: Survival tournament.
Cosplay; a major force and attraction, was in full effect. Thousands dressed in their favourite costumes. Heroes or Villains for a day or a weekend, or just a reason to release inhibitions, character play of fans, culminated with the “Masquerade Show” Saturday night when competing cosplayers paraded on stage in front of an encapsulated audience. In addition, A New World: Intimate music from Final Fantasy wowed concert goers with a mix of classic Final Fantasy music and new arrangements.
A summer success, Montreal Comiccon will return to le Palais des Congrès July 8 to 10, 2016.
Be sure to check out the website at montrealcomiccon.com plus Facebook and Twitter pages over the coming months to know all the latest news and updates about the event.
