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Jedis, superheroes and video-game characters swarm the Palais des congrès to share their love of geek culture.
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Published Jul 15, 2023 • 4 minute read
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Jedis, superheroes, Vikings and video-game characters took over the Palais des congrès Saturday for the second day of the Montreal Comiccon.
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Thousands of people, often in costume, were able to meet their favourite stars or share their love of geek culture.
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For its 13th edition, Comiccon occupied three floors of the Palais des congrès for the first time. The first floor was dedicated to the various collectibles exhibitors and vendors, the second to the conference rooms, and the third to the celebrity autograph and photo sessions.
For Jean-François Hétu, dressed in an impressive ghostbuster outfit resembling those featured in the film Ghostbusters, taking part in Comiccon was a dream come true. He spent several months making his costume.
“It took seven months to make it. We order parts from all over the world to try and find the best prices,” Hétu said. I’ve wanted to do this project for 30 years, ever since I was a little boy. Now that it’s done, I’m all worked up. I didn’t sleep well last night because I was so excited to come here.”
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Hétu was flanked by his son, Vincent, who wore the same costume. “I wanted to be with my dad, to be able to participate with him,” said the young boy, adding he couldn’t wait to visit the arcades.
The second floor dedicated to Comiccon was packed with booths offering plush toys, posters, handbags and various items bearing the effigy of comic book heroes, as well as small and large screens. The famous car from the film Back to the Future was on display and was photographed by several visitors. Batman and his life-size “Batmobile” also drew attention.
“I’d done Comiccon in France, in Paris, so this is the first year I’m doing it here, and it’s absolutely nothing like it. It’s absolutely giant here compared to Paris,” said Sébastien Luca, who arrived in Quebec two years ago. “I’m here to share a bit of geek culture with my daughter,” he added, with three-year-old Rose perched on his shoulders.
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Japanese Anime characters also featured prominently among the costumes worn by Comiccon visitors.
Participant Lea Gongo was dressed as Asuka, a character from the anime Evangelion. “She’s the love of my life. I grew up listening to this anime,” Gongo said.
Three other visitors — all friends — chose to dress up in the image of the three main characters in the Totally Spies series, a project they’d been toying with since the 2019 Comiccon.
“I used to listen to this when I was young, it’s like remembering nostalgia. You can see it when you walk around, too,” says Corine Boucher, who was dressed in a tight green Sam the Spy outfit.
Comiccon spokesperson Jason Rockman said the gathering is a celebration of pop culture as well as a family event.
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“We’ve had generations coming to this event for 13 years, and we’ve seen families grow up here,” said Rockman, who brought his children — now teenagers — to the convention when they were three and five years old.
Despite the 60 guests of honour expected at Comiccon, the real celebrities remain the “cosplayers” — people dressed up as various characters, according to Rockman.
“They’re the ones who have the most photos taken of them, they’re the ones who make all their costumes by hand. And it’s really impressive when you see what they can do themselves. It’s not something they bought,” he said.
The Masquerade, a costume contest, concludes the day’s activities on Saturday.
Comiccon expects nearly 60,000 people to show up over the weekend.
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“Typically, Sunday is a little quieter, but this year I don’t think so,” said Rockman as he watched large crowds enter the Comiccon site Saturday morning.
Comiccon offers a variety of activities and conferences, including a Star Wars music concert Saturday morning.
A large section of the Comiccon showroom was animated by characters from the famous franchise, including Darth Vader and Stormtroopers.
A little farther on, Jason Moreau was commanding a robot of the R2-D2 character, which looked like it had stepped off a film set. Moreau belongs to the Astromech club, which builds Star Wars robots.
“Most of them are made using 3D printers,” Moreau said. “We walk around with the robots, people love it, kids go nuts. It’s really fun.”
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“It’s really worth it for the joy we bring to kids (and) grown-ups too,” Moreau added.
Comiccon is also a lucrative event for retailers.
“It’s three busy days. Yesterday (Friday) was crazy, too,” said Kristina Foley, creator of the small business Fox & Feather Creations. “I love it, this is my sixth Comiccon, and it’s still one of the best fairs I do in a year,” she said.
Participants also have to pull out their wallet if they want to meet their favourite celebrities. An autograph and a photo of Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday Addams in the 1991 film The Addams Family, will set you back close to $100.
Several other well-known actors are also expected to appear over the weekend, including Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things), Tom Welling (Lucifer) and Emily Swallow (The Madalorian).
This story was written with the financial assistance of the Meta — Canadian Press news fellowship.
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