(Montreal) Jedis, superheroes, Vikings and video game characters stormed the Palais des Congrès on Saturday for the second day of Montreal Comiccon. Thousands of people, often in costume, had the chance to meet their favorite stars or share their love of “geek” culture.
Posted at 2:09 p.m.
Coralie Laplante The Canadian Press
For its 13th edition, Comiccon occupied three floors of the Palais des Congrès for the first time. The first was dedicated to the various collector exhibitors and sellers, the second to the conference rooms and the third hosted celebrity autograph and photo sessions.
For Jean-François Hétu, dressed in an impressive Ghostbusters outfit as seen in the film Ghostbusters, attending Comiccon allowed him to realize a dream. He spent several months making his costume.
“It took seven months to make them. “We order parts from all over the world to find the best prices,” he explains. I’ve wanted to do this project for 30 years, ever since I was a little boy. It’s become clear to me, so I’m totally pissed. I slept badly last night just because I was too excited to come here. »
Mr Hétu was accompanied by his son Vincent, wearing the same suit. “I wanted to be with my dad and be able to participate with him,” the boy said, adding that he’s looking forward to playing in the arcades.
On the first floor, dedicated to Comiccon, there were kiosks selling stuffed animals, posters, handbags and various items in the style of comic book heroes, as well as small and large screens. The famous car from the film “Back to the Future” was exhibited and photographed by several visitors. Batman and his life-size “Batmobile” also caused a stir.
“I had done Comiccon in France, in Paris, so this is the first year I’ve been doing it here and it has absolutely nothing to do with it. It’s absolutely huge here compared to Paris,” says Sébastien Luca, who arrived in Quebec two years ago. “I’m here to share the slightly geeky culture with my daughter,” he adds, while little Rose, 3, sits on his shoulders.
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
A man dressed as Spiderman
Japanese characters were also seen among the costumes worn by Comiccon attendees.
Lea Gongo was notably dressed as Asuka, a character from the anime Evangelion. “It’s the love of my life. I grew up watching this anime,” she says.
Three friends have decided to dress up as the three main characters of the Totally Spies series, a project they’ve been working on since Comiccon 2019.
“I used to hear that when I was young, it’s like a nostalgic memory. We see it when we leave too,” says Corine Boucher, dressed in the tight green suit of spy Sam.
Comiccon spokesman Jason Rockman says he’s proud to be part of the organization of this event.
“It’s really a celebration of pop culture, it’s a family event. We’ve had generations coming to this event for 13 years and we’ve seen families grow up here,” says the man, who brought his children, now teenagers, to the event when they were three and five years old.
Despite the 60 guests of honor expected at Comiccon, the true celebrities of the event remain the “cosplayers,” or people dressed up as different characters, according to Mr. Rockman.
“They’re the ones who get the most photos, they’re the ones who make all their costumes by hand. And it’s really impressive when you see what they can do on their own. It’s not something they buy,” he explains.
In addition, the “masquerade”, a costume competition, rounds off the action day on Saturday.
Comiccon expects to welcome almost 60,000 people in total over the weekend.
“Usually Sunday is a bit quieter, but this year I don’t think so,” the spokesperson said as he watched the large crowd at the Comiccon site on Saturday morning.
Star Wars in the spotlight
Various activities and conferences are offered at Comiccon. A concert with Star Wars music was presented on Saturday morning.
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
People dressed up as Star Wars characters
A large part of the Comiccon exhibition hall has been animated by characters from the famous franchise, including Darth Vader and Stormtroopers.
Further along, Jason Moreau commanded a robot character R2-D2 that seemed straight out of a movie set. Mr. Moreau is part of the astromech club that makes Star Wars robots.
“Most are made with a 3D printer,” he explains. We run around with the robots, people like it, the kids freak out. It’s really fun. »
“It’s really worth it for the joy we bring to the children.” [et aux] big ones too,” continues Mr. Moreau.
Comiccon is also a very lucrative event, especially for retailers.
“Three busy days. Yesterday [vendredi] It was madness, too,” says Kristina Foley, founder of the small company Fox and Feather Creations. “I love it, it’s my sixth Comiccon and it’s still one of the best trade shows I’ve attended this year,” she said.
To meet your favorite stars, you also have to open your wallet. For example, to get an autograph and photo of Wednesday’s performer in the 1991 film The Addams Family, Christina Ricci, you have to pay nearly $100.
Several other well-known actors are also expected at the weekend, including Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things), Tom Welling (Lucifer) and Emily Swallow (The Madalorian).
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