From Montreal Gazette, March 25, 2016
William Shatner takes command; Gotham cast members take wing
Montreal city hall had some very special guests Thursday morning: the Hulk, Deadpool and Chewbacca were there, along with several of their associates. Oh, and the mayor was there, too. Denis Coderre helped unveil the lineup for this year’s edition of Montreal Comiccon, taking place at the Palais des congrès from July 8 to 10.
The Quebec film Turbo Kid will figure prominently in the festival-within-a-festival Comiccon Obscura.
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“I’m a geek,” the mayor said, later telling reporters what he was looking forward to most at Comiccon. “I’m a Deadpool guy,” he said, next to a man dressed as the popular comic-book character.
This year’s Comiccon comes with good news for the Trekkers among us: William Shatner — the 85-yearold Montreal-born actor forever known as Capt. James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek series, which debuted in 1966 — will be the guest of honour.
Comiccon spokesperson and CHOM radio host Jason Rockman has been involved with the festival since 2009, a year that was a turning point for the event. Prior to that edition, which featured Lou Ferrigno and retired pro wrestler Honky Tonk Man, Montreal’s comic convention was little more than a few dozen comic-book collectors in one room.
“It’s nice to see this in our own backyard,” Rockman said, noting that the event now takes over the entirety of the Palais des congrès. Organizers have planned 150 activities this year, and are expecting upward of 60,000 fans.
Elizabeth Jutras — a core Comiccon organizer, along with founders Oscar Yazedjian and Alex La Prova, who started the convention in earnest in 2006 — was instrumental in turning it into an international event, thanks to her marketing savvy.
“They were going nowhere; it was so small. They’re geeks and were selling comic books. I’m coming from a branding, translation and communications background,” she said. “I helped them build the image.” Now the team also organizes the comic conventions in Ottawa and Quebec City.
(Oh, how easily she dismisses the fan-run con! How easily the success of a convention can be measured in terms of numbers of attendees, and therefore the money that can be raked in. CPL)
Here are six goodies to watch for at this year’s Comiccon:
1. Fifty years of Star Trek
Shatner will appear alongside former co-star Nichelle Nichols, better known as Uhura — one of the first black actresses to portray someone other than a servant on an American television series. Kate Mulgrew, a.k.a. Capt. Kathryn Janeway of Star Trek: Voyager, will also be present. Logistics guru Dan Péron said Star Trek fans could expect some additional treats.
2. Montreal HorrorFest rebranded
In October, Montreal HorrorFest posted to Facebook that it was parting ways with Comiccon. That appears to not be the case anymore, as the festival-within-a-festival has been renamed Comiccon Obscura and is back on the program with a Turbo Kid-inspired expo, featuring props and items from the set of the Quebec film. Turbo Kid’s directorial collective, Roadkill Superstar — that is, François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell — will lead workshops and panels. Fans will also be able to enjoy a live dubbing of Turbo Kid featuring French voice actors.
Comiccon Obscura will also f
eature two nights of cult films, plus Nightmare Carnavale, a live-theatre performance of three short stories written by masters of horror Stephen King and Ray Bradbury, and adapted by Montreal playwright Michael Mitchell. “For the last three years, we’ve done live readings with him,” said programming director Cliff Caporale. “This year (Mitchell) said, ‘I want to do a full play.’ ”
3. Batman tribute
Along with Star Trek, the original Batman TV series is also celebrating its 50th in 2016. Two key cast members of the current Batman television series Gotham, Morena Baccarin (Leslie Thompkins) and Robin Lord Taylor (Oswald Cobblepot/the Penguin), are heading to Comiccon. Baccarin is also known for her roles in Deadpool, Firefly and V, as Adria in Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: The Ark of Truth, as well as her more conventional role in the terrorism/thriller series Homel
and.
4. Staying true to comics culture
Who could hold a Comiccon without the comics? Neal Adams, who has been illustrating some of the best-loved comics since 1962, as well as Bob Layton (The Invincible Iron Man), Yanick Paquette (Wonder Woman: Earth One), Marguerite Sauvage (DC Bombshells) and Robert Bailey (Star Wars) are just some of the comicbook artists who will talk about their work.
It’s not all DC and Marvelinspired comics, though. Three rooms will be dedicated to Japanese anime. Cosplayers will also get a nod: Yaya Han, one of the world’s most notable professional cosplayers, will make an appearance, as will Jessica Nigri and Kamui Cosplay.
5. Pop culture Easter eggs
The voice of Optimus Prime in Transformers, Peter Cullen, will join Elias Toufexis, known as Adam Jensen, the main character of the Deus Ex video-game franchise, at July’s convention. Both are Montrealers and are part of Comiccon’s focus on showcasing Montreal artists this year.
Appearances will also be made by Brett Dalton (Agent Grant Ward in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars instalm
ents The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) and ‘90s WWE wrestler Scott Hall, better known as Razor Ramon. Darryl (DMC) McDaniels of rap trio Run-D.M.C. will also be on hand, promoting his new comic-book imprint, Darryl Makes Comics.
6. Video games
Upward of 50 video-game studios from Montreal and abroad will demo their wares as part of Comiccon’s growing focus on gaming. Caporale said Eidos has just confirmed its presence, alluding to a possible new Deus Ex release. Competitive gaming, otherwise known as e-sports, will also be a major focus, with local e-sports players competing live over the
weekend.
Coderre noted that Montreal is home to a wide variety of artists and creative industries, of which video games are no small part. He said paying tribute to their influence on the city is essential at Comiccon.
“(Comiccon does a good job of ) enhancing Montreal’s reputation as a smart city and a major hub for video games and special effects,” Coderre said.