This weekend marked the 15th edition of the Montreal Comiccon. It was our first time there and, frankly, we’re not really geeks and knew next to nothing about it. Already, we got lost between the buildings of the Palais des Congrès and almost arrived late for the press conference that opened the 3-day nerd-stravaganza.
In the streets, under a first-day-of-summer-camp sun, we ran into girls dressed as Mario Brothers, Freddy Krueger, an 18th-century soldier with a plastic gag (scary), kids in Star Wars costumes, and a little-known actor who asked us if we had a light. VIPs had been queuing since 8am, and the doors opened at 12pm. A Harry Potter brought a little chair and a nutribullet.
Once we found the press conference room, it was as if we’d entered another world; that of fandoms, nerds, geeks and those who still retain the excitement of our first childhood collections.
The panel…
We were lucky enough to be able to launch the Comiccon with a panel of actors and creators who, between the first and fifteenth coffees of the morning, took the time to answer questions from journalists and finance bros from the tech startupthat created the app with which you can navigate the event’s super-busy program.
On the side of the big table where everyone is getting ready, two actors in full superhero costumes with red and black comiccon outfits pose with their fists on their hips. As we wait for the conference to begin, we think how incredibly cool all these geeks look.
The actors and creators seem to know each other a little. On the panel are; Jason Rockman (festival spokesman, screenwriter and actor known for Antisocial and La Maison Bleue), Cliff Caporale (festival programming director), Ross Marquand(The Walking Dead), Charles Martinet (the voice of Mario from Mario Brothers), Jaime McGuire(From), John Kassir(Tales from the Crypt), Harry Belden and Ian Cardoni (the voices of Rick & Morty), Jason Liebrecht (voice actor in Les Enfants Loups, Waking Life, Samâ Wôzu), Stephanie Young (voice of Nico in One Piece), Luci Christian(One Piece, My Hero Academia) and Elizabeth Maxwell(My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Dragon Ball).
When one of the journalists asks what it’s like for the actors at comiccon, Cliff Caporale says “it’s our superbowl“. The community of lovers and obsessives of pop-culture, superheroes, space villains, anime and all things retro and nostalgic gather at comiccon, and the atmosphere is electric.
Guests’ favorite Montreal addresses
For most of the actors and creators who arrived in Montreal that morning or the evening before (to combat jet-lag and stroll incognito before becoming comiccon superstars, the kind who make girls swoon and geeks stammer in head-to-toe distressed leather), this is a first visit. So when we ask about their favorite place in the city, we’re surprised by some very strong opinions (and a love for Montreal that makes us a little proud in the process).
Harry and Ian(Rick & Morty) went for an aperitif at Bisou Bisou (and talk about their mustard as a discovery), Jason Liebrecht loves going to Fleurs et Cadeaux, Ross Marquand says Big In Japan, Charles Martinet dreams of the cakes at Bervig patisserie, Jason Rockman recommends Paparmane and Cliff Caporale talks about the restaurant La Louisiane.
We also debate the best bagel in Montreal: the epic battle between Fairmount and Saint-Viateur. The journalists get in on the action, and we vote by show of hands: Darth Vader (breathing distressingly in our blind spot) raises his hand for Fairmount, Harry Belden for Saint-Viateur. The room is divided, with no clear answer. The mystery remains.
- Bar Bisou Bisou – 416 R. Saint-Vincent, Montreal – website
- Fleurs et Cadeaux – 1002 Rue Saint-Urbain, Montreal – website
- Big In Japan – 4175 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal – website
- Pâtisserie Bervig – 33 Notre-Dame St W, Montreal – website
- Paparmane – 209 Notre-Dame St W, Montreal – website
- La Louisiane – 5850 Sherbrooke St W – website
- Bagel St-Viateur – 263 Saint Viateur St. West – website
- Bagel Fairmount – 74 Av. Fairmount O, Montreal – website
Comic-Community
After that, we talk pop culture, geek culture and the exceptional internationalism of the comics, films and TV series represented at comiccon.
Everyone’s looking forward to strolling between the lightsaber booths, the tricolor sloches (no coffee at geekcon), the roleplay tables, the rare comic book stands and my favorite exhibitor, the USS Renaissance (a branch of Star Trek’s Starfleet ).
We made eyes at a passing stormtrooper, got a close-up look at dice from Dungeons and Dragons of all colors, chatted with cosplayers touching up their make-up, and fell back into the comfortable cocoon of childhood at comiccon.
We smile until our cheeks hurt, and we kind of agree when Ian Cardoso says; “why stop at the world, when we could do the multiverse?”