Montreal, Quebec, July 8, 2018 – This past weekend, Montreal Comiccon celebrated a decade of bringing together the most passionate fans of pop culture from across Quebec, Canada and other parts of the world. Over 60,000 enthusiast of comics, sci-fi, anime, horror, video games, and movies crowded the Palais des congrès for three epic days of celebrity encounters of the third kind, collectible hunting, games, imaginative workshops, fascinating Q & As, and, of course, wild cosplay. Many came in their neatest civilian clothes, while numerous others chose to attend costumed in the identity of their favorite heroes to add their grain of fun to the momentous occasion.
FROM THE BIG AND SMALL SCREENS
The 2018 edition was light years away from that first gathering of a handful of devoted amateurs in a frugal room back in 2008. This year, some of Hollywood’s biggest names and most beloved stars from the fantasy universe descended upon the city to join the party. Montreal Comiccon had reserved a special alien-free spot for David Duchovny, Mitch Pileggi and William B. Davis, stars of the idolized TV series, The X-Files, who spent generous hours greeting the public and sharing classified stories, only to be whispered in the ears of the most trusted among us. Saturday’s Truth is Here event electrified the show’s fans, reawakening erased memories and building anticipation for the future.
Thousands were relieved when no casualties were reported following the appearance of eternal bad boy, Danny Trejo. It didn’t take long for visitors to realize that the terrifying villain of such classic motion pictures as Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Machete, is in fact one of the kindest and most approachable celebrities in Tinseltown. Other big names posing for pictures and autographs throughout the weekend, included the ever-gorgeous, Jennifer Morrison, known as Dr. Allison Cameron in the medical-drama, House, and as Emma Swan in Once Upon a Time; Mark Sheppard, from the horror drama, Supernatural, and the space epic, Battlestar Galactica; Pom Klementieff, the French actress most recognized as Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and in the recently-released, Avengers: Infinity War; and Amanda Tapping, the Canadian actress and director, who portrayed Samantha Carter on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Adrian Paul, the British actor and choreographer famous for his role as Duncan MacLeod, in Highlander: The Series, hosted The Sword Experience, a three-and-half-hour sword-training seminar that united in combat fans, actors, martial artists, and role-playing enthusiasts, without bloodshed (well, not much).
Screen legend, champion kick boxer, and one-time Bruce Lee nemesis, Chuck Norris, stopped by, along with a roaster of celebrities that left crowds gasping for air, including Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa; Hollywood icon and Batman incarnation, Val Kilmer; ravishing heartbreaker, Pamela Anderson; Ben McKenzie, Morena Baccarin, David Mazouz, John Barrowman, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones and the controversially fun, Julian Glover. Another unforgettable moment was the surprise encounter of Chuck Norris and mixed martial fighter Georges St-Pierre.
Voice actors behind endearing cartoon, anime, and video game characters revealed their faces, including the entire leading cast of the hit web series, RWBY: Lindsay Jones (Ruby Rose), Kara Eberle (Weiss Schnee), Barbara Dunkelman (Yang Xiao Long), Arryn Zech (Blake Belladona), and Michael Jones (Sun Wukong).
A PANTHEON OF ARTISTS
Fiercely loyal to its roots, Montreal Comiccon reserved a heroes’ welcome for the comic book artists who started it all and who continue to push the boundaries of storytelling. Connoisseurs were euphoric to meet Gerry Conway, the mighty scriptwriter behind some of Marvel’s and DC’s most powerful moments, including the traumatic death of Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man, and the introduction of Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher; Larry Hama, the writing commando behind Hasbro’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line, and its Marvel Comics series; David Lloyd, the co-creator of the subversive graphic novel, V for Vendetta; and Neal Adams, the crusader for artists’ rights, who propelled American comics into gritty adulthood with his realistic renditions of Batman, The X-Men, and Green Arrow. Accompanying the legends were a myriad of artists from every corner of the comic book galaxy, including prolific Archie Comics master, Dan Parent, Danica Brine (Wayward), Gautier Langevin (Far Out), Gisèle Lagacé (Jem and the Holograms), Jeik Dion (Turbo Kid: Skeletron Unleashed), Ken Lashley (Suicide Squad), Nick Bradshaw (Guardians of the Galaxy), Olivier Carpentier (Far Out), Yanick Paquette (Wonder Woman: Earth One), John Tyler Christopher (Star Wars), Dale Eaglesham (Green Lantern) and Michael Cho (The Flash: The Silver Age).
THEY STEPPED RIGHT UP: MAIN ATTRACTIONS
For those who chose to go all out and to take it all in, Montreal Comiccon left no space for boredom. Over 150 panels, workshops, concerts, board games, screenings, autograph sessions, and photo ops shared a packed calendar with anime-themed contests and enlightening classes with comic book creators. Children invaded the widely popular Family Zone, jammed with energizing activities for those 12 and under, including handy laser sword training and character-building Nerf battles.
No Jurassic dinosaur could have matched the mighty presence of video games. The 5th floor freeplay area, presented in partnership with Dreamhack, was a non-stop eruption of digital adventures, while Loto-Québec and Multijoueur hosted the creations of nearly 40 innovative Québec gaming studios. The curious and the nostalgic found joy in the Retro Gaming Area, where they were challenged once again by the most addictive video games and consoles of the past four decades. The Combocon Tabletop Gaming Hall was also jam-packed all weekend with board, card and role-playing games.
THE MONTREAL CANADIENS
The Montreal Canadiens also attended this 10th edition, with Paul Byron, Nikita Sherbak and Tomas Plekanec signing autographs and taking photos with their fans. The famous mascot Youppi was also part of the show.
THE MUSIC OF COMICCON
The Film Music Wind Orchestra (OVMF – L’Orchestre à vents de musiques de films), 50 classical musicians under the direction of conductor and arranger, Jocelyn Leblanc, returned to captivate fans with the musical themes of their favorite films and video games, including the best of Star Wars, A Universe of Video Games, and Harry Potter. Saturday evening saw the glorious return of Nerdstock, a festival of nerdy rock bands, presented in association with Shank Events. The unparalleled event featured headliners, Cybertronic Spree, a hair metal band of robots-in-disguise that banged out music from Transformers: The Movie; Jardin Mécanique, a steampunk musical trio; Skieur Fluo, a Greek culture-inspired pop, punk and metal act; and Billy & the Fox, a narrative conceptual band. To add to the unforgettable performances, House of M Productions thrilled audiences with brilliant musical recreations of popular Buffy, the Vampire Slayer episodes.
Through it all, adult visitors stayed hydrated thanks to the first-ever collaboration between Montreal Comiccon and Microbrasserie Dieu du ciel, who introduced a special brew exclusively available at the show.
The wheels are already in motion to launch Montreal Comiccon’s second decade with a gangbusters event from July 5 to 7, 2019. Fans and media are invited to visit montrealcomiccon.com and subscribe to the always-entertaining newsletter.
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Source: MontrealComiccon.com
Media relations: Leeja Murphy, Agence Pink | leeja@agencepink.com | 514 213-0045