Earlier this month, Montreal extended a warm bienvenue to pop culture at the Comic Con de Montreal. Thousands of pop culture enthusiasts flooded the Palais de Congres to dress up as their favorite characters and to meet their favorite stars and artists.
Previously held at Place Bonaventure, the Con is now in its second year at the Palais de Congres. Many of the fans streaming through the Palais expressed their delight at the event’s steady growth. Despite the crowded aisles and long lines, the added floor space provided fans and exhibitors with a more organized and comfortable Comic Con experience than in recent years.
Highlights of the weekend’s extravaganza included appearances by celebrities like Karl Urban, Julie Benz, Danny Glover, Carl Weathers and the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Horror fans were treated to a signing and Q and A session with legendary director George A. Romero. Horror Fest, which ran throughout the weekend, screened horror movies and shorts.
The latest edition of the new Mortal Combat video game was available for preview. A shroud of secrecy surrounded the Mortal Combat booth where the preview was located and gamers had to enter a sealed room to play the game. This prevented any photos or video of the game from being leaked before its upcoming release.
Some of the panels on the programming schedule included Comment creer un vrai LEGO movie (How to Make a Stop Motion Movie), Comment construire un droide de Star Wars (How to Build Your Own Star Wars Droid), Crowdfunding Your Comic Book and a session for comic book collectors.
Anime fans were treated to a screening of The Akira Project, a live action fan film trailer, developed by CineGround Media and starring Osric Chau (Supernatural). During the panel, fans had the opportunity to meet some of the cast and crew for some behind the scene’s info on the trailer’s production.
Cosplay was well represented at Comic Con de Montreal. The convention hall was filled with a plethora of amazing costumes and enthusiastic cosplayers. The atmosphere inside and outside of the exhibit hall reflected Montreal’s appreciation for geek culture and bodes well for next year’s convention when it all begins again next July.
