Yes ladies and gentlemen, it was time once again for Fanexpo in Toronto
This is an ex that is becoming a victim of its own success. It once again took place at the Toronto Convention Centre but they moved it to the biggest hall in the complex and that still wasn't enough. Saturday, they oversold the advance tickets then opened the doors to same day sales and it was temporarily shut down by the fire marshal for code violations. I went Sunday, it was not shut down but it was clear that this event has achieved a popularity beyond the ability of the organizer's. The line up for tickets stretched from the side of the building out onto Front Street. Once inside, it was almost two hours before I got up to the ticket window
Once inside the show was almost worth the wait, there were a few organizational snafu's here and there but there were tons of vendors, lots to buy and of course, lots and lots of people celebrating their shared realities, their shared worlds, in costume
It is an interesting phenomenon. All these people, most of them very young, so heavily invested in their little subcultures. I'm sure they will have a few friends who share these interests, who are equally ardent fans of the video game or the anime or the sci fi show or the horror movie but at the con, there could be hundreds if not thousands of similar fans. Strangers who discover an instant kinship.
Fanexpo features several points of interest: Comics, sci fi, horror, anime, gaming so it appeals to many many groups, some of whom may rarely rub shoulders together. It's a good thing everyone was in good spirits, with some of these characters, you wouldn't want a fight to break out.
Looking at these pictures one has to think: Did the two bat girls encounter each other? What happens then: Do they band together and kick Supergirl's ass for being a snotty blond? Or did they go at each other, in the ultimate cat fight, I mean, bat fight. That's such a perfect comic book nerd conversation, the kind of discussions that seemed to just flow out of the walls.
And of course, let's not think about what happens when different Supergirils collide
Somebody may have to borrow a force field from Sue Richards
There was more at the Expo to watch than just costumed characters of course. The event attracted a lot of celebrities as well, from a wide range of genres.
There was more at the Expo to watch than just costumed characters of course. The event attracted a lot of celebrities as well, from a wide range of genres.
Director David Cronenburg showed up, and although with movies like A History of Violence and Eastern Promises he has moved beyond horror, he is still a rock star in that field
There were also your requisite geeky fan faves from Adam West ...
.. to Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine. I'm not sure what specific sci fi projects he's been involved with but he was in The Wild Bunch, that's good enough for me. And he is quite loud, quite vocal, and swears like a trucker.
An actor with genuine sci fi chops is Summer Glau. She was a star of the very short lived but very good TV series Firefly and its even better spin off movie, Serenity. She was also the extremely cool teenaged female terminator in another very good short lived series The Sarah Conner Chronicles.
But there was one attending actor with impeccable sci fi credentials. The one actor who I may have considered paying for the privilege of having him sign a photo. The man I consider today's greatest living actor. No, not Pee Wee Herman, the one and only Mr William Shatner
Yes, I considered paying for Bill's autograph till I realized he was charging 80 bucks. And bucks mean dollars. I may still be in shock. Bill, I love ya, I really do but you have 3 different TV series this year ... dude, you should be paying us.
Ok, to get over my William Shatner sticker shock, let's look at some more pretty costumed girls ..
OK, feel better? I know I do. And for my female readers, I don't want you all to feel left out ...
Well, he is a guy .. I think. Think back to the top of this post and the joke I made about Pride Week. Anyway, moving on ...
A sci fi/anime sub culture that made a big showing at this year's con was Steampunk. This is a sub genre that probably began with a novel called The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. It presents an alternate universe where culture stopped during the Victorian era but technology continued. There is a healthy Steampunk world out there covering anime, web TV series, comics and of course, fashion
The con provided for a few instances of serendipity. Like this young lady dressed as a vintage TV series Cat Woman ...
... only a few yards away from Julie Newmar, one of the actual vintage TV series Cat Women
who in turn was a few yards away from a vintage TV series Batmobile
It's one of the cool things about Fanexpo, how it features passions that can be shared but such a wide variety of people. Fans come in all ages
And this being Toronto, fans represent all races. But it's interesting that so many Japanese Canadian girls, born and raised here, totally identify with the female characters from manga and anime created in Japan
But that's what it is all about. Connecting. Connecting with some art form that moves you. Connecting with its creators or portrayers. Connecting with others who share the same passion.
Judging by the massive crowds, the long line ups, the giddy enthusiasim, I'd say that connection is more than ephemeral. These may be fantasy worlds. But for one weekend at least, the worlds were very very real
For this event I did not have Collette to create her usual beautiful pics so I struggled on my own with her Nikon. But of course I had the palmcorder in my pocket. So here's a very brief video to give you another perspective on the day
Toronto Fanexpo from Collette Scale on Vimeo.
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