Fan Expo to me is like Halloween and Christmas wrapped into one. It comes once a year with loads of big named celebrities, merch tables, celebrity signings, photo ops, and so much more. This was my first year attending such an event and like any convention virgin I had no idea what to expect.
Except:
However, while gliding down those escalators on a Thursday afternoon and slowly seeing the sheer awesome of everything in that room, my jaw dropped. Everything I loved about comics, horror, and sci-fi was there, and I couldn’t wait to dive in.
Day
One:
My mouth continued to hang open like a
moron as I passed through the aisles of comics and t shirts, giant sized Lego
Yoda, and Iron Man. I was like a kid in a candy store, wanting to grab anything
and everything, but if there was one pro tip I remembered from reading is that
you don’t spend all your money in one
day. So naturally I ended up spending $75 on t shirts, buttons and this
amazing Doctor Who print.
It's so beautiful, I can't even
So after my little shopping trip I decided
to check out the north building to see the magical Doctor Who exhibit. On the
long crowded trip up the elevator and with nothing to do but eavesdrop, I
shamelessly stumbled into the conversation the young man behind me was having,
and he mentioned one thing that could possibly deter me from awesome old
British TV shows: Stan Lee. So after engaging myself in the conversation, I
happily followed my new expo friends aimlessly to the long line for the Stan
Lee Q&A.
Poor ol' Mr. Lee couldn't hear half of the
audience but dammit he loves the fans. He spoke about his new Annihilator movie
that has gone into production, his thoughts about why there isn't a Deadpool
movie (he claims development hell), and retold the famous story of how
Spiderman came to be. My Thursday night could not have ended better and the
look on my face shows.
I'm pooped
Day 2/3
Friday and Saturday were big days. Not only
was this my first year going to a convention but it was also my first year
cosplaying, not one but two costumes.
I was a little nervous, especially since I was Poison Ivy on Friday and a
little worried that butthurt dwellers would take a grab at me. However walking
around the floor and seeing all the other cosplayers around me I knew I would
fit right in with the crowd, and no groping! Score! Cosplaying was one of the
best things I have ever done. I knew people would want to come up and take my
picture, but I never thought it would be on such a grander scale.
Plus I got to meet some Ghostbusters
Not just that but I felt that there was a
great sense of comradery between the cosplayers and the attendees alike. I had
mentioned this in a previous article, but it was so nice to not have people
sneer, or laugh or make rude remarks (at least within my eye/earshot). We were
all there to support each other, have a laugh, and a good time, but my main
mission: Find as many Wolverines and snap a pic. And let’s just say I think I
succeeded…
Photo Courtesy of AS Photography.
He was the best one.
After getting my picture taken a gazzllion
times, and walking around starving my butt off because I didn’t want to eat a
$50 pizza slice, I was told there was a Marvel photoshoot happening on patio
above the venue. Excited, I rushed there and waited for my fellow characters to
arrive. One by one they showed up soon filling the upper deck and awaiting the
fun to be had. I had only been in a handful of photoshoots done by a photographer
and I must say it was very cool to be a part of something like this.
Photo courtesy of AS Photography.
You wish you were in this don't lie.
Day
Four
Day four was…well let’s just say like a
hangover day for me, probably a hangover day for most. I dragged myself out of
bed and made the trek down to Metro Convention Centre and walked around, picked
up some comics and a regrettably overpriced poutine. But whilst munching away I
reflected on my experience here at Fan Expo and compiled a list of pro tips to
survive your first Fan Expo.
#1:
Go Thursday if you don’t want much traffic.
Thursday is the perfect day to walk around
and buy things if you don’t like crowded spaces. Granted there will still be a
lot of people, but nowhere near the same volume on the weekend, and there
aren’t as many guests or hours in the day, but still a good option for the
light conventioneer.
#2:
Bring Cash
While some vendors do support Debit and
Credit Cards, others don’t, and trying to get a signal in certain parts of the
building is like trying to get a Friday
8pm dinner reservation at Dorsia, so always bring cash, it never fails
and won’t leave you in an embarrassing situation... unless you don’t have any.
#3: Bring
Snacks/Water
Like I said before, the food they provide
there is sub-par and way too overpriced, so for your sake and your wallet’s,
opt to bring a box of crackers or fruit, hell go to Subway an hour before and
grab a sandwich, just anything besides buying the food there. Also bring a
bottle of water, it always helps to stay hydrated especially if you’re
cosplaying in a heavy outfit or from being around everyone’s body heat. Water
is you friend, don’t ditch it.
#4:
Don’t buy everything on your first day
Unless it is the only day you are there
for. Seriously, I kept finding cool shit even after I had surpassed my $300
budget on Sunday. So do yourself a favour, have a good look around, make a list
if you can, and get the things you really like.
#5:
Plan Ahead
As much fun as I had, I also missed out on
a lot of cool things like panels, workshop tutorials, speed dating, and a lot
more that I didn’t anticipate. Grab a copy of the magazine, it will tell you
everything you need to know about what’s going on the entire weekend, and give
a lot of things for you to do.
Overall I highly recommend coming out to Fan
Expo. There’s something for everyone and it’s all in the heart of downtown
Toronto. See you next year!
By: Becky Cocek