Manitoba's first comicon

TIMOTHY BROWN STAFF

A guy in a Batman costume. What a dork.
PHOTO: CALVIN MURRAY

This past weekend (Nov. 4 and 5), a comic book convention, also known as a Comicon, was held at the Assiniboine Gordon Hotel here in Winnipeg. It was the first Manitoba Comicon. The convention showcased many local talents from around Winnipeg and other parts of Manitoba. It also had dealers selling comics, toys and other merchandise. Essentially, it had something for a wide variety of nerds. Naturally, I decided to attend.

Most impressive at the convention was the sheer amount of toys there were to purchase. Mind you, most of them were a bit more expensive than the casual toy-purchaser would be used to. For instance, you notice an interesting looking Optimus Prime figure from the original Transformers series, you think, “I bet that would be a nice purchase,” you walk up and inquire about the price. And once you’ve realized that the price is somewhere around $120, you start looking elsewhere. It was still nice to see almost every toy I used to own as a kid being sold there.

Despite being fun to attend there was a serious lack of actual comic books at the Comicon. The toys dominated much of the convention, which was a little disappointing. Toys have conventions of their own and shouldn’t have been so dominant in this one.

In the artists’ room, there was a wide variety of people displaying their work, some of which was very impressive. It would be nice to see some outside talent as well or possibly find a bigger name in the world of comics to attract a larger crowd. They should also find a larger location as there was too much merchandise, too many dealers, and too many people spectating for it to be a nice comfortable fit. Most of the time, I was trying to squeeze by someone without bumping into them and also trying to not to knock over all the stuff on the stand next to me.

While there were a few major drawbacks to the Comicon this year, one should keep in mind that this was their first venture into the world of comic book conventions and it will most likely grow in quality with each passing year. Next year’s convention seems to be proof of that. While I don’t have a lot of information about it, I do know that the major attraction next year will be David Prowse. For most of you who don’t know who that is, he is the actor who played Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. There will also be a new and possibly bigger location. So, for any of those people out there who might be interested in this sort of thing, try to make it out and see for yourself.





Volume 94 Issue 12	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	November 08, 2006

Home About Us Advertise Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Personals Volunteer	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly Manitoba's first comicon TIMOTHY BROWN STAFF A guy in a Batman costume. What a dork. PHOTO: CALVIN MURRAY This past weekend (Nov. 4 and 5), a comic book convention, also known as a Comicon, was held at the Assiniboine Gordon Hotel here in Winnipeg. It was the first Manitoba Comicon. The convention showcased many local talents from around Winnipeg and other parts of Manitoba. It also had dealers selling comics, toys and other merchandise. Essentially, it had something for a wide variety of nerds. Naturally, I decided to attend. Most impressive at the convention was the sheer amount of toys there were to purchase. Mind you, most of them were a bit more expensive than the casual toy-purchaser would be used to. For instance, you notice an interesting looking Optimus Prime figure from the original Transformers series, you think, “I bet that would be a nice purchase,” you walk up and inquire about the price. And once you’ve realized that the price is somewhere around $120, you start looking elsewhere. It was still nice to see almost every toy I used to own as a kid being sold there. Despite being fun to attend there was a serious lack of actual comic books at the Comicon. The toys dominated much of the convention, which was a little disappointing. Toys have conventions of their own and shouldn’t have been so dominant in this one. In the artists’ room, there was a wide variety of people displaying their work, some of which was very impressive. It would be nice to see some outside talent as well or possibly find a bigger name in the world of comics to attract a larger crowd. They should also find a larger location as there was too much merchandise, too many dealers, and too many people spectating for it to be a nice comfortable fit. Most of the time, I was trying to squeeze by someone without bumping into them and also trying to not to knock over all the stuff on the stand next to me. While there were a few major drawbacks to the Comicon this year, one should keep in mind that this was their first venture into the world of comic book conventions and it will most likely grow in quality with each passing year. Next year’s convention seems to be proof of that. While I don’t have a lot of information about it, I do know that the major attraction next year will be David Prowse. For most of you who don’t know who that is, he is the actor who played Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. There will also be a new and possibly bigger location. So, for any of those people out there who might be interested in this sort of thing, try to make it out and see for yourself.


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