Montreal comicCon 2019 – The 11th edition of Montreal ComicCon 2019 will be held between July 5 and 7 at the Palais des Congrès, the venue where it has taken place all these last years, and where it has hosted a large number of guests and spectators. Indeed, unique among all the big summer events in the city, ComicCon can be characterized as Montreal’s pop culture festival. It involves a very comprehensive selection of comic books where one can find rare copies of the 1950s and 1960s comic books –courtesy of exhibitors from all over North America– to contemporary games and all kinds of memorabilia from cult movies and TV series. The three-day event is also marked by the presence of actors and actresses from TV shows and iconic artists and writers of comic strips.
One has to remember that ComicCon was born as a gathering place for comic book fans, it then extended to other expressions of popular culture such as TV series, movies, and most recently, games. Unlike other festivals, ComicCon is also an opportunity for the public to actively participate by dressing up as their favourite characters, in previous editions of the event that I have attended, Star Wars, and all kinds of superheroes have been the most popular inspirations for those who decide to try on some costume.
The comic strip portion of the event will feature writer and editor Jim Shooter (Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, Valiant Comics), writer and artist Kevin Eastman (co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and artist Rags Morales (Identity Crisis, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter).
Those whose interest lies mostly with TV shows will be glad to know that ComicCon will host a Smallville Reunion, already confirmed are Tom Welling (Superman / Clark Kent) and Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor), other additional guests of this series are yet to be announced. Fans of the original version of “Star Trek” will be delighted to learn that once more William Shatner (the iconic Captain Kirk) will be at this year’s event too.
Other guests are Alan Tudyk (Hoban “Wash” Washburne in the TV show “Firefly” and movie “Serenity”), Lana Parrilla (“Once Upon a Time”), Anson Mount and Ethan Peck (who play Captain Pike and Spock respectively on “Star Trek: Discovery”), Cameron Brodeur (Young Luther on the 2019 Netflix series “The Umbrella Academy”), Georges St-Pierre, a former mixed martial arts fighter who have also starred in films, Ray Park, actor, author, and martial artist who played Toad in “X-Men,” and a number of other actors and actresses appearing in current TV series and movies.
In total, ComicCon will stage more than 200 activities, counting among them, workshops, concerts, panels, masquerades, screenings, autograph sessions, contests, and many others. Highlighting the general appeal of the event, Family Zone will be there, dedicated to activities for kids ages 12 and under, presenting Nerf battles and character face paintings, among other fun activities for the young.
On the musical front, the Orchestre à vents de musiques de films (OVMF) will perform the soundtrack of some favourite movies: “Marvel Cinematic Universe” (July 5), “The Legend of Zelda” (July 6), and “James Bond” (July 7). A daily karaoke party featuring songs from Disney movies will give the opportunity to the public to try the tunes of popular movies such “Beauty and the Beast”, “Frozen”, and “The Lion King.”
For detailed information about ComicCon program, tickets, and updates, go to www.montrealcomiccon.com
