Montreal Comiccon
| Montreal Comiccon Le Comiccon de Montréal | |
|---|---|
 Montreal Comiccon logo (2011-) | |
| Status | Active |
| Venue |
Place Bonaventure (2006-2011) Palais des Congrès (2012-) |
| Location(s) | Montreal, Quebec |
| Country | Canada |
| Inaugurated | 2006 |
| Attendance | 32,000 in September 2012 |
| Organized by | Major Comics and other affiliated comic book stores |
| Website | |
| http://www.montrealcomiccon.com | |
The Montreal Comiccon (French: Le Comiccon de Montréal), under its current form, was launched in 2006 as "Montreal Comic-Con". The event features comic books, toys, games, science-fiction, horror, anime, non-sport cards and collectibles. It is held 2 times a year at the Palais des Congrès convention center in downtown Montreal, with the biggest of the 2 shows (the "Comiccon") taking place in September and lasting 3 days.
Special guests, artists, exhibitors and special contests make the Comiccon suitable for children and adults. The September 2012 edition featured guests such as William Shatner (Star Trek), Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Malcolm McDowell ("A Clockwork Orange"), James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and other special guests.
The Montreal Comiccon strives to become a fan convention with multi-genre content, with focus on comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and games. While sharing common traits with San Diego's Comic-Con International and Toronto's Fan Expo Canada, the Montreal Comiccon differentiates itself by offering a variety of attractions catering to both the anglophone and francophone population markets of Montreal, and bridging the gap between American comics and European bande dessinée with crossborder and overseas guests and attractions.
Programming
As with most other comics conventions, the Montreal Comiccon offers a select range of activities, exhibits, and other attractions. Comiccon's programming consists of a large Dealers Room, an Artists Alley, a costume contest, a trading-card games area and Guest panels. New to 2010 are film screenings, Guest photo sessions and a Masquerade. 2011 sees the introduction of additional photo booths, structured autograph line-up barriers, a larger main events stage and dedicated panels/screenings rooms.
History
The Montreal Comiccon held its first edition in 2006 at the Place Bonaventure exhibition center. From 2006 to 2010, the Comiccon was held in room 200-N, a low-ceiling windowless exhibition hall beneath the main hall. Due to 2010's outstanding success, the 2011 show was moved to Place Bonaventure's main hall to accommodate the increased attendance, giving them about three times more space to move around.
The 2012 Montreal Comiccon was held on the weekend of September 14-16, 2012. Due to unexpected demand from the 2011 event, the Montreal Comiccon expanded to a full three days in 2012. The Comiccon also changed venue in 2012, from Place Bonaventure to newer and larger convention facilities at the Palais des congrès de Montréal.
The Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Organization agreed in principle with the organizers of the Montreal Comiccon and presented the 8th Annual Joe Shuster Awards in conjunction with the event on the evening of Saturday, September 15, 2012.[1]
The organizers run a smaller 1-day convention in December called the "Mini-Comiccon". The 2012 Mini-Comiccon was held on Saturday, December 8th at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal. It offered smaller selections of guests, dealers and artists, but offered at the same time more opportunities throughout the year for fans to purchase comics, meet celebrities and wear costumes, among other things. The admission prices were also lower. The organizational structure remained the same as the main September 3-day edition, but with slightly less staff and volunteers.
Dates and locations
Note: Only September editions are shown here.
| Dates | Location | Attendance (turnstile) | Notable guests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2006 | Place Bonaventure Montreal, Quebec |
... | ... | First edition. |
| September 15–16, 2007 | Place Bonaventure Montreal, Quebec |
700 | ... | ... |
| September 13–14, 2008 | Place Bonaventure Montreal, Quebec |
1,100 | ... | ... |
| September 19–20, 2009 | Place Bonaventure Montreal, Quebec |
4,000 | Lou Ferrigno, Jeremy Bulloch and Honky Tonk Man, with Brad Swaile. | Brad Swaile was one of the first anime/manga guests to be invited to Comiccon. |
| September 11–12, 2010 | Place Bonaventure Montreal, Quebec |
8,300 | Brent Spiner, Billy Dee Williams, Peter Mayhew, Ethan Van Sciver, Darick Robertson, Leonard Kirk, Herb Trimpe, Dale Eaglesham, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Larry Hama, Tim Sale, Kirby Morrow. | Last time the main September edition was held in room 200-N. High attendance numbers prompts the organizers to move to the main hall. |
| September 17–18, 2011 | Place Bonaventure Montreal, Quebec |
20,000+ | Stan Lee (Guest of Honour), Adam West, Burt Ward, James Marsters, Doug Bradley, Sid Haig, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, David Prowse (canceled), Clare Kramer, Mercedes McNab, Jeremy Bulloch, Maria de Aragon, Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Noelle Hannibal, Neal Adams, Josh Adams, Sergio Aragonés, Jim Starlin (canceled), Stan Sakai, Gail Simone, Joe Benitez, Pia Guerra, Ian Boothby, Herb Trimpe, Dale Eaglesham, Vic Mignogna, Lillyxandra, KellyJane, TealPirate, Dany, Sgt Slaughter, Rick Martel, Todd van der Heyden.[2] | First time the main September edition was held in the main hall. Attendance reaches facility limit and Montreal Fire Marshal's office halts ticket sales for three hours on Saturday. |
| September 14–16, 2012 | Palais des congrès de Montréal Montreal, Quebec |
32,000[3] | Patrick Stewart (Guest of Honour), William Shatner (Guest of Honour), Wil Wheaton, Brent Spiner, John de Lancie, Malcolm McDowell, James Marsters, Nicholas Brendon, Laura Vandervoort, Mike Mignola, Gunnar Hansen, Lloyd Kaufman, Kevin Sorbo, Ben Templesmith, Frank Cho, Eddie McClintock, Aaron Ashmore, Sam Huntington, Kristen Hager, Bryan Perro, Gavin Blair, Elias Toufexis, Jean-Pierre Talbot, Heroes of the North, the cast of Being Human, Patrick Sénécal, Maxime Martin, Julie du Page, Véronique Tremblay, Rémy Couture, George Pérez, Jim Starlin, Tim Sale, Darwyn Cooke, David Finch, Richard Starkings, Yanick Paquette, Karl Kerschl, Lar Desouza, Ryan Sohmer, Dan Parent, Kelly Tindall, Geof Isherwood, Marvin Mariano, Ray Fawkes, Aislin.[4] | Change of venue. First edition to be a 3-day event. |
| September 13–15, 2013 | Palais des congrès de Montréal Montreal, Quebec |
42,000+[5] | Gillian Anderson (Guest of Honour), Christopher Lloyd (Guest of Honour), George Takei, Sean Astin, Jason Mewes, Felicia Day, Edward James Olmos, James Callis, Michael Hogan, Tahmoh Penikket, Jason Mamoa, Jason David Frank, Margot Kidder, Lou Ferrigno, Mick Foley, Kevin Nash, Chris Jericho, Maryse Ouellet, Bret Hart, Becky Cloonan, Neal Adams, Theresa Tilly, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker Frazer Hines, Ray Park. | ... |
| September 12-14, 2014 | Palais des congrès de Montréal Montreal, Quebec |
... | ... | ... |
See also
- List of comic book conventions
- Otakuthon, Montreal's anime convention
- Ottawa Comiccon, Ottawa's comic book convention
- Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, Canada's largest multigenre convention
References
- ↑ "2012 Joe Shuster Awards". joeshusterawards.com. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
- ↑ "Montreal Comiccon 2011 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
- ↑ As per MCC's Twitter feed Twitter Feed.
- ↑ "Comiccon de Montréal 2012 Convention Information @ AnimeCons". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
- ↑ As per MCC's Facebook Page.
External links
Official sites
Media articles
- Montreal Comiccon 2011 report at UysFaber
- Article on Comiccon 2010 in the Montreal Mirror (2nd article of the page)
- Article on Comiccon 2010 on Canoë Divertissement
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