Montreal Comic Con 2012 - To boldly go where no shan has gone before

There are a couple of events that I've long wanted to witness: the Burning Man Festival in Nevada and Comic Con.  Not because I'm an artist or a free spirit or a huge sci-fi or comic book fan...but because I want to look at the artists, the free spirits and the sci-fi fans. I have read enough about these gatherings to know that they're a feast for the eyes, full of colour and whimsy and imagination, and I'm a visual person; I'm addicted to magazines, I love art and movies and TV.  That I'm intrigued by these kinds of exhibitions isn't really surprising, I suppose.  Plus, I love the enthusiasm that is the foundation of these sub-cultures, if I can call them that.  Or maybe I should say "super cultures".  I'm fascinated by and envious of their dedication to the form and genre, and of the effort they spend in making their costumes. 

Burning Man will have to wait, but last weekend I went to Comic Con in Montreal.  My husband wasn't able to go, so I was hemming and hawing about going by myself.  It just seemed like it wouldn't be as much fun alone. None of the Doctor Who or Buffy fans I know could go with me, so I almost gave up on it.  But, then, happily, two friends volunteered to drive to Montreal with me, so I could go to the conference, they could poke around town, and then we'd meet up for dinner afterwards.  Since I'd left it so long to get tickets, I was forced to get a VIP ticket for the conference.  $220 dollars.  Gulp.  That did mean I'd get a "free" t shirt and a "free" tote bag.  I'm glad I paid more for all the free stuff. 

So we made our way on the sunny Saturday morning to Montreal, stopping first at the Atwater Market for a carb-rich breakfast of chaussons aux pommes (apple turnovers) and almond croissants (almond croissants) from the Première Moisson bakery. The fall displays of pumpkins, corn and other gourds were already out, mixed in with all the flowers and vegetables and fruit, and there was definitely a nip in the air, too.  I love the arrival of autumn in Ontario and Quebec.  After checking into the hotel,  I cabbed it to the Palais des Congrès, full of anticipation and admittedly a bit nervous.  I wasn't in costume, in case you are wondering.  I left the Xena, Warrior Princess outfit back home and went instead as a mild middle-aged woman.

Once I had passed the "Weapons Check" where real guards check the fake weapons, I entered the exhibitor hall and WOW.  The costumes, the artwork.....the merchandise.  There were stormtroopers, a Darth Vader (definitely wearing lifts...he was about 6'8"), a couple of Princess Leias (in both the gold bikini look and the virginal white robes) and several Obi Wan Kenobis.  There was a pint-sized Ewok and a gang of towering Klingons.  What's the correct collective noun for Klingons?  A kakaphony of Klingons?  A kraze of Klingons? Must look that up.  I saw a Navi-costumed woman, whose husband was Obi-Wan Kenobi, pushing a baby carriage. Didn't get a good look at the child.....with that cross-breeding, who knows what the product would have been!  There were furries (or are they called plushies? Don't really know much about this particular group.) They dress up as furry animals.  The kids love them, but, if I'm not mistaken, there's more than a bit of a sexual undertone to that.

Speaking of sexual undercurrents, "sexy" costumes were everywhere: there were women in low-cut PVC catsuits, dressed as gaming heroines or superheroes; there were all manner of Sailor Moons, Star Trek babes, sexy nuns (see left)  and, perhaps most disturbingly, a sexy Snow White. Since when doe she display ample cleavage and wear a thigh-skimming skirt and black leather boots? And have a nose piercing? 

There were people in skin-tight lycra who really, really shouldn't have been. There was even a painted-on costume.  One trend that I did not understand was the wearing of very realistic horse heads.  Must research that....Godfather connection? A play on My Little Pony?  Even more strange:  there was a storm trooper wearing a horse head!!

I think my favourite sci-fi sub-genre costumes were definitely the steam punk ensembles.  Victorian Era meets industrial.  Goggles, metal, corsets and hats, lots of fancy hats.  Fascinating and elegant.

There were  monsters and demons, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Superman, Spiderman, Imperial Guards.  A couple of doctors (as in Who) and a Dalek. Shiny neon hair.  Swords.  Light sabres - that actually looked like "the real thing".  It was like the best parade ever.  But while a lot of it was playful and innocent, there was definitely a sexual undercurrent, so it was jarring to see so many little children there.  And gasp-worthy when they wanted their picture taken with the Comic Con incarnation of Snow White.  But I guess we could argue that there's a lot wrong with the image projected by the pure Disney Princesses, too.  Plus, I watched Laugh-In as a kid and was blissfully unaware of the sexual innuendo, of which there was plenty, so I'm thinking that the kids at Comic Con just enjoyed the fun and pageantry, and didn't wonder about the fetishistic side of it at all.








So well done, all you Comic Con people who worked so hard to create those amazing costumes!  I really admire all the imagination and effort and pride that went into the outfits and, the makeup, and I love the self confidence it takes to be part of the Masquerade. 





Oh Captains, my captains!

So, yes, I paid a lot of money to have my photo taken with William Shatner and Sir Patrick Stewart.  $175 smackeroos.  And, yes, therefore, it is a real picture, not a cardboard cut-out as some have insinuated.  But I ask you this:  would the Comic Con folks have used that particular photo of William Shatner for a promotional cardboard cut out?  It isn't exactly a flattering picture. He looks acutely uncomfortable, like he's having gastrointestinal issues.  But, back to happy memories.  When it was my turn, I said "Hello" to the gents and Patrick Stewart turned to face me and said "Hello, my dear".  What a gentleman.  Shatner just ignored me.