The Appetizer Convention – Con Report by XAN

In August, the city of Toronto in Ontario, Canada holds the third largest comic convention in North America, behind San Diego and WizardWorld in Chicago. Attendance is usually around 45,000 fans, and past guests have included Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Alice Cooper and Carrie Fisher. And that lineup was all from just 2006! So to get psyched for convention season and this juggernaut of a comicon, a little mini appetizer version of the Toronto Comicon is held in April. This year it was April 13-15, and as appetizers go, it was better than nachos and mozzarella sticks combined.

Organized by head honchos Aman Gupta and James Armstrong for Hobby Star Marketing, this convention “by fans, for fans�? certainly lived up to the name. With no media guests, the stars of the show were certainly the creators. Artists Alley included ABC creators Kevin Nowlan and Chris Spouse, as well as Leonard Kirk, Dale Eaglesham, Ivan Reis, and Carmine Infantino to name a few. I stupidly forgot to bring a sketchbook and was packing light after the sausage of a suitcase I had returning from Seattle, so I didn’t get sketches or signatures, but from what I saw from those fans that did get sketches, I missed out on some great art. I’m not always that bright. After all, I was packing until the hour I was to leave for the airport. But if I was to forget something, I would rather it be my sketchbook than my passport. But then again, seeing the Wonder Woman Kevin Nowlan did for a fan, I might have been willing to spend a little time with customs…

With admission being $15.00 Canadian for both Saturday and Sunday with free admission on Friday night, fans were certainly able to get their money’s worth. Being such a small con, the focus was truly on the reason for the season if you will, with about 95% of dealer merchandise being comics and comic related art books. A few t-shirts, patches and toys peppered the tables, but the main attraction was tables full of longboxes full of back issues. Myself, being a collector of some of the less prominent comic titles (I love Dell and Gold Key, specifically The Twilight Zone and The Pink Panther) was able to come home with a big stack of back issues. I also had some great conversations with dealers, as everyone I met was amazingly friendly. Not to make generalizations like Canadians are friendlier than Americans, but THESE Canadians certainly were.

Held at the Metro Toronto Convention Center, the con is right in the heart of downtown Toronto. It isn’t too hard to find, as the convention center is right below the CN Tower. Which, if you so desire a better view of the city, has an observation deck at the top complete with a glass floor. I went nowhere near this, so you’re on your own here. It is also right by the stadium where the Toronto Blue Jays play their baseball games, meaning if there is a game going on, expect some traffic, foot and car. But, being in such a busy area, the food is decent. Personally, I pretty much lived on fries with gravy from the street vendors, a diet that I heartily recommend.

So after this appetizer, I am quite ready for the August main course. I plan to go back, and can’t wait to see it. Sean Astin is a possible guest, so I am going to go look for my Goonies trading cards or any old issues of Bop that might be lurking in my basement. I had such the crush on him when I was 12! I hopefully won’t make a total ass of myself, like I did when I met Bill Mumy in Detroit. Yeesh!

Xan Sprouse is a geek girl from Columbus Ohio. Her geek tendencies include comics, both indie/alternative and superhero, all things sci-fi, PEZ, trading cards, genre television and Nintendo to name a few. She is also quite the music geek and a relentless collector, most certainly doomed to one day be crushed by her own aquisitions. She currently resides in Columbus with her cat and husband, comic artist Chris Sprouse.