Photos by Kayley Luftig
With one ComiCon under my belt, I was anticipating a much larger and more celebrated gathering of dedicated comic fans. I had been warned of the crowds, but once the 150,000 people flooded into the Metro Convention Centre’s North and South buildings, somehow the energy of ComiCon seemed unmatched. Maybe it had to do with ComiCon being my first con or the community feel that came with a smaller convention last Spring, but while Fan Expo proved to be a one-of-a-kind experience, the energy was completely different. While at ComiCon the energy was sourced in the hallways, the energy from Fan Expo was rooted in the panels.
The star-studded lineup of panelists for the weekend included: Stan Lee, Morena Baccarin, Ben McKenzie, Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, John and Joan Cusack, Gillian Anderson, George Takei, William Shatner, Charlie Cox and Elden Henson, cast members of fan favourite Firefly, Jack Gleeson, and so many more. With the weekend packed of appealing panels, it was almost impossible to stay through an entire panel without having to race to the next.
In contrast with most of the light-hearted and highly entertaining panels was the seriousness that came with the Cusack siblings panel. It was amazing to see the way John praised Joan’s work and her flexibility as an actress. At the same time, it was strange to see the wacky and often eccentric Joan we see in her work completely toned down while John took the lead on answering questions. The entertainment factor that came with the other panels might be a strong indicator of the extensive experience sci-fi and other television actors have with doing cons, while this crowd seemed relatively new to the siblings.
Some other panel highlights included Gillian Anderson of the X-Files bidding off the t-shirt off of her back for a generous donation of $2,100, with all of the proceeds going to charity. Another offered a welcomed break from questions that fell in the realm of asking panel guests their favourites, which they would often kindly divert. The wonderful George Takei offered a refreshing relief from these repetitive and limiting questions, by asking the audience to ask questions they believe he has never been asked before. This resulted in some lengthier answers from Takei, that held depth and captivated the audience until the very last second of his panel.
If I could write this entire review of FanExpo on the great Stan Lee, I would. At this year’s Fan Expo, Stan Lee charmed his way into our hearts and had us laughing until we couldn’t breathe with his quick wit and the roasting of his beloved personal assistant, Alex. With two panels over the weekend, including his last Canadian panel ever, and endless lines for his photo ops and signings, Toronto welcomed Stan Lee with open arms and multiple standing ovations.
With a lineup of entertaining and insightful panels, cosplayers on their A-game (huge shoutout to the mom who dressed all of her kids up as The Exorcist film), vendors and artists packing in the Stranger Things art, and an overall positive energy filling up the Metro Convention Centre, the folks at Fan Expo definitely have us looking forward to next year!
