March
22
MAGICAL MARCH BREAK WITH TORONTO COMICON-March, 17th-19th,2023@M.T.C.C.
By Nicolas Chan&BKONTHESCENE
Toronto Comicon, presented by FAN EXPO Canada, was back with everything fans love including celebrity guests, comic creators, collectibles merchants, cosplay, and more! Taking place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building from March 17-19th 2023. The annual pop culture convention celebrates all things comics, sci-fi, fantasy, and animation for three days of non-stop programming for fans of all ages.
New this year, they featured; Poké-Sunday, the Great Toronto Comicon Baby Race, and the Celeb Karaoke Party, Hosted By Emily Swallow.
New this year, Toronto Comicon introduced podcast programming with a selection that includes the improvised true crime podcast Killed to Death, comedy interview series You Made Me Queer!, actual-play D&D podcast Dwarven Moss, improvised scary story SPOOKED!, a podcast offering modern analysis of vintage celebrity gossip The Reheat, horror-fiction Parkdale Haunt, and sci-fi thriller Cascadia.
Programming Highlights from Toronto Comicon 2023 included:
POKÉ-SUNDAY
Toronto Comicon was celebrating all things Pokémon all day long on Sunday, March 19 with Pokémon trivia, crafts, trade meet ups, Pokémon Training Camp and more!
CELEB KARAOKE PARTY, HOSTED BY EMILY SWALLOW
Everyone’s favourite Armorer and sister of Chuck hosted a Karaoke Night! Whether someone wants to shine in the spotlight with a solo, back up their friends with ridiculous killer dance moves, catch Emily off guard with a last-minute duet, or lead the crowd in carrying on, my wayward son, this karaoke night is all about lifting each other up.
EBAY VICTORY ARENA
Board games, D&D, BattleTech oh my! There was something for every tabletop gamer at Toronto Comicon. We visited one of our two gaming arenas and play the day away! Brought to you by eBay, Guild House, Focht’s News Network and Board Game 2 Go.
THE GREAT TORONTO COMICON BABY RACE
For babies channeling the Flash and Quicksilver, check out the Great Toronto Baby Race! The fastest babies races away with tickets to FAN EXPO Canada 2023!
KINGYO-SUKUI
Attendees could test their (fake) goldfish scooping skills at the Kingyo-Sukui Booth for a chance to win a prize! This traditional Japanese Festival game is fun for the whole family!
EXECUTE ORDER 66
There were seven Jedi hiding throughout Toronto Comicon for attendees to look out for. Some Jedi only appear for a certain amount of time, and once someone has found all seven, they can head to the family zone for their chance to win a Star Wars Prize pack!
THE TORONTO COMICON LIGHTSABER BATTLE
On the appointed day, at the appointed hour, a great battle between the forces of the Light and Dark will commence. Grab a “lightsaber” and join us. Will you be the last Jedi or Sith standing?
BEAR SAILOR MOON’S DRAG EXTRAVAGANZA
An event with music, fashion, dance, and fun for all!
CARTOON ACADEMY WITH JOE WOS
Professional cartoonist and the Emmy Award-winning host of Cartoon Academy, Joe Wos, brought fun, kid-friendly drawing workshops to Toronto Comicon, where attendees could learn to doodle everything from beloved pets to mythical creatures.
CELEBRITY PANELS
Beyond autograph signings and photo ops, celebrity guests took part in a Q&A presentations where fans learned more about their storied lives and careers.
FAMILY PROGRAMMING
Toronto Comicon’s Family Zone is the perfect place to spark a love of fandom in all ages, with games, activities, and programming for the whole family all weekend long. With drop-in programming for a broad range of fans, Family Zone included craft- and button-making workshops; princess sing-a-longs; castle building and dragon defending; Sorting Hat ceremonies; The Floor is Lava!; Jurassic “Park” where they can go on a dino dig, capture something in “amber”, and get an epic dino photo op; Cartoon Academy with Joe Wos, where they can draw along with an Emmy Award-winning cartoonist; and the Pokémon-activity filled Trainer Town.
CAPTIVATING COMICS
We checked out the comic stage in for three packed days of drawing and colouring demos, sneak previews, industry insights, and more. Comic book superstars including Russ Braun, Jae Lee, Joshua Swaby, Peter Tomasi, and Canadians Mike Del Mundo and Agnes Garbowska will be on hand to share expert tips and tricks, or fans can take a seat and pick a side for the ultimate Sketch Duels showdowns.
Comic Artist Alley also returned for anyone interested in meeting rising stars who work the front lines of the industry. This show staple offered everything from comics and graphic novels, to limited edition prints and original artwork.
All guest were treated to: special celebrities, comic, cosplay and voice actor guests at this year’s show include Andy Serkis; Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, and Claudia Doumit from The Boys; Guardians of the Galaxy’s arrow-wielding Sean Gunn; The Mandalorian’s beskar forger Emily Swallow; occult detective Matt Ryan from Constantine; Robbie Amell, Danielle Panabaker, and Carlos Valdes from The Flash; Stars Hollow’s favourite diner owner Scott Patterson of Gilmore Girls; and Task Force X’s own Mr. John Economos Steve Agee. comicontoronto.com
Over 400 exhibitors were at convention floor, specializing in everything comics, anime, gaming, science fiction and horror. Whether it’s original artwork, graphic novels, comic books from any era, memorabilia, games, toys, or t-shirts – there are endless vendors to discover at the show.
FAN EXPO HQ is the largest comic con producer in the world. Collectively it hosts nearly 1 million fans annually at FAN EXPO CanadaTM, MEGACON Orlando, FAN EXPO DallasTM, FAN EXPO BostonTM, FAN EXPO Denver, FAN EXPO San Francisco, Calgary Comics & Entertainment Expo, FAN EXPO VancouverTM, Toronto Comicon, Dallas FAN FESTIVAL and Edmonton Comics & Entertainment Expo. In 2022, FAN EXPO HQ presented six new shows previously organized by Wizard World: FAN EXPO Chicago, FAN EXPO Philadelphia, FAN EXPO St. Louis, FAN EXPO Portland, FAN EXPO New Orleans, and FAN EXPO Cleveland.
fanexpohq.com
The event was super busy during the last days of March Break with fantastic fun including craft, plushie making, sustainable gardening, and slime making workshops; Harry Potter-themed content including Sorting Hat ceremonies and photo ops; fort building; sing-a-longs; The Floor is Lava!; a Jurassic “Park” where they can go on a dino dig, capture something in “amber”, and get a dino-riffic photo op. There was an opportunity to learn from and draw along with Joe Wos, the Emmy Award-winning host of Cartoon Academy; and the Pokémon-activity filled Trainer Town!
We would like to thank Touchwood PR for the invitation to Toronto Comicon
BKonthescene 