Montreal Comiccon shaping up nicely

[smithdatura]

Just got this press release about this year's edition of the Montreal Comiccon. Looking pretty good - for those unfamiliar with the city, the Palais de Congrès, its new venue, is the largest and most modern convention center in town - Montreal's equivalent of NYC's Javits Center, if you will.

 

Should be a great event, and for those dealers out there who might be on the fence about heading to the show, do it! There is a market and a huge audience north of the border for your fine wares...

 

++++

 

THE MONTREAL COMICCON BURSTS INTO PALAIS DES CONGRÈS WITH A POWERHOUSE LINEUP AND BROAD PROGRAMMING

 

Montreal, July 4, 2012 – Last year, Place Bonaventure was overtaken by hordes of wild Comiccon fans. Many showed up in their finest costumes and everyone brought their shared passion for comic books, movies, TV shows, manga, horror and everything related to the world of fantasy fiction. They came in such great numbers that the space could not contain them. As a result, the 2012 Montreal Comiccon has expanded to three days as well as a much larger venue. The event will take place on September 14, 15 and 16 at Palais des Congrès.

 

The 2012 edition will be a star-packed must-see event, headlined by none other than the man who brought Captain Kirk to life in the iconic original Star Trek series, William Shatner. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation, he will be joined by fellow explorers of the final frontier: the android Commander Data, portrayed by Brent Spiner, and Wesley Crusher, played by Wil Wheaton, who plays an evil version of himself and Sheldon's sworn enemy on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Another series ensemble joining us will be the cast of the hit supernatural series Being Human, including Meaghan Rath, Sam Huntington and Kristen Hager.

 

PRESS CONFERENCE – OPEN TO THE PUBLIC When: Wednesday, August 1, 2012, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Where: Terrasses Bonsecours, 364 de la Commune East, Old Port of Montreal, next to Cirque du Soleil tent

 

OTHER MAJOR GUESTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THIS OCCASION! BE AMONG THE FIRST ONES TO FIND OUT!

 

Comic book fans will be thrilled to mingle with George Pérez, known for his awe-inspiring detailed work on titles like Teen Titans, Crisis and Infinite Earth and Wonder Woman. Mr. Pérez will share the spotlight with an epic roster of comic book masters, including Jim Starlin, the man who raised the bar in the 70s with his Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock space operas; Mike Mignola, the mind and the pencil behind Hellboy; Tim Sale, the artist famous for his unforgettable collaborations with writer Joeph Loeb, revisiting key events in the lives of Batman, Spider-Man and Daredevil; the oft celebrated Darwyn Cooke, known for his award-winning retro-renditions of Catwoman, DC: The New Frontier and The Spirit; and Frank Cho, the most immaculate creator of female characters since perhaps the Garden of Eden.

 

Horror addicts will set aside their fears to shake hands with Malcolm McDowell, the demented hoodlum Alex DeLarge in Kubrick’s The Clockwork Orange; Gunnar Hansen, the original 1974 Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Masssacre; and Lloyd Kaufman, the heroic co-founder of Troma Entertainment, purveyors of some of the craziest low-budget films of all time.

 

The Quebec scene will be duly represented by Bryan Perro, author of the highly successful Amos Daragon series of books; Michel Rabagliati, the inventive mind behind the Paul books; Réal Godbout, illustrator and co-writer of the very edgy BD, Red

Ketchup; and representing the flexibility and resourcefulness that is Gen X: Benoit Godbout, artist and co-writer of L'Académie des chasseurs de primes, director of the second season of Ben's City, the animated series on CBC (Pérusse Cité on Radio-Canada), and designer of Montreal Comiccon's official 2012 poster.

 

For a dose of nostalgia, we will have the privilege of having the original Batmobile from the 1989 Batman movie that featured Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson; while Tintin fans will be delighted to meet Jean-Pierre Talbot, the actor who portrayed the hero in Tintin and the Golden Fleece and Tintin and the Blue Oranges.

 

Over three days, there are many activities planned, like the highly anticipated costume competition, the Comiccon Masquerade. The 2012 edition will also shine a light on the sci-fi Victorian-era world of Steampunk fashion, gadgets, fiction and lifestyle, with special guests and live music. Audiences will be entertained with sketcharades, in which players must guess words through drawings instead of pantomime; a special celebration for the 100th anniversary of the death of Bram Stoker, Dracula’s creator; and the 8th Annual Joe Shuster Awards, given out for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels and web comics by Canadians, will be presented at the Montreal Comiccon.

 

Once again, the heroes congregate in Montreal on September 14 to 16. For more info or to buy tickets, visit www.montrealcomiccon.com.

 

MONTREAL COMICCON 2012 When: September 14-16, 2012 Where: Palais des congrès, 1001 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montreal (Quebec) H2Z 1H5 Opening hours: Friday, September 14: General admission: 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. / Deluxe and VIP: 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Saturday, September 15: General admission: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. / Deluxe and VIP: 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday, September 16: General admission: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. / Deluxe and VIP: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

[Jimmy Linguini]

I know where I'll be come september...

[gyro-1]

[thehumantorch]

How big would this show be and how is the back issue selection?

[Jimmy Linguini]

How big would this show be and how is the back issue selection?

 

big and vast. Last year had five dealers selling back issues and vintage books.

 

There was a great dollar book selection.

[thehumantorch]

How big would this show be and how is the back issue selection?

 

big and vast. Last year had five dealers selling back issues and vintage books.

 

There was a great dollar book selection.

Thanks. Any dealers like Harley Yee, Dale Roberts, etc?

[smithdatura]

How big would this show be and how is the back issue selection?

 

big and vast. Last year had five dealers selling back issues and vintage books.

 

There was a great dollar book selection.

 

 

The "big and vast" part is accurate, but last year (and even in 2010, when the show was 1/10th the size of the 2011 version), there were easily close to 15-20 dealers with gold/silver/bronze inventory, not 5...

 

From what I've seen, Montreal is becoming worth the trip from most points in North America, and compares favorably to all but the biggest cons on the circuit (SDCC, Chicago, New York). It also features quite a few Canadian dealers who have inventory you won't see elsewhere.

[smithdatura]

How big would this show be and how is the back issue selection?

 

big and vast. Last year had five dealers selling back issues and vintage books.

 

There was a great dollar book selection.

Thanks. Any dealers like Harley Yee, Dale Roberts, etc?

 

Harley's been there the past two years. Picked up some great books from him on both occasions. (thumbs u

[thehumantorch]

How big would this show be and how is the back issue selection?

 

big and vast. Last year had five dealers selling back issues and vintage books.

 

There was a great dollar book selection.

 

 

The "big and vast" part is accurate, but last year (and even in 2010, when the show was 1/10th the size of the 2011 version), there were easily close to 15-20 dealers with gold/silver/bronze inventory, not 5...

 

From what I've seen, Montreal is becoming worth the trip from most points in North America, and compares favorably to all but the biggest cons on the circuit (SDCC, Chicago, New York). It also features quite a few Canadian dealers who have inventory you won't see elsewhere.

 

Thanks. Any idea what attendance is at? 3 day show? Wondering how it compares to the insane Calgary show that has been doubling attendance every year?

[Jimmy Linguini]

How big would this show be and how is the back issue selection?

 

big and vast. Last year had five dealers selling back issues and vintage books.

 

There was a great dollar book selection.

 

 

The "big and vast" part is accurate, but last year (and even in 2010, when the show was 1/10th the size of the 2011 version), there were easily close to 15-20 dealers with gold/silver/bronze inventory, not 5...

 

I should have been more specific. There were about 5 dealers that had plenty of back issues at bargin prices. I mis-spelled things out. There were plenty of comic book dealers at the Montreal and Ottawa Shows.

 

In my experience the promoters have been great with crowd control, so i'm sure the hike in attendance won't be an issue!

[VintageComics]

Dave, it's a decent 2 day show. Not massive (like Baltimore and Charlotte which are loaded with comics) but too large for just a 1 day show.

 

The show has been growing in leaps and bounds.

 

2 years ago it was a decent but slightly small 2 day show - more like a 1-1.5 day show (a little too small for a 2 day show) and last year it was too large for the convention centre it was in making it a full on 2 day show.

 

They had to send home 1000's of people that were lined up throughout the convention centre because the fire marshal closed the entrance doors due to crowding.

 

Dealer representation was decent - Big B comics from Hamilton, Ontario, Harley Yee, Gerry Ross (yup), our own Vorhees and a few other dealers.

 

Selection was worth driving a few hours (5 hours for us) but maybe not flying across the country although it is if you are planning to partake of some Montreal festivities as the city about as fun as any other Canadian city with nice scenery, shopping that's first class and food that just doesn't get any better.

 

[Phicks]

And if any of you choose to travel to Montreal for the show, remember that there is currently an exhibit of Star Wars props, costumes, and models at their science center.

[MagnusX]

 

[font:Book Antiqua]Go for the show,

Stay for the City.

 

Montreal it’s a beautiful city,

full of culture, restaurants, clubs, historic places, museums,

there is something for everyone.

 

One of the most amazing cities of the world...[/font]

 

(thumbs u

[thehumantorch]

Dave, it's a decent 2 day show. Not massive (like Baltimore and Charlotte which are loaded with comics) but too large for just a 1 day show.

 

The show has been growing in leaps and bounds.

 

2 years ago it was a decent but slightly small 2 day show - more like a 1-1.5 day show (a little too small for a 2 day show) and last year it was too large for the convention centre it was in making it a full on 2 day show.

 

They had to send home 1000's of people that were lined up throughout the convention centre because the fire marshal closed the entrance doors due to crowding.

 

Dealer representation was decent - Big B comics from Hamilton, Ontario, Harley Yee, Gerry Ross (yup), our own Vorhees and a few other dealers.

 

Selection was worth driving a few hours (5 hours for us) but maybe not flying across the country although it is if you are planning to partake of some Montreal festivities as the city about as fun as any other Canadian city with nice scenery, shopping that's first class and food that just doesn't get any better.

 

Thanks Roy, that helps. Sounds like the show is slightly smaller than the Calgary show but they both are growing quickly.

 

I'm thinking a holiday to Montreal that includes a visit to this con might be in order. I've never been to Montreal.

[VintageComics]

I'm thinking a holiday to Montreal that includes a visit to this con might be in order. I've never been to Montreal.

 

I don't think you'd be disappointed then.

 

It's becoming a terrific comic show for guests (if you're into that sort of thing) with some decent vintage selection but if you're going to also make use of the city, well, that's a combination that's hard to beat.

 

 

 

 

[smithdatura]

To answer the question about attendance, last year they drew around 35,000 (17,500 per day), and as Roy mentioned, they had issues with turning people away due to concerns from the fire marshal about overcrowding.

 

As the press release states, this year they're expanding to three days and moving to the city's larger, premiere convention centre, so hopefully it will be even bigger and better (though for collectors that will of course be somewhat dependent on the dealers who go!).

[thehumantorch]

Thanks guys. Think I'll talk the wife into a trip to Montreal. She deserves it

[montrealfilmguy]

Im pretty giddy about all this as this will be the first con i attend with the intention of buying quite a lot of stuff in regards to GA and SA issues.

 

Anybody that's never been to Montreal,i'll soon post a list of links of all the fun places you just HAFTA see around le Palais des congres if your time is limited when you come for the con.

 

And yes i may be biased,but the ladies of Montreal are quite stunning and dreamy.

 

I didnt choose Montrealfilmguy as a name half-hazardly you know.

 

Oh,and if one of you fine gents should feel like having a comics gathering-showing party in their hotel room,im buying pizza and beer for everyone that comes.

 

Or better yet,i'll rent the hotel room this week and invite everybody.

 

Sounds like a plan ?

 

I'll be the official drooler since i have not yet a collection to speak of.

[orfew]

For those thinking about going to Montreal I can recommend two things. The nightlife on either rue St Catherine or St Dennis.

 

Secondly, do not miss, I mean it, Schwartz's deli on St Laurent. They do smoked meat that is worth travelling thousands of miles for. One more tip...order it medium and not lean...only tourists order it lean. You should also think seriously about consuming a large kosher dill with your plate of smoked meat.

 

The con should be good too...

[wolf_2099]

I know the guys who run this con, they do a great job.

 

I think last year was less than 35, but still a great show. This year it switches to 3 days, and a bigger hall than last year.

It my favorite shows to go to, I actually enjoy it more than Calgary. It helps that Montreal is a great town to visit, on top of the comic con.