Being funneled into the Vancouver Convention Centre shoulder to shoulder with Deadpool and Elsa, you can’t help feeling overwhelmed. After passing through the proper authorities — fake weapon prop check being one of them — I found myself herded down the main merchandise aisles. It felt as if all the comic book shops, collectible shops, and all-around nerdy shops in Vancouver had been crammed and stacked into one room. It was the grand bazaar of all things geek.
I spent most of my time in the main Fan Expo hall. I was sifting through figurines, comics, clothes, games, Lego, and everything in between. My wallet could feel the imminent danger in the air. It was a complete merch overload.
I had to constantly remind myself that there were panels to be seen, that so much of the Expo existed outside of the main hall. While looking at the schedule, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the Comic Book Workshop panels. Even though I’m not a fan of Archie, Dan Parent’s panel on drawing Archie comics was interesting and informative. Seeing a seasoned veteran in the comic industry sketch out Archie characters with ease was entertaining, and his insights on the history and future of Archie held my attention throughout.
The panel that excited me most in the schedule was the Sketch Duel between Sara Richard and Pia Guerra. As a longtime fan of Y: Last Man, I relished in the idea of seeing Pia Guerra’s illustrative process live. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to make it, and Agnes Garbowska jumped in to fill the seat. It definitely bummed me out, considering that the original pair’s styles greatly contrasted each other — unlike the new pair, whose work is both centralized on My Little Pony art.
I expected to see both artists perform live, allowing me to see their process. Instead, both artists took suggestions from the crowd and worked on their pieces off screen, quickly tossing them on a projector after completion. It turned out to be a little underwhelming. Almost all of it was redeemed in my eyes as I saw a young Sailor Jupiter cosplayer win a sketch of Sailor Moon. It was too perfect, and seeing how many of the fans were still excited and entertained made up for any shortcomings.
For me, Ramon Perez put on the most informative and engaging panel. Perez is the artist behind Tales of Sand, and is currently reworking Hawkeye for Marvel. His presentation revolved around shadows and contrast, and how these elements move the readers’ eyes from panel to panel. Seeing Perez block panels in live was a real treat, and I felt like I learned a lot.
Even though the floor was stacked with glorious merch, and professional panels hid behind the many doors, it was the cosplayers who stole the show. I was continuously blown away by the effort that they put into their costumes. From Master Chief to the Ringwraiths, the attention to detail was amazing.
But really, it was the human moments that were out of character that made it worthwhile. Seeing Jango Fett take off his helmet to eat some fries, Champions from League of Legends flipping through manga, the Joker playing a Nintendo 3DS, or even Thor having a smoke outside — these are the moments that made the event memorable. I was reminded that these are real fans whose dedication helps bring the community together as a whole.
At the end of the day, it’s the fans who make the event, not the stars or the merch. It was a sight which would fill any fan with pride and a sense of belonging.
