What I Did At Ottawa ComicCon 2024
Image Source: Ottawa ComicCon
At the beginning of September, I went to Ottawa ComicCon. I’ve been to the Con- and volunteered there- multiple times in the past, but this was my first time experiencing it as a member of the media. I decided to make things easier by laying out a series of things to do, like:
Talked To People
Image Source: CultureSlate
ComicCon attracts people from all over the spectrum. There are young fans experiencing it for the first time, parents bringing their kids to show them what they loved as kids and getting the kids themselves into fandom, older family members just enjoying a good time with loved ones, and more.
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Some of the people I met were:
Susan Greenberg- a wonderful woman in her early eighties. I met her at a Haunted Tours booth, and I gained some previously unknown historical knowledge and came up with some date ideas for me and my boyfriend.
Véronique, Alix, Courtney, and Melissa- I met this lovely bunch of women while we were all sitting in the Main Events Hall waiting to be let into the main convention space. (VIP and Deluxe ticketholders got early admission.) Courtney and Melissa, who came from the Ontario towns of Baxter and Alliston respectively, had matching tiny Lord of the Rings backpacks. We ended up chatting for a while, and I gave them lots of info and advice for when they eventually get to visit New Zealand.
Image Source: CultureSlate
Alan, Angele, and Anakin- I met Alan, Angele, and their son while I was sitting in the foyer trying to get some relief from the massive crowd. Alan was dressed as Mario, Angele as Princess Peach, and Anakin as Luigi. I was honestly a bit surprised they hadn’t tricked out Anakin’s wagon to look like a vehicle from Mario Kart.
Bought A Mystery Box
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Okay, this was less buying a box and more buying several bags. I bought a total of one envelope and seven bags. The contents were as follows:
The green envelope- I got this envelope from artist Isabelle Algrin, who I had previously bought a keychain from that I still use to this day. From her envelope, I got a card depicting a whale surrounded by the phases of the moon, a pin depicting a root vegetable with a face (definitely gave Harry Potter vibes) a dragon head bookmark with a tassel, a mermaid magnet, and several stickers.
The Big Mystery Bag- I have no idea where I got this, but it contained a Nintendo-esque Toadstool Wine Stopper, a pack of Looney Tunes baseball cards, a piece of Harry Potter film reel with a certificate of authenticity, some Battleborn-themed pins, and a “Your Luck Just Ran Out” horror block pin.
The Itty-Bitty Mystery Bag (again, not sure where I got this one)- I got a logic puzzle thing, a sticker of Eleven from Stranger Things, a Minions minifig, and a tiny ladybug and a tiny bee that could be stuck onto something.
The Surprise Bags (From LadyFrog Creations and Quality Creations)- Bag One contained a tiny octopus in a capsule, several stickers, and an eraser with a cartoon diamond ring on it. Bag Two contained a fake spider, a self-inking cartoon character stamp, and yet more stickers.
The Plushies Bags (one is source unknown, the other is from rdc.collectibles)- the tan bag contained a Banana Man anti-anxiety plushie, a pack of Spider-Man stickers, a pack of Fievel Goes West trading cards, and various stickers. The Yellow Bag has a ghost curse plushie kit, a keychain that looked like a puppy silhouette, a tiny skull and crossbones charm, and an octopus keychain.
I also got a Hot Wheels mystery bag from rdc.collectibles, which I featured in an unboxing video with my boyfriend.
Image Source: EY
Drank a Hobbit Beer
Since the Guests of Honour were the actors who played the Hobbits in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a local microbrewery, the Calabogie Brewing Co., decided to get in on the action by whipping up their Middle-earth Lager, exclusive to Ottawa ComicCon. It was available in can format to take home, which I did, as well as draft for drinking there at Con. I erred on the side of caution and waited until I got home to try it, and I must say, it’s rather good. I wish they had kept it going after ComicCon.
Went To a Panel
I had planned for the possibility of multiple panels over the three days of ComicCon, but ended up going to only one, Ottawa Comic Book Creators. It featured four local talents, and after some local banter, attendees were introduced to:
Ron Sutton- Ron has been drawing for 50 years, with 37 of them being in Ottawa. He has done a wide range of work, including drawing Elvira, Mistress of the Dark for nine years, and the creation of a 90-page graphic novel about the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang. He is currently drawing for an Edgar Rice Burroughs project.
Jack Briglio- Jack has been drawing for 35 years, a time that has included working on things like Scooby-Doo. He is also one of the guys who worked on the True Patriot Project, a superhero anthology created by Canadian artists.
Tom Fowler- went to high school with fellow panelist Josh Stafford. He has created covers for Omnipress’s DC Books, DC and Marvel in general, and even a bit of time working on Rick and Morty.
Josh Stafford- Josh graduated from Ottawa’s Canterbury High School of the Performing Arts. He is the writer of Zomkeys, published by Winter Star Comics, and has had his work featured in many other comic anthologies. He is a co-owner of Ottawa’s Mayfair Theatre, and co-hosts the popular weekly Mayfair Theatre podcast.
“Interviewed” A Service Animal
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On Day 3 of Ottawa ComicCon, I met Rain and her service dog Brewster. I asked Brewster his opinion on events, and he said he was glad he was able to help his human and have fun. However, he was unsure as to exactly who he was cosplaying as.
“Interviewed” A Dalek
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The Red Dalek.
Interviewing a Dalek basically consisted of following my favourite Dalek (the red one), around the convention floor until he returned to the Doctor Who Society area, after which I was able to ask him about his obsession with hats. His answer: He thinks they look good on him and they’re also good for collecting human DNA.
Interviewed Someone From the 501st
I didn’t interview, per se: I simply hung around the 501st area at the convention, took photos with droids and villains, and even got to shoot at a Stormtrooper.
Interviewed an Artist
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I was able to interview Montreal political cartoonist Aislin, real name Terry Mosher.
Talked to a Cosplayer
I got to talk briefly to Will Cooper, who was really happy that I knew what his costume was (I was the first person to realize it was a Blackadder cosplay.)
Caught Up With Old Friends
It’s been a few years, but some people I had volunteered with before DID recognize me. It was fun to catch up.
I can’t wait to go back again next year!
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