Tens of thousands of comic lovers, geeks and pop culture fans packed Montreal’s Palais des congrès de Montreal over the weekend for the 10th annual Montreal Comiccon.
“Montrealers just love to let their freak flag fly; you can really be yourself here,” said Comiccon spokesperson Jason Rockman.
A quick walk around the convention centre yielded eager fans willing to share their experiences.
“We saw Jason Mamoa,” said Comiccon regular Lori Lightfoot. “It was awesome. He was really friendly, really sweet.”
Mamoa, Aquaman and Game of Thrones star, was just one of a long list of celebrities that attended this year’s event.
Chuck Norris, David Duchovny, Ben McKenzie, John Barrowman, Morena Baccarin, Doug Jones, Val Kilmer, Sonequa Martin-Green, Catherine Tate, and many more were in attendance, including the prolific and funny Danny Trejo, and the prolific and charming Julian Glover.
“I’ve been so lucky to have been in all these franchises,” said Glover, star of Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Dr. Who, Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Harry Potter.
“I’ve been in 170 films, some of them students’ films,” he said, smiling. “I do a lot of work with people who are on the way up. I think it is part of our duty, really. If you’ve got something to give, to not just sit at home and be conceited.”
Theatre is his real love, but Glover says conventions like Montreal’s allow for “great conversations.”
Voice actor Caitlin Glass agrees.
“When you’re a voice actor, you don’t really get to see the people until you come to a convention and they can tell you what they think of your work,” said Glass.
Organizers estimate more than 60,000 people attended the 10th year of the Montreal Comiccon.
An event that started with 800 to 1000 people has since grown into a Montreal pop culture powerhouse.
The 11th Montreal Comiccon will take place in July, 2019.