Fantasy fans get their fill at Kingston’s Comicon

Fans of everything fantasy came to the Montreal Street Legion on Saturday for Kingston’s Comicon.

The event featured items from Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, while also showcasing a number of talented local artists.

There were comics, toys, books — and even appearances from Spider-Man and Captain Marvel.

But for a Kingston artist, who has worked in the comic industry for 45 years, these events are special.

“I’ve worked on Batman, Captain America, Swamp Thing, Hulk, Wolverine, Dr. Strange, Shang-Chi, Star Wars, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Freddy Krueger, Lost in Space and Harry Potter,” artist Dan Day said.

Day got his start in the comic art industry through his brother, who also was an artist. Over the course of his career, Day has seen the popularity of comic and fantasy content skyrocket, with the rise of the superhero film and TV genre.

“They’re making billions of dollars. I remember when my brother did shows — this would’ve been a huge crowd. Sales-wise, for originals, my brother wouldn’t have pictured this. Or the number of people in a smaller show like this,” Day said.

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Those who showed up for the event, for the most part, didn’t do so empty-handed.

“The community is bringing in a lot of food donations,” organizer David Wyldstar said.

“We work with the local food banks to see what they need. We then ask the community to bring that stuff in. We usually collect anywhere from 300 to 500 pounds of food every event.”

The event was organized by Pop Culture Canada. Officials say they will return to Kingston in April for another comic con, as they make up for lost time after the forced cancellation of the event throughout the pandemic.