Ottawa Comiccon
| Ottawa Comiccon | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Venue | EY Centre (2012 - ) |
| Location(s) | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Country | Canada |
| Inaugurated | 2012 |
| Attendance | 42,000 (May 2015 edition) |
| Organized by | Major comics and other affiliated comic book stores |
| Website | |
| http://www.ottawacomiccon.com | |
The Ottawa Comiccon is a fan convention with focus on comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and games. It is a spin-off of the Montreal Comiccon. It was launched in 2012. The event features comic books, toys, games, science-fiction, horror, anime, non-sport cards and collectibles. It is held at the EY Centre convention center in Ottawa, taking place in May and lasting three days. The organizers of the Ottawa Comiccon primarily come from the Montreal Comiccon organization.
The event features special guests, artists, exhibitors and special contests. The audience includes people of all ages. The first edition, in 2012, featured guests such as William Shatner (of Star Trek), and other special guests.
The fan convention contains multi-genre content. While sharing common traits with San Diego's Comic-Con International and Toronto's Fan Expo Canada, the Ottawa Comiccon differentiates itself by being a much smaller venue.
Programming
As with most other comics conventions, the Ottawa Comiccon offers a select range of activities, exhibits, and other attractions. Comiccon's programming consists of a large dealers' area, an Artists' Alley, a costume contest, a trading-card games area and guest panels. Guest photo sessions, Masquerade, and structured autograph line-up barriers have been in place since the first edition.
History
The Ottawa Comiccon held its first edition in 2012 at the EY Centre. The event lasted 2 days and attracted 22,000 people.[1]
The second edition in May 2013 saw the addition of a day to the schedule, extending the event from Friday to Sunday. The May 2013 edition attracted more than 30,000 fans.
The third edition, in May 2014, attracted 38,000 people over a three-day period. The floor setup was changed to better accommodate the autograph and photo ops line-up.
As with the Montreal Comiccon, the organizers also run a smaller two-day convention in November-December called the "Ottawa Pop Expo". The first edition of the Expo was held on the December 7th weekend at the EY Centre. It offered a smaller selections of guests, dealers and artists. The organizational structure remained the same as the May edition, but with slightly fewer staff and volunteers.
Dates and locations
Note: Only May editions are shown here.
| Dates | Location | Attendance (turnstile) | Notable guests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12–13, 2012 | EY Centre Ottawa, Ontario |
22,000 | Marie-Claude Bourbonnais (fashion designer / cosplayer), Jeremy Bulloch (Star Wars), John de Lancie (STNG), Lar DeSouza (web comic artist, Least I Could Do), Lee Ann Farruga (steampunk costumer), Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Brent Spiner (STNG), Vic Mignogna (voice actor), Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), Ryan Sohmer (web comic writer, Least I Could Do), Patrick Stewart (STNG, X-Men) (canceled), William Shatner(Star Trek) | First edition. |
| May 10 to 12, 2013 | EY Centre Ottawa, Ontario |
30, 000 [2] | Adam West (Batman) (cancelled), Burt Ward (Batman), Julie Newmar (Batman). Manu Bennet (Arrow), Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars, Batman), David Prowse (Star Wars), Summer Glau (Firefly) (cancelled), Nathan Fillion (Firefly), Gillian Anderson (X-Files), Will Weaton (STNG, Big Bang), Levar Burton (STNG) | ... |
| May 9 to 11, 2014 | EY Centre Ottawa, Ontario |
38,000 [3] | Christopher Lloyd, Robert Englund,[4] Bruce Campbell, Amanda Tapping, Edward James Olmos, Eliza Dushku (canceled), Giancarlo Esposito, Karl Urban, Pat Mastroianni, Summer Glau, Charisma Carpenter, Ray Park, Sean Astin, Christopher Judge, Kane Hodder, Amanda Wyss | |
| May 8 to 10, 2015[5] | EY Centre Ottawa, Ontario |
42,000 | Wil Wheaton (STNG, Big Bang), Peter Mayhew (Star Wars), Jason Mewes (Clerks), Billy Boyd (LOTR), Jonathan Frakes (STNG), Lance Henrikson (Aliens, Terminator), Malcolm McDowell (Clockwork Orange, Star Trek Generations), Marina Sirtis (STNG), Nichell Nichols (Star Trek), Sean Maher (Firefly), Robbie Amell (Flash), Paul Wesley (Vampire Diaries), Richard Dean Anderson (Stargate), Mira Furlan (Babylon 5), Billie Piper (Dr. Who), Allison Mack (Smallville), Liam McIntyre (Spartacus), Austin St. John (Power Rangers) | ... |
| May 13 to 15, 2016[6] | EY Centre Ottawa, Ontario |
... | Guests of Honor: Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), Ming-Na Wen (Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
Featured Guests: Alan Tudyk (Firefly), Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who, Legends of Tomorrow), Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back), Caity Lotz (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow), Carl Weathers (Rocky, Predator), Eliza Dushku (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), James O'Barr (The Crow), John de Lancie (STNG), John-Rhys Davies (LOTR), Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Mike Grell (Green Arrow / Green Lantern), Rene Auberjonois (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Sean Astin (LOTR), Tia Carrere (Relic Hunter), Whilce Portacio (Image Comics Co-Founder), Will Friedle (Batman Beyond) Other Guests: Dan Parent (Archie Comics), Dave Ross (Avengers: West Coast), Eric Talbot (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Fernando Ruiz (Life with Archie), Janet Hetherington (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark), Kristen Hughey (Cosplayer), Monika Lee (Cosplayer), Riki "Riddle" LeCotey (Cosplayer), Robert Bailey (Star Wars), Ronn Sutton (Honey West / Kolchak the Night Stalker), Tom Fowler (Venom) |
First Edition not on Mother's Day weekend |
See also
References
- ↑ "Ottawa ComicCon 2013 tickets on sale today". OttawaSun.com. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
- ↑ "Costumed fans flock to Ottawa Comiccon". CBC.ca. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ↑ ""Ottawa Comic-con Facebook post". Ottawa Comic-con. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
- ↑ "Freddy Krueger and Christopher Lloyd coming to Comic-Con". ottawacitizen.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
- ↑ "Ottawa Comiccon 2014 Hits New Attendance Record". nilsenreport.ca. Retrieved 2014-05-13.
- ↑ "Ottawa Comiccon Rises to New Height in 2015". nilsenreport.ca. Retrieved 2014-05-13.
External links
Official sites
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