Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

April 21, 2012: The Big Vancouver Fan Expo Report!

·

,

I was online yesterday, checking out the local weekend events, when I came across a report on Vancouver’s very first Fan Expo taking place this Saturday and Sunday at the downtown convention centre.  While in Toronto, I attended their annual Fan Expo and had a pretty good time walking the floor and tracking down a couple of Randy Bowen supervillain statues to add to my collection (August 27, 2011: Wvrst! Geek Fest!), so I figured this might be a great opportunity to locate some missing single issues in advance of my big reading projects (April 15, 2012: Project Thunderbolts! And others!).  “Will we go to geek festival?”Akemi asked me this morning.  “Sure,”I said.  Why not?

April 21, 2012: The Big Vancouver Fan Expo Report!
Akemi opts to go with the big purse in expectation of a big haul.

We drove down after lunch, parked, and then made our way on foot the three blocks down to the waterfront teeming with colorful characters.

April 21, 2012: The Big Vancouver Fan Expo Report!
Ms. Deadpool and Iron Man Jr. (that little scamp).
April 21, 2012: The Big Vancouver Fan Expo Report!
Um, not sure. Anyone care to enlighten me?
April 21, 2012: The Big Vancouver Fan Expo Report!
"What do you guys feel like? McDonalds or sushi?" "Let’s go rob a bank instead!" "Oh, okay."

We quickened our pace.  We had a little under two hours of parking and a lot of ground to cover.  There was no time to waste.

BEGIN VANCOUVER FAN EXPO REPORT:

We approached one of the guys manning the doors and asked him where we could purchase tickets.  He informed us that the Expo was sold out that day.  Sold out?!  What the hell were they selling that could be “sold out”?  Space?  Really?  They’d sold so many tickets they risked contravening local fire regulations by selling anymore?  “You’ll have to come back early tomorrow morning to make sure you get tickets,”he suggested.

Yes, I suppose I could do that.  Or, rather than pay for the privilege of buying something, I could simply save the $40 and spend it at Comic Con in July.

END VANCOUVER FAN EXPO REPORT!

 

Discover more from Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Podcast also available on PocketCasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and RSS.

32 responses

  1. sylvia Avatar
    sylvia

    OMGosh…what a bummer. On the very bright side, Akemi is stunning!

    Reply
  2. Lisa R Avatar
    Lisa R

    You mean you didn’t get tickets in advance?? Shame! Shame! LOL My brother buys his three months in advance for Comic-Con. In fact, he wanted me to get in-line too, but I didn’t get the email in time.

    Have a great night!!!!

    Reply
  3. Lewis Avatar
    Lewis

    See, you’ve gotta know the trick to getting in… pull the fire alarm, then there will be plenty of space! 🙂

    Seriously tho, you should’ve dressed the dogs up like various Avengers, then they would’ve let you in no questions asked.

    Reply
  4. Joan001 Avatar
    Joan001

    …and here I was waiting for a stimulating report full of Akemi-isms… I would have done the same thing. I hope you had an interesting culinary experience to make up for the lock-out.

    Reply
  5. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    Sorry you didn’t get into the Expo today. (But just look how pretty Akemi is in der dress!) How come you didn’t tell them who you are: producer, writer of television, movies, comic books, short story contributor, etc?

    I read Dark Matter 4 today. Loved it!! Love the characters and story. It must be continued in either paper book form or perferably TV. So much they can do and too many questions still unanswered. Like who is that kid?? Probably a child prodigy. Who does he belong to? Good luck bringing Dark Matter to TV!

    I just have to ask…on the first page, in the third picture, is that a photo of one of your pugs on the table? I’m sure Garry Brown has loaded that comic with hidden images just for his and your amusement. Am I correct?

    Reply
  6. gforce Avatar
    gforce

    Crap. You mean I could’ve spent just one extra day there and had the opportunity to be turned away from spending $40 for the opportunity to buy stuff? If only I knew. Teddy Wilson and Ajay Fry from Innerspace were tweeting that they were on their way to Vancouver. I suppose this is what they were headed there for.

    It’s clear that not everyone should wear lime green Riddler question mark tights. And by not everyone, I mean no one.

    I’m downloading my Dark Matter #4 from Darkhorse as we speak. Looking forward to it.

    Akemi looks great, but that goes without saying!

    Reply
  7. PBMom Avatar
    PBMom

    How disappointing. I guess this tells me I should buy my tickets for Comicpalooza in Houston Memorial Day weekend soon. Chris Judge and Rachel Luttrell (among many others) will be there. Funny thing is that up until last year I never knew our city HAD one. Thanks to the sell-off of merchandise from SGU and extra J.C. Williams, I have my full uniform, and since I’ve lost weight since then, it probably fits even better. I just need to find combat boots now because wearing sneakers would just ruin the outfit.

    Reply
  8. Johnny M. (@Apocalypse2001) Avatar
    Johnny M. (@Apocalypse2001)

    The third picture seems to be an obese queen Amidala. The other costume doesn’t look like anything I recognize.

    Reply
  9. notafashiongay Avatar
    notafashiongay

    HA! There we are…trying to figure out what we want to eat! Hilarious picture!
    Too bad you didn’t get in come back tomorrow.

    Reply
  10. Lee Peters Avatar
    Lee Peters

    In the picture of the two girls the one in the red is supposed to be Princess Amidala from Star Wars Ep1. (I think)

    Reply
  11. DP Avatar
    DP

    Hmm…I haven’t pulled a “get in without a ticket” scam in the age of everyone having cell phones. Some versions would fall through. But you should be able to pull off the “too important to need a ticket” attitude. I have a feeling you know the walk.

    Reply
  12. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    Calgary expo is next weekend. You could always come to it. And that way you could sign my SG-1 book 🙂

    Reply
  13. archersangel Avatar
    archersangel

    in the second to last picture it appears that the one on the left is in steampunk garb & queen amidala from EP. 1 of star wars.

    Reply
  14. Sparrow_hawk Avatar
    Sparrow_hawk

    The person with Queen Amidala looks steampunky, but I’m not sure if she is supposed to be a particular character.

    Sorry you didn’t get in so you could buy more geeky stuff. 🙁

    Reply
  15. sarynkitamo Avatar
    sarynkitamo

    Wow. I’m really glad I didn’t switch shifts with a co-worker or took the day off so I could go. I wanted to, but… well, bills.

    Reply
  16. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    Bummer, but yeah their loss. And yes, Akemi looked cute so it was worth it surely?

    Reply
  17. arnk2u Avatar
    arnk2u

    Anyone else going to the Stargate Convention in Burnaby ?
    I’ll be the one dressed like……me…….
    Didn’t see your name, Joe, on the list of celebs. How come ?

    Reply
  18. kookeemunsta Avatar
    kookeemunsta

    We tried to go to this too! My GF and I were so pissed it was sold out! It was sad to see even people who had dressed up (cosplay) be turned away. We wanted to see the real original Batman and Boba fett and Hercules. This is the first time they have done this event in Vancouver so obviously they planned badly and didnt get enough space. Hopefully next year they will get their act together and maybe spread it out over more days.

    Reply
  19. quade1 Avatar
    quade1

    I went, had tickets ahead of time, it was pretty cool, i enjoyed the costumes and actors/artists. Here were the highlights, Batmobile, Adam West, Kevin Sorbo, Lou Ferigno, Batmobile, Julia Benson!, Star Wars 501st Legion, Ghostbusters, and the Batmobile. 99% of the merchandise you can get anywhere else. Almost all the shops were handing out their cards to their websites where you can find the aforementioned merchandise AT THE SAME PRICE!!! Seriously, there was only a handful of stalls offering small “fan expo” discounts, 10-20% off, the rest was regularly priced. I purchased a few posters from an artist but thats it. And thus concludes the story of my first and only convention experience.

    Reply
  20. Migzy Avatar
    Migzy

    As it is quite possibly the last SG convention ever, I simply must go! And so with that plopped my credit card # in and I’m going to the Convention on Sunday 🙂

    Not to mention a pic with Jewel Staite, as well as a pic with the Hewlett siblings 🙂

    Now the question remains what to wear, what to wear… If only I had a stargate shirt…

    Reply
  21. DP Avatar
    DP

    I might have to agree with the fire chief on this one. Comic book fans are more flammable than the general public.

    Reply
  22. Bilo&Bella&Kasper Avatar
    Bilo&Bella&Kasper

    On a different note, came across this: http://lifestyle.sympatico.ca/FoodandEntertaining/articles/reuters_unusual_eats.htm?feedname=zzz_Reuters_PhotoGallery_Life_38&pos=1&nolookup=true
    this morning and was wondering if you’ve tried any of the suggested items. Bugs and rats were bad enough, but dog meat!!! (don’t tell your gang).

    Reply
  23. cherluvya Avatar
    cherluvya

    Hey Joe,

    That did make me laugh. I remember standing in the line at Disneyland…there was a lot of family there and was the last minute for me. My son called to say he was proposing to his girlfriend and all her family was going to be there.

    The person in front of me got the last ticket of the day. SOLD OUT! Excuse me…knock knock…what do you mean sold out. I was devistated. One of my children had to go into the park…retrieve her brother and he had to show Miss There Are No More Tickets the engagement ring. (they didn’t believe our story) after the ring arrived and we all swore that was why we were there…another ticket was for sale.

    His girlfriend said yes and they were married…they went to Disney World for their honeymoon.

    http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab253/cherluvya/img_2798-2P.jpg

    Best to you Joe,
    Always,
    Cheryl

    Reply
  24. mamasue9 Avatar
    mamasue9

    It’s not too late to get tickets for Phoenix Comicon. Come on down!!
    http://www.phoenixcomicon.com/

    Reply
  25. Yates Avatar
    Yates

    Hey Joe, actually next month there’s another new comic show in your town, the Vancouver Comic & Arts Festival – it’ll be a bit smaller and more “indie” than FanExpo, but it’s free to attend and should be full of interesting creators and merch!

    Reply
  26. Yates Avatar
    Yates

    Oh and here’s their website: http://www.vancaf.com/

    Reply
  27. quade1 Avatar
    quade1

    There was several firefighters at the expo, actual ones, and it did seem like they were checking out the size of the crowd.

    Next year you apply as press for your blog or a guest, you are Joe freaking Mallozzi, come on, they have no idea what they are missing.

    Reply
  28. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    Hi, Joey! Busy, busy, BUSY!

    Sorry you didn’t get into the thingy. If it makes you feel any better, the food at those cons usually sucks, so you’re probably better off.

    Oh, and I really like your wall sconces. 🙂

    @ Akemi – You look adorable in that dress! I can’t wear short skirts, I’m too paranoid. I’m always afraid that if I bend over, I’ll show everyone my hoo-ha. 😛 Or worse…if I don’t sit ladylike I’ll ‘take someone’s picture’, and my grandmother used to say.

    It took me the longest time before I realized I didn’t actually have a camera down there. 😳

    das

    Reply
  29. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    Drat – that was supposed to be ‘as my grandmother used to say’. I really should be proofreading instead of watching In the Heat of the Night. 😛 “They call me MISTER Tibbs!” Love this movie. Love Sidney. 🙂

    das

    Reply
  30. kookeemunsta Avatar
    kookeemunsta

    I got in today. It was great. Got my futurama comics signed by the artist and writer. And I met Ken Steacy who used to do Astroboy comics in the 1980s. He drew and awesome astroboy in my sketchpad for me. 🙂 Lots of new up-and-coming comicbook artists and writers were there and it was good to meet some of them and talk to them. The cosplay was great too, some of those girls looked amazing!

    Reply
  31. Shawna Buchanan Avatar
    Shawna Buchanan

    I see others have already identified Fat Queen Amidala for you. I have no idea about the other. Are you really going to Comic Con, though? It was hard to get tickets this year, but I managed in the second round.

    Reply
  32. Naomi Lazarus Avatar
    Naomi Lazarus

    Ok, the really sad part is, we showed up just before 4 pm on Saturday, and not only got tickets, but there wasn’t even a line.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest episodes

Discover more from Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading