From May 11 to 13, over 40,000 enthusiastic sci-fi, horror, anime, gaming and comic book fans from Canada and abroad will converge at the EY Centre for the seventh edition of the Ottawa Comiccon. The epic pop culture convention has become one of the nation’s capital most talked-about events, where visitors rub shoulders with an ever-growing roster of celebrity guests from various entertainment fields.
Fans are already buzzing with anticipation over the presence of Doug Jones, the masterful creature character actor who brought to life The Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007); Abe Sapien, in the Hellboy franchise; and the title character in Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). Jones touched hearts with his moving performance of The Amphibian Man in the Academy Award-nominated The Shape of Water (2017), and is currently starring in Star Trek: Discovery, as first officer Saru.
Jones will be joined by Jason Momoa, one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars, famous for his rugged roles on HBO’s Game of Thrones, Conan the Barbarian (2011), and The Justice League (2017), where he thrilled audiences worldwide with his innovative portrayal of the mythical Aquaman, a character he will soon reprise in his own film.
The Ottawa Comiccon will also be graced with the presence of Laurie Holden, from The X-Files and The Walking Dead, and the 2017 cult punk horror feature film, Pyewacket; and Sean Gunn, the loveable Kraglin in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 & 2 – whom some fans still remember fondly from Gilmore Girls. The galaxy-far-away will be represented by Joonas Suotamo, who took over the role of Chewbacca in the latest instalments of the Star Wars franchise and soon in the much-anticipated film Solo: A Star Wars Story; and by Julian Glover, known for his villainous characters in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and as Grand Maester Pycelle in Game of Thrones.
In addition to meeting celebrities, visitors will roam the Comiccon’s 10,000 square-feet expo hall, a collector’s paradise packed with retailers specialized in comic books, graphic novels, manga, toys, videogames, and costumes; and to peruse the imaginative Artists Alley, where they will discover and acquire original art by famous and emerging creators from the worlds of comics, manga, and fantasy illustration.
There can be no Comiccon without cosplay, the fine art of disguising oneself in the flamboyant costumes of famous super heroes and Japanese manga and anime characters. This year, cosplay practitioners and fans alike will be delighted to meet internationally renowned Italian cosplayer, Leon Chiro, who has produced and modeled official costumes for several major gaming companies, including Ubisoft (Assassin’s Creed / Watch Dogs), Square Enix (Final Fantasy XV), and Capcom (Devil May Cry). Inspired cosplay aficionados will have the opportunity to showcase their own creations at the popular annual Masquerade, a costume contest that will take place on Saturday, May 12, in front of industry judges.
Ottawa Comiccon will present over 75 entertainment activities for the whole family over the course of three days. The event’s calendar is packed with panels, workshops, improv shows, board game tournaments, film screenings, celebrity autograph sessions, photo ops, and much more. Additional comic book artists, celebrity guests, and activities will be revealed in the weeks leading up to the event.
Ottawa Comiccon runs from Friday, May 11 to Sunday, May 13, 2018 at the EY Centre. Tickets are now available, including single-day and three-day tickets, Deluxe and VIP packages, as well as student-priced Friday tickets and a Sunday Family Package. The public is invited to visit www.ottawacomiccon.com to learn more, purchase tickets and follow the latest updates.