The PCD (Post-Con Depression) is real, as Toronto Comicon has come to a close this past Sunday. Offering a 3-day romp in the fields of pop culture and nerdery, Toronto Comicon pulled off an amazing con this past weekend. It ran smoothly with only a few minor hiccups and offered its thousands of attendees another enjoyable convention.
Walking through Artist Alley is always a highlight of any con I visit, and this time around was no different. Unfortunately, due to space, I’m not able to buy as much art as I used to, but that didn’t stop me from strolling through the cramped rows of various art mediums and enjoying the visual pieces the artists had on display. I did purchase a few prints off an amazing artist (Bianca Siercke) who had a beautiful line of Studio Ghibli prints.
Vendors are another fun part of going to conventions. As someone who loves to collect various things, finding rare items is made a heck of a lot easier at a comicon. Sometimes the prices can be unexpected in both a good and bad way. Regardless I ended up walking away with a nice haul of nerdy goodness.
Obviously one of, if not THE biggest draw for a convention is its guests. This year, the selection was fresh and lined with heavy hitters from various fandoms. Out of the guests attending Toronto Comicon, I had the pleasure of meeting Anjali Bhimani (Symmetra – Overwatch), Jen Cohn (Pharah – Overwatch), and John Rhys-Davies (Gimli – Lord of the Rings). Bhimani and Cohn were awesome and extremely nice, with Davies really making the experience memorable. It’s painfully obvious he honestly and truly enjoys meeting his fans. If you ever have the chance to meet the guy, do it!
Toronto Comicon acted as the organizer’s trial period for RFID chipped badges (no doubt testing it for Fan Expo). I had my reservations, as did a lot of attendees, but the badges worked flawlessly. I feel like the venue could have been a tad bigger as even on the ‘down’ days (Friday and Sunday), the con floor was packed shoulder-to-shoulder. I noticed an entire empty hall that could have been utilized to space things out, but of course, it’s easier said than done. Finally, some celebrities prices seemed to have been higher at the con than they were on the website, which could be an issue for those who need to budget.
All things considered, Toronto Comicon 2019 was a well-run, smooth con experience. It seemed to do well attendees-wise, and all the vendors I talked to were in good spirits about the turn out. If anything, Toronto Comicon serves as an excellent excuse to geek out, hang out with friends, meet your heroes, and spend money like a madman. Now it’s time to rest up (and save up) for Fan Expo Canada!
