Stars of the big screen and small are the big draw at Fan Expo Vancouver, a yearly three-day pop-culture event of photo ops, autographs, games, exhibitors, and cosplayers.
This year, the big names at Fan Expo Vancouver (Feb. 15-17 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, 999 Canada Place) include Christina Ricci (Addams Family), Tom Welling (Smallville), and Brendan Fraser (Doom Patrol, Encino Man). Other guests include two guys from The Office (Brian Baumgartner and Oscar Nuñez), William B. Davis (X-Files), and Levar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation).
Of course, Fan Expos aren’t just celebrity gawkathons; there’s also a comic-book component, harking back to fan conventions’ roots. They might be strangers to the general public, but several guests will have comics fans rooting through their long-boxes to pull out copies of back issues to be signed. Here’s a look at some of the ink-stained wretches coming to Fan Expo Vancouver 2020.
Todd McFarlane—The Canadian artist/writer is credited with rejuvenating Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man comic in the late ’80s, then jumping ship to start his own comics line: Image. McFarlane’s creation Spawn spawned (sorry) a live-action 1997 movie and an animated HBO series. Spawn is still going strong—the comic recently reached its 300th issue—as is Image. McFarlane is also a successful toy designer/maker.
Arthur “Art” Adams—Today, Adams is a renowned cover artist, known for his detailed, meticulous work. He has drawn a number of characters both major—Spider-Man, Batman, Superman—and minor, and is the creator of the Monkey and O’Brien series for Dark Horse Comics.
Michael Golden—Among his many credits, Golden is the co-creator of X-Men’s Rogue (Anna Paquin in the movies). The artist first turned fans’ heads for his work on Marvel’s 1970s Micronauts title; he is also the co-creator of the intergalactic adventurer Bucky O’Hare. These days, most of his comics work is on covers for titles like Nightwing, Iron Man, and The Hulk.
Don Rosa—Rosa is best known for his Eisner Award-winning series The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, which he began writing and drawing in 1987. He has been recognized as one of the best Disney comics creators.
Mike Grell—Like Michael Golden, Mike Grell has a long and storied career in comics. He is probably best known for his work for DC in the 1970s and ’80s, including titles like Warlord (his own creation) and Green Lantern/Green Arrow. According to the bio at fanexpovancouver.com, “He is currently working on reviving the popular titles he created back in the ’80s and ’90s.”
Amy Chu—So it’s like this, see; there’s a comic book publisher called Dynamite. Among other characters, Dynamite has the rights to Vampirella and Red Sonja. Vampirella is a sexy vampire from the planet Drakulon; she’s had her own series, off and on, since the late ’60s, beginning in a black-and-white comics magazine published by Warren. Red Sonja began life in Marvel’s Conan title (or, if you want to get technical, in a short story by Robert E. Howard, Conan’s creator). Recently, Dynamite had the idea of not just pairing Vampirella and Red Sonja (see: Vampirella/Red Sonja), but also pairing Vampirella and Red Sonja and Betty and Veronica of Archie Comics fame (in a deal with Archie Comics). Got all that? Good. So Amy Chu is the artist on Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica. If you’re not buying this series, what are you doing with your life?
If you’re not reading Vampirella and Red Sonja Meet Betty and Veronica, what are you doing with your life?
There are several other comics artists/writers coming to Fan Expo, including a bunch of locals—Pia Guerra, Ian Boothby, Nathan Fairbairn, and Johnnie Christmas. To see a complete list visit fanexpovancouver.com/guests.
Fan Expo is also hosting discussions and panels. And of course, plenty of people will dress up as their favourite characters.
For hours/tickets, go here.
