It’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon.
And today’s marathon lasts from 10 AM to 7 PM and it will have you shoulder to shoulder with thousands – THOUSANDS – of other pop culture participants!
Saturday, Day 3 of Fan Expo Canada, is the busiest of the three days. And although that might mean some longer line-ups, it also means amazing atmosphere. The cos-players are out in full force today, so you’ll be seeing every character from comic book and Star Wars lore to video games, anime and manga. Needless to day, it makes for fantastic visuals!
Best of all, if you’re a shopper, you should start to see the beginnings of discounted items later this afternoon. Regardless, haggle anyway. Believe me, you’ll be successful in bringing a price down!
Besides the shopping and the sightseeing, here’s what Biff Bam Pop! thinks you should be checking out on Fan Expo Canada Day 3:
EXCLUSIVES (ASAP, Exclusive Booth and Hallmark Booth)
As of late last night, there are still some pretty awesome exclusives left to be had. Fan Expo Canada has a number of tables set up in both the North and South buildings, but be sure to check out the Hallmark booth in the South Building. There you’ll find Fan Expo-only editions of the cute Batman Squeely (in honour of the characters 75th year) and the Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise keepsake (celebrating the 50th anniversary of the television show), limited to just 3,450 copies.
Also, it’s my understanding hat yesterday’s sold out Leia and Jabba figures will be re-stocked this morning. Quick to go I’m sure.
VALIANT: The Future of Valiant Beyond (11:00 AM, Room 713)
One of the better looking publishing booths this year is the Valiant booth. The trade dress on their books is second to none. Valiant has definitely come a long way in the last few years, and have a head-full of steam with top sales comic books now being optioned into film and television. After the spotlight panel, stop by their booth and say hello and pick up a book or two, like Faith, for instance.
DC COMICS: Dark Knight III & Frank Miller (11:30 AM, Room 102)
For a convention full of legends, this is a panel that stands shoulder to shoulder with any one of them. Batman: The Dark Knight is one of the comics that changed comics and we’re living in an unprecedented pop culture era because of it. Frank Miller is one of the creators who elevated the genre into mainstream, respected fiction and non-fiction and art. You need to be here.
COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR YOUNGER READERS (12:45 PM, Room 705)
Because we need to hand off the medium to the next generation.
COMIC PANEL: Wonder Woman (2:00 PM, Room 717)
Did you know that this is also Wonder Woman’s 75th year of existence and this talk will be a wonderful (pardon the pun) place to celebrate with other fans of the character. What a history. What a future!
MARGARET ATWOOD PRESENTS: World Premiere of Angel Catbird (4:00 PM, Room 102)
A world premier event? A legendary and visionary author? Her first graphic novel? If you didn’t read Margaret Atwood’s books for interest, then you certainly read them for study in university. Or you will be soon. Be here for this distinctly Canadian moment!
GAMING SPOTLIGHT: Forgotten Realms Creator Ed Greenwood (5:15 PM, Room 715)
Oh yeah! The original greybeard! Greenwood, who amazingly resembles his famous role-playing creation, Elminster the Sage, is the man who created the basis for all of our present day Dungeons & Dragons adventures. He’s the author who helped usher role-playing into aisles of fiction books at your nearby Indigo bookstore and convinced just about every Dungeon Master that they could write. Celebrate gaming with one of the pillars who turned it mainstream.
And after all that, rest. There’s still a full and furious Sunday to go. And Biff Bam Pop! will be with you on that final leg of this amazing pop culture tour of duty!
Fan Expo Canada runs from Thursday, September 1 to Sunday, September 4 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. For schedules, tickets and information, visit their web page at: www.fanexpocanada.com
