Toronto Comicon kicks off tomorrow, Friday, March 14 at the North Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The little brother to Fan Expo, Canada’s equivalent to San Diego Comic-Con, this year’s Toronto Comicon features a slew of celebrity guests, including the cast of The Boys, stars of Supernatural and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, along with a potpourri of esteemed comic book creators. Anya and I will be on hand this weekend to share our experiences, which you can find on Biff Bam Pop!’s Instagram and X feeds.
To help get prepped for Toronto Comicon, we had the chance to ask author and Toronto native Stephanie Cooke some thoughts and advice about attending a con.
Stephanie is an award-nominated writer based in Toronto. Her work on graphic novels include ParaNorthern, Oh My Gods, and The Racc Pack. Her debut YA graphic novel Pillow Talk was called “… a delightful, inclusive, feminist, coming-of-age sports story” by Kirkus Reviews, and was named on the American Literary Association’s 2025 Rainbow Book List.
Andy Burns: We’re a few days away from Toronto Comicon! What do you look forward to most
about attending cons like this?
Stephanie Cooke: It’s truly the people—on the fan side, getting to chat with folks, whether I’ve talked with them before or meeting them for the first time, is always so much fun. I love sharing my stories with them, and especially young fans who are excited to meet their favourite authors and artists.
But on the other side, I am such a big fan of comics and graphic novels myself, so being
surrounded by incredibly talented people all weekend is really inspiring. I always leave feeling
reinvigorated and hyped to work on new projects.
Andy Burns: Do you remember the first convention you attended as far? What was that experience like?
Stephanie Cooke: Yes! Well, sort of. The first convention I ever did was FanExpo while I was working for a movie retailer that had a booth. This was at the height of popularity for the Battlestar Galactica
reboot that was still airing at the time, and myself and my coworkers were all big fans who
watched the episodes together sometimes when it aired. While on break with one of my
coworker, we ran into Aaron Douglas (who plays Chief on the show) wandering the floor, and
asked him for a photo—I didn’t really understand fully yet that they were there signing and
doing professional pics at their booths, but he saw that we were retailers and was super kind.
He chatted with us and took a photo that I still to this day have up beside my desk where I
work.
Andy Burns: What about having a table as a professional? What was it like setting up space for the first time?
Stephanie Cooke: It was a little intimidating! I’d always worked for other people at conventions either on the retailer/exhibitor side or helped my friends with their booths, so inititally, having my own space
gave me a bit of imposter syndrome. I think one of the first shows I ever did as a guest was out
in Saskatoon, and that was so much fun—everyone was kind and curious, and I met delightful
people throughout the weekend who made me feel welcome.
Andy Burns: As a creator in Toronto, I’m curious about your experience breaking into the industry. Did your location or even being Canadian help or hinder your professional aspirations?
Stephanie Cooke: It absolutely helped me! I don’t think your location is something that hinders you, unless you let it. For me, being in Toronto helped enormously with connecting to peers and being able to get involved in the community. My first comic story was in the Toronto Comic Anthology: Yonge at the Lead Editor for the next volume, Osgoode as Gold. I met so many people through that, and helped build my portfolio both as a writer and an editor through those anthologies. It also fully cemented that writing and working on comics was something that I wanted to pursue. There’s a really vibrant comics community in Canada, and a lot of creators that are doing incredible things! I’ve only ever thought of my being here as a positive, even moreso as an established creator because of things like the Public Lending Right (a program that pays authors and artists just for having their books in national libraries), and our arts grants, which support the creation of comics and graphic novels.
Andy Burns: One aspect of Cons that I appreciate is how inclusive they can be. Online discourse about fandom can often be divisive, but when people are together in cosplay or in spaces listening to creators, there seems to be a real bond. Have you seen this in your experiences?
Stephanie Cooke: Absolutely. I think people who are spending the money to come to shows like Toronto Comicon are there to celebrate their fandoms, first and foremost. It’s the best to find like-minded people who are into the exact same stuff you are! Like being in a panel room where everyone is there to hear about their favourite comic creators talking about process or celebrities discussing their roles and experiences—it’s electric when everyone is buzzing with excitement to share in those
moments. Or seeing an incredible cosplay—like when you ask to take a photo and they’re so
excited that you appreciate what they’ve done! I also love hearing about attendees who want
to make comics of their own, and go around talking to creators and ask questions. That
curiosity is so amazing, and it’s rewarding to watch them figure out their next steps on their journey. All of those moments are so special and each one contributes to this energy that you can feel in
the air throughout the weekend.
Andy Burns: Finally, your latest book, Pillow Talk, is geared towards a YA audience. What advice
would you give young adults coming to Toronto Comicon for the first time?
Stephanie Cooke: Have fun! It can be daunting and overstimulating at times, because there’s so much to see and do, but give yourself the breaks you need to, when you need them. When going through Artist Alley, do a walkthrough of everything first (take a business card or photos of booths you want to
visit again so you don’t forget) before you start spending money—otherwise you can run through your budget (and beyond) very quickly. Remember that it’s lots of standing and walking around though, so bring yourself some snacks and water. And again, just have so much fun!!!
Thanks to Stephanie Cooke for her time! You can learn more about her and her work at her official website. You can find her this weekend at Toronto Comicon.