Comiccon Preview

Occupying the Palais de Congrès all weekend, Comiccon 2012 offers costumes, cards, comics and commerce, as well as the chance to vibe with your subcultural tribe of choice.

Trekkies The greatest living Montrealer of all time, William Shatner, is on the bridge. He’s seen more alien poontang than any man this side of the Neutral Zone, and only one other celeb attendee could potentially eclipse this space cowboy’s stature: Sir Patrick Stewart. Set those phasers to stun, folks, because this is no Holodeck simulation — the two captains will share the stage to muse about their voyages on the Starship Enterprise. Other guests beaming in include Wil Wheaton, Bret Spiner and John de Lancie.

Hungry for Horror Severed body parts give you the good kind of shivers? Sate yer bloodlust with Horrorfest. Ultraviolent Alex (Malcolm McDowell) is screening A Clockwork Orange, while those who prefer campy to creepy can cozy up to Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre) or Lloyd Kaufman, the brains (mmm… brains…) behind such B-classics as Toxic Avenger. Also appearing are zombie makeup artist-cum-director Tom Savini, as well as controversial local filmmaker Rémy Couture, who awaits his day in court (!) in defense of his realistic, brutal creations.

Inky Fingers Life begins after four panels. Fans of cartoons, comic books, webcomics, and graphic novels have plenty to pencil in. Touch the hands of Michel Rabagliati (the Paul comics), George Pérez (Wonder Woman), David Finch (Dark Knight and New Avengers), Mike Mignola (Hellboy), and Dave Parent (Archie) at your peril. Grovel (cash won’t hurt) to get a portrait done by the many artists on-site. Workshops to get you started on your own comic are always a hit, and the more experienced can find the Wacom tablet of their dreams. Finally, the annual Joe Shuster award is set to recognize the very best in Canadian comics.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlefolk If you pine for a more civilized era that never existed but SCA makes you yawn (A duel with lances? Really???), pedal on to the new steampunk offerings. Guests G. D. Falksen and Evelyn Kriete will share their fashion tips for making that monocle work for you.

Friends of Leroy Jenkins It was a dark day in Montreal when A2M changed its name. Those who haven’t recovered can find solace attending presentations on the ins and outs of Mass Effect 3 (Bioware), Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Eidos), and Assassins Creed (Ubisoft). Actors involved in motion capture work and voice-overs will be around in non-digital form to talk about getting into the game.

Other swoon-worthy moments: Wil Wheaton (Star Trek) will play Settlers of Catan against one lucky winner; catch James Marsters (Spike from Buffy and Ghost of the Robot) in concert, and lots of folks from TV will be on-hand: Nicholas Brendon (Buffy), Laura Vandervoort and Aaron Ashmore (Smallville), the cast of Being Human. Further attractions include the Batmobile and other memorabilia of note, a special screening of Nosferatu to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Bram Stoker’s death, comedy nights with The Geek Show and Hardcore Nerdism, and lots of costumes… lots and lots of costumes. ■

Comiccon takes place Sept. 14-16, Palais de Congrès (1001 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle), $20 online, $25 at the door. See the program for more information.