Masked fans out in force

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This article was published 30/10/2021 (1779 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Downtown Winnipeg flooded with valiant knights, battle-weary soldiers, Disney royalty and all manner of strange creatures Saturday — and it wasn’t just the early Halloween crowds.

After two years of waiting, Winnipeg’s Comiccon festival returned this weekend, bringing a colourful celebration of comic book, science fiction, TV, movie, anime and video game characters to the RBC Convention Centre. The festival was cancelled in 2020 owing to pandemic-related concerns.

Long rows of tightly-packed booths boasted art from some of Canada’s premier illustrators along with collectibles, apparel, and more. The family-friendly event played host to special guests like Lord of the Rings’ Billy Boyd, Star Trek’s John de Lancie and The Walking Dead’s Laurie Holden, who spoke at panels, signed autographs and posed for pictures with the excited crowd.

But the real highlight of any comic con celebration is the fans, who came decked out in cosplay — costumes depicting favourite characters from a variety of beloved pop-culture references — and relished in the chance to meet their idols, and mingle with their fellow comic fans.

For the real-life couple Dalton James Yeomans and Jazmin Lynch, a last-minute costume decision made for a full-circle romance moment.

Dressed in picture-perfect Beast and Belle costumes (from the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast) the couple twirled across the floor outside the main auditorium Saturday morning.

“Believe it or not, when we first got together roughly four years ago, she got us these bracelets that said ‘his beauty’ and ‘her beast’ and then we were randomly trying to find a costume last minute and when she suggested we just do this I reminded her about the bracelets,” said Yeomans.

“She was like ‘Oh my goodness, it came full circle!'”

The couple, who drove in from Kenora, Ont., for the event, had yet to even enter the main event space before taking photos with at least a dozen other attendees dazzled by their attire.

“It’s exciting to be out with people in public, being close to people and taking pictures,” said Lynch. “That is awesome. I’m excited for the event to even be happening, and I hope lots of people show up and support it.”

The dazzling couple weren’t the only ones who travelled from out-of-province to make it to this year’s Comiccon; Brendan Hart, his brother and his parents drove several hours from Regina to Winnipeg to show off his towering League of Legends costume.

“You are witnessing the powerful might of Mordekaiser,” Brendan Hart said, his voice laden with pomp and showmanship, from behind a small screen cutout in a nearly eight-foot tall faux-metal cosplay.

Hart is clearly in his element. With a faux-metal club as tall as he is, a flowing red cape and a carefully-constructed and detailed suit of the same material, he lumbers mechanically with each step, fully immersed in the performance.

It’s a showstopper of a costume, and his parents and brother (who have dubbed themselves “Crew Mordekaiser”) stand by ready to facilitate photo opportunities, hold the giant club, and chat up those who stop in awe at his outfit.

“It’s very good to come back to comiccon and actually witness my costume in action,” Hart said.

Hart said he spent a couple years, off and on, building the costume, which he plans to take to any and every con he can.

Hart’s mother, Carolyn Gray, says the whole family came out to Winnipeg to support him.

“He’s been incredibly enthusiastic about participating at the comic con. Just because of the size he needs a little bit of help maneouvering,” Gray says with a chuckle.

“He’s put a lot of effort into putting together this costume, to scale, with a lot to the details.”

At another family affair , Mark Halcrow, his son Corbin Mader, and his brother Nathan Halcrow drove eight hours from Cross Lake Friday to attend the weekend event. Mark, dressed as the Joker, said it was his first time attending the festival. He and his son, dressed as Goku from Dragonball Z, were thrilled to meet new people and spend time among the crowds.

“I’m feeling good, feeling like a villian, it feels awesome,” he laughed. “It feels good, it’s our first ComicCon, but we’ll come back for sure.”

Winnipeg ComicCon began Friday and continues today. The event is in compliance with public health orders, and attendees must wear masks (bonus points if they match the costume) while at the event.

 

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers