Every year, we visit Fan Expo hotly anticipating (and trying to make time for!) all the latest goodies, celebrity guests, comic creators, and everything else there is to see and do. Every year, we worry just a little bit that it won’t be as thrilling as the year before.
And every year we’re blown away by the experience.
This year’s Fan Expo went big on Star Wars and Marvel.
On the Marvel front, there was Toronto’s own Simu “Shang-Chi” / “Ken” Liu, Marisa “Aunt May” Tomei, and Kathryn Hahn, star of the upcoming Agatha All Along. From the Star Warsverse, we had Giancarlo “That Bad Guy in Everything” Esposito (also starring in the upcoming Marvel Captain America 4), and Rosario “Ahsoka” Dawson, aka Hollywood’s biggest Trekkie. John Rhys-Davies was here, talking about Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, and even his key role in the original Shōgun miniseries, recently getting renewed attention thank to this year’s remake. Other guests outside the sci-fi/comics realm included Helen Hunt (presumable thanks to the new Twister sequel), Josh “Olaf” Gad, and Christopher “McLovin” Mintz-Plasse. McLovin!
As always, there was an overabundance of top-tier comic book talent in attendance, chatting with fans and doling out original art and signed comics.
Top among these was legendary DC creator Geoff Johns, known for his widely celebrated runs on Superman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Flash. Other top creators included Halifax’s Jed McKay (concurrently writing both the flagship Avengers and X-Men titles), Marc Guggenheim, who, in addition to writing for Marvel and DC, also created the Arrow TV series, and Image Comics CEO Marc Silvestri, who had incredible runs on both Wolverine and Uncanny X-Men in the 1990s, before moving on to co-found Image alongside a who’s-who of 90s comic talent.
Over in the gaming space, legendary voice actors Charles Martinet (recently retired voice of all four Mario brothers) and Canada’s own Jennifer Hale (who will always be Metal Gear‘s Naomi Hunter to us) were on hand to greet fans, sign autographs, and engage in panel discussions. Voice acting in gaming is an especially hot topic right now, with Hollywood’s video game performers currently on strike to protest unfair AI practices. We were particularly thrilled by the attendance of Toronto voice acting legend Tara Strong, who has voiced everyone from Rikku in Final Fantasy X to Harley Quinn in Batman: Arkham City.
But Fan Expo wouldn’t be the same without all the fellow nerds about. The cosplay was, as usual, incredible, as was the diversity of nerd-friendly shops competing for our hard-earned quatloos.
We had a great time exploring back issue bins, sifting through LEGO minifigs, and fighting the urge to buy any one of a dozen different adorable crocheted or knitted geekware. This year’s even bigger tattoo alley was also a nice touch; although we did not get inked (this time!), it was neat seeing all the different nerd-friendly designs available.
Not everything about Fan Expo was ideal. The route between North and South buildings at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre was still too long, too crowded, and too slow: we say it every year, but the organizers need to figure out a way to move people quicker, and without the oppressive feeling of claustrophobia. We also disliked the decision to invite Gina Carano, who was recently fired from Star Wars for – let’s just quote Disney on this – “denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities”. (You can read more about Carano and her swirling controversies here.)
Still, one ill-advised guest and some lingering organizational challenges hardly put a dent in the overall experience. One other thing we’ve noticed about Fan Expo, coming back year after year: the good vibes. Everyone, from the celebrity guests to the talkative comic creators to the shopkeepers and especially the fellow ‘con attendees, was so friendly and accommodating. Geekdom sadly wasn’t always the most inclusive space, but the geek world of 2024 is decidedly all-embracing, full of people with good intentions and positive attitudes. Never have we felt more at home.
***
Keep up with Fan Expo, Toronto Comicon (March 2025), and more here.