It's been a while in coming, given the tendon surgery last year, but I finally made it out to Toronto this summer and, among other things, hit FanExpo. According to The Extra Mile, over 125,000 people hit the Expo this year - although there's no mention of how many over 125,000 attended. If memory serves, there's been a higher FanExpo attendance of some 132,000 people within the last couple of years.
For the record, there are a number of reasons why I hit Toronto every summer. Having been a member of the now-defunct discussion board for author Kelley Armstrong, I'd met a number of forum members in real life who are now lifelong friends. While we all go to FanExpo, the main draw is that I get to see them and hang out with them. I also get to meet with the local (Ontario) chapter of the HWA - the likes of David Thirteen, Sephera Giron, etc. - and also network, potentially pick up new business, do some shopping, etc.
But, FanExpo this year has been a disappointment. 'Poor' is the word I use to describe it. But let me give some context first.
I've been going to FanExpo for over ten years now. Back when Rue Morgue (multinational magazine that covers horror fiction in a range of media from films to video games). As part of FanExpo, Rue Morgue had the Festival of Fear, which celebrated the media that Rue Morgue covered. From actors such as Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead) and Chris Sarandon (Fright Night) to directors like John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) and special effects people like Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) and Tom Savini (Dawn Of The Dead, Monkey Shines).
In addition to these appearances, you also had interactive media - my friend Nella happily shut herself in the coffin that I wouldn't lie in on principle, as well as not wanting to tempt fate. In this coffin, you could apparently watch your weeping mourners on a video screen ...and then watch them leave, and then watch the zombies that dug you up to eat you. I also remember Don Coscarelli (Phantasm director) hawking his wares after having done a Q&A panel, a green-splattered jittering dummy supposed to be Regan from The Exorcist ...and John Carpenter warning me that I shook his hand too hard when I met him for a photo-op. Genuinely my bad.
For reasons I can't remember, Festival of Fear withdrew from FanExpo. Subsequently, the local (Ontario) chapter of HWA maintained a presence there. Not only with a booth of authors and publishers, but also with panels as part of the programming. Elsewhere in the convention, you still had some semblance of horror in attendance. The likes of the Scream cast. Q&A with Bruce Campbell. Interactive attractions such as a confessional booth (if memory serves), sneak previews of dark media such as Mike Colter's "Evil", and magicians performing sleight of hand in front of live audiences. Doves as standard.
FanExpo this year had none of that at all. No dedicated booth this year - I had to lap the North Building (one of the two convention buildings where a dedicated horror stand is usually set up) a few times before Sephera Giron brought me up to speed. Those who went, those who know - by all means, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there was anything in the way of horror, beyond the specific HWA panels; one of which I was gratefully a member of. In this case, the "I Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost Stories" panel.
It's specifically the lack of horror programming - both volume and variety - is why I deem this year's FanExpo to be 'poor.' I'm not the only one to deliver this verdict, and it's not to take anything away from others who found it hit the spot and scratched their collective itches. I'm just citing how it was for me. Other issues as to 'poor' where the limited Spider-Man t-shirts available. From what I saw (and correct me if I'm wrong), but throughout the whole of the convention, I only saw four t-shirt stalls - three of them for Stylin, and the other one something different. While the latter is where I previously got one of my favourite Spidey t-shirts, reprising the cover of The Amazing Spider-Man, issue 100: 'The Spider Or The Man?', generally I saw very little in terms of variety covering a breadth of the character's heritage.
Ironically, it was only when I saw someone else at FanExpo wearing a cool Spidey t-shirt of the web-slinger in his black costume (which appeared to be a variant of Amazing Spider-Man issue 300's cover), that I had an in. On asking the guy, he tells me he didn't get the shirt from FanExpo but a shop called Hot Topic - who not only have a cool and broad range of (at least) Spider-Man t-shirts, but they also have a shop in the Eaton Centre mall. So I picked up a t-shirt for myself.
The other thing I mention as poor is the lack of range of food available. True, I'm not as anal about food as I used to be, but it's still important. The sushi bar is definitely an improvement over earlier years - but I still feel there should be more (and healthier) options apart from the pizza that currently does the rounds on site.
I've no interest in bitching about things and not doing anything to drive positive change. So I've already asked if there's a forum where constructive feedback can be given to drive said change. I'm not the only person to lament the Expo's lack of fantasy: that umbrella of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror programming. Nor am I all about horror to the exclusion of everything else. Dolph Lundgren's panel showed the man to be pragmatic, succinct and world-weary humourous, where Gina Carano in the wake of her Disney controversy came across as gracious, humble and progressive. Does the Expo have room for improvement? Yeah, I'd say so.
Let's see what the next year brings.
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