The weekend just took right off for those of us who went to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to get our geek on. Costumes galore as well as celebrities, collectibles, panels, and new and old friends. There’s always something to see at Comicon.

As mentioned previously, this time the con was in the North Building, and that caused a bit of change in layout, but the convention made great use of the space and there’s even a fun little food court set-up.

I was able to engage in conversation with a number of exhibitors and pass holders throughout the weekend, and there was lots of fun to share. It seems that those who purchase a VIP pass at FanExpo, they can use that same pass to gain free entry throughout the year to other cons put on by the company. In TO that means free entry into Comicon, but if you’re not averse to some travelling and can book hotels, that opens up a number of fun possibilities.

Cosplay is a huge part of fandom and cons, and there’s always an interesting melange of costumes. Those who go all out, and create something absolutely stunning and screen/character accurate and those who work with what they have on hand and can afford. But it’s the passion that shines through each and every time.

There are panels for everyone, and the Strange New Worlds cast panel, featuring Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Christina Chong was a lot of fun for those who attended. Star Trek fans of Toronto have been delighted to be the main filming hub for series like Discovery and Strange New Worlds, and the forthcoming TV movie for Section 31 and consequently, it feels like we get spoiled with these wonderful actors being available to us. But they see the love we give them, and I think they appreciate it.

For shopping, there was so much to tempt the wallet and while I scraped by without succumbing to all the temptation, it was close on several items. The little DIY kits that depict shops, apartments, train stops and the like tempted me a number of times, and if one had really spoken to me, I would have gotten one of these charming dioramas whether I had somewhere to put it or not.

The moments with the celebrities that really speak to us resonate. People were absolutely delighted to see Gordon Cormier and Ian Ousley from the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender and this was one of their first opportunities to see how the series has reached and affected fans.

For me, well, we know that’s Star Trek, and i was working on getting my Season 1 Strange New Worlds 4K signed. I’d already gotten Anson Mount’s and Ethan Peck’s, so I was determined to get Christina Chong’s this time out. Not only was she completely charming, but her adorable dog, Runa Ewok clambered across the table for a little cuddle with me, which just demonstrated to Christina that I was a good dog person.

Later, some press were afforded the chance to speak with a couple of the celebrities. This is in large part thanks to the people of Touchwood PR, who have been involved with supporting the Toronto conventions for several years now. It also speaks highly of those celebrities who make the time, as they are donating their time free of charge. They are there for the fans, to interact with those who really love their work, and they don’t really want to lose that time, not if they don’t have to.

This time out I was lucky enough to have a chat with Christina Chong along with the great folk at Thunder Geeks and Geek Hard, you can listen to it here (yes there’s a brief moment with Ethan Peck at the very end).

Toronto Comicon was great fun, and each time I’m there, I keep reminding myself to expand my geek interests even further. There’s always something cool to discover, and while a lot seems to be anime (which can be a little daunting, but Crunchyroll is really helping me with that), there is so much fantastic geekery out there to find, love and support.

And for me, no con is ever complete unless I get a picture with the next droid in the galaxy, Artoo. Toronto Comicon was a lot of fun, and I cannot wait to see what FanExpo has in store for us this August. Make sure you keep abreast of schedules, tickets and guests here. Hope to see you there!