The confirmed guests: Colleen Clinkenbeard and Monica Rial (voice actresses in anime movies) and Lloyd Kaufman (American independent film director, producer and actor).

More guests will be announced soon.

Sunday, December 6th, from 11:00am to 6:00pm

Place Bonaventure, room 200-N
800, rue de la Gauchetière Ouest, Montreal (Quebec) H5A 1K6

As a prequel to this convention, please make sure to drop by the Montreal ToyCon which will be held on Sunday, October 18th, 2009. Click the banner below for more information:

The success of September’s Montreal Comic Con means that the organizers aren’t going to waste any time prepping for the next one! And so, on December 6th, expect a one-day Comic Con featuring guests like Kane Hodder, Lloyd Kaufman and Monica Rial, plus a number of other guests soon to be announced! You can check out the official website for more info!

And coming up even sooner is the Montreal Toy Con–it’s a little out of the way for downtown-dwellers, taking place in St. Laurent’s Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, but if you’re looking for the best new and vintage comic, toys and collectibles, this is worth the trip! There’ll be a ton of dealers, plus cosplayers, LEGO and building enthusiasts and more! It goes down October 18th, costs only $4 (Kids 5 and under free) and is sure to be a blast! Click the pic to visit the site and find out more!

In or around Montreal and looking for something to do this weekend?

Then make your way down to the Montreal Comic Con, which this year is bigger and better than ever! A two day pass is a mere $15 (one day is $10), so come check it out!

Saturday, September 19th, 2009, from 11:00am to 6:00pm
Sunday, September 20th, 2009, from 10:00am to 5:00pm
Place Bonaventure, room 200-N
800, rue de la Gauchetière Ouest, Montreal, WC

Still an intimate convention (meaning you get more time to shop for your favourite comics and collectibles and talk to your favourite artists, writers and personalities), this year boasts talents like Darywn Cooke (Catwoman, The Hunter, New Frontier, etc.), Michael Allred (Madman, Mallrats, X-Statix, etc.), Karl Kershl (The Abominable Charles Christopher, Teen Titans, etc.), Kelly Tindall (Proof, Squeak, Archie Snow, etc.) and many, many more. Check out the official site for more details.

Naturally, we’ll be exhibiting our wares at the Comic Con, so come check out out among other exhibitors like Eidos Montreal, NCW, IWS, Paradise Comics, Komico and more. It’s sure to be an awesome time, so hurry down!

And then, in October, Montreal plays host to yet another convention: The Montreal ToyCon! Featuring dozens of retailers selling literally thousands of toys and collectibles, old and new. It hits the Marriott on October 18th, so come check us out! For more details, here’s a link to the official site!

And coming up after the summer’s over, check out the next Montreal Toy Con at the Courtyard by Marriott Montreal Airport.

Once again, it’ll feature the hottest toys around, plus vintage items for collectors. And since it’s October, why not join in with the costumed fun and dress up as your favourite character? There’ll be a ton of Cosplayers present, as usual, so don’t miss out!

Another presence at the Montreal ToyCon was D’Artagnan, a boutique specializing in high-end statues and figures, plus dozens of highly-detailed figurines for a dozens of games and dioramas. It’s definitely a specialty shop for those looking for specific items, but don’t let that deter you if you’re a more casual collector: there’s definitely enough here to excite even passing fans of the brilliant work that figures and figurines can accomplish even in the art world.

Some might remember them from their previous location at Cote Vertu (near the Cinema Guzzo in Ville St Laurent), but they’ve sinced re-located to a new store and it’s slightly smaller but better than ever, bringing you great service. They are located next to the Toys R Us in Pointe Claire.  Visitors can check ‘em out at:

6321 TransCanada Highway, Unit #132
Pointe Claire, QC  H9R 5A5
Phone: (514) 695-7198

First of all, for a complete list of the dealers who showed at the con, just visit the Convention website to see who was there, or maybe to get connected to the awesome toy-sources you may have missed if you didn’t get to the con!

One of the biggest names in cosplay around the world is The 501st Legion (wiki). Also known as “Vader’s Fist”, the 4200 international members represent the best and brightest Star Wars costumers, with professional-quality uniforms and armor a must for membership. They’re known for their amazing accuracy in costume design and knowledge of the Star Wars universe and even George Lucas himself accepted an honourary membership in 2005. Naturally, we were pleased and honoured when the Canadian Garrison of the 501st stopped in to be among the many awesome cosplayers stopping by the con!

Here’s a look at the faces we saw at the MTC!

The Quebec LEGO User Group (or QueLUG) has been a presence at every Toycon thus far and they’ve outdone themselves yet again with some truly awesome displays of…Legoism? Lego-ocity? Truly awesome displays of Lego talent. As always, we were happy to have them enriching the whole ToyCon experience with their meticulous-yet-creative designs and can’t wait to see what they bring us next time!

For now, here’s a look what they had with them this time around…

Steve Bonanno, with The Joker, at his Legends Action Figures store on St. Hubert Street

By AL KRATINA, Special to the Montreal Gazette

To some, collecting action figures might seem a childish pursuit. Disclosing that this article is being typed in full view of an Edgar Allan Poe toy and an entire shelf of Batman villains will likely not change such people’s minds. But Montrealers can discover for themselves how grown-up toy collecting can be by visiting one of many local toy stores, or by checking out Toycon tomorrow at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel near Trudeau airport.

“(There’s) a little bit of something for everyone,” says David Mark, the organizer of the convention and owner of Outremont’s Toys on Fire retail store. The convention will feature 30 local action figure dealers selling everything from Hot Wheels to Spider-Man toys, as well as six tables dedicated to creations from the Montreal LEGO Club.

But as Mark explains, action figures don’t always revolve around comics and Saturday morning cartoons. Subjects range from hockey players to William Shakespeare to a semi-flayed man hanging from hooks and birthing what appears to be a boil of maggots, designed by horror author Clive Barker.

In fact, Steve Bonanno finds that his Montreal store, Legends Action Figures on St. Hubert St., attracts mainly the male 18-35 demographic.

Like Mark, Bonanno is passionate about action figures, and estimates he has more than 4,000 toys in his personal collection. “I opened the store, because my collection was getting too expensive,” he laughs, as I shop for Marvel Zombies Minimates, tiny undead comic characters that make my bookshelves resemble a decaying landscape of LEGO figures.

Bonanno and Mark agree the more popular toys are generally tied to new movies or TV shows, but nostalgic throwbacks are also well-liked.

“Everything from the ’80s properties, like GI Joe, Transformers, they all made a comeback in the last couple of years,” Bonanno says. “(But) Star Wars (toys) outsell everything else.”

But even those not particularly interested in pitting Cobra Commander and Starscream against a mob of Tuskan Raiders might be interested in “art toys.”

“An art toy is a (figure) that’s not based on a cartoon or a game,” says Olivier Petitpas, who opened his camiondepompiers store on Ontario St. in 2007. “It’s more of an art object than a product advertising a different (medium).”

Some art toys feature paint designs and accessories created by various artists, often noted for work in other media. Popular art toy creators include U.S.-based Frank Kozic, who once designed posters for the grunge movement, and Italian artist/clothing designer Simone Legno, whose Tokidoki brand makes everything look like the result of Hello Kitty mating with a robot.

But other toys are simply sold as blank figurines, and used as a canvas to create a one-of-a-kind art by the new owner. These are often displayed at contests or exhibitions, like the ones Petitpas occasionally holds at his store.

Art toys, Petitpas says, tend to attract a different crowd than other action figures, which is why Petitpas won’t be exhibiting at Toycon. But though the world of art toys might not overlap with other action figures, both can be equally appreciated by a mature audience. Or so I keep telling myself, and my Minimates.

Toycon was held Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, 7000 Place Robert-Joncas, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission $4. Call 514-948-2627 or email montrealtoycon@gmail.com for more details on the next show.

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

We are just a week away from the next Montreal Toycon Convention. We are expecting a good crowd. We will have costumed characters roaming the convention aisle so make sure to bring your camera and have your picture taken with Darth Vader. You can take as many pictures as you want…it’s free!

We will also have members of the local Lego Club displaying their creations. From remote controlled lego vehicles and creatures to grand Star Wars dioramas, you will see some amazing displays.

All dealers tables are sold out….so you can expect a good variety of comics and toys to buy.

Here’s info on the show:

Date: Sunday, May 3, 2009

Time: 10am to 5pm

Location: Courtyard Marriott Hotel, 7000 Place Joncas, St Laurent, Quebec, H4M 2Z5

Admission: $4 (Kids under 5 free)