Back at the beginning of October, Hamilton-area pop-culture fans converged on the Canadian Warplane and Heritage Museum in Mount Hope to flip through back issues, buy toys and props, dress up as their favourite characters, and buy autographed photos of some of their favourite pop-culture personalities at the Hamilton Comic Con.
The 2017 Hamilton Comic Con was a B-lister’s paradise. Headliner Burt Ward of the Batman TV series was there with his version of the Batmobile: he signed autographs and attended a Q&A panel, as did other guests, including Ernie Hudson of Ghostbusters and Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite.
As is generally the case, the attendance of celebrity guests helped inspire cosplayers as to which of their favourite characters to dress up as. So, in addition to the celebrities, this convention was attended by a number of their dopplegangers.
Hamilton Comic Con – The Back Issue Report
As a lifelong fan of comics and a constant hunter-gatherer of back issues, I was most excited to leaf through the exhibitors’ bins. But even though I have a long list of missing issues, I found only one of them in my search. Instead, the majority of back issues tended toward the rare side and were consequently more expensive than I had hoped.
Plus, because several exhibitors were focusing on their rare and valuable back issues, several stands had the same issues on offer. So, although it was a good opportunity to meet with like-minded pop-culture fans, the Hamilton Comic Con proved a less than ideal place to purchase hard-to-find comics, unless you were willing to pay big bucks.
Hamilton Comic Con – Final Thoughts
Although I couldn’t find several of the issues on my list at the convention, each exhibitor promised a wider selection at their stores. Good news, indeed, since the convention was well attended by a number of dedicated collectors. And upon some reflection I came to realize, that’s the real point of attending a convention anyway. Collectors can sometimes get lucky and find an under-priced gem, but the real thrill is walking into a room and seeing Darth Vader chatting with Dr. Evil or seeing Betty Cooper holding hands with Deadpool.
I’ll always want more comics and look forward to the day when I find all the back issues I want in the same store, but, more than being giant comics shops, conventions are a chance to let your geek flag fly and enjoy the company of like-minded folk. In that, the Hamilton Comic Con was a massive success.
