The 2013 edition of
Toronto ComiCon, which took place this past weekend at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, was very well attended. Run by Hobby Star Marketing, they are known for
Fan Expo Canada which is the Canadian equivalent of
San Diego Comic Con.
Featuring a principle cast reunion of STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION including Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, and Gates McFadden; the event drew in thousands for the most successful pop culture event the spring has ever seen in Toronto. For a full listing of the guests that were in attendance
you can find that here.
Brent Spiner meets a young fan. Photo by Gordon Fincher.
The event while hosting an increased attendance over last year, didn't suffer from any overcrowding issues, and there was a wide variety of things to see and do for interests of all ages. For action figure collectors there was a decent selection of dealers offering alot of modern toy releases like Masters of the Universe Classics, Transformers, Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Wrestling, Anime and many other lines. Usually at events of this size there aren't as many deals to be found, but we were able to pick up a Marvel Select Incredible Hulk with slightly damaged packaging for only $16 as an example.
Formerly a one day event, Hobbystar decided to merge their Toronto ComiCon and Toronto AnimeCons into a larger 2 day show and bring in top tier guests to draw in larger crowds. The formula seems to have worked for their expansion plans.