The season is nearly upon us for an annual run of nearly nonstop Pacific Northwest Pop Culture Conventions! From Portland to Vancouver, and back across the border, the gambit is covered. Fan Expo is in the lead because this brand is occurring on the same weekend in two different cities, with a nearly similar guest lineup.
Repeat talents like Carl Weathers, Anson Mount and Ethan Peck from the latest Star Trek are but a sampling. If the organisers are smart, they should find someone to build a real life transporter to help them and Star Trek The Next Generation’s Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner avoid travel fatigue as they bounce from one show to the other. Or maybe a Floo Network from Harry Potter is needed, since Matthew Lewis is as a guest. Hyperspace travel isn’t real yet, because from Star Wars, Anthony Daniels is sure to be a hit with fans!
It’s safe to say cancellations will occur because with this many guests, something is bound to happen. This year, the organisers are really covering their bases rather than to depend on figuring out something last minute.
The fun begins with Fan Expo Portland on Feb 17 to 19 with the Back to the Future cast (Christopher Lloyd, Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson and Thomas F. Wilson) as the big headliners. Sadly, they won’t be joining the other talents who’ll afterwards journey to Vancouver, British Columbia, where that celebration starts Feb 18 and ends on BC Family Day on the 20th. This will be exhausting. Therefore, fans have to be understanding should the wait to meet these guests becomes capped.
At the Canadian version, Fan Expo Vancouver, Saturday may feel light. However, a talented pool of voice actors will appear every day. On this list includes Sarah Natochenny, the latest talent who is Ash Ketchum from Pokémon, and the team of Alessandro Juliani, Brad Swaile and Brian Drummond from the anime Death Note. For fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter and James Arnold Taylor are reuniting to share new stories of their recording sessions.
Also, for those fans of The CW’s Arrowverse, Stephen Amell is returning! He’ll appear in the last season of The Flash and as for how much has been filmed–Kayla Compton, Danielle Nicolet, and Danielle Panabaker–the women who helped keep this series fresh may well be the spokes ladies for this universe’s future. Additionally, Sean Gunn might even have something to say about Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3! Also in this mix is Robocop himself, Peter Weller!
This particular show is bringing back after-hours activities, and one of them includes a ghostly walk! Nothing is advertised yet for the others. But the Portland show is restarting under new management and may have yet to complete plans. Like their Canadian cousin, I’d love to see a partnership with restaurants, as it’s more of a food mecca than the others.
Hopefully, the three weeks between shows won’t have some venders feeling exhausted. That’s always the danger form them as they have lots of product to sell at these Pacific Northwest Pop Culture Conventions.
There’s high hopes Emerald City Comic Con will announce even more talents, because to bank on one Doctor, David Tennant, as the biggest name is a gamble. Other returning entertainment guests include James Marsters, Katee Sackhoff, Matthew Lillard and Ray Wise. Or we can call ECCC the year Twin Peaks is getting love, as other names include Sherilyn Fenn and Sheryl Lee to make it the most names from a single show to appear.
Sadly, Victoria, BC’s Capital City Comic Con won’t be returning in 2023. They are taking a break because to plan one in March following last year’s September event is too short a time frame to really make work. This celebration is run by three organisations with other duties on top to help bring tourism into the Garden City of British Columbia.
Thankfully, across the strait is Port Angeles, Washington’s Squatchcon! This event is advertised as, “…a celebration of the weird, wild and wonderful art, culture, and legends that grow in the misty mountains of the Olympic Peninsula.” The name suggests bigger things than a Bigfoot.
They got a list of good local names, and the support of Image and Dark Horse Comics to make an impression.
