In 2022, Capital City Comic Con is Still Hot as Summer Winds Down

The panels at Capital City Comic Con 2022 are great for newcomers, and yes, I even presented my best of upcoming movies.

Capital City Comic Con 2022

Capital City Comic Con 2022 brought nearly every aspect of pop culture to the Convention Centre as Autumn began. Although I noticed two clubs weren’t in attendence, that’s okay because I knew what was going on (more on this later). And as for what locals can look forward to next, there’s the Ultimate Toy & Hobby Show on Oct 1st and 2nd at the Pearkes Recreation Centre!

This city had Rifflandia and Esquimalt Ribfest the previous weekends and its easy to express an opinion that locals are experiencing fatique. Brewery & the Beast occurred the same time as Cap City; it can be tough to decide on which event is worth being at since the Sun was out. The foodie in me knows the latter will return at the same time, but for the comic book and pop culture festival, it’s not likely be a regular September fixture. The organisers don’t have a date for 2023 but Candice Woodward said, “Please follow at our social media channels for updates.” She’s co-owner/operator of Cherry Bomb Toys, one of three organisations responsible for this fandom celebration.

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Capital City Comic Con 2022 Revealed: Pokémon and Star Trek to Headline.

This year, there seems to be more artists this year than ever before at Capital City Comic Con 2022. Most are local.

capital city comic con 2022 logo

Runs Sept 23 – 25, 2022
Victoria Conference Center & The Crystal Gardens
720 Douglas Street

his Fall, Capital City Comic Con 2022 is set to return to say the heat is still on in the Pacific Northwest. After three sizzling events (ECCC, RCCC and Pax) south of the border, the Downtown Victoria Business Association hopes fans far and wide will visit the Garden City and enjoy everything this event offers. After two years, the pandemic can’t put a halt to everything because people are scared of catching the covid-19 virus.

Reports are hinting at a huge Pokémon presence, with daily challenges and events for players of this seven-year-old game to enjoy. Sadly, Niantic won’t be involved, but the local community is. Facebook’s VanIsle Pokémon Go Syndicate will be running daily events for those still playing this mobile (and often non-augmented reality) game! Also, Vancouver’s Geekenders is coming to this event to present Nerdlesque: Pokemon A-Go-Go! This is a separately ticketed show available to non convention attendees, and it’s an adult show.

Also, role playing games, board games and your usual round of panels and special guests to talk about their continued work in the entertainment industry. This year’s round-up includes touring convention regulars and a full representation of comic book talents from the island. As a bonus in this updated article, we have dining guide posted on our sister blog, Two Hungry Blokes (link here)!

Continue reading “Capital City Comic Con 2022 Revealed: Pokémon and Star Trek to Headline.”

Comic Con, Media Con, However You Con Call Them–We Got Pacific Northwest’s Latest Updates

Ever since 2022, comic book / pop culture conventions are resuming with either strict health guildelines or none for those wanting that geek/media/nerd culture experience.

Fan Expo VancouverOver the Spring and Summer, the Pacific Northwest is very busy because Comic Cons in all its various iterations are resuming. It started with Fan Expo Vancouver in February 2022 and no Kevin Smith wasn’t at this latest. We are hoping that Jay and Silent Bob cancelled appearance prior to this pandemic mess will come back in a future event though!

Even though the province of British Columbia had a lot of health regulations to guide what these indoor shows can do or not, thankfully they were lifted in time for this event, and I had a terrific time. My con report can be read here.

In the past two months, we also had The Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo (June 25), Kelowna Fan Experience (July 15-17) and Anirevo Summer (July 29-31) in one side of the border, and the Washington State Summer Con 2022 (June 23-25) on the other. There were no reports from the groups I monitor to say there were lots of covid cases. Most of these events communicated that attendance is at the participant’s own risk, and none of them advertised what the entry requirement was. That was buried in their webpage’s FAQ under the Health and Safety section. Everyone accepts this pandemic is not going away, and it’s up to the attendee to decide on how to stay safe. The concensus is that people just want life to go on as “normal” as possible instead of living in constant worry.

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Comic Cons, Concerts and Concerns in the Midst of a Continuing Pandemic

The only safe events are the online ones where a webcam is required. While it’s good for fans wanting to meet guests, the experience is not perfect. It lacks a certain “real life” magic that these conventions are known for, including the fun silly randomness which occurs in the show floor.

20200215 120548By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Usually around this time, I’d be planning (or have attended) a pop culture convention by now. Emerald City Comic Con may run their 2021 event at the end of the year, but by then, are we sure it’ll happen when information of COVID-19 variants is the new concern? We’re in a pandemic, and although a vaccine is available, it’s not guaranteed to completely placate the virus. LiveScience published an article explaining how they work. People can still be carriers and not show any symptoms.

Plus, not everyone are able to get the shot right away. The rollout will target particular public health sectors first, before the public, and most regular joes–the fandom–is last in line. Changes to these events are expected because any show that doesn’t incorporate safety measures as a precaution is not only hazardous to everyone’s health but also a breeding ground for another wave.

As much as I like to resume that life of an avid con goer in a normally busy month of March, I don’t see myself feeling comfortable being at one unless these events invest in “the new norm” which includes plexiglass barriers to put between fans, dealers and guests along with many sanitizing stations. Whether that’s with ultraviolet portals to pass through or a table with cleansing dispensers, it won’t be enough. The shows that want to take place sooner than later may include waivers for everyone to impress their fingerprint upon so that the company can’t be sued if an attendee gets sick.

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Attend Capital City’s Virtual Comic Con from the Comfort of Home!

Capital City Comic Con 2017Suffering from con-initus? That is, the need to attend some pop culture convention? Sadly, with parts of the world in lockdown because of COVID-19, the organizers of many an event may have to consider going online with something fun to at least keep the peace from nerds going insane. It won’t be a virtual reality simulation and nor will it be Second Life–perhaps that’s the future until this virus is contained.

Coming to your desktop near you is Capital City’s Digital Comic Con! From March 28 and 29th, you can get a different kind of experience by heading over to their Facebook page to see a list of what the local community is offering to one another for this event that was not able to take place. Confirmed is a cosplay where you can simply post a picture of the costume you were planning on wearing to this event and a podcast from The Zone. More is in the works, and it’s going to be a casual thing so people can pop in and out as they like, without feeling like they’re sitting in front of the computer for the whole event.

Links from participating groups and merchants will be provided to where attendees can get their nerd on.

For the latest updates, please visit Capital City’s Facebook page, where this digital convention is taking place..

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