A PARADE OF WONDERS
Fans flock to comic expo event
“I like the idea of giving little children nightmares,” says 13-year-old Seth Kownatka.
“I think we enjoy scaring people without any responsibility for it,” adds his father Adam.
It's not easy to grab attention at the Parade of Wonders, the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo's annual event that had thousands elaborately dressed fans parading down 8th Avenue on Friday morning.
But the Kownatkas, veterans of cosplay and the Parade of Wonders, were managing to do just that in their uber-creepy creations. Unlike most of the participants' outfits, their wispy, black robes, crablike walk, strange shape and white faces were not based on any specific character, although they looked like they may have been at least partially inspired by characters from Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away.
And, yes, they would likely give little children nightmares. The good news is that they weren't likely to catch any little children. The costumes were not easy to negotiate, so the Kownatkas were bringing up the rear of the parade and eventually had to retreat to the sidewalk.
“We are just slow because it's a slow costume,” says Adam. “But that's life.”
Still, the sheer originality of the creations temporarily made the Kownatkas celebrities. People posed for pictures with them along Stephen Avenue. Even little children.
The costumes, Adam says, consist of “foam, crutches, stilts, creepy mask and a crap ton of material.” It took them five weekends to make. As the Calgary Expo continues at Stampede Park over the weekend, the father-and-son team were planning on breaking out their Alien and Borg creations.
Witnessing the Kownatkas creep down 8th Avenue was one of the more surreal spectacles Friday morning, but it was far from the only one. There were 2,454 costumed participants registered for the parade, which ended at Olympic Plaza for an official opening by parade marshal Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Emily Expo (aka Calgary Expo's vice-president of communications Lindsay Thomas) and Calgary-born comic-book guru Todd McFarlane. And estimated 12,500 spectators lined Stephen Avenue to watch.
There were numerous Deadpools and Wolverines. Harry Potters and other Hogwarts alumni were well-represented (even the porta-potties had a Harry Potter theme). There was a Doctor Octopus, complete with a hapless Spider-Man clutched above his head. There was a Dr. Evil, a six-foot-plus Oompa-Loompa, a few Kingpins, numerous Stormtroopers, Monty Python's Knights and virtually every incarnation of Joker imaginable.
Then there was the Munros of Canmore, a family of four who took their Star Wars geekdom to impressive lengths. Led by dad Shane, impressively transformed into an eight-foot Chewbacca, the family also included mother Shannon as an Ewok, 11-year old Tasmin as Rogue One's Jyn Erso and nineyear-old Jordy as Han Solo.
The Chewbacca costume took Munro more than a year to make and involved meticulously hooking synthetic hair extensions onto a mesh suit.
But the effort paid off. The eightfoot Chewbacca was one of the stars of the parade, towering over the thousands of costumes.
“All he has to do is stand there,” says Shannon. “Last year, there was a kid who wouldn't let go of him.”
“He was hugging his leg and saying 'Chewbacca!' ” adds Tasmin.
It's a common story among the participants. Many start working on their new costumes right after Expo wraps up.
“A lot of the cosplayers work year round on their cosplay,” says Thomas, in an interview Friday morning. “It's an ongoing project and it is taken very seriously. The results of it is amazing. It just looks fantastic.”
Along with the cosplay celebrities, there were real celebrities participating in the parade. Jason Mewes (Jay from Jay and Silent Bob), Game of Thrones Kristian Nairn, the 100's Bob Morely, Highlander's Adrian Paul and Raphael Sbarge from the series Once Upon and Time and the Edmonton-designed video game Mass Effect, were among those waving from cars.
“These events are big parties,” says Sbarge, who plays Jiminy Cricket and his counterpart Archie Hopper in ABC's fantasy series Once Upon a Time. “Everyone gets dressed up and they come to party. What a perfect day to do a parade and to be in the midst of it.”
While he had not seen anyone dressed as his Once Upon a Time character in Calgary, Sbarge says he has spotted them at other expos.
“I've seen them occasionally,” he says. “They come with Cricket paraphernalia.”
The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo runs until Sunday at Stampede Park.