Meeting the stars — from a distance
Comic-Con comes to your couch as questions remain about fan events
This June, Paul Amos was set to film the second season of the upcoming Netflix superhero series “Jupiter’s Legacy” in Toronto. When that was postponed because of COVID-19, the actor started passing the time in quarantine, connecting with fans on Zoom.
He told fans that if they messaged him he would call a random person every day for 20 minutes. “I sat here at breakfast time with my daughter and Eloise was just going like” — he twirls his finger blindly, as he sits in a modern minimalistic living space on the other end of a Zoom call — “‘ This person!’ ”
Compared to the hectic, human-zoo-esque environment of a comics convention, the Welsh-born Toronto resident found the experience of chatting with fans in their homes refreshingly intimate. He was inspired to recruit his “Lost Girl” co-star Rachel Skarsten to hold a virtual fan convention. Both actors’ summer calendars had been booked with appearances on the Comic-Con circuit before, one by one, they were cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19.
Instead, the virtual Homecon convention, held April 10 and 11, featured panels and one-onone chats with actors such as Casey Cott of “Riverdale,” Ben Lewis from “Arrow” and “Watchmen” actor Andrew Howard. The event raised $10,000 for #FirstRespondersFirst, inspiring Amos and Skarsten to announce a second Homecon on May 16 and 17 featuring free panels with cast members of “Vikings,” “Heroes,” “Wynonna Earp” and “The 100,” and appearances by Tatiana Maslany of “Orphan Black” fame, and “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “The Walking Dead” star Michael Rooker.
In one-on-one chats, available for $50 (U.S.) for five minutes, Homecon’s inaugural class found fans less focused on nerd lore and more in need of a human connection. Skarsten, who plays the central villain Alice on “Batwoman,” had a call with a boy in New Zealand whose mom had bought him the oneon-one as a reward for doing well in home school.
“He was so excited he couldn’t say anything,” Skarsten says. “He has two autistic brothers and so she said it’s been really rough for him.” Amos plans to hold Homecon on a monthly basis into the foreseeable future, with additional online events between the main weekends. The future of in-person gatherings, after all, remains to be seen. Though San Diego ComicCon has cancelled for 2020, other major events are bravely soldiering on, such as Toronto’s Fan Expo Canada, currently slated for Aug. 27 to 30.
“Our event is four months away,” Fan Expo organizers said in a statement to the Star. “As such we remain optimistic and, when it is safe to do so, we will be able to come together again to celebrate fandom.”
But other cons which have been cancelled or postponed are looking to fill the void virtually. Anime North, a gathering of 35,000 anime fans held in Toronto every May, had to cancel its 2020 convention but will host a virtual gathering in July featuring discussions and video footage from previous years. “Even if it’s just virtual, it keeps our flag flying,” says convention founder Donald Simmons.
Chris Dabrowski, president of the Niagara Falls Comic Con and the Hamilton Comic Con, says past guests such as Ian Ziering and Lou Ferrigno have expressed interest in doing autograph signings on Facebook Live. Both cons are now slated for the fall after the Niagara Falls convention was postponed from June.
“If we have to move to plan B we will move the show into 2021,” Dabrowski says. “But even if it’s on a smaller scale, whether 50 per cent of capacity in buildings will be allowed by September or 25 per cent, we’ll obviously abide by those laws and do the best we can.”
London Comic Con, the largest comic convention in southwestern Ontario, is also committed to holding its event over the first weekend of October. On May 4, it announced that 25 per cent of all ticket sales in May would be donated to COVID-19 relief programs.
“We wanted to address that it is very real,” co-organizer Jake Windatt says. “Other events try to pretend it’s not happening until it’s too late. We want to be transparent with our fans and respect everyone’s concerns.”
That means that London organizers have been brainstorming their own precautionary measures. “Before, where people could hop on the (mockedup) bridge of the Enterprise and sit in the captain’s chair, things like that may not be an option,” he says. “Or maybe we have to sanitize between (guests).”
Virtual events are under discussion for London Comic Con, which thrives on gathering the local community. “If we have to postpone for the year, then we will,” he says.
Amos and Skarsten agree that nothing can replace human interaction, even if that human is dressed as an orc.
“This is something that is born out of a difficult situation, but it’s something that can live on after,” Amos says. He cites the accessibility of Homecon for those who may have physical or mental-health challenges, or who can’t travel to an urban hub to see their favourite Wookiee.
“We still love the in-person interactive quality of the traditional comic con,” Skarsten says. “But we are here to offer something different and build on what already exists. And what, hopefully, will still exist in the future.”