These Canadian superfans are showcasing the creative outlets they use to connect with pop culture
By Manroop Aulakh
Top view of Toronto Comicon at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (Manroop Aulakh/CanCulture Magazine)
Whether you’re a fan of gaming, anime, superheroes, horror or fantasy, you could find them all under one roof at this year’s Toronto Comicon. This three-day convention is perfect for all comic lovers, cosplayers, and collectors to come together.
Amidst the buzz of this annual event, it's the individuals who bring their favourite characters to life through cosplay and showcase their fan art who truly steal the show.
Cosplayers, the heart and soul of Comicon, transformed the amazing characters we see on screen into real life. Costume-making requires skills of definite hours of dedication and craftsmanship, for many, these pursuits serve as a creative outlet where they can express their love and talents.
Beyond the cosplay spectacle, a haven for artists and creators to showcase their talents rally through artists' alley. Where many talented individuals display their fan art and comics each crafted with a unique story—not only showcasing their artistic talent, but also the depth of emotion and connection fans have with these characters and stories.
Conventions, like Toronto Comicon, provide a supportive platform for creators to come together and express their creativity and talent in a vibrant fan community.
Diana Lavelle cosplayed as her favourite Disney princess, Snow White. (Manroop Aulakh/CanCulture Magazine)
Diana Lavelle, from Brampton, Ont., shined as Snow White at the convention. Lavelle created the entire look herself in only a couple of months. The outfit incorporated two layers of skirts, a bodice, and a ton of rhinestones and flowers. She loves Disney and Snow White’s aesthetic, making this the perfect cosplay for her. Lavelle has been going to Comicon since 2011 and loves the connections it allows her to make with fans and the community.
“I find it so fun to connect with other fans, if you’re wearing a costume it’s like an instant sign to other fans that you like the same thing,” she added “So you can connect over that and talk and make new friends, it's like you’re part of a community.
Ceasar Abasol cosplayed as Sukuna to show off his LED skills. (Manroop Aulakh/CanCulture Magazine)
Ceasar Abasol, from Scarborough, Ont. dressed as the vile Sukuna from Jujutsu Kaisen and while he bought his outfit, he created this amazing fire arrow himself. Searching for material took a couple of months, but making the actual fire prop took only a couple of weeks. This is Abasol’s sixth time at Comicon and this year, he wanted to show off the LEDs and lighting he used in his costume. As a programmer, Abasol integrated his life skills into this intricate costume showcasing his talent from work to real life.
“I like to show that I can do this [create props from scratch], and I don't really see a lot of people doing this. It’s similar to what I do for work and it’s also my interest, so it just happens to coincide.”
Cat Falco is looking fierce in her Harley Quinn cosplay. (Manroop Aulakh/CanCulture Magazine)
Cat Falco, from Whitby, Ont., dazzled as Harley Quinn. Her costume involved a mix and match of many different items with pieces from different stores. Falco enjoys the dress up of the costume rather than the creation and chooses her cosplay characters simply for the resemblance. She usually attends Fan Expo but has been attending Comicon for the past two years. The day before she dressed up as Daisy from Mario and the day before, as Officer Jenny from Pokemon.
“It's so fun. It's like Halloween all year long,” she said.
Rich cosplayed as her favourite villain, Pyramid Head from Silent Hill. (Manroop Aulakh/CanCulture Magazine)
Rich (@richcosplays), from Whitby, Ont. spooked as Pyramid Head from Silent Hill. She made everything herself, taking her around five months to pull it together. Pyramid Head is one of her favourite Silent Hill villains and she wanted to express her creativity through the costume. This is now her fourth year attending Comicon and her reason for each return is how nice people are at these events and how it cultivates a judge-free zone.
“I really like expressing my creativity and the community behind it; I made good friends and they are amazing people to hang out with,” she said.
Leslie Doyle in front of her realistic fan art while showcasing a time-lapse of her paintings. (Manroop Aulakh/CanCulture Magazine)
Leslie Doyle, (aquagem_art) is a self-taught realistic portrait artist from Newmarket, Ont. who makes portraits of characters in shows, video games, and anime. What started as a hobby grew into a business, as Doyle sells her art online and hosts sketch requests on Twitch streams. Her portraits take anywhere from 10 to 15 hours even taking as long as 30 hours for extra details. This is her 11th Comicon, and she started selling her work at conventions in the U.K. in 2009.
“I think I’m really inspired by the other artists in the artist's alley, and I definitely used to attend cons a lot when I was younger so this is my favorite place to spend time,” she said. “And even now walking around the convention I still get a lot of inspiration.”
Amelia Maillet beside her fan art from her favourite comics. (Manroop Aulakh/CanCulture Magazine)
Amelia Maillet, (byamelia2you) a 16-year-old artist from Toronto, showcased a ton of her art inspired by frames of comic books she reads. Her inspiration also comes from other local Comicon artists such as her favorite artist Jim Lee. It takes Maillet a couple of hours per piece and she sells these art pieces at Comicon and other local cons throughout the year as well.
“I’ve always been interested in art as a kid and especially throughout COVID-19, I had a lot of time, so I started drawing and practicing realism and comic style and I just got really interested in the comic world,” she said.
Phoebe Vu holding up one of her crochet dolls. (Manroop Aulakh/CanCulture Magazine)
Phoebe Vu, originally from Vietnam, is the director of The CroChic Shop, which sells crochet amigurumi dolls. Her shop is made up of a team of six friends and family members. They started just before the pandemic and during that time they made look-alike dolls for doctors and nurses, giving all profits 100 per cent to charity. The dolls are all characters from your favourite comics, movies, and animes taking days at a time to produce.
“Crocheting runs in the family, my grandmother does it, my mom does it, so I started to learn and my sister and all our cousins learned together,” she said.
Throughout the three-day event, we’re reminded of the power of fan culture to bring people together and create this loving and enjoyable community. From stunning cosplays to captivating fan art, attendees showcased their love through their talent, celebrating the diversity and passion that make fan culture truly extraordinary.