In Pictures: Fan Expo Canada 2026 — Day 1

Fan Expo Canada, Canada’s biggest convention, is back in Toronto for its 30th year! Situated in both the North and South buildings of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, it takes place August 27th-30th and features guests from the comics and entertainment worlds, celebrity signings and photo opportunities, cosplayers, lots of panel discussions and events, and merchandise galore. Also, it is a very family friendly event.

I’ll be covering some of the events in future days, but here are pictures from day one:

I talked to “Jimmy Claws” (James Gawley), a prop creator who worked on a variety of movies, including the first three X-Men films. He had some of those props used in the features for sale.

 

Jonathan Rhys-Davies (whom I know best as Sallah from the first and third Indiana Jones films, but who appeared in a plethora of projects from Shogun to The Lord of the Rings) chatted with me for a few minutes in between signing autographs and taking photos:

 

 

Attractions in the South Building include a Doctor Who escape room, writers’ associations, and cosplayers selling cards for charitable causes:

 

The South Building is also where you’ll find comics and, perhaps more importantly, the artists who create them. Before we get to the Artist Alley proper, here are some photos from one end of the hall dominated by artists from the local Ra!d Studios:

 

Here are some of the artists and booths I visited in Artist Alley:

Larry Houston, who was involved in animated projects that will definitely ring some nostalgic bells:

Michael Cho:

 

Proud Canadian Richard Comely with his creation Captain Canuck. Here, he is  displaying a limited edition poster he created to reflect the most recent trade war between the US and Canada. He also had various Captain Canuck related merch, including the original comics from back in the day as well as newer series, maple syrup, and non-alcoholic beer:

 

 

Brett Breeding wasn’t at his booth, but looking at the banner he had behind his table, I realized he is involved in key marketing and rebranding campaigns at both Marvel and DC. This includes the introduction of Spider-Man’s black costume and The Death of Superman. Portfolios of art available for sale were open on his table:

 

 

At the other end of the hall from the Ra!d Studios artists are artists represented by Essential Sequential. Denys Cowan and Lee Weeks are two of them. I’ll end this photo report with some of the art Weeks had on display because it’s utterly gorgeous: