| If you’re planning a crime spree, steer clear of Los Angeles County. It has a new reserve sheriff’s deputy: the Incredible Hulk.
From 1978 to 1990, Lou Ferrigno portrayed Dr. David Banner’s rage-fuelled, green-skinned alter-ego and secured himself a permanent home in pop consciousness. Ferrigno, who grew up reading about the Hulk’s rampage-laden adventures, has now followed in the footsteps of his NYPD father, but his foray into law enforcement still leaves him enough time for the occasional comic book expo appearance – and his next stop is Calgary.
The 2007 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo includes a veritable who’s who of figures from the entertainment industry. For comic lovers, we’ve got Gail Simone, Skottie Young, Francisco Herrera, Humberto Ramos, Brian Wood, Darick Robertson and Art Thibert, among many others. If you’re more into animation, check out Bruce Timm, Jose Lopez and Angus Oblong. Star Wars? Ray Park. Star Trek? Robert Picardo. Firefly? Morena Baccarin and Christina Hendricks.
I’m a self-admitted Joss Whedon fanatic, so upon seeing Baccarin and Hendricks in the expo’s program, I called up organiser Kandrix Foong and generously offered to pick them up from the airport. He didn’t go for it, but Foong – who works on the Calgary-based comic phenomenon, A Monk’s Tale – gave me some tips on how he was able to attract all these big name artists. "Last year’s guest list, except for about two of them, were friends that I’d met throughout the convention circuit," he says. "I called them up and said, ‘Hey, come to Calgary, you can hang out with us, help out a first-year show, we’ll have a good time!’ A lot of them had very low expectations when they came out, but we ended up with over 3,500 attendees."
The Expo runs from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on April 29, in Hall D of the Roundup Centre (Stampede Grounds). It includes booths, panels, a limited-edition Expo art book and even an improvisation troupe. If you want to get your entertainment fix, arrive early – the crowds promise to be overwhelming. "Last year, I gave my mom an advance ticket, but she didn’t know that she could just bypass the line," Foong remembers. "She lined up, and it took her over an hour to get into the show because of sheer number of people there."
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience behind-the-scenes pop culture. That would make Sheriff Hulk angry. And you won’t like Sheriff Hulk when he’s angry.
Heather Mallick asks the question we’ve all been afraid to voice: cake or death? The Globe and Mail columnist is in town with Cake or Death: The Excruciating Choices of Everyday Life, an outrageously witty reflection on modern life. She’s at McNally Robinson on April 26, 7:00 p.m.
Stand-up comedian David Granirer is in Calgary with The Happy Neurotic: How Fear and Angst Can Lead to Happiness and Success. It’s a new twist on self-help at McNally Robinson on April 28, 7:00 p.m.
Every year, the Writers Guild of Alberta hosts YouthWrite, a summer camp that brings young adults together with professional writers at Kamp Kiwanis for an invaluable writing intensive. Geoff McMaster has compiled footage of the past two years to create YouthWrite: A WordPlay Odyssey, a short documentary that immortalizes this unique experience. It will be screened on April 30, 7:00 p.m, at EMMEDIA.
The flywheel is still rolling! In May, we celebrate the rich diversity of reading series in the city by inviting Red Mile Revenge, Single Onion, Soundlines and Thought Express to present regular readers from their poetic evenings. The result: performances by Lisa Rose Berreth-Feragen, Kirk Miles, Leif Baradoy, Rhett Soveran and Sabo, hosted by me. Join us at McNally Robinson on May 3, 7:30 p.m. |
Copyright ©2007 FFWD. All rights reserved.