June 28 – 30.2019
Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
Supanova Comic Con and Gaming rolled into Perth and set up shop at the Convention Centre on Friday 28 June, and devoured all that entered until it closed the doors in the late afternoon of Sunday 30 June. I’m sure it suffered from a dose of indigestion, though, as it appeared to eat more than it could handle, or as my dear old mum would say “Your eyes are bigger than your belly’. The Convention Centre was absolutely packed out on Saturday and again on Sunday. I was driving around in the carpark for about half an hour on each day waiting for the early birds to exit, carrying their wads of merchandise. I think it shows that there is a real hunger from the pop culture kids (and adults) for this sort of thing in Perth and with Supanova the only show in town these days, the crowds mark this one down as a must on their calendars.
This year some of the big names included Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in The Lord of The Rings, although his faithful friend Samwise Gamgee was nowhere to be seen. Canadian cousins Stephen (Green Arrow) and Robbie (Firestorm) Amell were gathering a good crowd of fans, as was fellow Arrow actor David Ramsey. This year also marks the 40th anniversary for the release of the original Mad Max, and coming to Perth to help celebrate this event were actors Steve Bisley (Goose) and Hugh Keays-Byrne (Toecutter). Keays-Byrne also appeared in Mad Max: Fury Road as Immortan Joe, in case you have been living under a rock in a cave in the desert for the last four years and weren’t aware of that fact already. It was great to see these guys in the flesh after all these years and it has to be said that the Goose was looking a lot better then when we last saw him in Mad Max.
There were quite a few voice actors on show including Dan Green and Eric Stuart of Yu-Gi-Oh! fame, as well as Metal Gear Solid’s David Hayter and Paul Eiding, to name just a few. American novelist Julie Kagawa (Iron Fey and Talon) was gathering some good crowds around her and movie poster painter Mark Raats always had a group of people around his booth. If you haven’t seen Mark’s posters then you need to check them out as soon as you can, especially if you’re into Star Wars or Indiana Jones.
There were also a bunch of Australian comic book creators and some big international comic book guests including Donny Cates, Megan Hutchinson, Humberto Ramos, and the man who single-handedly changed the way we look at comic book art, Mr Simon “The Biz” Bisley. The work Simon has produced for 2000AD’s ABC Warriors, Judge Dredd, and Slaine, along with DC’s Lobo (all of which only scratch the surface of his career) are beyond the realms of comics and are in the world of a modern-day master.
Also there was the wrestling, which is there every year and is a great piece of fun for young and old. Artists’ Alley was full of up-and-coming comic book creators and, of course, the Cosplay Competition saw some amazing costumes on show. The effort, skill and time that goes into these costumes is just unbelievable.
All in all, the weekend was extremely popular with the people of Perth and it’s a great event that hopefully continues for many years to come. If you haven’t been along to Supanova before, then mark it in your calendar for next year and feed your appetite for pop culture, you won’t be disappointed.
