Rarely does such an experience come along with the chance to meet the real Wonder Woman from the 1970’s TV show Lynda Carter, Corey Feldman, Pamela Anderson, and Michael J. Fox all under one roof in Calgary! Don't miss 2023's Expo this April.
Chris W. Tutty and Wonder Woman Lynda Carter at the Calgary Comic Expo. Photo courtesy of the Expo. Listen to his iTunes Podcast with I'm Here With.
For years we have worked with Chris W. Tutty who is a pivotal part of the Alberta entertainment industry. He has connected us to many other great artists and raised a lot of money for Charities with his gorgeous celebrity portraits! He is our celebrity reporter for our fourth issue!
Highlights from the Goonies panel with Sean Astin, Ke Huy Quan, and Corey Feldman! #CALGARYEXPO
Calgary Comic Expo Experience and Article by Chris Tutty
Once again, the Calgary Expo came and went with the force of an atomic bomb or, an Avengers team attack on earth from Thanos. A snap of their fingers, big explosive fireworks, excitement, and chaos than a quick goodbye. For you non-comic book fanboys, Calgary Expo is one of the biggest pop-culture events we nerds mark on our calendars. This year’s event took place April 25th to 28th at Stampede Park.
Don't miss next years event. If you have a job, save up or mommies credit card we highly recommend attending. A weekend pass is the best way to experience Calgary Expo and buy everything.
So pass in hand thanks to the expo and Kim Gray (photo right), and Lindsay Thomas, I headed in! There was many vendors from all walks of life were selling their baubles and trinkets and it reminded me a lot of Mos Eisley, the fictional spaceport town from the Star Wars universe. I saw fans of all types dressed in full costume and some in full pride. This really was an event where everyone was made to feel special and comfortable, even if they can't fly or shoot x-ray beams from their head.
I quickly realized that there was so much to do and see, and I needed a game plan. Should I pony up the dough to see my junior high crush, the beautiful Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman?
Should I see my high school crush Pamela Anderson? Should I jump on an adventure with a flash to the past with Marty and Doc from Back to the Future, or go on an 80s scavenger hunt searching for one-eyed Willy’s treasure with Corey Feldman and the cast of Goonies? The opportunities were limitless. I realized I'm also an art vendor at this event and have been for the last six years. I had setting up for my own booth to do and interviews to do! It was very interesting to be a reporter for I'm Here With this year, it was a way different experience!
Zomongo Team with Pamela Anderson and Painting by and with Chris W. Tutty
Wow this truly was the Expo of all Expos, in the past I had been a reporter for a TV Show, an artist for the silent auction and fundraiser efforts with Bill Brown and Elevated auctions in which I created a picture of a baby alien in support of the children's hospital, a vendor partner with Artesano Gallery selling my art.
So Wednesday went okay, the booth was half set up and I was able to secure some muscle and a couple lackies for extra help on Thursday before the sneak a peak when it finally hit my I’m wearing way to many hats this time. Not only was I a vendor and trying to work my booth, I was reporting for I’m Here with magazine and Multimedia Giant and bitcoin company Zomongo at the expo, and wearing my philanthropist hat trying to get a Pamela Anderson painting and a Corey Feldman related artwork sign in support of Steve Gilliss and Guitars for Vets.
After an awesome visual job of retail expertise done mostly by my vendor partner in Crime owner of Artesano Galleria Wendy Bach she smiled a snickering grin as I said okay looks great I’ll be back to the booth as soon as I can let me know if you need anything.
It was now time to find my very punctual, self medicated (this is sarcasm) publisher from I’m Here Magazine and get my media credentials. Luckily Kim Gray the media relations remembered me from previous expos, and not in a bad way,10 minutes into having my media pass I was doing an interview in front of the Delorean from back to the future and being panned big time for making the mistake that its 88 miles and hour and not 80 to go back to the future but hey I’m a fly by the seat of your pants reporter that does his best to do his homework even though I live and paint pop culture. Remember fact and fiction are the same thing in the Expo world.
Back To The Future Stars were so humble and the crowd went crazy for them! Photos courtesy of Calgary Expo.
How cool was it to be talking to one of the creators and inspiration for the whole Calgary Comic Expo Emily Expo aka Lindsay Thomas. Although she credits her husband as one of the original creators.
As the VP of communications and guest acquisitions for the Calgary Expo she has acquired guest such as Jeff Goldblum, Elijah Wood, yup Frodo and yes this dude is short , and to much of our surprise and excitement Michael J. Fox was a go for this year after unfortunately canceling last year, as well as Pam Anderson and by far a fan favourite Corey Feldman who stayed to the bitter end signing autographs and pictures for new and old generations alike.
Lindsay Thomas of Calgary Comic Expo with Chris W. Tutty doing an interview right by the Delorean
Of course our interview had to happen in front of the legendary Delorean were I did my first bit ,I was going to milk the access to this car as much as I could. First off Lindsey talked about how cool it was that Michael J. Fox was in attendance this year and that they were raising money for the Michael J. Fox foundation aka Speed a Parkinson’s Cure. She also mentioned that we had The official Ambassadors for the foundation on hand Oliver and Terry Hollers were here and of course because I was thrown into this interview by the set of my pants again a lot of this didn’t really compute until I did a little digging.
It seems that Oliver dad been given six months to live with a diagnosis of terminal cancer. This accelerated his bucket list and him and his wife decided to build their dream car the Delorean from the Back to the Future movie. Lucky the Doctors were wrong about his initial diagnosis and they teamed up with Team Fox after hearing that Michael suffered from Parkinson’s and decided to share their car with the rest of the world. With a mission of To the Future, A Drive to Cure Parkinson’s. Seven years later and thousands of miles they arrived at their destination Hawaii raising over $250,000. Even though 2015 is come and gone the year Marty came to in the movie the Hollers still travel around the world with their roadworthy car raising money for the cure.
With that said I then accidentally called the Calgary Comic Book Expo the Comic-con founded in 1970 hugely a U.S. thing big mistake, Emily Expo was very forgiving and said no big deal it’s the same thing as Kleenex or Tissue, I think she made that up to make me feel better.
I then asked Emily aka Lindsey how do you organize an event of this magnitude? She replied “It was a lot like herding cats, being hyper organized and having a great team from Calgary and Toronto, “It takes an enormous amount of team work.” I asked her in parting what are the two best things someone can get from this expo and she said “Connections and Happy Memories.” Hay I’m up to meeting some people and a good nites sleep filled with rainbows, unicorns and pretty cosplayers.
It was now time to move on I realized that I had taken up enough of Emily’s and famed Delorean time, hundreds of people were waiting to get their picture taken with the car, with that said I opened up my wallet and took out my last $20 dollar bill ,my hotdog money for the night and made a donation. I probably should of gotten a tax receipt hay?
Michael J. Fox. Photos courtesy of Calgary Comic Expo
I now needed to make a quick appearance at my booth ask Wendy how everything was and I was now off to see Wonder Woman, but hey that’s our feature story.
The weekend provided to be crazy busy as I met several new art fans at my booth with Artesano Galleria (did I mention located in Inglewood ), like Cara Baergen, big Lemmy fan, and one that really stood out my man Tom Peach. Tom is by far the ultimate Pamela Anderson fan he has every playboy unopened she has ever been in, he has every DVD, movie, poster , pez dispenser, beach towel, lunch box, t-shirt, every graced by this woman and they are all signed. Even crazier, yes it gets crazier, Tom has one of the craziest tattoos from the 80s of Pamela on his arm I’ll let you be the Judge, he had decided to have her sign his arm under the tattoo and then rush off to a tattoo parlor to make it permanent, yup! What a sweetheart, hey! I bet that got her attention.
So when he saw my Pamela Anderson painting the negotiations started Tom, won and I lost. It looked like Tom was going to meet Pam and take my painting with him.
Luckily we both got the chance to meet Pam as Tom had already had an appointment to get more than a couple things signed. First off was to get this picture signed for my man Tom, and hopefully document it. WIth the help of my media partners Jeremy Osktrowski and Photographer Dragon Balz from Zomongo and a friend that apparently always says whatever is on his mind and has no filter, not going to mention names (Dean Eadie) we were on our way with cameras and artwork.
Pamela's signature tattooed on one of her biggest fans Tom, who took home a Chris Tutty portrait of her.
We were all really nervous but to our surprise Pam knew we were on our way and the gates to heaven just seemed to open up for us. Immediately Pamela told me how happy she was with the picture and that she had sent a picture of it to her boy friend, I started to blush a little and as I was about to say something, then with full force Mr. No filter replies oh really you have a boyfriend, thanks, Ha Ha Dean I know we were all thinking it but really ha ha, no harm, but it was a funny moment. I then thanked her for signing the painting and told her I would send her a copy.’
With that off my bucket list on the way out we saw Tom in line again with a truck load more of merchandise and a very sore arm from a new tattoo, we gave him the painting for a single photo opp and wished him well, but for now it was time to bask in the glory and plan for Sunday at the expo but that’s a different story.
Corey Feldman signed Chris W. Tutty's painting of Michael Jackson, with Zomongo
Rarely does such an experience come along with the chance to meet the real Wonder Woman from the 1970’s TV show Lynda Carter, Corey Feldman, Pamela Anderson, and Michael J. Fox all under one roof in Calgary! - Chris W. Tutty
What Were Your Favorite Panels?
"It's so awesome to have panels with guests like Elijah Wood, who truly appreciate the passion of fans and what their work means to millions. Thank you for coming to Calgary Elijah Wood, and thank you to Tanner Zipchen for moderating panels all weekend!"
Wynonna Earp stars and crew Panel
Kim's Convenience Andrew Phung
We had a special media kick off today at the Calgary Tower with a very special friend. The Hulk may be green but that white hat looks good on Lou Ferrigno!
Speaking of green, the Hulk and the Calgary Tower, you may want to take a peek at the tower tonight when it gets lit up in Lou's honour!
Christina Ricci, of Casper and The Addams Family!#CALGARYEXPO
A full house at Mark Sheppard’s CALGARY EXPO panel! Check out the official photo album with all the best moments over on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/calgaryexpo/
Founded in 2006, the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo is dedicated to promoting pop culture and the arts, including Comics, Sci-Fi, Horror, Toys, Anime, Cartoons and Gaming.
In ten years they have become Canada’s 2nd largest pop culture show and the LARGEST in Western Canada with over 100,000 attendees!
Check us out on twitter: http://bit.ly/tweetCEX
(@CalgaryExpo)
PR Alex Kingcott at Shareworthy.ca