This year’s Edmonton Collectible Toy and Comic Show is happening on March 20th at the Shaw Conference Centre!

The Edmonton Collectible Toy and Comic Show
Sunday, March 20th
10am – 5pm
Shaw Conference Centre
9797 Jasper Ave.
Admission $10
Kids Under 12 FREE!

Make sure you bring a donation to the Edmonton Food Bank and you can enter to win some incredible door prizes donated by our great sponsors including Shades of Grey: Tattoos, Toys, Comics; Happy Harbor; Hasbro Canada; Lucasfilm; Paramount; Warner Brothers and more!

http://www.edtoyshow.com

GUESTS:

LeVar Burton from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Reading Rainbow, Roots and so much more will be at the show signing autographs and meeting fans! This marks LeVar’s first appearance in Alberta and we’re very excited to welcome him to the Edmonton Collectible Toy and Comic Show!

Ron Wagner! Renowned comic artist who’s pencils have graced the covers and interiors of some of the biggest books of all time including Batman, Daredevil, The Punisher, GI Joe and much, much more! Check out his work at http://www.rjwagner.com and http://www.comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=968

Cary Nord! Calgary comic artist who’s work has appeared in Conan, Thor, Daredevil, Silver Surfer, Wolverine and more! Check out his body of work at http://www.comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=1414

Robert Bailey! Acclaimed aviation artist and Star Wars Visions artist! Check out his work at http://www.bailyprints.com

Also, thanks to Shane Turgeon for giving us the heads up on these related exhibits and activities:

The Art of Akira Exhibit!

Arguably one of the most important animated films of all time, Akira redefined the Japanese animation industry and both introduced and influenced an entire generation of westerners to the wonder that Japanese animation!

Enter the Art of Akira. Over the past 20 years, American collector Joe Peacock has assembled the world’s largest private collection of Akira cels and production art and in 2010, with the help of the Toonseum, he started touring the collection at some of the biggest galleries and conventions in the US.

And now, the Art of Akira will be making it’s Canadian premiere at the ECTCS and will feature some of the highlights of Joe’s incredible collection of animation art!

The Costume Crypt!

The ECTCS and Ravenous EFX are proud to present the Costume Crypt: a collection of original, screen-used props and wardrobe articles from a variety of well-known movies and television shows including Underworld, Resident Evil, Aliens VS Predator, Planet of the Apes (Tim Burton), Silent Hill, The Road, The Mummy Returns, Ghosts of Mars, Ginger Snaps, Outlander, The Cave, Beowulf & Grendel, The Outer Limits and more!

The display features a variety of unique pieces hand-picked from the Shewchuk family’s personal collection of over 1000 items. While the collection primarily consists of items from the horror and sci-fi genres, the Shewchuk’s are continually acquiring items from current hits and older classics when available and the family is proud to curate the largest privately-owned collection of memorabilia from The Outer Limits. It was this TV series which started them on the path of collecting and preserving a cross-section of film history.

The family now feels the collection has grown to a size that it can be exhibited for fellow fans to enjoy these rare pieces of film history. They have partnered with Ravenous EFX, a local special effects company based out of the Edmonton area that specializes in creating works in film, television, concert props, licensed collectible merchandise and more, to help make this happen at the ECTCS!

Shades of Grey

Shane Turgeon, the promoter of the ECTCS is also the man behind the tattoo events at Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Celebration conventions and the owner of Shades of Grey, Edmonton’s new tattoo, toy and comic shop. After an incredibly successful Star Wars Celebration V where over 20 tattoo artists worked non-stop for 4 days doing nothing but Star Wars tattoos, it seemed only natural to work with Alberta Health Services to bring the Shades of Grey crew to the show where they will be tattooing any manner of pop culture related pieces all day long!

If you’re interested in booking ahead, check out the portfolios on the Shades of Grey website: http://www.shadesofgreytattoo.com, call the studio at 780 756 0034, or better yet, come on down and check out the place in person at 10444-82 ave, 2nd floor (above Yiannis)! We guarantee they’re the only tattoo studio with a 6ft Millenium Falcon hanging from the skylights!

About the Studio:
Shades of Grey is Edmonton’s ultimate art fusion experience. By combining award-winning, experienced tattoo artists with a retail selection of classic toys and comic books and placing it all in an upscale, comfortable and gallery-esque setting, Shades of Grey is poised to provide their customers with an experience unlike any other they’ve encountered in a tattoo studio or a toy and comic shop. In addition to the tattoo, toy and comic art featured throughout the studio, the venue also features a 30ft gallery wall where a variety of unique art shows will be hosted throughout the year.

VelvetVision Closing Night Reception (March 18)

The ECTCS and Shades of Grey are proud to host the closing night reception of VelvetVision, a far-out exhibition of sci-fi, horror and comic book portraits masterfully painted on black velvet by North Carolina artist, Bruce White. The closing night party will be held at Shades of Grey on March 18th from 7pm until the wee hours of the morning!

The VelvetVision exhibition features 28 entirely original works by Bruce, the majority of which have been created exclusively for this engagement. Iconic characters such as Captain Kirk, Iron Man, Darth Vader, Doctor Who, Frankenstein’s Monster are currently on display at the studio located at 10444-82 ave, 2nd floor (above Yiannis). Even better is that the artist will be joining us all the way from NC for the reception on Mach 18th!

VelvetVision is, hands down, one of the coolest art shows this city has ever seen so if you’re free on Friday, March 18th, we guarantee this is one geek chic party you won’t want to miss!

About the Artist:
North Carolina native Bruce White is an accomplished tattoo and fine artist. Bruce has been tattooing for over 13 years and has recently turned his artistic eye towards an often-underappreciated medium; black velvet. Bruce feels that working with velvet gives his paintings a degree of visual contrast that cannot be replicated by painting on any other surface and that, quite frankly, Elvis and Jesus are not the only icons of the world worthy of being softly immortalized on a velvety canvas. Instead, Bruce has chosen this medium to channel his admiration for many of pop culture’s most memorable characters. More of Bruce’s art can be seen on his website http://www.velvetgeek.com. Interviews with Bruce are available upon request.