Recap: Toronto Comicon 2025 Takeaway Gems

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Toronto Comic Con, a three-day-event that runs in the spring of every year, is what I affectionately dub as Baby Con – it’s a precursor to the more real and large scale four-day FanExpo Canada that happens every year in the summer.

At first glance, Toronto Comic Con can feel redundant because both events occur in the same venue at the Metro Toronto Convention Center; however, I would argue that the one that happens in the spring one is more accessible and slightly less intimidating in size and scope. In fact, you can actually walk the grounds with more ease here and wing it with more of a sense of exploration instead of headaches. In the summer – yes – there are definitely more activations and events… but the sheer volume of people means that there’s a lot more planning required (in terms of securing comic signings, photos with celebrities, attending spotlight panels, etc).

A More Intimate Convention

For me personally, especially those who are con-curious, I’d advise to these people that Toronto Comicon is a great entry point into this ‘fandom world’.

And, for those wondering, no – I do not do cosplay – although, I admit that I did a one-off on Instagram because I randomly had an outfit that suited a new comic book series – but at these cons, I mean business. Most of the time, this means me going comic hunting AND, more importantly, connecting with comic creators at Artist Alley (pro tip: it is THE best opportunity to intimately chat with talents in a more casual setting, where you likely wouldn’t have a chance otherwise).

Secondly, the celebrity signings (such as with the cast of The Boys; Supernatural; and more) – is undoubtedly a major draw to the con however, I would argue that the less ‘flashy’ panels is where the magic truly lies.

For instance, one panel which had a roster of beloved comic creators – Fred Kennedy (Dead Romans), Mike Schwartz (Armored), Jim Zub (Conan The Barbarian), and Cecil Castelucci (Batgirl) – shared wisdom about what it’s like working in the industry.

Some key takeaway gems:

• There’s been a trend lately about how creator-owned comic/companies are better than legacy outlets like DC or Marvel. That’s true to a certain extent (with being able to wield free creative will and ownership/profit rights)… and I could probably write an entire separate article about the pros and cons of this BUT I really appreciated Jim Zub (who is currently writing the Conan the Barbarian series) and his optimistic view point regarding this issue, “it’s an honor to write about a legacy character that old and new generations can identify and connect with. Also, for me as a writer, I love the constraints that a hero like this has (e.g. there’s no finality because he cannot die – in order for the torch to be carried by another writer) because this pushes me to be more creative (as a result)”, he explains.
• Cecil said the following about criticism while working on Batgirl – and that is to never take anything personally, “in working with my editor, they will oftentimes give me notes I like and ones I hate but I don’t perceive it as an ‘attack’ on my talents but that we are unified in a vision for what we want to achieve in the story,” she explained.
• Michael Schwartz said that they often get fans ask about how to get started in comics and he simply stated that it’s less about talking about it and more about quite literally putting pen to paper, “don’t just chat about it, just start creating – it’s the only way to see what you are capable of, start to develop a portfolio, etc.,”
• The last piece of advice that came from Fred Kennedy (which was a bit surprising to me, IMHO, because I thought he was alluding to more of a mentorship/protege dynamic) was about finding someone on your creative level rather than someone above or below you. He argued for this because he said that there’s more openness and both parties coming from a level playing field where there’s a process of mutual growth/ and making mistakes.

Another panel was all about Marvel editor Jim Salicrup (AKA a Living Legend – although he told moderator John Kirk in a joking manner that’s just code for being too old) where he shared his incredible anecdotes about working his way up from a ‘Marvel slave’ (doing a lot of runner/go-fetch kind of jobs) all the way up to Editor-in-Chief.

Key gems to note here:

• It’s clear he had a natural born talent for this – as an artist, writer, and editor. He was never formally trained or went to school for it. “I learned through osmosis” – by working practically every job there was at Marvel.
• “Try to create an environment that’s conductive to creativity” – another introspective and thoughtful quote from this comic con.

The last panel I thought was filled with great advice and tips was the one from Horror Comic Writers that featured Joseph Schmalke (Seven Years in Darkness), Becka Kinzie (Gehenna: Death Valley) and Michael Walsh (Silver Coin).

Key gems to note:

• Becka confronted her arachnophobia head-on by drawing about spiders (which IMHO, I commend her for because looking/studying imagery of spiders with that much focus/detail would freak me out)
• She also notes how it’s nice to know that people are finally embracing the beauty of ‘body horror’ thanks to The Substance film starring Demi Moore
• There was an audience question about avoiding and/or contending with horror tropes and Michael stated that because everything has already been done, that you can still embrace tropes but engage in storytelling that draws from your own personal convictions/ lived experiences – otherwise, readers can sniff out insincerity from a mile away – he used his Frankenstein comic series as an apt example (everyone is familiar with the story – but here, his comic hones in on each body part that the doctor procured for his ‘monstrous’ creation)
• Schmalke admitted that the horror genre is particularly challenging because there’s always a balance to consider between ‘shock value’ and ‘subtlety’ — he was once told that his stuff was too tame and then decided to go to an extreme by drawing a male character doing a birthing scene out of his anus… (fun times) – since then, he’s been more mindful with striking a balance in storytelling methodologies
• “Horror is a rainbow” – Schmalke, with the best quote from this panel. He explained that there are so many flavors to choose from in terms of narrative and delivery – and for these reasons, it’s oftentimes a very underrated/underappreciated genre to tackle.

The last piece of advice (which IMHO should be applied to all facets of your life) is to keep an open-mind. “The subconscious is wild – be open to new experiences and ideas – because you never know what your brain is going to file away, then suddenly bring to the surface for you to use” – said Michael Walsh who was talking about an ‘AHA’ moment he got from a podcast (Morbid, True Crime) he was listening to in the car that helped him figure out a script for one of the comics he was working on.

And with all these ‘wise-sage’ kinds of wisdom coming out of this year’s Toronto Comic Con, I have to say that I walked away happy, filled with knowledge, and a boatload full of new comics. Did you attend this year?