Moving from its previous regular slot of April, this year's Fan Expo Vancouver took place this past weekend and was a welcome excuse to get away from the unpleasant weather that is all too common for this time of year. Fortunately, it deterred neither the crowds of attendees or celebrity guests, though Carrie Fisher was forced to cancel at the last minute due to sickness.
Since its inaugural show in 2012, the convention has continued to expand in terms of both its scale and its schedule, with more presentations and panels being added each year. The special event at this year's show was an evening with Kevin Smith who was as close to a
Star Wars guest as we got. It wasn't a complete bust for
Star Wars fans though, as there was a
Rogue One booth that featured a full-size statue of K-2SO and theater display, and as they have been every year, the
501st Outer Rim Garrison were in attendance promoting their charitable efforts and raising money for
Variety - The Children's Charity, while the Mandalorian Mercs also made their debut in an official capacity.
A number of the artists featured
Star Wars prints and sketches, including official Lucasfilm artist
Jason W. Christman who was selling his minimalist ship series and Celebration prints and
Jon Shaw who had a stunning R2-D2 painting on display at his booth. Several artists got creative with
Star Wars collectibles, giving them unique makeovers, while there were also Buddha statues featuring the heads of Yoda, Chewbacca, Clone Troopers and Boba Fett, among others.
One of the main areas that has improved in recent years was the number of dealers and although we saw an increase in
Star Wars collectibles at many of the booths, there was still a decided lack of vintage and highly-sought-after items. Nevertheless, there were still deals to be had and comic book collectors were also well-serviced.
Along with the official costuming organizations, there were also plenty of fans cosplaying their favorite
Star Wars characters, and it probably comes as no surprise to learn that there were many Reys, which was great to see.
Next year's show will once again be held over the Remembrance Day weekend and while we've no doubt it will be another three days of fun, we're certainly hoping for more
Star Wars content!
To see many of the
Star Wars art, collectibles and other stuff, check out the
image gallery from the show!
