Do you like superheroes, fantasy, comics, series and you're in Paris this weekend? That's good: the Comic Con is held from Friday to Sunday at the Grande Halle de La Villette, in the 19th arrondissement. For this 10th edition, the organizers have planned an attractive program.
A unifying event
The Comic Con is the temple of pop culture, the most important gathering of fans of superheroes, heroic fantasy, science fiction, etc. Originally, it was a demonstration held only in the United States, in San Diego. But for 10 years, there is an annual edition in Paris. This year, it takes place under the Grande Halle of La Villette, until Sunday evening. Some 35,000 people are expected, many of whom will come in disguise, since cosplay is an integral part of Comic Con.
Great stage for screenings and events, artists corner, stands galore, there is plenty to do at Comic Con. "The idea is to create a pleasant experience that goes from the projection of previews to the possibility of making dedications and photos with stars, through fun and interactive experiences and of course leave with some shopping ", summarizes Sébastien Fresneau, director of Comic Con Paris, at the microphone of Europe 1.
Previews and exclusives
We will detail the program a bit. For three days, there will be numerous previews and exclusive presentations of upcoming films and series. Pell-mell: Return to Zombieland , Jack Ryan's Season 2, Gotham's 5th, Batman Youth and the premiere of his spin-off: Pennyworth , narrating Alfred's adventures, before he became Bruce Wayne's butler.
The Comic Con is also and especially the opportunity to meet and discuss with actors. Vampires, superheroes, zombies and even vikings, there will be something for everyone. "This year, we have actors who are rarely or never come to meet the French public", rejoices Jehanne Bargaoui, head of programming. Among other things, you can meet Karen Gillian, aka Nebula in The Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers ; Gustaf Skarsgård, the Floki of the Vikings series who will begin his 6th season; Ross Marquand, insight into Mad Men and The Walking Dead ; Amy Acker who will celebrate the 20 years of Angel ...
But the highlight of the weekend, it will be Sunday at 16h with the exceptional presence of Sir Patrick Stewart, the iconic interpreter of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the series Star Trek: New Generation , it was at the beginning of 90s. After a hook by the first films X-Men, in which he played Professor Xavier, the British actor will resume his role in Star Trek: Picard , a series that will be released in January on Amazon Prime Video. And the cast will be at Comic Con Paris to present it!
France gets a place in pop culture
And France in all this? And well cocorico! France and pop culture, it's getting better and better. Friday evening, at 19:30, you can discover in preview Spycies , a French animated film, with the voices of Monsieur Poulpe and Davy Mourier. And Saturday, there will be a presentation, a year before its release, the movie How I became a superhero, a French fantasy film with a dream cast: Pio Marmaï, Benoit Poelvoorde, Vimala Pons, Leila Bekhti and Swann Arlaud. They will all be on stage to present the very first images!
Finally, there will be a real star of the world of superheroes: Olivier Coipel, the most famous French designer in the world. For example, he worked on Avengers and Spider-Man, sorry! Because who says Comic Con says ... comics, American comics. If you are one of the millions of viewers of Marvel or DC movies, Comic Con is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of comic books. On the spot, you will have plenty of booths with specialized sellers who will explain to you which is the best comic to start reading Iron Man or which comic is perfect to complete the movie Joker.
This year, we celebrate a double anniversary: the 80 years of Marvel and the 80 years of Batman. So a lot of writers and cartoonists came from the United States. Among others, Roy Thomas, the creator of Wolverine, Chris Claremont, lead author of the X-Men, Jim Starlin, who created Thanos, the big villain of the Marvel films or the duo Brian Azzarello / Lee Bermejo who worked on Batman and the Joker.
For initiates and neophytes
However, the Comic Con is not only for insiders but fans of pop culture in the broad sense. So yes, there is a lot of Marvel, Batman, Star Wars, Star Trek ... But not that! "We also have a lot of content to offer that is not necessarily related to comics, for example, we will have the projection of a new series offbeat Canal +, The collapse , which can attract everyone, without necessarily being initiated at the heart of pop culture, "says Jehanne Bargaoui. Ultimate proof of the diversity of the Comic Con: you can meet Callan Mulvey who played Drazic in ... Hartley, hearts to quick ! Nothing to do with superheroes!
As a result, in ten years, Comic Con Paris has become an intergenerational event. Parents who grew up with early pop culture references such as Star Wars and Star Trek come for nostalgia, accompanied by their children who are more versed in Marvel movies or Netflix series. As summarized by Jehanne Bargaoui, "the Comic Con is from 7 to 77 years, we propose everything for everyone".
The Comic Con Paris is held from Friday, October 25 to Sunday, October 27 at the Grande Halle of La Villette, Paris. Find the detailed program here. Prices: 19 € on Fridays, 24 € on Saturdays, 21 € on Sundays, 18 € for under 18s and students every day and free for under 6s.