It was a Wookiee that inspired Chris MacMillan to start the Bangor Comic & Toy Con, set for April 24-26 at the Cross Insurance Center.
Well, to be fair — it was the man who played the most famous Wookiee in the galaxy. Peter Mayhew, to be exact, who played Chewbacca in the “Star Wars” films and will reprise his role in the new ones.
In 2013 MacMillan was in Kentucky for work, and on an off-day attended a comic convention organized by a friend. That’s where he met Mayhew, who was a guest at the convention. After a long conversation with the man who made Chewbacca come alive, MacMillan, a Bangor native who now lives in the Cumberland County town of Harrison, went back home to Maine with a plan.
“I mean, I met Chewbacca. That was pretty cool. It really stoked some of those memories of loving ‘Star Wars’ and comics as a kid, which I still love… by the time I left that convention, I had a pretty good idea of how it all worked and what I needed to do to start my own,” said MacMillan.
The Bangor Comic & Toy Con will bring three days of comic books, pop culture, heavy metal, professional wrestling, horror movies, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Ghostbusters to the Queen City. For a first-time comic-con effort for MacMillan, the BCTC is one big production.
Before he branched out into the world of comic-cons, MacMillan was in the reptile game — the care of and trade in snakes, lizards, frogs and other scaly or slimy creatures. He has extensive experience in running conventions and expos, handling dozens of vendors and guests, so making the jump to pop culture wasn’t too much of a stretch.
“I’ve studied herpetology, I breed poison dart frogs and tree frogs, and I run reptile expos across the country, including here in Maine,” said MacMillan, referring to the Northeast Reptile Expo, held in Brewer and Portland at various times throughout the year. “But I’ve always, always loved comics, drawing them, reading them. It’s always been something I’ve loved.”
To that end, fan boys and girls alike can enjoy a huge array of activities and events throughout the convention’s three days. For starters, the media guests that’ll be appearing at the BCTC include Billy Dee Williams, aka Lando Calrissian of “Star Wars;” Ernie Hudson, aka Winston Zeddemore from “Ghostbusters;” Doug Jones, aka Abe Sapien from the “Hellboy” movies; Gigi Edgley, aka Chiana from “Farscape” and the host of “Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge” on Syfy; science fiction film legend Deep Roy; and Mark Ryan, the voice of Bumblebee in the “Transformers” movies. There’s also four out of the five cast members from the original American “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” including Austin St. John (red), Walter E. Jones (black), David Yost (blue) and Karan Ashley (yellow).
The convention opens Friday night with a kickoff party from 7 p.m. to midnight, featuring a huge array of Maine metal and punk bands, including Bangtown Timebomb and Holyfilth of Bangor, The Banner Year of Orono, and Friday Night Lights and Too Late The Hero of Portland. There’s a drink and draw event with comic artists, and Portland-based RatNip Burlesque will perform cosplay burlesque — a burlesque show featuring performers dressed as famous pop culture characters.
Saturday and Sunday continue with lots of vendors selling all sorts of goodies, and presentations from comic artists including Stephen B. Scott, Rich Woodall, Joseph Schmalke, Hatter & Hare Studios, Ryan Wing, Ben Bishop, Sal Orator and many others, along with Maine comic artists including the creators of “Escape From Jesus Island” and O’Chang Comics. There’s also a “Build a Mutant” workshop with the “Escape from Jesus Island” crew at 4 p.m. Saturday, and a screening of the Maine horror movie “The Hanover House” at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Also on the schedule are national stars and local talent from the world of professional wrestling. The BCTC will host a bout from Maine’s own International Wrestling Entertainment, from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday night. There will also be guest appearances throughout the weekend from WWE legends “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Bushwhacker Luke.
MacMillan, a Bangor native, said he wanted to spotlight as many Maine artists as possible, and that it was important for him to do it in his hometown.
“Bangor is full of talented young people, but we’re known for exporting them,” said MacMillan. “But just recently, that tide is starting to turn. And part of what encourages that is to have things in town that let those people feel like the community offers them things. I wanted to lay a foundation for an event that is very local, and very rooted in Maine, so that it just adds to the sense that Bangor is becoming a great place for everyone to live.”
Bangor is also home to the BangPop! Comic Con, which will celebrate its fifth year when it returns Sept. 19-20 to the Queen City. Unrelated to BCTC, it also celebrates all things nerdy, from comics, movies, games and TV to anything horror, sci-fi, superhero or fantasy.
Admission for the full weekend for the Bangor Comic & Toy Convention is $45; it’s $15 for just Friday, $25 for just Saturday or Sunday, or $35 for both Saturday and Sunday. A full list of events and speakers is available at bangorcomictoycon.com; there’s much more going on than what is listed here.
