This weekend is the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo in BMO Centre, an exciting weekend where geeks like me can meet their favourite hobbits. Stampede Park will be crawling with aliens, superheroes, time travelers, goddesses, Chewbaccas and other strange and wonderful costumed people and creatures.
Did you know that the real Spider-Man actually visited Calgary and Stampede Park in the 1992 Marvel Comic Chaos in Calgary?
That’s right–even the Amazing Spiderman couldn’t resist some good western heritage and values. With his friends, Dr. Cargill and his daughter Jolene, Peter Parker was invited to photograph the Stampede for Canada’s 125th Birthday. Also there: The Rangers! superheroes of the Southwest.
They’re all enjoying the show until some bad guys kidnap Dr. Cargill. That’s when Spiderman has to take on the Man-Bull and starts spinning barbed wire rather than his usual spider-webby-stuff.
(We’ll have to tell Spiderman it’s Yahoo! not Yehaw! next time he’s in Calgary.)
It turns out that Jolene has a solar-powered turbine wheelchair and is destined to become Canada’s next super hero.
This is the part where the Dreadknight gets stuck in a western display (Weadickville?)
There’s a showdown in the Grandstand.
The Archie Boyce Pavilion, which I’ll take to mean the Boyce Theatre.
And the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Until finally Jolene (aka Turbine) and Spiderman save the day.
Perhaps we’ll catch a glimpse of Spidey this weekend. We’ll be sure to get him a white hat this time.
