In the weekend of 26 & 27 March, Heroes Dutch Comic Con will be back in Utrecht for their 10th anniversary edition. This 10th edition (which will also be our 10th edition) was originally planned for March 2020 and it would also be their 5-year anniversary. However, as we all know: it had to be postponed... and postponed... and postponed. But now finally it is going to happen (please let it happen!).
In a previous article we already looked back to the 2015 and 2016 editions and now it's time to take you back to the 2017 editions. We will be taking you on this journey and we will tell you about the guests and our shenanigans, using our own pictures and stories.
Dutch Comic Con 2017 - Spring Edition
Following the very successful editions in 2015 and 2016, Dutch Comic Con set up camp at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht in the weekend of March 25-26. This was the fourth edition of the event. We could not go for the whole weekend, so we only had one day (Saturday) and a lot of bad luck...Liv was so excited about the fact that Dirk Benedict would be a guest and she really wanted to be at his panel (which was planned as the first one of the day). there were some problems...this upcoming part is a quote from our article about meeting Dirk Benedict and will tell you all about it:
"Saturday March 26th 2017, 5.30 a.m. ... Yes, it was that early. Because we would only go on Saturday,
we decided to leave home early, because Dirk Benedict's Q&A would be early in the morning and of
course we did not want to miss it. Why 5.30 a.m.? It's a 2-hour drive to Utrecht!? Well, we had to go
to Carola and Sigmund's house first and since Tristan and I don't have a drivers license,
we had to go by train. To arrive at their house around 8.15, we had to take the train at 7.00.
No, we don't live that far apart, but the train system in The Netherlands can be very complicated...
let's leave it at that. So, we took the train at 7 a.m. and by 8.30 a.m. we were well on our way
(estimated time of arrival 10.05, the Q&A was at 10.30 whoohoo). But then disaster struck;
you know that warning lights at your dashboard? The ones that shouldn't light up? One of them lit up!
After a quick google session, we were all sure that there was something wrong with the brakes, so we all decided to stop at the next gas station (estimated time of arrival: ???). At the gas stop there was
some more googling and we decided it was necessary to call the ANWB (automobile service) and
take this opportunity to get something to eat. By the time they arrived we already knew that we
were going to miss the start of Dirk's Q&A, but hey safety first right (estimated time of arrival 10.35,
so maybe we could catch some of it). When we arrived in Utrecht there was a lot of traffic and
we ended up in a traffic jam and then a there was a new problem. The car was heating up in the sun.
The fact that we were driving and stopping...and driving and stopping did not help. As the car was
heating up, so were we (estimated time of arrival 11.00, we already knew we were gonna miss the
Q&A but Carola had her first Photo op at 11.30 , so that was our next deadline). To make a long story
a bit shorter, by the time we arrived it was 11.05 and Carola's head was kind of tomato red.
But we made it!"
As you can read we already lost a lot of time by getting there and there was no time to lose. As always there was so much to do and now a lot less time. Let us tell you about some of the guests for this edition.
The guests of Dutch Comic Con Spring Edition 2017
Left to right: Dirk Benedict and Lennie James
I guess you already got the fact that Dirk Benedict was one of the guests at this edition of Dutch Comic Con. Dirk is mostly known for his role in one of the most iconic TV shows of the 80s: "The A-Team". He played the role of Templeton 'Face' Peck in all the five seasons it ran (except for the pilot). But before Dirk became the 'face of Face', he already gained fame by playing the role of Lt. Starbuck in the sci-fi show "Battlestar Galactica". Lennie James is a real Jack of all trades... this British actor is also a screenwriter and playwright. James is mostly known for his role as Morgan Jones in "The Walking Dead" and "Fear The Walking Dead", but that's certainly not all. Among other notable roles are his roles as DCI Tony Gates in "Line of Duty", Glen Boyle in "Critical", Robert Hawkins in "Jericho", Sol in "Snatch" and many more. He also created and starred in the critically acclaimed drama series: "Save Me" and its second season named "Save Me Too".
Left to right: Alexander Ludwig and Sean Maguire
Alexander Ludwig is a Canadian actor and singer, who began his career at a young age. He rose to worldwide fame, with his role as Cato in "The Hunger Games", but before this he had already received critical acclaim in "The Seeker: Dark Is Rising" and "Race To Witch Mountain". Ludwig also starred in "Vikings" as Björn Ironside and he played in movies like "Lone Survivor" and "Bad Boys For Life". Currently he has a main role in the TV show "Heels". Sean Maguire is a British actor and singer and that is not his only similarity with Alexander Ludwig ... Sean also started acting at a young age with the role of Ratcliffe in "Grange Hill" at the age of 11. He is mostly known for his role as Robin Hood in ABC's "Once Upon a Time", but he also played a lot of other roles in mostly TV shows. Most recently he played the role of Sir Effingham in "The Magicians".
As already mentioned, we did not have a lot of time at this edition of Dutch Comic Con and there were some guests, we didn't get to take a picture from. Nevertheless, we don't want to keep them from you. So here we go! American actress Gates McFadden is mostly known for her role as fan favorite Beverly Crusher in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" TV show and the four "Star Trek" movies that followed. Besides being an actress McFadden is also a renowned choreographer. Hugh Mitchell is mostly known for his portrayal of Colin Creevey in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and of the young Silas in "The Da Vinci Code". British actor Ian McNeice rose to fame with the role of Harcourt in the miniseries "The Edge of Darkness". He also portrayed Winston Churchill in "Doctor Who", had a supporting role in "Rome" and had roles in movies like "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" and "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain". From 2004 to 2019 he played Bert Large in "Doc Martin". Hannah and Hillary Hindi from "The Hillywood Show" were also in Utrecht again. This comedy sister duo is known for their internet parody series "The Hillywood Show". Australian actress Virginia Hey is mostly known for portraying the blue skinned alien priestess Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan in the science fiction tv show "Farscape". She also played the Warrior Woman in "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior". Sarah Louise Madison is mostly known for her role as Weeping Angel in "Doctor Who" and Simon Fisher-Becker is mostly known for portraying Dorium Moldovar in "Doctor Who" and Fat Friar in the "Harry Potter" movies. Besides movie and TV actors/actresses, there were some actors/actresses from the world of gaming at Dutch Comic Con. Stefanie Joosten is a Dutch model and actress. She is mostly known for providing the motion capture, likeness and voice of the video game character Quiet in "Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain". She also lent her voice for Quiet's Song in the game. Paul Amos and Victoria Atkin provided motion capture, likeness and voice for Jacob and Evie Frye in "Assassin's Creed Syndicate". And then there were voice actors Jason Liebrecht and Elizabeth Maxwell, who provided voices for numerous English versions of Japanese anime and video games. Popular Dutch writer Paul van Loon is mostly known for his children's book series, like: "Alfie the Werewolf" (original title: "Dolfje Weerwolfje"), "Gruesome School Trip" (original title: "De Griezelbus" and the "Raveleijn" stories for Dutch theme park "De Efteling".
What did we do?
As we already mentioned (multiple times) we did not have a lot of time and there was a lot to do! On the pictures below you can see some of the things we did involving the guests. We went to the panels of Lennie James, Alexander Ludwig and Sean Maguire. Liv went for an autograph and a photo op with Dirk Benedict as well as Lennie James. Carola did a photo op with Sean Maguire.
The event was bigger than the previous years and it covered 4 of the 11 halls available in the Jaarbeurs. The pictures below give an impression of the activities and merchandise area (which was bigger than ever). From merchandise stands to Cosplay groups to interactive stands from Marvel and Fox...it was a lot of fun to walk around.
House of Wax Entertainment made their first appearance at Dutch Comic Con (and they have been there for every edition after it). This amazing group of artists brought Middle Earth to Dutch Comic Con by providing an amazing walkthrough expierence with live actors and awesome displays. The pictures below give a small impression.
Cosplay and props are an important part of the comic con experience...and we always love walking around during the event to take a look at all of them.
Dutch Comic Con 2017 - Winter edition
The winter edition of Dutch Comic Con 2017 took place in the weekend of 17-18 November. We were there for one day (Saturday) and it was a great deal of fun.
The guests of Dutch Comic Con Winter Edition 2017
So, let's talk about the movie and television guests, that made their way to Utrecht in The Netherlands. One of the guests announced for this edition was Lena Headey, who is mostly known for her role of Cersei Lannister in "Game of Thrones". We were so excited! We love "Game of Thrones" and we both love to hate Cersei. Unfortunately, the thing we dreaded most happened and Lena had to cancel, due to unexpected work commitments. It's always unfortunate when something like this happens, but it happens regularly. No audience with Queen Cersei for us, but there were so much more cool names on the guest list!
Left to right: Sean Gunn and Kevin McNally
First on the list is Sean Gunn and Liv was very excited about that! You might know Sean from his role as Kraglin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (he also did the motion capture for Rocket Raccoon). He played the role of Kraglin in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies and the last two "Avengers" movies ("Infinity War" and "Endgame"). Some of you might also know Sean for his role in "Gilmore Girls", where he played the role of Kirk Gleason. In 2021, he also did the CGI for Weasel in James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad". Sean is the brother of director/producer James Gunn, who is the man behind movies like "Guardian of the Galaxy" and "The Suicide Squad". Let's move on to the next name on the list and that is no one other than Kevin McNally. He was born in 1956 in Bristol (England, United Kingdom) and landed his first acting role at the age of 20. Over the years he became a household name in the movie and TV business. One of his most iconic roles is the role of Joshamee Gibbs in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, but he also played in movies and TV shows like: "Designated Survivor", "The Crown", "Doctor Who", "Valkyrie" and many more.
Left to right: Jared Gilmore and Keegan Connor Tracey
Fans of the immensely popular TV show "Once Upon a Time" could also indulge themselves at the Winter Edition of Dutch Comic Con, because two of the cast members of the show were available for panels, photo ops and autographs. One of the main characters of the show is Henry Mills portrayed by Jared S. Gilmore...and Jared was in Utrecht! He was 11 years old in the first season of the show and played the role for 7 years. You might think that the role of Henry was Jared's first step in the business, but that couldn't be more wrong. Jared had been acting in movies and series since he was 8 years old and from 2009 to 2010, he played the role of Bobby Draper in "Mad Men". The second "Once Upon a Time" guest was no one other than Keegan Connor Tracey, who played the role of The Blue Fairy/Mother Superior in all 7 seasons of the show. Besides this she had roles in multiple TV shows and movies, like: "Battlestar Galactica" (as Jeanne), "Bates Motel" (as Blaire Watson) and "The Magicians" (as Professor Lipson).
Left to right: Tom Hopper and Lotte Verbeek.
Tom Hopper also made his way to Utrecht. Of course, we all know Hopper as Luther Hargreeves in "The Umbrella Academy", but in 2017 no one had heard of that show. What more do we know Tom from? Maybe you know him as Billy Bones in "Black Sails" or as Sir Percival in "Merlin"? He also played the role of Dickon Tarly in "Game of Thrones" and in 2019 he played the role of Magnusson in "Hitman's Wife Bodyguard". Also in 2019 Tom played the role of William Hadrell in "Terminator: Dark Fate". One thing I know for sure, we haven't heard the last of Mr. Hopper. The Dutch award-winning actress (dancer and model) Lotte Verbeek is the next one on the list. In just a few years time Verbeek grew out to be a well-known name in the international world of movie and TV. She is taking the world by storm with roles in: "The Borgias" (as Giulia Farnese), "The Fault in Our Stars" (as Lidewij), "Agent Carter" (as Ana Jarvis), "Outlander" (as Geillis Duncan) and "The Blacklist" (as Katarina Rostova).
Left to right: Spencer Wilding and Joonas Suotamo
The last two names on the list are both "Star Wars" related and they both got the chance to be in the shoes of iconic characters from the "Star Wars" franchise. Spencer Wilding played the role of Darth Vader in "Rogue One: a Star Wars Story". Although he did not have a lot of screentime, he did make a great impression (if you saw it, you know what I'm talking about). Wilding is a Welsh special creature actor and it was his second appearance at Dutch Comic Con (after his appearance in 2015). Joonas Suotamo had some big footsteps to follow in, when he took on the role of Chewbacca in 2017. Fans of "Star Wars" know Peter Mayhew as the man behind the Wookie Chewbacca. Mayhew played the role from "A New Hope" up until "The Force Awakens". Peter Mayhew lived and breathed Chewie, but in 2019 he passed away at the age of 74. Joonas Suotamo is the man that took over the role of our favorite Wookie. He acted as a double for "The Force Awakens" and played the role of Chewie in "Solo", "The Last Jedi" and "The Rise of Skywalker".
What did we do?
We were only there for one day, so we had a lot to do. First of all, we will tell you about the things we did involving the guests described above .Of course, there are the panels...we love the panels. At this edition we did manage to catch the panels of Sean Gunn, Kevin McNally, Tom Hopper and the "Once Upon a Time" panel with Jared and Keegan. We made a lot of pictures and videos and below you can find some of them...
Of course, we also went for some photo ops and autographs ... Liv did the double with Tom Hopper (she did the photo op and went for an autograph). Carola and Liv both went for a photo op with Sean Gunn and Jared Gilmore. Liv also went for an autograph of Kevin McNally.
We walked around at the event to take a look at all the merchandise, props and photo op opportunities. House of Wax was also present at the event and the theme was Freakshow...
FOX had a "Walking Dead stand with real walkers (they were pretty scary)...
We had a lot of fun doing all kinds of photo ops... from a Dutch Comic Con stand to Transformers. From Grimm to the Minions.
Of course, there were some movie vehicles, a lot of merchandise and other cool stuff to do...
We had a great day at Dutch Comic Con Winter 2017 and below are some pictures to show you just how much fun we had. If you want you can also watch our overview vlog.
So far for the year 2017. Curious about the years 2015 and 2016? Click the tile below to go to the article. Next up is 2018, as we are counting down to the weekend of 26&27 March for the anniversary edition of Dutch Comic Con!
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