Get ready to embrace your inner geek this weekend at the Ottawa ComicCon.

The fan convention boasts an impressive panel of special guests, including actors William Shatner, Lou Ferrigno and Adam Baldwin, who will all be telling stories and answering audience questions about their storied careers and infamous characters from movies and TV shows.

You can also take part in drawing workshops, check out the many exhibitors and mingle with local and international artists.

And, of course, as every ComicCon enthusiast knows, everyone is encouraged to dress up as their favourite comic book, sci-fi, fantasy or horror character.

Alex La Prova, president of the Ottawa ComicCon Group, has been running Montreal’s ComicCon for the last few years and is excited to finally bring the popular event to our nation’s capital.

“Let’s face it, with the Junos and the NHL All-Star Game, the city has gained some notoriety in North America recently,” he says.

“So we figured, what better year to launch our first ComicCon in Ottawa?”

Organizers are expecting about 20,000 people to visit ComicCon over two days.

And with such strong interest from the city, La Prova says this will definitely become an annual event.

“We are really, really pleas­ed with the outpouring of support in Ottawa,” he says.

And with comics-based movies like The Avengers and Iron Man smashing box-office records, and shows like The Big Bang Theory and Mythbusters dom­inating our televisions, La Prova proclaims that the nerdy stigma that used to follow comic-book enthusiasts is long gone.

“When I used to go out and meet people, the last thing I would mention was the fact that I read comic books,” he says with a laugh.

“But it’s cool to be geeky these days.”

Details

When: Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: CE Centre (4899 Uplands Dr.)
Price: $25 for a Saturday pass, $20 for a Sunday pass, FREE for kids 12 and under