2018 Supanova Gold Coast Review @ Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre

Though there are smaller, genre-specific conventions throughout the country, Supanova is one of our biggest and most inclusive fandom conventions.

Whether you prefer your fiction illustrated, televised or in novel format, there’s always a wealth of talent and an overabundance of new shows, books, art, comics and movies to fall in love with.

This year’s Supanova Gold Coast (27-29 April) was the place to be for Queensland’s Whovian population, with the twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi, former companion Pearl Mackie and the sexiest man in the Who ‘verse, John Barrowman, teaming up for a ‘Gallifrey Gateway’ event that had fans excited months before Supanova hit the GC.


In previous years, the bigger-name celebrities had done two Q&A panels over the weekend, but this year Supanova had the majority of celebs only attending a single event.

It meant that fans waited in line for over an hour to ensure a place in the packed-to-capacity hall for Peter and Pearl’s event, and disappointment ran high to be turned away at the door.

But those who managed to get a seat were in for a treat, with the pair startlingly candid about the ways ‘Doctor Who’ has changed their lives, for good and for bad.

Click here for more photos from Supanova Gold Coast 2018.

Geek-pop performer Meri Amber was a controversial inclusion to the Gateway event, performing a concert between Pearl and Peter’s Q&A, and the first of two such sessions with all-round stage conquerer John Barrowman.

But John stole the show with talks unapologetically aimed at adults, and filled with singing, hugs, snarks and celebrations.


For the non-Whovian guests, there was plenty on offer. Hearthrob ‘Smallville’ stars Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum (click here to read our recent interview with Michael) rocked the stage on their combined Q&A, keeping the laughter and honesty flowing as they bantered about life, the universe and podcasts.

Beloved ‘Agents of SHIELD’ star Elizabeth Henstridge danced around the ever-present threat of spoilers given the latest Marvel blockbuster, ‘Infinity War’ (which we reviewed recently) occurs in the same universe as AoS. Her talk was warm, down to earth and filled with the sort of wry humour it’s impossible not to love.

Alan Tudyk (click here to read our recent interview with Alan) turned heads and melted hearts with a hilarious conversation about ‘Firefly’, ‘Star Wars’ and the weirdness of life as a semi-cult icon whose name is forever mispronounced.

And though some guests were less than thrilled by the lack of microphone runners, it was impossible to fault Alan’s warmth and generosity with fans.


The cosplayers, as ever, were staggering in their creativity and ability to make magic, with competition fierce in the weekend’s events. Though some of the costumes boggle the mind, there’s just as much love for those new to cosplay, with a steady stream of visitors asking for selfies with a wealth of character cosplays throughout the weekend.

But it’s the unexpected moments that make the magic; when John Barrowman’s Instagram call went out for Tim Tams, the Whovians came out in force to help win what might well be our first Supanova Tim Tam war. It was a closely run race between John and Michael Rosenbaum, but the Whovians won the day.

What do you do with a mountain of Tim Tam packets? Make a gigantic Tim Tam Jenga game, of course, with guests brought onto the stage to try and match wits and dexterity with the two larger than life personalities. And with the game won by Michael, the spoils of war were shared with the rather hyperactive crowd.

Supanova will next rock Sydney, Perth and Adelaide before ending the year in Brisbane. Click here for further info on the remaining Cons as well as tickets and tokens for photos and autographs.