Meet the Masked One

We asked an illustrator to create a Toronto superhero - based on a raccoon, of course

- ANDY TAKAGI, MARK COLLEY

What would Toronto's superhero look like? Illustrator Sandy Tang takes a crack with "The Masked One."

Over the weekend, crowds of nerds, geeks and fanatics — fitted in spandex and colourful PVC armour — will flow into downtown Toronto. Iron Men will walk down Spadina Avenue, a Jedi in robes on the streetcar and a Spider-Woman on a bike share.

None, however, will be dressed as a Toronto superhero, for one big reason: we don’t have one.

So, the Star got some help to create one.

Fan Expo is Canada’s largest pop culture convention — the ComicCon of Canada. Fans will crowd the Toronto Metro Convention Centre, where 140,000 attended last year, to see superheroes, sci-fi icons and bit characters with cult followings. It draws international celebrities like Toronto’s own Simu Liu (of Marvel’s “Shang-Chi” fame), Rosario Dawson (“Star Wars’ ” Ahsoka), Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World”) and Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad,” “The Mandalorian”). Even Steve from “Blue’s Clues” will be there.

And that’s all despite Toronto’s dearth of superheroes — our most famous are Scott Pilgrim (who doesn’t really count as a superhero) and the Pitiful Human-Lizard, created by Jason Loo. That series, which ended in 2019, featured a 30something corporate lackey by day, who turned to a superhero with the ability to regrow limbs by night, that frequented Toronto landmarks such as Honest Ed’s, the ROM and Sneaky Dee’s.