When comic book and video game writer Sam Maggs appeared on the cover of Avenue Edmonton back in 2018, she was just months away from a move to Los Angeles to work for the video game company Insomniac Games. She was already an established writer at that point, with multiple comic books and video games under her belt (including some for the Edmonton-based video game company BioWare). Since then, her career has continued to flourish. From her New York Times bestselling novel Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars to her work on the popular video game Call of Duty: Vanguard, Maggs is a leading creator in the industry.
This fall, that success is bringing her back to Edmonton, where she will be a host, panelist and creator at Edmonton Expo, a three-day event dedicated to comic book, movie and video game fandom. For Maggs, who is currently working full time for Critical Role, a popular, independent producer of numerous comic book series, art books and an animated series, it’s a chance to reconnect with the fans who have followed her career across comics, novels and games.
“Edmonton Expo is so fun,” Mags says. “Particularly because it still maintains that original convention flavour.” Unlike larger shows where corporate IP is the focus, there’s more of a return to the roots of comic book conventions where there is a focus on fan connection.
For Maggs, the heart of any convention is Artist Alley, where both emerging and professional artists sell their creations. Here, you can buy art from local creators, as well as meet comic book and animator legends who have worked on your favourite projects – for instance, Larry F. Houston from X-Men ’97 is appearing at Edmonton Expo this year. As one of many creators whose books were used to train large language models like OpenAI, Maggs sees these conventions as a way for fans to support independent creators directly at a time when many of them really need it. “The great thing about a smaller convention is, you’re not giving money to Amazon, you’re not giving money to Etsy or any third party seller, you can just give your money directly to the person who’s making things and support independent artists directly at a time when independent artists need support more than ever.”
For Maggs, the changing economic landscape is only one of the challenges of working in her field right now. “It’s a weird time to be in the United States, especially for a queer creator who makes ‘woke’ books about queer characters,” Maggs says. “At the same time, working for Critical Role full-time has been such a dream. I love supporting a project that I believe in, with people I trust and love so deeply.”
With the entertainment industry struggling and production slowing, Maggs says that a lot of comic book and video game work is shifting back to Canada. “It’s such a shift from when I was growing up, when leaving Canada felt essential to ‘make it,’” Maggs recalls. Fortunately, it comes at a time when she feels more drawn to stories from home. “I find myself more interested in telling Canadian stories for Canadian audiences. Our culture is unique, and it deserves to be celebrated.”
Edmonton Expo takes place September 19 to 21, 2025. Maggs will be tabling in Artist Alley, appearing on stage to talk all things Star Wars as a panelist and appearing throughout as a host on the main stage.
