by Jacques Bérubé
According to the Oxford American Dictionary, the word “geek” comes from old German and means mischievous, while in Dutch “gek” means something crazy. Here are a few locations in Montreal for the geek you know you are or the one that’s hiding inside.
At Capitaine Québec on Sainte-Catherine between Saint-Marc and Saint-Mathieu, you’ll find a riot of manga, comic books, toys, t-shirts, action figures and a staggering collection of swords. Spider Man, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Thor – the stories of all these invincible protectors of justice await.
For those looking for comic books, head to Planète BD to find Jimmy Beaulieu, Stéphanie Leduc, Zviane and collections from publishers like Pastèque, Michel Quintin and Mécanique générale.
Nexus Smart Bar is a tavern for gamers where you can enjoy beers from microbreweries and steamy molecular cocktails in a delirium of video games. It’s a meeting place for game developers in Montreal, one of the video game capitals of the world.
The gaming industry has never been as prolific as it is now. With its collection of 1,500 games, Randolph Pub has a mission to bring people together for a chance to shut down their smartphones and tablets for a fun time together. And there’s lots to eat and drink.
In the retro atmosphere of North Star Pinball on Main, take in the resplendent lights emanating from the collection of old ringing, flashing and tilting pinball machines, all with beer and cocktails. On St-Denis, in the Latin Quarter, Arcade MTL plunges you into an 80s atmosphere with retro consoles and games like Sunset Riders, Tetris and Pac-Man Terminator.
At Toys on Fire on Van Horne, you can browse through the whole gang of Marvel action figures: Spider-Man, Captain America and the Avengers. Batman rubs shoulders with characters from Tomb Raider, Assassin’s Creed and Mario Bros and heroes of Star Wars, Aliens and Indiana Jones pose next to hockey stars PK Subban, Gretzky and Ovechkin.
The Geekatorium, on Saint-Denis right in the middle of the Plateau, offers clothing, jewellery, and geek and pop accessories. At Kigurumi, you’ll find character and animal costumes, tiger-head backpacks, panda masks and even super cute animal onesies. It’s in the Mile End, on St-Laurent.
Every July, the Comiccon Festival welcomes tons of exhibitors for a weekend of pure geekdom. You can check out comic books, horror, science fiction, video games, movies, TV series and amazing guests like Bumblebee, the Camaro Transformer, Bob Layton, the visionary who reinvented the Iron Man series, or Acadian comic book artist Gisèle Lagacé.
Also in July, the Fantasia International Film Festival highlights action movies, documentaries, superhero films, unusual voice acting, artistic performances, multimedia presentations and themes like Christmas movies, zombies or the era of spandex.
With its sunny décor that blends design, simplicity and relaxation, Café le Falco on Gaspé offers coffee brewed with a quasi-scientific technique, as well as their menu of Japanese onigiri and fine health food.
At Café Osmo on Sherbrooke West, near St-Laurent, fresh greens overflow from their sandwiches and all the delightfully crazy salads made just for you. The Wi-Fi is free and you can enjoy all kinds of milks like coconut, almond, soy or lactose free.
