ComicCon 22nd March 2014

ComicCon at the NEC on the 22nd March was full of thousands of people who have, to one extent or another, embraced a subculture or two. Be it Japanese animation, American comics, 80s Cartoon shows, vintage Doctor Who episodes or good old Star wars, there was somebody there dressed in an appropriate costume or wearing a thoroughly worn out fan T shirt.

For those who may not know, ComicCon brings together fans, actors, writers, artists, sellers, buyers and enthusiasts from far and wide and throws them together for a two-day extravaganza. You might call us geeks, you might call us nerds. Some may even call us sad. However, I can't think of any other situation where thousands of people, of all ages [literally tots to pensioners], can be in the same place, without any trouble, to celebrate their fascination for the same things: comic books, science fiction, toys, costumes, trading cards, alternative clothing, make up etc etc etc.

I was lucky enough to be accompanied by Martha, Mouse, Evie, Rose and little Dee. Three of them were fantastically made up as characters called Hunters - from the console game Left for Dead. They looked like three very scary zombies! Evie was dressed as a character from an online RPG called Ib. Dee came as her own take on DC character Flash.

The queue for ComicCon is entertainment in itself. We stood in line for almost an hour but were never bored. The amount of Cosplayers there made the time fly by. We saw: Bane, Batman, Naruto, characters from the Vertigo series The Sandman, Wonderwoman, Master Chief [Halo], Stormtroopers, Steve and a Creeper [from Minecraft] and loads of other characters from Japanese anime and American comic books.

In the queue, I met a friendly chap called Lee. It was his birthday and he treated himself to a trip out to ComicCon in order to increase his Star Trek memorabilia collection. We went around the hall together for an hour and he did indeed start buying up Star Trek toys and magazines, as well as some original Battle Star Galactica stuff.



R2 units

 


This guy was really into character - including the creatures exaggerated movements.

I was disappointed to see a 'glamour model' section at ComicCon. I struggle to see the connection between science fiction/comic books and these buxom babes. About six of these lovely ladies were present and signing autographs for people. They had a section to themselves in the middle of the hall. Unfortunately, this section was fully visible to anyone walking past, and the posters of the ladies that adorned the walls featured full-colour nudity. It must have been quite awkward for the many young families who were present today.

We saw lots of people in almost cinema-quality costumes - characters from the Predator and Alien films, Star Wars and Star Trek [including the Borg!] They were always happy to pose for photographs and the general atmosphere around these people was one of fun and friendliness.

The highlight of the day for me happened at lunchtime. We were sitting on the floor munching our sandwiches and then Star Wars happened: video here

 

 
This was a fantastic day out for both me and the kids. We'd attended the November ComicCon last year and the highlight of that day was the Cosplay Masquerade at the end - lots of dedicated young people wearing their home-made costumes. Unfortunately, this year we had to leave early so missed the Masquerade. Hopefully that won't be the case next time!

Yes, I wish I'd had a lot more spending money, and yes, the glamour models brought a unwanted sexual element to this family show, but it was still great to be a part of a celebration of all things different!
Recommended.