Chanice tells us all you need to know about Comic Con…

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I’ve been meaning to write this for a while, but I’m only just getting around to it. Last week, I went to my sixth comic book convention and it has prompted me to finally write about my favourite geek pastime.

Before writing this, I decided to do a little research on Comic Con and found that it started way back in the 1960s, by a man called Jerry Bails, who established the Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors. Comic Cons were originally set up by fans, on a one day non-for-profit basis and were purely there for geeks to get together and discuss their favorite comics or comic related hobbies. However it has since become heavily commercialized and it is now a massive source of profit for organizers and exhibitors.

The Tri-State con (or the New York Comic Con) was the first “official” comic book convention. However, it’s San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) that has become the most prominent convention worldwide, attracting the biggest celebrities, exhibitors and exclusive previews.

Not to be outdone, organisers on this side of the pond have set up their own conventions, the biggest being MCM (movie comic media) Comic Con, which has conventions all over Europe. MCM London is one of the biggest conventions in England and is rapidly growing every year.

The event went from having 50,000 attendees in 2010 to over 133,000 attendees in May 2016.

It is attracting so many fans that the October 2016 weekend priority tickets sold out 2 months before the event and one of the hotels near the venue is already fully booked for the next convention in May 2017.

But, what is it about Comic Con that draws so many people in?

Well, I can only speak from my experience and what I really enjoy is the community feel, as it’s a great chance to meet like minded people. One of the best ways to meet new people is through cosplay (costume play). Cosplay is a massive part Comic Con and is when fans dress up as their favourite characters. Unlike dressing up for Halloween, geeks take cosplay fairly seriously and spend months and sometimes thousands of pounds planning and preparing costumes, in order to look as close to the character as possible. I am a cosplayer and last week I went as the human version of Luna from Sailor Moon. I am an actor, so for me cosplay is just another way for me to play someone else.

This time I was riding solo and so I decided to go to my first meet up.

Meet ups are usually organised through Facebook and can be anime, video game or comic specific, or just a general meet up for geeks. The meet up I attended was for Sailor Moon cosplayers and was a lot of fun. I met a bunch of new people and we all took part in a fun photo shoot. We became Facebook friends and are planning to meet up next year.

Another great aspect of MCM London is the video games, as it is a great chance to play some exclusive demos, as well as old classics (if you can find a free controller). VR is something that has also grown in the last few years and comic con gives you chance to test it out, which is amusing for both the tester and audience watching them.

There are LOADS of stalls at Comic Con that sell anything from artwork, to jewellery, clothes, video games, manga and even household items.

There is an opportunity to try authentic Asian food, including the famous Takoyaki (octopus balls).

MCM London also attracts a range of celebrities from shows such as Game of Thrones and Star Trek (and Warwick Davies) as well as YouTube celebrities. This year they even had funfair rides (overpriced of course).

There is so much to see and do at Comic Con it would be impossible to go into them all in detail on here, but if you are a self confessed geek, comic con is a must. Whether you go alone or with friends you are guaranteed to have tones of geek fun, so be sure to check out the next one in May 2017.