Another excellent weekend of cosplay, panels and excessive spending has come to a close with the end of this year’s London Comic Con. Held once again at ExCeL, the show had some fantastic special guests including Daniel Radcliffe, the cast of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Shane West, among many others.
Tens of thousands of people attended over the weekend so it’s no surprise that it was very crowded. At times it was difficult to get from point A to point B because of the sheer numbers, with Saturday being the busiest day. This could be frustrating at times, but the area was ventilated and it was laid out well.
Getting into the event was relatively quick with a handy scanning system to authorize tickets. However, anyone who wanted to pop outside for a breath of fresh air had to queue at the original entrance to get back in, which wasn’t ideal.
There were hundreds of stalls in the trade hall with a huge range of items from the basics like plushies and graphic novels to unusual items like steampunk-themed jewellery and neon coloured fluffy tails.
There was a massive space set up for signings and photo shoots, which had consistently long queues. Fan favourites such as Robert Picardo Neil Jackson, Amber Benson and Aisha Hinds were available throughout the weekend.
As well as merchandise and e-sports, several video game publishers showed off newly released games and previews of future releases. The Gaming Expo was really impressive, with demos from Bandai Namco including Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Tales of Hearts R and Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom which were playable for the first time in the UK. Other companies that showcased a wide range of demos were Sony, 2K Games and Capcom.
One of the most popular events over the weekend was the Power Rangers panel, followed by a massive queue for signings and photo shoots with the cast. Any passersby could occasionally hear the odd, “It’s morphin’ time!” from excited fans. Ah, the nineties.
The standard of cosplay was particularly high this year with several memorable costumes, including the very dedicated Lego Batman who was stalked throughout the weekend by star struck children looking for pictures. The perils of cosplay!Some panels started late but that’s to be expected at an event of this magnitude, with particularly interesting talks from Space Dandy director Shinichiro Watanabe and Vic Mignogna; although the latter had a heart breaking conversation with a fan who had cosplayed as a chimera from the Full Metal Alchemist series. Right in the feels.
ATM machines always had a queue snaking around a corner, which was no surprise due to the temptations lurking at every stall. However some expressed annoyance at the £2.50 charge for taking money out of some of the machines.
The MCM League of Legends Invitational event was very exciting and drew a massive crowd of both seasoned players and new fans. Six of the UK’s best League teams battled it out for the grand prize, which Perilous Rift eventually won.
For anyone new to the convention circuit, Vidsfest UK is where television meets the internet; the weekend had a full schedule of vlogs, web series and comedy sketches to showcase, including the world premiere of new vampire web series Morganville.
If lanes of collectables, graphic novels and games weren’t your thing, the PopAsia area no doubt piqued your interest. It was very different from everything else offered at the convention, allowing you to take part and experience aspects of Japanese, Korean and Asian culture. There was a big range of fashion accessories and clothing, Asian food and tools you could browse through, all while listening to the traditional singing in the background.
There was some real talent in the Comic Village and if you stopped by at the right time on the Sunday, you could’ve snatched yourself a real bargain. The variety and style of prints offered something for everyone with a mix of well-known favourite characters and one-of-a-kind originals too.
The convention was a great success with a colourful range of special guests, a packed trade hall, imaginative cosplay and lots of people with empty pockets. We can’t wait until May when we can do it all over again!
What did you think of this year’s Comic Con? What were the highlights? Let us know in the comments.
Photo by: Katerina Efstathiou
