When summer descends upon us, for most people, it’s a simple case of welcoming the sunshine and anticipating the holiday season. It’s a time for sandy beaches, exciting day trips and generality lazy lie-ins, but for a few of us, Summer signals the start of the convention-scene. It’s one of those times of year, where we get to mosey on all over the country, to look at stunning costumes, meet exciting guests and just generally hang out with some like-minded geeky people.
One such event, that myself and the lovely Laura Maier attended last weekend, was the infamously fabulous London Film and Comic Con. Which, as the name so rightly implies, was a convention devoted to film, media and comics. It generally happens twice a year, once in Summer (woo!) and now, there’s another one planned for Winter, in the timeslot usually afforded to another Showmasters event: Entertainment Media Show. Either way, both events follow the same basic principles for what’s going on, and this little article hopes to highlight some of the highs and lows of our adventure into LFCC.
The Good
The sheer volume of high profile guests. Where else are we common people going to get the opportunity to mingle with so many of our icons in one place? The folk at LFCC really did pull out all the spots for organising a cracking autograph/photoshoot system with a lot of fabulously talented people, and although it is somewhat crippling to most bank balances – the results are certainly worth it, for getting to meet and speak to the iconic and downright mystical talent behind many of our favourite characters.
The cosplay. It’s not a convention without seeing some stunning costumes, and LFCC was no exception. Whether you were just chilling outside, braving the packed exhibition area, or simply just queuing up for the loo, there was always an exceptional cosplayer (or ten) within easy sight. I did find that the level of people costuming was perhaps different to that seen at other prominent events such as MCM, most likely in part due to the heat this past weekend, but while not an overpowering part of the weekend at large, it was definitely a highlight for me, to see such unmistakable talent and people having fun!
The new talent. Admittedly I didn’t get to look at as much of the exhibitor’s stalls as I would’ve liked, but have to say I was incredibly impressed with the level of new talent and breakthrough artists that were present. Obviously, it’s all dependent on who had booked what, but to see so many new and promising things outside of mainstream art/comics was definitely an eye-opener, and once winter rolls around for another dose of LFCC I will most certainly be checking out what progress has been made and if there are any updates to some of the glorious things I discovered while there!
The people. I know it’s probably a given, but the people are really what make an event so enjoyable to attend. You make new friends, catch up with old ones, and generally just bond over common ground and all manner of geekery. There’s no judgement there, no snide commenting or bitching, just total acceptance. Hell, case in point, upon first meeting Laura on a packed and excruciatingly hot Saturday, within less than an hour I was busy sewing up the arse of her Catwoman costume where it had split, no questions asked! It was just a universally accepted thing, and that’s one of the bits I love about Comic Con. You help each other out when needed, you laugh and muck about and find joy constantly – and I really do think that’s something often overlooked.
The Bad
The weather. Okay, so maybe I’m just biased on this one. I’m a Northerner. I was weaned on a climate so cold, I’d put GRRM’s Wildlings to shame, but this weekend, through no fault of LFCC’s own, I might add (unless they have secret omnipotent powers we don’t know of…) it was just too blisteringly warm. The sun was out, and towards the evening that was great, but at the height of the day, especially on Saturday, when there were people around in their thousands, their just simply wasn’t enough breathing room, liquid, or shade to sate my inability to cope with heat. My hat goes off to those that were in costume all day, especially to the judges, and to Batman who were arguably coated from head to toe in so much leather it was a wonder they hadn’t melted into crime-fighting puddles.