London MCM Comic Con, hosted in May 2016, was a smash hit event that wowed all those who attended. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and, if you can, you should attend the next Comic Con in October.
The cosplayers that were on show were amazing, showing the skill and grace that goes into recreating characters. It was amazing to see so many people in such amazing cosplay and I was impressed by the sheer variety of series that characters were taken from, such as One Punch Man, Beserk, Dragon Ball Z, Psycho Pass and Jo Jo Bizarre Adventure. When I was attending the various meets you could almost see characters being recreated detail by detail and showing that the skills required to cosplay, something that is often overlooked.
Another great part of the convention worth mentioning is that crowd management has greatly improved in effectiveness. Myself and my colleagues were able to see all the amazing items on sale without getting boxed in and lost as has happened in the past. Furthermore, upon speaking too others who were attending the event they, on pretty much every day there was a reduction in the amount of time it took to get inside the event, even on the Saturday which is seen as the busiest day of the event.
Furthermore, the variety of stalls on offer was something I thoroughly enjoyed. To have the ability to play the many games on offer (including Overwatch, Battleborn, Attack on Titan and Odin Sphere Leifthrasir to name a few) and then be able to go somewhere to relax, such as to the outside area, was great. This is even better when you consider how vast and different the cosplayers were and their many meets gave you the opportunity to see groups of people appreciating and enjoying their fandoms.
Moreover, what was enjoyable at MCM Comic Con May 2016 was that there is a variety of guest that appeared. These included John Noble (Elementary); Jeremy Shada (Adventure Time); Josef Altin, Hannah Waddingham and Roger Ashton-Griffiths (Game of Thrones); Lotte Verbeek (Agent Carter); and Willa Holland and Katrina Law (Arrow). With the privilege of gaining a press pass to the weekend, I was able to see the various guests and I cannot stress how amazing it was to meet them in the roundtable interviews, recordings of which you can enjoy below! These especially provide a greater understanding of how the individuals act and how they come to understand the characters they play.
With such a large number of people there was inevitably a significant amount of rubbish left at the end of each day. However, this was partly due to the restricted space due to security measures that meant that only those who had tickets were allowed entry and a minor issue that can easily be resolved in time for the next convention.
This event is something that anyone who likes comic books, video games, anime or just having a good time should attend. I had an astounding time at this year’s May MCM Comic Con and am looking forward to the next one!
Check back here for links to interviews from the event!