Growler's Awesome Life Journey.

A collection of in-depth random thoughts and reflections that take a look at the everyday wonder of life in any and all areas, topics and subjects.

Rawle Austin presents...

Ever since I discovered comic books I've always wanted to attend a comic convention or comic con. I've attended comic marts which are like mini comic cons but never did the real deal. Until now. A friend told me about it and I'm glad she did or I would have missed it. Wow. I got there early and, after a slight mix up, I was in. Fantastic! The vibe was just extraordinary. The kind of feeling you can only get when you're surrounded by creative people who share similar passions as you. The London Comic Con at Excel Centre was a mix of comics, manga, anime, sci-fi and fantasy film and TV and cosplay. It was a three day event and over 45,000 people attended over that period.

All genres were represented well and most of the big publishers had a stall. From Panini Comics who do reprints of popular Marvel graphic novels, to Sweatdrop Studios who produce manga. I was greeted by a wealth of merchandise and a sea of excitement. In the queue going in there were high fives being thrown with joyful abandon and placards offering free hugs were everywhere. I could feel the love in the room, everyone had come out to play and most were in costume. (Special shout out to Hoop and Glory!)

The Excel Centre was huge so there was more than enough room for everything. There were numerous artists alleys in which writers and artists could sign and show off their amazing wares. It was a pleasure to spot Sean Phillips who drew the fantastic Wildcats 3.0 and it was heartening to see so many talented new creators, writers and artists, growing the UK based comic book scene. Alien Ink from Pressure Comics and Mister Who were just some of the comic book goodness on display. Special guest are also some of the main attractions and this year featured the stars of Warehouse 13, Eureka and classic X-Men writer, the guy who made them the giants they are, Chris Claremont.

I enjoyed watching the live Japanese drumming and the violinist Masa Kun playing renditions of popular anime theme tunes and even the soundtrack of the Super Mario brothers video game. The innovative Terracotta Distribution who promote great East Asian films were on form and great to see. The official name for the event was the MCM Expo which stands for Manga, Comics and Media its a catch all for lovers of comics, manga, video games, sci-fi and fantasy TV shows and films and much more. Inspired by the massive comic book events in USA like the San Diego Comic Con or the New York Comic Con London has a venue to rival those. This was my first Comic Con and I came away inspired. Doing what you love and being surrounded by people who enjoy what they love is quite exhilarating and much recommended.

Click here to check out Cosplay Fever Red by Rob Dunlop and Peter Lumby  

The cosplay was stunning and I knew I was in for a treat when I found myself sharing a train carriage on the way there with a large red dinosaur and similarly well dressed folks. Quality costumes all around in what is now a major industry in itself, originating from Japan. Anime characters were the most popular with Kingdom Hearts, Digimon, and Pokemon in the house. I was most impressed with characters from Hellboy 2: The Golden Army which looked perfect in every way. They all took part in a fashion/catwalk contest which was well attended. In fact, the entire show was packed to the rafters. I took a few photos on the day which you can see below. All in all, I had a great time and will definitely be back next year.

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