Live Event: Liverpool Comic Con
Liverpool Comic Con: March 12-13 2016
To use a Scouse word; ‘buzzin’ described exactly how I was feeling as I headed down the waterfront to the MCM Exhibition Centre for Liverpool Comic Con. The nerd in me has always wanted to visit Comic Con, especially after seeing pictures of the San Diego and London comic conventions over the years.
As I approached the centre I was passed by many wondrous sights: Harry Potter, Spiderman, Green Goblin, Avatar’s to name but a few, I saw Dads holding bags with movie memorabilia who were more excited than their kids!!! There were Stormtroopers, Darth Vader’s and Moshi Monsters. And this was all around the Albert Dock before I had even set foot inside the convention, it was a superb sight. I was even helped to my feet by a man dressed as the dude from Arrow when I tripped arse over tit off the kerb (thanks Terry).
The staff and stewards were superb and directed everyone wherever they needed to go. I was called a Comic Con Virgin while I was collecting my press pass as it was my first time visiting Comic Con. One of the other press reporters explained he had travelled all over the world to the conventions. He said Liverpool was doing itself proud with all the effort they were making dressing up and getting into the feel of things.
The atmosphere was electric as I walked into the arena. There were stalls upon stalls of film memorabilia, props and clothing. You could buy scripts from your favourite movies and signed by the actors. (and yes I did splash out on the Shaun of the Dead script!). Any film or television programme from the Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Harry Potter, X Files, The Hunger Games, to name but a few.
I was surprised by the amount of stalls selling swords from the films. You could buy anything from a sword from Kill Bill to ones from Planet of the Apes. I loved that there were a number of Manga stalls aswell. Manga merchandise can be very hard to come by at times, so the fact that there were a number of stalls dedicated to this genre was great to see. You could buy film stills and statues of your favourite characters. There was even a stall dedicated to ‘Orange is the New Black’ television series where you could buy prison garments.
For all the video game addicts there were stalls dedicated to games, characters and equipment. You could play them around the convention in little seated areas. Game creators and actors were there, who were available to talk to everyone throughout the day.
In the Comic Village there were authors with their creations. I loved the way you could just have a gab to them and their enthusiasm to talk about their work was brilliant. There was such an abundance of talent on show whether it was via the written word or visually. I think Comic Con is an amazing platform for the general public to have access to this type of talent.
There were a few stars in appearance and you could grab a photo with them if you wanted. Andrew Lee Potts and Hannah Spearitt from Primeval were there. Andrew told me he was having a ‘fantastic time in Liverpool’. They were both overwhelmed by the amount of effort people had put into their costumes. Lots of boys were queuing to speak to Hannah, but not sure why??? Voice actress Jessica DiCicco and New Zealand actor Craig Parker also put in an appearance. I have to say, although it does not sound very professional, that Craig Parker is absolutely stunning in real life!!! Paul Amos and Victoria Atkin were other stars available to talk to or watch them banter on the stage in the Big White Dome.
The ‘Big White Dome’ as I have just alluded to was a big inflatable dome in one part of the Convention. Inside there is a large screen and a stage for the stars, directors and producers or game makers to sit and talk about their work. I was excited to be in there to witness a preview of the film ‘Pandorica’. We were shown the film trailer and a 15 minute preview. Directed and written by Tom Paton and starring Marc Zammit, Jade Hobday, Luke D’Silva, Bentley Kalu and Adam Bond. The film revolves around the leadership trials of The Varosha Tribe. The current leader of the tribe has to face 3 people of the next generation in a battle to survive to become the next leader of the tribe, but who will it be? The film looks as if it will be an edge of your seat action thriller and visually is quite dark and menacing. It made me feel anxious as the characters ran into a forest to begin their battle. Tom Paton spoke with such passion when describing his 2 year journey in making this film. I truly believe that he has put his whole heart into this film. I liked the fact that he was encouraging everyone to support local directors and homemade films. I am really looking forward to seeing the film in full when it is released.
My highlight of the day, aside from all the fantastic costumes, was that the car from Back to the Future was there. Sweet! I am a massive fan and this made my day to see it. All sorts of memorabilia were there beside the car including Marty McFlys hat!
Sunday looks as if it will be another fantastic day at Comic Con; Danny John-Jules and Robert Llewellyn from the series Red Dwarf will be making an appearance. Others also attending are Lindsay Wagner and World of Steampunk.
I highly recommend Liverpool Comic Con to everyone, especially if you love all things comic, television or films. The effort people went to with their costumes was amazing and everyone was lovely to talk to. It was nice meeting like-minded people and getting immersed into the fantasy world that is ‘Comic Con’.
Review by our roving reporter Kerry Waters. Thank you to MCM Expo Group for the press passes.
