Our adventure at MCM Comic Con Birmingham.
I had the pleasure of visiting MCM Comic Con at Birmingham NEC, a brilliant experience with plenty of activities and stalls for fans.
Visiting on Sunday, December 3, I was overwhelmed by how large the place was. Made up of three halls, there was a treat for everybody from anime and gaming to celebrity guests and independent artists.
It's fair to say it was easy to get lost in the sea of stalls, games, events and cosplay, but it was surprising to hear that this was only half the size of London Comic Con.
The cosplay this year was inspiring and amazing to see. From Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers, to T-rex and Pikachu suits, it was like walking into all your favourite cinematic universes. Marvel's Star-Lord was even walking around the hall playing Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 on a speaker.
Many artist stalls were around selling their fan art. I enjoyed looking through the various art styles of different well-known characters. There were plenty of drawings, prints and digital art to choose from. I also found plenty of keyrings, posters and plushies that the creators had skillfully made. I bought quite a few artworks based on my favourite video game franchise, Genshin Impact.
I got lost in the various stalls and retro video games on display. Mario, Packman and many other arcade games were there for people to try. It was fun to see the old-fashioned arcade machines there too. There was also a table area for people playing trading card games. I saw quite a few players there, deeply focused on their games.
There were also plenty of events to keep visitors entertained. From Jedi lessons and a Christmas corner for the kids, interviews with special guests, even a Dr Who showdown against the Daleks. I myself gave Axe throwing a try. It was a bit daunting at first because I’d never done it before and I was worried I’d accidentally hurt myself, but it was so satisfying when I saw my first axe hit the target and get stuck there. Sadly, I didn't hit the bullseye, but it was still so much fun.
Have you ever wondered how Dr Who Daleks work? Turns out they have a little seat inside with controls which the operator has to use. I really enjoyed looking through some of the cosplay exhibitions for different franchises. They had some of the Star Wars robots, Dr Who enemy cosplays and 3D printed robots, and there was even the GhostBusters van. It was so cool to see all these vibrant exhibitions lined up next to each other, though I think some of them may have been a tad too realistic, especially the Weeping Angel, which I kept thinking may jump-scare me the moment I turned away.
I also had the pleasure of sitting in on part of an interview with Spores Productions, which are popular on YouTube for their high-quality cosplay productions of well-known video games, including The Last of Us and Detroit Become Human. I saw some teasers of their upcoming future works, including Uncharted: Drake’s Legacy and Final Fantasy. There were also guest voice actors who made appearances for fan photos and autographs. I managed to get an autograph from one of the attending voice actors Griffin Burns, which I still need to frame.
All in all, it was a great experience, with plenty of attractions for people of all ages that I absolutely loved. I think I will definitely plan to go again in the future, though next time I might pay more attention to the map!
