KLJ3.com » cons

May City Mayhem

KLJ3 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 06:55:58 +0000

It’s taken me almost a week and a half to digest what went on at the Excel Centre in East London. MCM Expo, it is fair to say, is a very different animal to Bristol Comics Expo. With heady memories of the fun had at Bristol I headed off to the movie The first thing you notice is the shear volume of people and the amount of those people who are in cosplay. Most of them spectacular representations of anime/manga and video game characters…and an old school Cyberman.

This was my first time at MCM so I was a little overwhelmed and very under prepared. Half an hour spent queuing for money and then a further two waiting for tickets we finally made it in to this:

Somewhere in between the wrestling and the Marvel vs Capcom 3 tournament was the Comics Village. Four aisles of tables holding reams of pretty bound paper wares with friendly and equally pretty people stood behind them. I managed to pick up more comics than at Bristol including ‘Wolves’ by Becky Cloonan.

The experience was exhausting but fun with a friendly if not hectic atmosphere. People would happily stop and allow you to take photos of their elaborate costumes. If you stopped and did this with every proud cosplayer then you would never actually make it to the main hall and curiosities that lie within.

Listening to: ‘Crucify Me’ by Bring Me The Horizon

Bristol Comic Exp(l)osion

KLJ3 — Sun, 15 May 2011 13:19:53 +0000

Small Press Expo at the Mercure

So that’s it for another year. Bristol Comic Expo has come and gone, and as usual I cannot wait for this time 2012. This was my third year in a row attending the comic convention, only going for the one day but what a day. Like previous years most of it was taken up by talks that left me feeling inspired and raring to get to work. The selection of talks ranged from woman, politics and cartooning to the launch of a new Lovecraft anthology. The former providing much food for thought as well as links to both Kate Evans and Blue Lou‘s fantastic websites.

All this left me very little time to actually get out and buy anything. I did make it to Daniel Clifford’s table to pick up a copy of issue 1 of Sugar Glider. He obviously had done his job at the ‘What’s the point in small press superheroes?’ panel. Taken straight from Sugar Glider’s facebook page; Surrounded by friends and family with it all figured out, Susie Sullivan is desperately unsure of her purpose in life. Casting ordinary pursuits aside, Susie takes to the Newcastle skyline as the crime-fighting…SUGAR GLIDER! I highly recommend this and the companion book Sugar Glider Stories.

Sugar Glider, Sugar Glider Stories and a SG sticker adorning my notebook.

See you next year hopefully for both days.

Listening to: ‘Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win’ by Beastie Boys

Thoughts on Thoughtbubble

KLJ3 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:25:44 +0000

I know it was over a week ago but I’ve only just returned from a great week in Leeds visiting my friend which began with a bang with Thoughtbubble. Although I’ve been in and around comics since the my childhood this year’s Thoughtbubble one day event was only my second con after Bristol back in May. After the initial overwhelming amount of cosplay (our favourites were the duo dressed as the Riddler and Penguin) and not knowing where to start we set about having a look around. I was pleased to see that there was a lot of small press sat along side the larger independent retailers and the rockstars of comics such as Ben Templesmith and Frank Quitely.

Chief amongst these, aside from Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie who gratiously signed a copy of Phonogram: Rue Britannia for me, were the guys from We Are Words And Pictures and their anthology Solipsistic Pop.

A beautifully designed and bound fifty pages of comic, two mini comics and a sixteen page insert with a sticker and badge, that proudly adorns my jacket, thrown in for good measure. You can get a copy here and recommend you do. A brilliant read and also completely inspiring. These people make comics and brilliant ones at that.

Of course much more money was spent on small and large press alike. Some might say too much. I’m sure you wouldn’t.

Listening to: ‘Ghosts (Blestenation mix)’ by Ladytron