Cultured Vultures at London Comic Con

Matt Warrilow ended his comic convention virginity for us by attending London Comic Con. How did it go?

Since the first ever convention in the early 60s, the size, and cultural significance, of Comic Conventions has grown massively. Where before it may have been the chance for overweight comic book fans to meet together in a windowless room to find that rare edition of The Hulk where he kisses Thor (heartbreakingly, this never happened), it is now an opportunity for organisations across various mediums to showcase upcoming releases across their product range. In fact, San Diego’s Comicon is now a hugely significant event in the entertainment calendar, and in recent years is where the big news about upcoming films, TV shows, games etc is released. With this shift away from a comic book focus, it’s important to start to see its potential to grow and attract new people to its halls, to try and increase the reach of their art to a new audience.

I had never been to a Comic Con before, so I went in with some pre-conceptions. Sure I’d see some people dressed up, with varying degrees of success, and yes I’m definitely going to encounter some ‘nerdy’ culture that you don’t see every day. Upon my arrival I got just that. Within 2 minutes I’d already come across 2 stormtroopers (one of them a tad small to ever pass the application process of getting into the Galactic Empire), some statues with pointy teeth that are apparently from Dr Who, a couple of superheroes wearing waterproof macs and carrying Sainsbury’s plastic bags and a Knight waiting in line at Costa Coffee and I’m guessing not for a gallon of their finest mead. It was a pretty mixed first impression on the effort of attendees. However this just lulled me into a sense of low expectation. Nothing prepared me fully for what to expect when I first got in.

To say it’s a sensory experience is an understatement. The vast array of colours on display in attendees’ outfits filled every element of the spectrum imaginable. The imagination and the effort made was clear to see. A fully functional Iron Man suit (minus the flying part, but you can’t have everything), a blooming intimidating Darth Maul with a light sabre that glowed. A kid dressed as the Tardis. Judge Dredd, who when I asked if I could have my photo taken with him, ordered me to ‘get on my knees’. I feared the worst, and for my dignity. Instead he pointed a fake gun at me. All this in the space of 10-15 minutes of first getting in.

And it kept going and going, one incredible costume after another. Sure, there were duds (the overweight older guy who wore an ill-fitting Spiderman outfit, and the guy who just turned up in wearing a fake beard spring to mind). After all, it was clear that this is the kind of place that putting in 90% effort into an outfit just simply isn’t enough. Unless you’re the guy I met who just wore a cardboard Randy Marsh mask whilst holding a beer. Taking it all in would delight a fancy dress fan (and I’d imagine get a mean robot chubby in the meantime).

The outfits however are just one part of the experience. For some, the main draw is the talks, panels and demonstrations over the course of the weekend. Unfortunately the ones I picked (aside from the charming and funny Phil Lamar who’s provided some of the best/most popular cartoons and computer games of the past decade) were dry at best. I managed to get embroiled watching a Street Fighter competition. A best lap competition for upcoming ‘Grid Autosport’ (which I had a go on, and turns out I’m as good at driving as George Michael after he smokes some of the ol’ chronic) and a panel that had two people on it discussing a TV show I’d never heard of. I had set out a plan on seeing certain people, but being wrapped up and looking at the array of costumes made me throw it out of the window. As a result, it’s fair to say I didn’t luck out.

On the other hand, over at the eSports stage, people were going mad. Chanting, cheering as if they were at the most important football game you could ever imagine. Curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to get a bit of any potential nerd hooliganism that may occur. Unfortunately there was no bottling ,or ripping up of seats. Instead people were glued to a giant screen, where 5 gamers fought on a game whilst 2 others commentated. I asked someone what was going on, they told me ‘It’s a League of Legends competition’, upon which I said ‘It looks a bit like Command & Conquer’. His response was akin to me telling him I’d just got his Mum added to the sex offenders register. That aside, the atmosphere was amazing. People jumping, waving their hands in the air like they literally didn’t care, comperes rallying the crowd behind the players. Just a shame I had absolutely no idea what the fuck was going on. Bit like watching ice hockey then.

It’s safe to say this was definitely not the only time that I felt delightful confusion over the course of the weekend. Sure, there was the J-pop stage where attendees would sign up to perform a dance, usually wearing a Japanese schoolgirl outfit (queue the dodgy men stood at the back). And sure, the sight of two men filming their very own Assassin’s Creed battle was a sight to behold. But the Cosplay Masquerade which closed the whole event was possibly one of the most surreal things I  have, and ever will, experience.

In a room filled with easily 500 people, Anime influenced cosplayers would take it in turns come up on stage, dressed in over-the-top, colourful huge costumes, and would perform a routine. This ranged from spinning a Samurai sword about a bit, to a fake fight between two boys for the love of another girl, to simply standing still with a fake flame in their hand. The attention to detail of the costumes was incredible. The reception was huge. I, in the middle of all this, had the expression most people have when watching David Lynch films after taking acid. My brain going into overtime trying to make references to something I’d seen before, but failing miserable. The compere cracking jokes about characters from, what I can only assume, computer games and anime, that the crowd were lapping up. I on the other hand was still trying to figure out ‘is that the name of a Final Fantasy character, or an exotic STD’.

Experiencing this was, for a first-timer, the beauty of the event as a whole. I wouldn’t have gone out on any other Sunday afternoon and thought ‘you know what, I fancy seeing a Cosplayer pretend to be stuck in a desert, waving their arms in the air, with it all being soundtracked by obscure classical Japanese music’. But the fact I was given the opportunity to see it has widened my cultural barriers just that little bit more.

And if you thought it was all broadening of minds and less party, you’d be wrong. At first look, just outside of the Excel seems to be an overspill of the event. On the stage just outside is a DJ (a guy sat near a laptop) playing dubstep and drum n’ bass remixes of nu-metal songs whilst a girl screams the vocals down a mic. It’s awful. Truly awful. But everyone fucking loves it. The group from Hogwarts waving their wands in the air love it. The Racoon City Police Department members robot dancing love it. The Transformer air guttering love it. It’s fair to say you definitely don’t see this down at Yates’s on a Saturday night. Not just the costumes, but the sheer delight of getting together and dancing with like-minded people. It was hard not to get wrapped up in it. And sure I didn’t, not will ever, shake my booty to the sounds of a drum n bass remix of Limp Bizkit, but I had a huge smile across my face.

Just to the right of this knees up, on a large grass expansion, a huge circle of people develops. Of course, you’re at Comic Con, it’s bound to be something you’ve never experienced before. But still to this moment, as I write this article, do I still have absolutely no idea what happened. Those in the circle put their hand up, upon which two of them were chosen to go into the middle. They would then introduce themselves, not as Kelly or Ian, as you’d expect, but names like Schgawa and Mega Sword. And before you could even begin to mull over what they had said, they would begin to fight. I don’t mean in a Fight Club, Tyler Deurden kind of way. I mean in a Fight Club, human Pokemon kind of way. For a few seconds, the two chosen contestants would pretend to have special powers, act them out and battle. At the end, one of them would ‘die’, the other would be presented to the masses as the victor, and then it’d happen all over again with two new people. I didn’t see how people won, or understood why, but it was amazing to watch.

That is not to say I didn’t have some qualms with the event. Aside from the venue itself (20 minute queues for everything, cramming the hallway, at times making it insanely difficult to get places). Any Comic Con should be an opportunity to inspire people. Present is an engaged, mostly young audience who could grow up to be the next film makers, commuter game designers, comic book writers etc. So giving people like Shane Richie a platform (just one of the ‘celebrities’ you had to pay at least £15 just for an autograph from (another HUGE gripe I have…) can only be seen as a wasted opportunity. Of course, I appreciate that celebrities bring in an audience, and importantly money, to the event, but surely there is a need to strike a balance between interesting, credible celebrities (which I’m not sure Craig Fairbrass and the guy who played Nick Cotton from ‘Eastenders’ could be considered as) and inspiring, talented artists, filmmakers, computer game developers etc. San Diego Comic Con do this brilliantly (granted with a much larger budget), ensuring that alongside massive film and TV releases, there is space and opportunity for the best comic artists and related individuals to share stories, outlooks and advice to those looking to follow in their footsteps.

Where comics were the origins of these conventions, this time The Comic Village itself was almost shoved into the corner, illustrative of where the commercial focus of the Comic Con, and mediums generally, has moved towards. There are plenty stands selling Avengers T-shirts, mugs, masks, belt buckles and the usual stuff you’d expect, but its origins, the influence for these huge franchises and merchandise it has spouted, was nothing more than a few rows of desks, artists and sellers squashed towards the back out of the way. And in there are some incredible talents, ranging from established such as John McCrea (Deadpool, Judge Dredd, The Boys) and Lee Townsend (Marvel, 2000AD and DC) through to up-and-coming illustrators, artists, writers and publishers such as Kieran Shalloo, HC Comics, T Publications. Sure, film and games companies have the money to pay higher for prime space, and bringing along the spectacular displays,  but there is a need to celebrate where it all began, and how comics in both story-telling and illustration has helped shaped, and most recently been the driving force, of a number of mediums in entertainment. To have it pushed to the side was a sad reminder that, unfortunately, money does need to be a priority when hosting any type of event.

But those negatives aside, the attraction for people to go to Comic Con was obvious. Where there is a chance the mass of attendees are likely to be mocked, judged or looked down on by peers for their likes and tastes, this event gives them the opportunity to not just be themselves, but to be embraced and encouraged to be pushed to the maximum. And it’s fair to say they most certainly are. Groups of Cosplayers gathered together, chanting in Japanese. Yu Gi Oh players taking over empty spaces on floor to play against complete strangers. In some places, and certainly smaller towns, it is extremely difficult to meet and develop friendships with mind-liked people. Here, they are everywhere and they are open to conversation, more than happy to have their photo taken in their costume. It is the bringing together of a mass community. A community that, although at times I struggled to get my head around, I totally absorbed myself in.

To a first-timer, Comic Con brought out the youngster in me. The person who wanted to have their photo taken with Bane and Batman. Who was happy to queue to get a couple games of Mario Kart 8 a week before it comes out. Who was content to eat his lunch whilst watching a panel talk about a new Street Fighter film. Sure, it looked utter shit, but that didn’t phase me. I was just happy to hear that people still embrace it as much as when it first came out.

Going to this event was a chance for me to let my guard down, lower any preconceptions, all whilst welcoming in new cultures and ideas. And if you can do all that whilst getting a chance to get a photo taken of you pretending to punch Darth Vader right in the tit, then it must be worth going to.

Check out the full photo album from Matt’s grand adventure below