MCM Expo - A Very Long Blog

I should start off by saying that this has been one of the most draining months that I’ve endured for quite some time. This weekend was the pinnacle of it all and therefore pretty gruelling…but in a good (and slightly weird) way.

That’s because this weekend was the MCM Expo!

I’ve done a few events in my time but they’ve all been pretty low-key – a craft fayre here, a small press thing there. The UK Web and Comix Thing is probably as big as I get. So the Expo was a real eye opener. Talk about baptism by fire…and then talk about a bumload of cosplaying, Para Para dancing and hugging. Free hugging. Instigated by signs. Between strangers. Strangers that hug. For free...

So, I took the usual suitcase full of stuff to the event: comics, comics, comics. However, I tried some new and exciting stuff this time! For a start, all the printing was done by the Fallen Angel Media people, which meant that things looked pretty fancy and I had some thermal bound volumes as well as the regular stuff. I also made up packs of badges which were cute. There were felt owls too! And – the biggest leap for me – acrylic brooches! Also - People I Know #9!!!

So the last month/six months have seen me spend all my free time making some sort of item to sell. Obviously, nothing came together until hours before the event. They comics and badges arrived about 12 hours before I had to be there!

The ExCel Centre is huge and in the middle of nowhere. I don’t really know many people in the comic scene but I was lucky enough to bump into Howard on the DLR so I wasn’t too nervous – just sleepy since it was early on a Saturday morning and I’d been up late. I had to get about four (4!) different trains to get to the ExCel Centre and there were cosplayers on each and everyone of them. This should have made me immune to getting slack-jawed about it all later but oh no! I spent most of the weekend gawping at all sorts of ninjas, furries and zombie schoolgirls…

NOTE: Spotify is playing me an advert for the Conservative Party!?!

So yes. Cosplaying. Wow. I’ve never been in such a high concentration of lycra and swords in all my life. There were some incredible outfits – an eight foot ogre, an army of stormtroopers, Link from the Legend of Zelda! Siryn from X-Factor! A nice guy named Sam who wasn’t in costume but I’m putting him in anyway. I think my dream as a maker-of-comics is that one day I will go to an event and see someone cosplaying one of my characters. That would be awesome (and a little spooky). Imagine a room full of tearful dinosaurs, ninja toast and an inky squid schoolgirl!

Obviously some of the costumes were of people I didn’t know (Axis Powers Hetalia?) but seemed fun. Some were a little spooky. Some…well…wow…I would never have the courage to go anywhere as Slave Girl Princess Leia. But still, the effort that people put in was amazing. Special mention to the boy/girl Where’s Wallys. Good work guys! Oh and Cat Mage too!

BUT! There were quite a lot of costumes I was expecting to see and I saw NONE OF THEM! Why was this? Where were they? Here is a list of what I should have seen in picture form. If you were there and saw one of these costumes then let me know. Better yet – if you have a picture then I will give you a prize!

EDIT: Please add the following to the list:
Vampires
Werewolves
Ghosts
Greek myths

NOTE: I saw a Star Trek Furry – as in a furry wearing a Star Trek uniform. I texted my friend:

ME: Just saw a Star Trek furry…

FRIEND: Do you mean a Tribble?

ME: No. A fox in uniform

So yeah. The people were nice. I tried to convince the nicest ones to send me nice emails. Fingers crossed. Speaking of nice people – Howard and Philip were also selling things there. I was sat behind two girls who also turned out to be nice. One was called Lizz and one was called Bryony. Oh – and there was Fran next to me! Those girls were lovely. Thanks lovely girls!

What else?

Behind the Comic Village there was a stage with Japanese drumming and some Para Para dancing. I had my back to the whole thing but I could certainly hear it. Ouch and also wow. Wouch?

Also, on Saturday evening I went to a leaving party for a friend who is moving to San Francisco with his wife. I hope he has a nice time.

I’m really tired now and I need some sleep. I’m sure there are other things to write about…but I can do it tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone that came to talk to me and to everyone that organized the event. Here’s hoping that People I Know starts going places…

Stay out of trouble

TWx

EDIT: I just got this photo from the girl portion of boy/girl Where's Wally. It is amazing! All the kudos goes to them for making something so brilliant