Manchester EXPO & Comic Con...

WARNING: If you don't like pictures of kids geeking out leave now. I know it has been a while since the Comic Con, but being at home with the kids during the summer hols consumes a whole lotta time and leaves me exhausted by the end of the day so I haven't really had a chance to post about it yet. However, I have about an hour before one of the little geeks will demand my attention so I would like to share some of my pictures from the Manchester comic con on the 21st of July. This con was special because it  was my children's first time and I made them cosplay (made them in a nice way, there was no forced face painting or anything).

Maddie is 9 and I tried to persuade her to be Wonder Woman or Supergirl but she had her own idea - pokemon. At first she wanted to be Misty but I couldn't find an appropriate and inexpensive ginger wig, so her next choice was Pikachu. Xander on the other hand was much easier to please just close your eyes and pick from his dressing up pile. He went with Captain America in the end I think mainly because he got to carry  a shield, plus it was also clean which is always a bonus. He wasn't so keen on the full forehead paint  still he looks awesome.

We pre-booked our tickets but the queues were still long, however the great thing about this kind of event is it is there is always something to look at whilst queuing. From Tony Stark too Ghost Busters, strange and colourful anime characters I don't know, as well as any superhero you can think of.  So though long, the line did move quickly and in no time we were in. 

It was packed! We got in about 10:30am and you could hardly move, which isn't a good sign so early in the morning. But I wasn't going to let invasion of my personal space stop me, so onward we trekked through the jungle of heroes, geeks, nerds some hipsters and other such creatures you would expect to find in this habitat. 

Along the way I could here people commenting about the cuteness of my children and it made me so proud. People asked if they could have their picture take with them, and me like some toddlers and tiaras crazy mum encouraged it. Thankfully the kids were happy to take part and not shy in asking for pictures with other cosplayers.

I'll be honest, it wasn't as good as the London Expo & Comic Con, but I didn't expect to be. I was just happy that Manchester was getting one. It made an effort, with the Robot Wars and a sort of exhibit made up of a sci-fi props, which was cool. I was pleased to see quite a few independent comic creators doing sketches and selling their wares. I always find these people pleasant, friendly and easy to talk too without being too pushy with the sales pitch.

The most exciting bit for my daughter was meeting Clare Thomas from Young Dracula seeing her getting so excited reminded me of the time I met Brent Spiner  and James Marsters a few years ago. It filled me with such geek infused joy to see her experiencing the same passion for the things she loves.  

As usual with these sorts of events I didn't have enough money to buy all the things I want to, but I don't think I ever will so it's just something I have to live with. I did pick up a super sexy Wonder Woman to add to my collection and a couple of button badges. Maddie bought herself a comicbook by Matt Dyson. Xander got himself an awesome Batman Hot Wheels monster truck. So they both came home tired and happy.

Girl Captain America' ass

Everyone enjoyed the day, though by the end we were weary and hot, but I think that is always a sign of a good day. So how would I sum up the day and advise others for the future. The con had elements of everything geeks love, from gaming stations to exhibits, a few minor minor celebs and lots of things to buy. Oh and Warwick Davies, he was there with his family and a very big queue to meet him.

I definitely recommend taking your own lunch and drinks, the 'food hall' wasn't very impressive and very very busy, no just popping to get a drink, it was quicker to leave the con and pop round the corner to a shop. A packed lunch on the steps outside in the sun was actual a really fun part of the day. Seeing all the different cosplayers hanging out in their affiliated groups made me realise 'these are my kind' which considering I spend most of my time with people who don't know what basic things like what Firefly is or a even what a d20 is, was quite refreshing.

To anyone wondering whether it is worth it let me reassure you it is, the price was reasonable and well worth it. We went to geek out and that's exactly what we did. 

  

London Expo and Comic Con October 2011 - I met Gail Simone

I wanted to share one of my most geek out experiences. On the 29th of October my husband and I attended the London Expo & Comic Con. It was unlike anything I had attended before, I'd been to Collectormania and seen a few cosplayers but this time it blew my mind. It just so happened that it was also the Euro Cosplay finals so this somewhat explained the overwhelming numbers if wacky and wonderful characters.

One of the reasons I was particulary excited to attend was because one of my favourite comicbook writers was there to sign.  Gail Simone - writer of Wonder Woman (my personal favourite) Birds of Prey, Secret Six, the new Batgirl run and many more. 

So on the Saturday we set off bright and early. I made it very clear to Scott that we were going to find Gail Simone before we did anything else. Arriving there we head straight for the comic area of the Expo. An area I was a little disappointed in to be honest. From the write up I expected it to be a huge event, however compared to the rest of the Expo the comic con was relatively small.


I could find no reference to where Gail would be signing. I must admit slight panic set in the thought of completely missing it and ending up in a never ending queue got my stress levels rising. Then there was a man, not just any man, a man with the badge round his neck and a beard. So I asked him "Do you know where Gail Simon will be signing" and he said "right here, I'm setting it up, you can be the first"


OH YEAH No.1 in the line, this normally only happens at buffets. Here is a pic of me no.1 in the queue and that beardy bloke in the background is the bloke I mentioned a moment ago..

We waited about 40 mins but it was worth it, I got to chatting with fellow fans and soon realised I hadn't brought nearly enough comics to get signed. I didn't want to overload the poor woman but it would seem fellow fanatics did not have the same worry. Ah well, I was grateful for what I got signed though. Some pics of me and Gail (and her lovely husband).

She was lovely, her husband commented on my awesome Wonder Woman t-shirt (which I got her to sign and subsequently can never wear again) and she commented that she liked my purple hair. She took her time to sign her name and finish the Wonder Woman signings off with a little red star. Such detail. Here is me with one of my signed comics.

So that was my most enjoyable part of the expo. I may share some more of my photos next time.


I would like to add another highlight. My husband and I were stood by a bin, not sure why, think we were just resting our very tired feet. When I heard a welsh accent say "Brilliant T-shirt, love the hair colour" and as I turned to say thank you it turnedout to be none other then Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper from Torchwood) she was being hurried along by expo staff but gave me a beautiful smile. It's a shame I couldn't stop her and get an autograph but still an awesome thing to happen.