Movies, Comics and Media, Oh my! - A day at the London Comic Con MCM expo

This was only my second time at the Comic con MCM expo with my cousin Danielle and her boyfriend Simon who are both fans of gaming and Japanese anime alike. I’ve been dubbed a ‘half-geek’ by Simon as I haven’t fully taken on to avidly playing games. Mostly because I can’t deal with the whole running, shooting and peripheral vision controls as noted in my LAN experience. I’ve become more accustomed to the Japanese anime film side of things which has given me my half-geek badge.  Although I had been to MCM before, this still didn’t stop me from being completely bewildered and fascinated by the quirky and unusual crowd that it continues to attract.  It’s similar to that feeling an alien would have if they landed on earth, a sense of curiosity and perhaps confusion. Saying that, if an alien were to land in the middle of MCM, I think it would completely boggle their mind.



Bloody Stormtroopers

For those who aren’t accustomed to the MCM expo, it is a weekend long convention that plays host to stalls, games and comic books where people can come and purchase merchandise of favourites in anime, manga or film or preview any up and coming future releases in gaming and movies. It also gives an opportunity for people to meet, talk or play each other at their favoured media like World of Warcraft or Cosplay . My cousin, who is more knowledgeable than me when it comes to gaming and Japanese anime, told me that when she went to the same event in 2007 it was far from the scale it’s on now. From what she remembers there was no Japanese element to the convention, it was mainly concentrated on Sci-fi or fantasy films such as Lord of the Rings or Doctor Who all within a small part of the expo centre. Within the last four years, the convention has evolved and exploded with the growth of popularity of Japanese anime and Manga in the UK, which has become a huge characteristic of MCM. I have become a fan of Japanese anime over the last 8 months with my cousin and her boyfriend introducing me to the likes of Death Note, One Piece and a particular favourite of mine, Studio Ghibli in particular My Neightbour, Totoro. The height of popularity of this form of Japanese media in the UK can be demonstrated by the Studio Ghibli films that have hit mainstream cinemas in the last couple of years including Spirited Away and Ponyo, both dubbed by American actors to attract English speaking audiences. I’ve found that the stories to these films are clever, original and really enjoyable. 

My Neighbour Totoro

Death Note

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One Piece

I first started delving into anime when I saw all the strange looking characters laid out on the merch tables at MCM in October last year. I had started reading graphic novels before such as Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (‘Garlic bread makes you fat?!’), which I loved. But I had never really taken an interest in Japanese or Manga until Simon introduced me to the Death Note series. The story follows Light who comes across a book called ‘Death Note’ which gives the finder the power to choose who can die and how, by a simple scrawl in the pages of the book. He starts getting a ‘God complex’, and decides to kill only criminals to build up his own persona as an enforcer of justice and death thanks to this paranormal notebook. The story completely sucks you in, and it is written so ingeniously that at that end of each episode it’s hard not to move onto the next one. But if you are looking for something little less dark, then the Studio Ghibli films is definitely one to try with its cute characters and strange tales.

Me with a Totoro fanatic

As you walk in to the centre, everywhere you look there’s someone dressed up as their beloved character from a fond graphic novel, movie, anime or manga. It felt a little surreal standing in a queue for the cash point with ‘Where’s Wally?’ in front and a Diglett from Pokemon struggling to walk down the stairs to the side of you. Storm troopers, Hogwarts students and Doctor Who’s are also part of this mix. Little advice, avoid the Storm troopers. They tend to search your bag. However, this is what MCM is. It’s an opportunity for people who share love and interest in games, comic books, films and Japanese anime and Manga to gather under one roof and enter a world they enjoy, inadvertently creating this whole new entire world for themselves. It’s a chance for anyone to take a break from reality, have a bit of fun and dress up; a type of artistic self-expression.  Just from glancing at someone, you can tell they have put in enormous amounts of effort into their costumes that could have taken months to make.  Some of the characters I couldn’t tell you where they could be from as I am somewhat a newbie. But even so, I was still relatively impressed.

It'sa me Mario!

Cosplay weapons

Struggling to get his weapon through the door

Diglett and his mum

Angry box man...?

Hardcore MCMer's

However, if you’re more of gaming fan then you’ll be pleased to know that MCM gives you a chance to try out new games that are coming out soon. Though I’m not an avid gamer, from the amount of queues there were at each game display it’s obvious that particular ones are highly anticipated. Future games that were featured included Gears of War 3, Batman Arkham City due on in October of this year, a Green Lantern game, Zelda- Xenoblade Chronicles on 3DS and also, Street Fighter IV: Super Arcade edition which I could just about play though I think would be classed as a ‘button pusher’.  But, it was the comic and graphic novel section which has become my personal favourite of the expo. It’s a large section of the centre dedicated to comic book artists displaying their own comic books, dubbed Comic Village. Each table allows anyone to purchase a comic from the artists and gives an opportunity to talk to them about their work and ideas. I’ve always been fond of art, and the fact that I could talk to someone about their work was a great way for me to learn more about the art and how comic books are made. They also give people a chance to have themselves ‘mangafied’ or drawn as a character in their own style. All for a small commission, of course.

Artists at work

Me 'mangafied'

There’s a lot to take in within one day so it’s no wonder that some people go for the whole weekend. But as usual all good things have to come to an end. As I was walking back to the car to go home I noticed a girl struggling to get her homemade 6 foot sword into the back of a small family car,  highlighting that after MCM its back to reality for everyone. Until next time.