When it comes to Comic Con, I’ve always been an outside observer - but this year I attended for the first time and thought I had a fair idea of what to expect.
At various times in my life, I have been a Doctor Who and Spider-Man fanatic. However, dressing up and going to Comic Con as these characters never appealed.
For me, Comic Con was just about fans of certain shows dressing up and waiting in line for hours to meet their idols, all for a hefty price. I was therefore surprised when many attendees told me meeting the celebrities was not their main reason for going.
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For lots of attendees at Comic Con, it is a space for meeting up with old friends, making new ones and admiring each other’s creativity, as well as promoting good causes. Alex, who came as Spider-Man, said: “I’m meeting up with some friends I’ve only met on social media. It’ll be great to meet people across the country who I don't normally get to see."
He added: “If I meet a celebrity that’s cool, but seeing communities coming together is why I come to Comic Con.” Brian came as a Weeping Angel from Doctor Who. He said: “It’s all about the experience and meeting new people.”
He met fellow Doctor Who cosplayers Simon, playing the Twelfth Doctor and Catherine, cosplaying as companion Amy Pond at various different conventions across the country. Comic Con brought them together and made them friends for life.
Paul didn’t make a painstakingly realistic Iron Man costume to just impress Guardians of the Galaxy and Marvel star Peter Serafinowicz. He said: “It’s a way to get my creativity. I’m a programmer and I love building projects like this.
I also bumped into Paul, Claire, Mark and Phil from Merseyside Ghostbusters. They were all dressed up as the paranormal fighting vigilantes but were raising money for Wirral charity Autism Together.
Paul said: “With Comic Con, it gives you a chance to be who you want to be without judgement or criticism. We’re saying, if you want to be something different, this is the place for you.”
On the merchandise side, it’s easy to be distracted by the big names and incredible replicas signed by the actors themselves. One example was a Freddy Krueger claw signed by Wes Craven.
Nevertheless, there were numerous stalls lining the convention centre with up-and-coming artists and creatives promoting their work. Despite the vast size of the venue, Comic Con had a homely and comforting atmosphere.
I was conscious of coming into Comic Con as an outsider. Thankfully, everyone I spoke to was very friendly, even when I had clearly never heard of the anime character they were cosplaying as.
Their enthusiasm was radiating and I was able to leave pleasantly surprised about what Comic Con had to offer. However, spending £400 on a costume for a BioShock character may be a step too far for me.
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