Last October I made an aborted attempt at going to one of these MCM Expo things. I got there late, and the fast quantity of hyperactive teenage cosplayers made my blood run cold.
This time as a friend was coming down from Edinburgh I dragged myself along ~sorta~ on time, and thanks to judicious queue hopping, avoided the long wait for tickets.
The last time I described the show as having the impression of a grander version of the erstwhile Peterborough Sci-Fi and Fantasy Fair, the local comics/science-fiction/fantasy/horror/roleplaying/wargaming/hitting each other with pretend weapons/hitting each other with real weapons event in area I grew up in. The actual inside of an Expo holds up those comparisons (at least to the peak era of the Peterborough show in the early to mid-nineties).
It’s people selling things, people signing things and some panels. The layout’s somewhat disorientating, often I found myself turning round to places I’d just walked past and things I hadn’t seen would appear. Compared trade shows I’ve been too and some open exhibitions the layout was very poor. The sound for the panels and the “in-show” announcements was appalling throughout the morning, it was just a muddy overloud dirge. And we had no clue that we needed tickets to watch the cosplay event.
On the good side there were plenty of bargains to be had. Beez and Manga had very reasonably priced boxsets on sale. And Koei, unlike the other videogame exhibitors actually had product on sale as well on display.
I’m not in a hurry to come back to one of these things though. It’s not really aimed at me, as I am neither an anime/manga fan thats too young to go to a convention, nor a fan of genre film/tv (ugh I hate that term but it’s easier than typing sci-fi/fantasy/horror. What?) who wants an autograph or photo taken with their favourite basic cable tv star of choice.
Also: Whatever happened the fat Klingons that you always used to see at these sort of things? Has Star Trek fallen that out of favour nowadays? JJ Abrams, I want the Fat Klingons back where they belong! I find their absence disconcerting.