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London Film and Comic Convention
"The
following is a guest review. The review
and photos do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Michael Crawford
or Michael's Review of the Week, and are the opinion and work of the
guest author."
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Jeff recently spent some time at the London Film and Comic
Convention and put together this report on the show. Take it away, Jeff!
Every self-respecting collector, comic book enthusiast, geek,
geekess, fan-boy and indeed fan-girl has but one thing on his or her
mind come early July, and that thing is the San Diego Comic Convention.
Yes, so important has the annual Mecca to all things ‘fantasy’ become,
that the usual geek channels of communication become all a twitter
(yes, bad pun intended) with the latest insider gossip on the new
comics, movies and perhaps more importantly collectibles and toys that
we can all look forward to seeing released over the following twelve
months. Sadly I have never actually attended, due comprehensively to
being a struggling father of two with a mortgage and expensive taste in
the ‘objets d’art’ I do like to litter my house with, but perhaps more
importantly that I live in the wrong continent, and with no legitimate
reason to attend as a ‘work-related’ tax deductible expense, it remains
a pipe dream… sigh!
However, I’ve always been well catered for
in the great coverage that Mike lavishes over the event. His treading
of the boards and tireless posting of hundreds of photos is the next
best thing. Maybe one day I’ll walk through those hallowed halls for
myself, but for now his reporting helps to nourish a small hungry part
of my soul!
And so being stuck in the rain-drenched capital of
England I figured it was time I actually get my arse down to the annual
London Film and Comic Convention (LFCC). I have meant to attend for
some time, but due to work, holiday or general family commitments the
stars had not aligned in such a way as to let it actually happen. And
as chance would have it I was almost scuppered again this year with a
busy schedule that included the Olympic torch relay passing right
outside my house and visiting friends dropping by to watch the event
(we all watched… it was nothing short of a nasty cheap corporate event
for Coca Cola and Samsung… shame on you Olympic committee, may your god
forsaken logo be forever smited with the curse of corporate greed).
However, with a determined mindset I decided to at least attend the
Friday evening preview, I emailed the organisers and arranged a press
pass (there are some perks to writing for the most well respected
‘geek’ review site on the planet) then hurried along on my lonesome
after just ONE beer with the guys and gals from work… now if that isn’t
dedication what the hell is! I’m British forchrisake… ONE beer is like
a crime against humanity… but anyway, I digress!
The venue is
London Olympia, a huge and quite impressive building famed for the year
round hosting trade shows, exhibitions and conventions, making it the
ideal backdrop for an event of this size. I have to admit I didn’t know
what to expect, not having been before, and in all truthfulness I don’t
think the Friday evening slot is particularly representational of how
the rest of the weekend pans out. It was busy, but far from thronging
(which may have also had something to the inclement weather we are
experiencing in the UK this Summer… global warming sceptics can bite my
shiny metal ass!).
Once inside I was greeted by a huge airy
open floor littered with hundreds of trading tables. Now that might be
a slight exaggeration, but there were a lot, trust me! And smack bang
in the middle of the entrance was the original 89 Bat-mobile. This
alone was worth the entrance price (though I feely admit I didn’t pay
it), but its magnificent splendour was somewhat spoilt by the naff red
lettering reading ‘London Motor Museum’ plastered across key positions
on the car… I mean, if you had enough class to actually invest in
owning such a heap of awesomeness, why would you then defile it with
such crass naffness? And don’t say it’s because you want the punters to
know ‘where to visit if they want to see it again’, that’s just plain
lazy and can be achieved in a myriad of far classier ways than this.
But anyway, I’m not here to dissect the stickers on cars, lets
continue. At least it is one of the ‘actual’ screen used cars and was
as big, black, sleek and impressive as I had dreamt it would be, I just
hope the few snaps I took do it some degree of justice, and help make
the excitement of waiting for the Hot Toys 1/6th version even more
unbearable, (STOP PRESS… at the time of writing I just posted pics of
the classic Adam West 1966 Bat-mobile which is being unveiled at SDCC
this year by Hot Toys… a small part of me just died and went to heaven,
for even if I never get a chance to own it, I shall die happy in the
knowledge that it is at least out there in the universe and available
to own).
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After perusing the car
for more than a few minutes it’s now time to hit the tables. Facing the
rear of the hall the majority of comic book companies and artists
seemed to be positioned along the right hand side wall, with the rest
of the tables being a mish-mash of traders either dealing in classic
vintage collectibles or newly imported merchandise. There is also a
good selection of ‘unique’ stuff, in the form of statues, props,
T-shirts and cosplay ephemera. So for anyone after that elusive gift,
either to oneself or the significant ‘geek’ other in your life, there
is undoubtedly something for everyone. I did manage to almost resist
buying anything, but in the end I just had to treat myself to a few A L
I E N(S) embroidered patches.
One of the main things that SDCC
has over LFCC (apart from the weather) is the distinct lack of
manufacturers using LFCC to showcase new product. One of the greatest
draws that SDCC has is the fact that by being there in person you will
often see stuff before it is even revealed on the Internet. Of course
with the work of people like Mike and the countless other bloggers out
there it is often a very small window of opportunity, but it is an
opportunity nonetheless. And being in the presence of a new product and
getting the full 360 degree views is still better that any photograph
I’ve ever seen. So, that is one of LFCC’s big problems, and I hope by
working with various games, toys and movie makers it might be something
that gets improved upon, helping make the event bigger and better with
each passing year. From tiny acorns mighty oaks grow, and to be honest
this particular example is way beyond the sapling stage already.
One
of the highlights for me was hooking up with Wai Man of onesixthbruce
fame. A guy who is pretty well known and respected by most serious
collectors who like to indulge in the kind of products we review and
dissect around here, at least to the British and European ones anyway.
He’s one of the few official importers who cover the likes of ENTERBAY,
Hot Toys, 3A and a host of other high-end manufacturers. When I met him
he was still in the throws of setting up his stall showcasing the
latest imported stuff like the new ENTERBAY MIB figures, the Hot Toys
IM2 gantry and 3A Adventure Kartel figures. He even managed to secure
the prototype Doctor Who figure from Big Chief for one of his cabinets,
and having had a little fumble with it I can honestly say that if the
production model manages to match the one on show we will have a winner
on our hands. The sculpt is fantastic, the paint solid, the tailoring
second to none and the new base body was firm but smooth showing no
overly stiff of floppy joints, even the box was nicely designed. It was
evident that even in its early stages of set up, this stall would be a
highlight for the kinds of collectors who favour the finer things in
life.
I took a stroll around the rest of the tables and many
had bang up to date releases from the likes of Sideshow and Hot Toys,
mixed in with older classic collectibles from our childhoods, what ever
your age (mercy, I had forgotten all about Cyborg and Muton, and some
of those Micronauts almost brought a tear to my eye). I got chatting
with some of the traders like John Kelly of Kelly’s Collectables and
was rather taken with a Master Replicas Gonzo from the Muppets he had
on show (alongside many just released independently imported Hot Toys
and Sideshow pieces), and had it not been for my wise decision to leave
my credit cards at home, it might well have been mine. So this is a
great venue for finding sellers who might be just down the road from
you, John was based in Luton, a short drive from where I live, handy to
know. Of course there are countless other traders just like John up and
down the country, and its guys like him and Wai Man that need our
continued support, especially in these harsh times.
The very
back of the hall is where you find the signing tables, with queues of
people lining up to spend a few star struck minutes in the presence of
their favourite celebrity. Some of the classic UK actors featured in
the likes Star Wars and other Sci-fi classics were there along with the
more A-list household names from Gillian Anderson to Charles Dance. But
the favourites always seem to be the more cult TV actors like Jewel
Staite from Firefly and Christopher Judge from Stargate, who’s queues
snaked into the distance. I was told that my press pass entitled me to
some face time with some of the celebrities should I want it, but I was
content just to shuffle around taking a few ‘reportage’ style shots,
and I hadn’t prepared any questions anyway.
I did however
always flash my pass to let them know I wasn’t a stalker, and when Bai
Ling spotted mine she instantly sprang to her feet and started throwing
some poses… I don’t know who she thought I was reporting for, but it
certainly got the crowd cheering and a few keen photographers dived
into a scrum to get some shots. So to the sound of some American guy
yelling ‘yeah baby, yeah, more, more” like a demented Austin Powers (I
kid you not, and with no sense of irony) I hurried on my way.
I
did one more circuit to get a few pictures of the various cosplayers in
attendance, but again I know from talking to people there that the
Saturday is the big day for the dress-up box to be raided, so I’ll try
and do the Saturday next year. It certainly wet my appetite, and though
not that busy on the Friday the atmosphere was still fun with a
tangible sense of excitement for what was to come.
I’d like to
thank Showmasters the organisers for supplying me with a press pass,
and keep another one warm. I’ll be back next year, smoke me a kipper!
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Photos and text by Jeff Parker.
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