‘MCM London Comic Con – May 2022’ Report

The first London MCM of 2022 has come to a close and if there was a selling point going in (outside of the guests, panels and everything else of course) it would be that this is an MCM that has returned to form in a post-lockdown world. Last October was cautiously treading water but this one is like opening the floodgates in comparison as the time of distancing and containing crowds has gone. So the question is: What are cons like now that they’re back in full swing?

Unfortunately, for me, this is a convention that I didn’t get to enjoy as much as I would have liked due to illness during day two and as anyone knows, Saturday is the most lively day of the convention. However, the two days that I did get to experience were incredibly energetic in a way that I hadn’t experienced last year. There was much more interaction than caution and that’s something which was missed because Comic Con always brings out the community in fans. The number of strangers who were casually striking up conversations or hanging out for hours after the show because they could was a great sight to see. It’s not throwing caution to the wind per se but it was more relaxed and now we’re less on alert, we’re able to be in the moment more.

What were the highlights at this convention? Well, it’s always hard to choose one but there were a few. My personal favourite was the showing of Paramount’s Halo series. Now I’m not a fan of the Halo series. In fact, I can probably count the times I’ve played the games on one hand. Nothing against them. Shooters aren’t my cup of tea when it comes to gaming. Naturally, like any other video gamer, I get slightly cynical about adaptations of video games. They’re either decent at best or cringe-inducingly terrible at worst. That said, the previews of the Halo series that Paramount is creating did look a lot better than I was expecting because it looks like the budget and care has been put into it. It’s hard to say if it’ll be great from a few select scenes but the acting was believable and I would say to go in with an open mind prior to watching when it does release.

Something that was definitely grabbing everyone’s attention was Genshin Impact. If you’re into RPGs then this is something you have certainly heard of. It would be fair to say that the queues for it could have gone from one side of the stand to the other. Everyone was so keen to get their photos, merch and it just shows how popular Genshin Impact is because the queues were consistently full.

For me, there weren’t too many guests to see. Mostly because they happen to be from animes and shows that I’m either unfamiliar with or ones that I’m not watching at the moment. To name a few of the stars at MCM this time, we had Robert Sheenan from The Umbrella Academy, Erika Harlarcher from the likes of Persona 5, Doug Cockle (Geralt from The Witcher), Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand and the entire cast of My Hero Academia. Unfortunately, Nolan North had to cancel his appearance due to unexpected circumstances which was a shame for any Uncharted fans but these things do happen every once in a while. From what I could see, a lot of the guests were very popular choices (no shocker that Robert Sheenan had no shortage of fans wanting to see him throughout the weekend). Fans loved every second of being able to spend more than a few minutes talking with their favourite actors and performers. It’s almost like a lot of people were making up for all the lost time from the past two years.

Now, what was there to do in-between exhibitions and seeing your favourite artists? Well, food would be one thing. Now maybe it’s a sign that I haven’t been to as many conventions in recent years but it felt like the amount of food stands for MCM this year had more than doubled. I probably couldn’t go more than 500 steps without seeing something delicious to eat. It’s great for someone like me who could eat her weight in Japanese food if given the choice which I was and it’s safe to say I didn’t refuse.

Another thing would be shopping. Like always, artist alley was in full swing and the fan art was there as well, from 8-bit images, posters, jewellery, clothing and even if you didn’t get your fill there, you wouldn’t be short of choice when it comes to Funko pop stands. It’s just a question of what you’re looking to buy. Comic Con highly encourages you to indulge in getting merchandise, that’s for sure. If you manage to go all three days without giving in to the temptation to buy something related to a favourite franchise of yours then you have more restraint than I do.

While my time at Comic Con may have been shorter than planned, it was still a very fun time. I always recommend pop culture fans to go to a convention. With the world settling itself back into some form of normalcy, there is no better time to enjoy your favourite franchises surrounded by friends and strangers alike.