Top 5: Reasons to attend MCM Comic Con Birmingham
MCM Comic Con and Memorabilia Birmingham take place this weekend, March 22nd-23rd, at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC). Unlike the huge event that is MCM Comic Con London, this event is on a smaller scale – focusing more on memorabilia and the attending autograph guests. Having always attended the London event we took time out last November to attend our first MCM Comic Con/Memorabilia Birmingham and enjoyed it so much we’re heading back this weekend.
But why should you attend? Well here’s out Top 5 reasons to attend MCM Comic Con/Memorabilia Birmingham:
1) The Guests
As with any MCM event, the guest list for Birmingham is packed with a veritable smorgasbord of actors and actresses from movies, television and anime. Plus for the more grown-up nerds there’s even an appearance from the odd glamour model and porn star!
My personal highlights for this weekends event are British martial arts actor Scott Adkins, star of Ninja, The Expendables, El Gringo and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning; horror icon Michael Berryman, star of The Hills Have Eyes, Deadly Blessing and Cut & Run; Linda Hayden the gorgeous British actress from horror classic Blood on Satan’s Claw and the video nasty Expose; sex comedy icon Robin Askwith, star of the Confessions… films as well as Tower of Evil and Horror Hospital; and Italian actress Francesca Ciardi, one of the “victims” of Ruggero Deodato’s infamous Cannibal Holocaust.
2) The Games
One of the big draws from the London event are the amount of games, old and new, that are available to play. Games at Birmingham are a rarer event, however this month sees MCM eSports bring the first League of Legends tournament of 2014 to the UK, as well as the usual DDR Retro Gaming zone – where you can play Dance Dance Revolution and Megadrives and SNES’ galore! Plus this weekend Namco Bandai will be in Birmingham previewing their latest games: Suda 51’s Short Peace and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle.
3) The Goodies
If there’s one thing you can guarantee to be at any Birmingham event and that’s vendors. Lots and lots of vendors. From cosplay items to autographs to memorabilia and movies galore, Comic Con/Memorabilia is a shoppers heaven. Here’s a tip: budget before you hit the event – trust me, you don’t want to overspend (like I usually do) and end up living on ramen noodles and beans for the rest of the month! There’s also an opportunity to buy the MCM Comic Con tour T-Shirt courtesy of one of the UK’s biggest T-shirt companies, Genki Gear.
4) The Comics
The “Comic Village” is a staple at all of the MCM comic cons and this weekend is no different. This time round the Birmingham event is packed with all manner of independent comic creators and publishers, including our friends at Subversive Comics, creators of the awesome Bearlands comic (reviewed here). Also taking place in the Comic Village this weekend is a fantastic art competition – draw a superhero and you can be in with the chance to win an amazing prize from Letraset.
5) The Cosplay
Where would a comic con be without cosplay? And nowhere is cosplay more prevalent than at an MCM event. Birmingham Comic Con features the Cosplay Desk which is run by friendly and experienced cosplayers who are on hand to help attending cosplayers, answer your questions about the hobby and organise the Cosplay Masquerade, the competitive fashion show-like event (with a strong focus on craftsmanship and accuracy) featuring some amazing handmade costumes.
So that’s our Top 5 reasons for attending MCM Comic Con and Memorabilia Birmingham. What are you looking forward to?