From cosplays to potions and questions to the stars, Liverpool Comic Con is an event to remember
Liverpool's biggest Comic Con event made a crash landing this weekend over at the ACC and exhibition centre, attracting more than 40,000 comic, film and gaming fans, eager to meet their favourite stars and show off their cosplays.
From the Last Of Us clickers infected with cordyceps, to Red Dead Redemption cowboys, Liverpool Comic Con attendees went all out with their costumes this year. Particular favourites I spotted throughout the day included Guerrilla Game's Aloy from Horizon and Seymour with a tiny Audrey Two from Little Shop of Horrors.
As a big fan of all things nerdy, I relished every moment getting lost in the crowds and longingly gazing at all of the shirts, prints, and various knick knacks that I wanted to buy...
The event had a stunning guest line-up including Stranger Things actor David Harbour, Vampire Diaries blood-thirsty brothers Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, and the eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith.
Fans spent hours queuing to meet the guest stars for autographs and photo opportunities, as well as joining in with live Q&A events where they were able to ask an array of questions to the actors and artists face to face.
Saturday was spent exploring the vast stalls and activities that the convention had to offer, and watching some incredible performances from those who entered the cosplay masquerade to show off their outfit.
As a big fan of all things nerdy, I relished every moment getting lost in the crowds and longingly gazing at all of the shirts, prints, and various knick knacks that I wanted to buy but would have no use for. Despite this, I still managed to spend over £100 on two framed prints, a mystery jumper and t-shirt bag, freeze dried sweets, two books, a card game, another t-shirt, a tote bag, a coaster, and the infamous pickle challenge bag from TikTok.
Besides my impulsive buys, there were so many more stalls to explore from handmade items such as stickers and pin badges, to more unique pieces such as potions, rum and even bloodied ear shape earrings. Other stall holders also offered up a variety of licenced merchandise including Funko Pop figures, anime statuettes, hats and cat ears, DVDs, and Japanese snacks and drinks.
With the exhibition centre being home to autograph queues and stall holders, the ACC was the base for all things gaming and art related. From esports competitions running throughout the weekend, groups battling it out over boardgames and fans getting photo opportunities with some of their favourite set pieces and props, it was quite the hub of activity.
As a fan of Vampire Diaries and Stranger Things, I loved the addition of the Mystic Falls Grill restaurant and Scoops Ahoy set pieces, and even the ‘welcome to Forks’ sign from Twilight made me grin and reminisce over my Twilight fan girl days.
Attending the event solo, I was saddened at the prospect of not being able to challenge any companions to one of the many board games on offer over at the Imagination Gaming area. Yet, I thought it a nice touch that there were several people working the event that were more than happy to play and teach you a game if you were alone.
After having an absolute ball of a day on Saturday, I was right back at the venue bright and early for day two, eager to catch some of the Q&A panels like Red Dead Redemption Two and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad). Upon arrival, I was instantly greeted by some more incredible cosplays, and with most of the crowds arriving later in the day, was able to explore the amazing artist alley where artists were able to display and sell their wares.
The first Q&A panel of the day was Red Dead Redemption Two, with the main actors Arthur Morgan (Roger Clark), John Marston (Rob Wiethoff), Dutch (Benjamin Byron Davis), and Sadie Adler (Alex McKenna). The group chatted with fans about their reactions to the ending of the game, and what direction they wanted to see Red Dead Redemption go to in the future. One member of the audience got the whole crowd laughing at their question of 'would you rather fight a horse sized goose or 100 goose sized horses' with Roger Clark opting for the first choice.
Another highlight of the Q&A was the group of ten or more dressed in Red Dead Redemption attire, cheerfully shouting yee-haw at any given opportunity.
Next up, was the Superbad actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse's Q&A, an experience not to be missed due to it being his first European convention.
Fans enjoyed asking the actor a variety of questions, including if he’d ever used his McLovin I.D. before and how he felt playing a superhero in KickAss. The whole crowd even got a laugh out of the actor constantly apologising for his use of bad language in front of the children present, and his participation in a game of 'never have I ever' with Q&A host, Tom Finkill.
The rest of Sunday's event played host to wandering around the venues and snapping photos of more amazing cosplays, admiring some amazing artwork, and trying, but failing, to get into the Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black - Twilight) panel due to his massive popularity.
I once again roamed the venues, admiring the incredible items on sale, but altogether refraining from spending anymore money despite my heart crying out for several trinkets from cushions to pin badges, Pokemon balls to light boxes.
Ater walking around the event for two days, my legs finally gave up on me around 4pm, so I plonked down and watched the Stranger Things and Vampire Diaries panels from the big screens in the exhibition centre, as they had previously sold out as separate ticketed events.
The sun shone hot and bright as I left the event for the last time over the weekend, and, as I travelled home, the 'con blues' slowly set in, as did the 'con flu', both things that are most definitely real afflictions you can get from going to comic cons.
Although the blues haven't lasted long, thanks to the announcement that Liverpool Comic Con will be coming back bigger and better this October 21-22.
I don't know about you, but I'm already planning my cosplay and can't wait for the next one, although I could do without the empty pockets.
One more thing - don't blink ...
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