This years MCM Birmingham was the first show since the announcement of ReedPOP (organisier of Star Wars Celebrations) acquisition of the shows and brand.
MCM have issued the following release reflecting on the success of the show, and Mary Franklin of ReedPOP promises a lot more for next year.
MCM celebrated the last event of 2017 in style, as MCM Birmingham Comic returned to the NEC on 18-19 November for a weekend pop culture extravaganza.
Featuring everything from comics, movies, games and sci-fi to cosplay, anime, steampunk and online video, the weekend hosted a star-studded line up of guests including C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels, Doctor Who’s Pearl Mackie and David Bradley, known for his roles in Harry Potter and Game of Thrones.
MCM also welcomed time-travelling trio from the classic days of Doctor Who, in the form of Fifth Doctor Peter Davison and two of his companions, Janet Fielding (Tegan) and Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), alongside Star Wars and Harry Potter legend Warwick Davis, Star Trek star Denise Crosby, Pokémon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles voice actor Veronica Taylor and Keith Allen, most famously known for his roles in Robin Hood and Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
Thousands of fans descended on the West Midlands venue, dressed in their elaborate costumes replicating their favourite characters across the pop culture spectrum.
New for Birmingham, the Arrow Film Cult Corner offered fans some exclusive merchandise and pre-release deals as well as a visual feast of the ‘old school’ that has become commonplace with Arrow releases along with the opportunity to meet some of the team responsible for one of the UK’s leading cult labels.
Also making their debut at MCM Comic Con, Ohbots’ programmable humanoid heads saw fans bring them to life! Budding robot-enthusiasts arranged instruction blocks to create human-like behaviour, to act, story-tell, dance, rap or rant about the annoying habits of humans!
International community of streamers, Streamers Connected brought in the crowds of gamers looking to grow their channels on Twitch, Beam and YouTube, while stuntman-turned-yoga-expert ‘The Downward Doug’ performed by Jedi Yoga demonstrations in the KidZone over the weekend.
“It was great to end our year with such a brilliant show. The sense of community and engagement came ringing through loud and clear,” said Danny Aindow, National Event Manager, MCM Comic Con.
“The fans really showed us their love for a place to celebrate community, geek culture and our shared passion for pop-culture – we’re really excited for what we can bring in 2018 to take the MCM Birmingham shows to greater and greater heights.”
Elsewhere at MCM Birmingham Comic Con, the Comic Village played host to an array of amazing comic book artists and writers, exciting exhibitors and retailers showcased their goods and audiences went behind the scenes for break-out indie film director Tom Paton’s supernatural action movie Black Site.
“The spirit of community at MCM Birmingham Comic Con is incredible,” said Mary Franklin, Global Event Director for ReedPOP. “It’s exciting for us to see so many fans enjoying their favourite aspects of pop culture together with their friends. We’re learning more about what they love, and are looking to deliver more for them in the future.”
MCM Birmingham was also the first chance for the Fantha Tracks team to get togther, and plan the future of this site. Attending and reporting from MCM events around the UK will be a big part of that!
