With the show having taken place either two or three times a year since the mid 1990’s, the latest running of MCM Birmingham Comic Con (formerly Memorabilia) quite possibly placed the number of events into triple digits, if not extremely close. Given that enviable lineage, the show is one not to miss, and Sunday 13th November saw myself and Desert Planet Discs co-host Carl Bayliss head to the National Exhibition Center to see what Star Wars treats were on show and take in the vibe of the day.
A walk around the hall revealed a plethora of dealers, activities and events on stages across the show floor, from a variety of different franchises, the emphasis (as it often is these days) being on the world of anime.
We also had the chance to say hi to our friends from Droidbuilders UK, where we caught up with Oliver Steeples to discuss the latest stae of the galaxy and plans for Celebration Europe, and a quick hello with a busy Gary Hailes from the UK Garrison. With Celebration just a few short months away, everyone is making plans and working up ideas (as are Fantha Tracks) to make the show as special as it can possibly be.
Outside of the recognised costuming groups and around the showfloor there were some superb costumes, including these two excellent members of The Bad Batch, Hunter and Tech.
Snapping pics from across the showfloor revealed plenty of Star Wars goodies on stalls around the show, both current and modern and of an older, 90’s vintage. As always, our friends at In Demand Toys had one of the most impressive stands and it was good to see the guys at the show as well as Farthest From friends Jen and Andrew Karnecki who were helping out at the stand.
Speaking of the 90’s, check out this superb stall of Micro Machines sets which covered the original trilogy and the gorgeous wave of The Phantom Menace releases (a couple of which may or may not have found their way back to Lightsabre Towers).
Every show brings up something a bit special, be it a moment, a costume or in this case some incredible art by Chris Duncan of Off The Street Art, who takes pop cans and works his magic to create one-of-a-kind mixed media artwork of pop (literally) culture characters from the superhero world and the galaxy far, far away. They are stunning, so go check his work out at www.littlefingeruk.com.
Always fun, MCM Birmingham Comic Con may sit behind its London counterpart in profile, but remember this – MCM Birmingham was being advefrtised at New York Comic Con, and as part of the Reedpop family it can only get bigger and better. The Birmingham shows have been essential components of the UK convention calendar for many years, so be sure to hit the motorways and come up, down or across to Birmingham and we’ll see you there.
