Now, I need to start this blog post with an apology. The last time I went to Liverpool Comic Con in November 2024, I took my trusty Canon camera and took loads of photos of Cosplayers and props etc. But, when I got home, the memory card died on me. Meaning that all of those photos were lost forever before I could back them up. So no November 2024 blog or photos.
This time around, I just used my brand spanking new Samsung phone for the photos, and they turned out pretty good. I’m going to keep the words to the minimum this time around though, and let the pictures fo the talking.
I will mention that there were some big guests again at this event. Star Wars was well represented by Hayden Christensen and the very lovely Rosario Dawson. I may well have a huge crush on Rosario Dawson, but decided not to meet her as autographs cost an absolute fortune. And she would’ve immediately fallen for me and wanted to elope, which would be kind of unfair on our families. So it was for the best.
But yeah, lots of interesting guests including a load of Starship Troopers people (Denise Richards!), Michael Ironside, Dirk Benedict and so on.
As these photos hopefully show, there was a respectable number of amazing Cosplayers frequenting the event. Daugthertron went dressed a Monster High character this time, but again I’m forbidden from sharing the pics. Well done to all the other costumed visitors, you were fantastic. Thanks for letting me take your photo.
Other than that, there were some great props and famous vehicles, plus dozens of stalls selling all manner of wonders. But we’ll cover those in Part 2 – stay tuned!
What an excellent way to spend Star Wars Day. May the Force Be With You!
Here we go with another Singles Night! Just like Kool and the Gang said – no wait, that was “Ladies Night”. Totally different event altogether. Well, don’t let that be any concern for you, good reader – let’s spend an evening of musical fun and adventure anyway!
What, you may well ask, is “Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub”? If you know, feel free to skip this bit. Otherwise, I’ll explain.
Singles
In essence, I have a huge stack of 7 inch vinyl singles that I haven’t played yet. And they need to be played before I can add them to my super sophisticated filing system. So on Singles Night, I grab a bunch of these records and play ’em, A side then B side, one after the other, whilst having a wee drinkie or three.
It’s great fun. It rocks. Here’s the latest playlist:
The Rezillos – “I Can’t Stand My baby” / “I Wanna Be Your Man”
The Rezillos – “Top of the Pops” / “20,000 Rezillos Under the Sea”
The Ruts – “Something That I Said” / “Give Youth A Chance”
Sweet Dreams – “Honey Honey” / “I Surrender”
The Steve Gibbons Band – “Tupelo Mississippi Flash” / “Till the Fire Burns Out”
Showaddywaddy – “You Got What It Takes” / “Showboat”
Goombay Dance Band – “Sol de Jamaica” / “Isla de Suenos”
KC & The Sunshine Band – “That’s the Way (I Like It)” / “Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong”
Dollar – “Mirror Mirror” / “Radio”
Siouxsie & The Banshees – “Hong Kong Garden” / “Voices”
Suzi Quatro – “I Go Wild” / “I’m a Rocker”
Rose Tattoo – “Rock’n’Roll is King” / “I Had You First”
Deep Purple – “Black Night” / “Speed King”
Elton John – “Blue Eyes” / “Hey Papa Legba”
Berlin – “Take My Breath Away” / Giorgio Moroder – “Radar Radio”
Motley Crue – “Primal Scream” / “Dancing on Glass”
Bobby Brown – “On Our Own” / “On Our Own (with Rap)”
De La Soul – “Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)” / “Pile and Piles of Demo Tapes Bi-Da Miles”
And there we go, mes amis. A right old concoction and no mistake. But you know what? The odd dud in the playlist only makes the good stuff sweeter. And when you’re having fun, those duds ain’t so bad anyway.
The odd horror from the fabled car boot box of doom still lingering here, but they’re slowly dying off. Instead, a veritable feast of punk rock wonders, from the Rezillos, Ruts, Siouxsie and The Damned. That Damned track is, of course, a cover of the Jefferson Airplane song, and not one of my favourites – though the two songs on the B side are absolutely wonderful.
Plenty of other delights with Rose Tattoo and a double sided banger from Deep Purple, not to mention a Crue song I actually really like.
I hate the film Top Gun – never managed to see it all the way through – and not a huge fan of the Berlin track, but hey, it was a freebie. Likewise, that Bobby Brown song from Ghostbusters II is a huge drop in quality from the Ray Parker Jr classic. Some pop genius from KC & the Sunshine Band and Booker T keeps us on track nicely, though.
All in all, another successful night’s entertainment. Stay tuned for more soon, folks – I’ve got loads of these discs for ya and they’re itching for a spin!
There nearly wasn’t a Comic Con in Chester at all this year. Then suddenly, Monopoly Events swooped in and saved the day, in true caped crusader style. In the new guise of “Comic Con Mania” – which appears to be a series of smaller conventions across the country – the plans were back on.
With only a handful of celebrity guests and smaller space for merch stalls than some of the bigger cons, Chester was a refined affair. But I felt there was a good atmosphere, a sense of a local event that defied the odds and was determined to put on a good time.
Daughtertron and I decided to venture to Chester Racecourse and check things out. It had been two whole years since we last visited a convention in Chester – with this event happening right on our doorstep, it was a safe bet for an afternoon’s entertainment.
There were guests from Star Wars and Red Dwarf in attendance (and I really should’ve got an autograph from Mike Quinn, aka Nien Nunb in Return of the Jedi). But Daughtertron and I were happy exploring the stalls and finding some bargains to take home. I got a load of Marvel comic books. Now you’d think finding comics at a comic convention would be an easy task, but surprisingly I draw a blank at many cons.
Of course there were some fantastic costumes being worn by talented people, wandering all round the place. The Cosplay on view was really impressive as hopefully you can see from my photos here. Thanks to all of those who allowed me to take their photo, you’re very kind. I hope these pics do some justice to the time you’ve spent creating these outfits.
Comic Con Mania Chester was on a smaller scale than some of the bigger cons we’ve visited recently. Not surprising really, with another event happening not too far away in Aintree the next day – this may have impacted numbers and traders attending.
In my personal view, I had a fun few hours at Chester, it seemed well organised and it was a warm, friendly event. I’m looking forward to more in the future.
Flashing lights, buzzing bumpers, flippers firing, the streaking silver ball ricocheting across the brightly coloured surface – yes, the game of pinball is a particular favourite of mine. Not that I’m any good at it, mind you – I just like to play. There’s something wonderfully hypnotic about those clanging and banging machines that’s otherworldly and magnetic.
Pinball is undeniably cool. It’s rock’n’roll. I mean, The Who didn’t sing a classic rock tune called Playstation Wizard, did they?
The tables are also undeniably a thing from the past, of course. I quite often visit Rhyl, once the arcade capital of North Wales, but sadly the pinball machines in that resort have disappeared over the last several years. Now replaced by modern shoot ’em up video games – or worse, grabber machines – it seems pinball has long since been relegated to history.
Pubs were also a source of pinball fun. Back in the early 90s, The Addams Family machine graced by local boozer. In my student days, we often spent a few quid we couldn’t afford on a pint and some games of Fishy Tales.
Imagine my joy, when on our recent trip to Whitby, a stroll along the harbour front revealed a retro arcade in residence over one of the regular arcades. Up there were numerous old school arcade games from years gone by: Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Ms Pac Man. And over there, across the room, a row of pinball machines…
There were four: the classic Addams Family and Terminator 2, plus a couple I assume are much more recent, Avengers and Ghostbusters. Over joyed to see them, I happily plugged a few pound coins into each and played some games.
My first attempts at Addams Family and Ghostbusters were pretty enjoyable, successful games. That may have been luck rather than skill though. I fared much worse at Avengers Infinity Quest and Terminator. Repeat games didn’t improve my scores, for the most part!
The skill with pinball always seemed to be learning all about a particular table, studying it’s unique features over several games to increase the players ability. Luck was always a factor, but just a couple of games without exploring the idiosyncrasies of a machine never seemed to deliver much reward.
Playing those pinball tables was fun, though. And ridiculously satisfying when I was able to shoot the ball up a ramp or runner, setting off the lights and unleashing a torrent of noise. Contrasted with the desolation of a ball sinking dead, between the flippers and escaping into oblivion when I hadn’t hit it once.
Whitby is a long trek from home. There must be other pinball tables near…
Liverpool Comic Con is massive! This event has grown into a truly huge experience, taking up gigantic halls just at the side of the river Mersey. For one whole weekend, thousands of people visited this convention and were able to be a part of what was a monumental gathering.
With it being Star Wars Day on the Saturday (“May the Fourth be with you”, of course), this event seemed like the ideal place to be. I ventured over to Liverpool with my daughter in tow on the Sunday, eager to make a full day of the whole experience.
Daughtertron attended dressed as Ellie Williams from The Last of Us Part 2. I’ve never heard of it, but she looked pretty cool. Unfortunately I have been banned by Daughterton from sharing her photos, in case they are used for nefarious deeds by evil classmates. A shame, it was nice that one of us made the effort to get into a bit of cosplay – but never mind – there are plenty of other photos here.
With literally hundreds of people milling about, there was no way I could take photos of everybody. There were dozens of amazing costumes worn by talented people on display – thank you all for allowing me to take your picture. You’re all heroes, and one day I’ll join in with you and get dressed up. I’m running out of excuses, so I just need to decide who to be. Suggestions are welcome.
Of course the merch stalls were a big draw for me, as always. There were loads of different stalls selling all kinds of amazing paraphernalia, all in an enormous aircraft hangar of a building.
The best bit was that I was actually able to buy comics at a Comic Convention! I know that sounds crazy, but several of the events I’ve attended haven’t had a single stall selling comics. Luckily I was able to spend a few quid on some classic Bronze Age Marvel publications for my collections.
I was less happy with the action figure situation, as there was little in the way Star Wars and Reaction figure selections that interested me. Tons of Funko Pops, though none I desired. Daughtertron was very happy with a Monster High doll and an Elvira Funko Pop (different to the version I already own!).
There were many celebs in attendance for those desiring of autographs and meet and greets. The guest list was very impressive, with Hollywood big timer Orlando Bloom at the top of the list. There were also some Lords of the Rings dudes, Jay and Silent Bob, and John Cleese – amongst many others.
The only criticism I’ve heard of the day was the inflated prices: tickets, celeb autographs and photos, even the food. One one hand, putting on an event of this magnitude must incur some major expense; but I could see the point of the detractors. This was an event where spending could easily get out of hand.
My only complaint personally was that there was little in the way of guidance for what was where. Visitors could buy a program, which seemed to be the only way to get hold of a map. Without a map, finding your way around could be a headache. It took us a while to find our way into the main arena – but when we did get in there, our jaws hit the floor.
The huge arena housed an array of amazing vehicles and props: a life size X-Wing Fighter, Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder, a Jabba the Hutt model. There were also vehicles and scenes from Ghostbusters, Robocop, Stranger Things, The Lost Boys, even the Flintstones. It was photo opportunity heaven, all while live bands played.
My autograph hunting days are well behind me, but we made an exception to meet Tim Rose, the man behind many creations including Admiral Ackbar and Salacious Crumb in Return of the Jedi. Ackbar is one of Daughtertron’s favourite Star Wars characters, and mine too. Mr Rose could not have been nicer, he was charming and chatty and an absolute joy to spend a few minutes with. Thanks, Tim!
And that was about it for the day. I hope you enjoy the photos – there should be some more, but currently the technology is playing tricks on me and I can’t find them. If and when they turn up, I’ll do a Part 2. Hope you had a good time at Liverpool Comic Con if you were there. If not, get yourself to the next one!
The last time I was at Wales Comic Con in Wrexham was back in August 2022, and a lot has changed since then. That last event I called “a triumphant return”, though it seems that everything moved back to the substitute venue in Telford. Now the convention appears to be back in North Wales for good, which I’m very happy about.
I mean, I don’t even know where Telford is. Somewhere near Birmingham, I think, so a couple of hours away. Whereas Wrexham is fifteen minutes away from home. It’s easier for me to get to Liverpool, so why would I go to Telford?!
Wales Comic Con was certainly more modest this year. I could tell right away, as I was able to park on the University grounds. The event was reduced to just one sports hall, rather than sprawling over the campus. There were less people milling about, which was actually a bonus, as in previous years the halls could get very crowded.
As always, there were plenty of vendors selling all manner of wierd and wonderful merchandise. My family and I had a right old time adding paraphernalia to our respective collections, and were well satisfied by the wonders on offer.
Our only issue with the event was that some of the celebrity guests had cancelled. In particular, Christopher Lambert of Highlander and Greystoke fame was a temptation we couldn’t resist. I’ve given up on the celeb autograph hunting game as an expensive disappointment, but I was ready to come out of retirement for Connor McLeod.
Unfortunately, M. Lambert had cancelled his appearance (possibly some time earlier), though there had been no warning from the event organisers. In fact, event staff on the day were somewhat vague as to whether he’d cancelled or not. Refunds will be provided, but the Highlanders absence was quite a blow. This was not a kind of magic.
The cosplayers saved the day, as always, with some great displays of imagination and creativity. There were fewer than previous years, obviously, but were still very impressive. Thanks to everyone who posed for photos!
A reminder re the photos on this blog: I am not a professional photographer. I have a nice (but old) camera, and I’ve recently been beset with technical difficulties. My trusty PC has died and I’m cobbling this together on an old laptop running Windows 7 and no photo editing software. So I hope the pics are OK – feel free to share etc as you please, cosplayers.
In conclusion, it was great to have Wales Comic Con back in it’s proper home, and despite a few issues, we all had a great day. Let’s hope the move back to Wrexham will herald a return to form and this convention can get back on its feet.
OK here we go – a family trip out to Liverpool Comic Con! And boy, this convention was BIG. I made the journey to this con last year and had a fairly damn good experience, so it was exciting to return. A wet and chilly day was on the cards, but there’s always a warm welcome in good ol’ Liverpool. And we’d be inside all day, anyway.
Last time around, the queueing situation was a proper nightmare. This time, I made the wiser decision of not having “early bird” tickets and arriving at 9am. I didn’t even bother to get to the event for our allotted time (11am) – we strolled along at 12.30pm and pretty much avoided any queueing whatsoever.
That’s the way to do it. There’s no point in standing in a line, outside, in November.
To tell you the truth, I wasn’t even aware that there was a time we were supposed to go in. I hadn’t looked that closely at the ticket, we were just late. But as they were still letting the last of the 11am people in when we arrived much later, I think this result was a winner.
Anyone who attended this convention (on either day, Saturday or Sunday, from what I’ve heard) had a hard time with the sheer amount of people there. It was rammed. But it seems like Sunday was the better of the two days, so again a stroke of luck. The Exhibition Centre was very busy, but just about manageable.
Several interesting guests were present, but no one I was too concerned about. Meeting guests isn’t that big a deal to me (unless they’re Hammer Horror related!). And the prices were not cheap. It was an impressive bunch of celebs, though, with Stranger Things featuring highly.
Vader and pramdav
Instead, I had my fun perusing the fabulous stalls, buying merch and taking photos of the wonderful Cosplay crowd.
There seemed to be fewer people in costume at this event, but that could be down to the weather (can’t have been fun for some of those who did dare); and the sheer numbers of people there, hiding the view.
StevedavFam and Mike
What Cosplayers I did encounter, however, were superbly talented and spectacular, as always. And lovely people too! Thanks to all of you who let me take your photo, it’s very much appreciated.
Merch wise, my crew and I went a bit crazy – but Christmas is looming on the horizon, so to hell with the cost of living crisis. I picked up a couple of Star Wars figures and a few Marvel comic books, so was happy. There was a distinct lack of action figures across the board though – a result of the clash with the event in London? Not enough Star Wars, MOTU or ReAction figures to be found.
mde
The retailer we were most excited to see again was Cult Locations Ink, who create intricately detailed, framed art prints of film and TV locations. A couple more were added for our new collection, including my favourite, the Munsters’ House.
We’d been on our feet for hours, when finally the time came for us to wander off home. Yes, it was a busy day, but still good fun and a good atmosphere. I’ll be back.
Chester Comic Con was held recently, on a mild summer Sunday afternoon at Chester Racecourse. It was Father’s Day, and I made sure that my personal choice for the day was to attend this event for a fun filled afternoon.
I’ve not been to a comic con in Chester for a couple of years, due to the pandemic and all that kinda shiz. As previous, the racecourse hosted the event and it made for a good venue, with plenty of open outdoor space. Indoors was a bit more compact, but there were enough trader tables to fill the place without getting too manic.
There were also a few showbiz and comic book guests in attendance, though my main aim was to plunder as much action figures and comic books as possible. But have no fear, I also had my camera with me, to take some photos and hopefully provide an idea of what it was like to be there.
Here you’ll see some photos of the excellent Cosplayers, who were all very friendly and gallantly agreed to pose for pic. Thank you all.
Despite the smaller scale of Chester Comic Con – in comparison to some of the bigger events at Liverpool or the NEC for example – it’s a fantastic convention with a good family atmosphere. I had an excellent time, and bought a load of old 70s Marvel comics. Very happy indeed.
The Albert Dock was under ferocious attack from strong winds as I made my way to the Exhibition Centre for Liverpool Comic Con. It was bitterly cold, the sky was grim – I wondered how the American guests would enjoy the weather on this visit?
Not to worry though, inside the event all was transformed into a safe refuge. Getting in seemed very straight forward and hassle free, and as with all things Liverpool, there was a great atmosphere from the start.
WW
BW
Thor
Bats
Greedo
This was my first visit to Liverpool Comic Con, though I’m very familiar with the city from numerous gigs, nights out and shopping trips. Great place. My buddy Adam was going to the convention and I tagged along to check it out.
Inside, my first impression of the huge event hall was of the life size X-Wing fighter on display – smack bang in the middle. Sadly it was a pretend X-Wing from the new films, not a proper Episode IV to VI Incom T-65 – but it was impressive none the less.
BC
A and M
Tim
MH
U and MM
3M
M and H
Also on display were the A-Team van, a Back to the Future DeLorean and KITT from Knightrider (amongst various other replica vehicles and props). It was a real thrill to see all of the cool items and grab some photos.
I’m always a big fan of investigating the merchandise stalls at a Con, and this was no exception. There was plenty to see and spend some cash on. Sadly there’s never enough cash, otherwise I’d have spent a fortune. As it was I picked up some Masters of the Universe figures and Marvel comic books, so all good.
The guests were interesting, though none of them particularly appealed to me so my wallet stayed closed there. Top of the bill were Teri Hatcher (Lois Lane), Dean Cain (Superman) and Burt Young (Paulie from Rocky) – so an impressive calibre of stars.
The real stars however were the Cosplayers. There were some fantastic Cosplayers of all types and ages, displaying amazingly talented creations. I tried to get as many photos as I could, which you can see here. Thanks to everyone who posed for a photo!
All in all, Liverpool Comic Con was a great day out with enough entertainment for everyone. I’ll definitely try to visit again next time.
In Part 2, I’ll share some pics of the props that I photographed. In the meantime, enjoy these shots of the awesome cosplayers.
Regular readers will know that a visit to the NEC in Birmingham for MCM Comic Con is on the cards at least once a year. I missed the earlier event as the gang and I were at Sci Fi Weekender, however we were able to make the November Con.
My intrepid companions and I arrived at the massive site and after parking up, wandered down to the event hall. Already there were dozens of cosplayers around, showing their awesome costumes.
Jareth
Winter Soldier
Hulk and Spidey
Harley and Ivy
Batman and Alfred
After a chill in Wetherspoons, we made our way towards the hall. Thankfully we didn’t have long to wait before we could enter. This year we had regular tickets rather than early bird, so although this gave us later entry we had no problems.
Inside Comic Con, the aisles were busy and we formulated a plan of attack on how best to navigate our way around the stalls. There were hundreds of people there, so not always easy to get to see some of the merchandise. With a little patience and a bit of skill we were able to get a good look around.
Freddie
Shaun
Gamora
Dengar
Tony
The guests this time weren’t particularly inspiring – it seemed like all the best stars would be at Wales Comic Con the following week! We were happy to spend the day viewing the displays and stalls to see what amazing paraphernalia we could afford.
Sadly, despite buying some fantastic items, there’s never enough money. Oh, the damage I could do with a lottery win. Seriously, there were dozens of action figures (for a start) that I could have give a home to.
Indy and Catwoman
Cammy
Besides the joys of spending hard earned cash, there were of course the magnificent cosplayers out in full force. A mind boggling array of characters, some well known and some more obscure, were to be seen.
Due to various organisational issues, I had forgotten to bring along my trusty Canon camera. There’s always something, right? Forgetting to bring the camera was a new low though! Never mind, I was able to take photos with my phone – and the cosplay superstars were just as friendly and happy to pose as ever.
Cool
Spidey and Supergirl
Lovely couple
Logan
Wonder Woman and Thor
My thanks to all those who posed for a pic, much appreciated! You were all great.
After hours on our feet wandering round, wishing for the cash to buy more stuff, the day was finally over. After another Wetherspoons break, it was back in the car for the long drive home. Another great day out – looking forward to the next one.
Ivy
Psylocke
Thanks to Adam for driving and Greeny and Kurt for the company.
There are numerous pics of cosplayers here, feel free to let me know your favourites, Or if you know the people in the [pics, please let them know.
Finally, i any one in the pics would rather they didn’t appear here, just let me know.
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 