Hi readers,
Yesterday, I went the Manchester Comic Con for the very first time. I was really excited and it had taken me an age to decided what to wear! Being a big Steampunk fan, I decided that would do, so I went with the costume I'd brought to wear later this year at the Leeds Steampunk Fair. I was worried, I might be the only Steampunk person there, but there were a few others, so I didn't feel that alone! There was also a section for Steampunk, though there wasn't a lot for sale there. There was a stage where talks about what it was and how people discovered Steampunk etc.
My boyfriend dressed as his favourite anime character and he got stopped often for people to take photos. I got asked like three times and the third time was actually from someone I half know from playing Dungeons and Dragons! My boyfriend looked so dashing in his costume and I was happy as our costumes kinda went together. He had a great time and since it was his first time too, it was so nice for us both to share it.
There were lots of people dressed up as so many different things; mostly it was anime, comics and games characters, but I saw Jack Sparrow, the Mad Hatter, a Big Daddy and Little Sister from Bioshock (Unfortunately didn't get a photo!) a T-Rex and Pikachus. I also saw lots of Stormtoopers, Batmans, Spidermans, Harley Quinns and Jokers. My boyfriend and I really enjoyed seeing all the different characters and he pointed out everyone I didn't know to me.
There was a lot to see and do! Too much for only a few hours really. We didn't see any of the speakers and we didn't queue to meet any celebs. We did see them from a distance though; Warwick Davis and Chris Barrie. I would've liked to meet them but it was a bit expensive for me. Most of the other celebs didn't seem to be there at the times we walked by. I would have liked to hear some of the speaker stuff too, but it was busy and we'd not looked at the timetable for what was on. - Thing to remember next year!
I loved all the stalls that were crammed together selling geeky things. Even though sometimes you had to wait to get close. I saw tons of soft toys- mostly Pokemon, Totoro and other Japanese icons. There were many action figures, covering a whole range of themes and styles. There was also the model robot kits my boyfriend likes. The other stalls were selling; comic books, manga, photos, prints, drawings and other collectable items. There was an independence section where you could get an artist to sketch you! There was lots of interesting things in this part and I wished there'd been more time to look. There was a section for food places too and we had pizza for lunch as that was an easy thing to share. Plus, I didn't want to spill anything on my dress!
Then we found a second hall which we'd missed because we'd not walked in that direction. This was more of a games and a kid's play area. There was a professional photo stage, a copy of the Game Of Thrones throne. They also had two cars; a police car and Kit. It was a brief wander as we were on the edge of leaving early. I wish we could have stayed longer but unfortunately, my costume was giving me a lot of trouble, plus I was hot and tried.
I did buy somethings because you can't really go to a Comic Con and not! I got a fan, which was expensive but so worth it as I was far too hot and having a breeze was nice. A large Jolteton soft toy - once again expensive but he's so soft and cuddly! Jolteon is my favourite Pokemon and I just couldn't leave him behind. I got some choco-banana flavor Pocky and an interesting strawberry drink that had bits of like strawberry jelly in it. I was half attempted to get some of the Lego figures to go with the Batman set my boyfriend brought me and there were so many other things I could've brought, but I'm so trying to save money at the moment. It's needed for Sweden in 2 weeks time (Yes, I got my passport now!) Leeds Steampunk Fair in October and some parts of my car because it needs a service.
I had so much fun at my first Comic Con and I learnt a lot too! Next year, I'm going to try and make things better so I can have more fun. I'm so going to make sure the costume I'm wearing is comfy. Even though my dress was nice, I kept catching it when I was walking and I was worried other people might do to, so I had to keep carrying it. The corset I was wearing wasn't comfy after a few hours and come undone at the bottom too. I ended up taking it off before we went home as I'd had enough. My feet also hurt, despite my boots being a good fit. Plus, I so needed to bring a better bag!
It was very hot, not just because of the summer and the people, but due to there not being much of a good circle of air. So, I might wear my Steampunk costume from last year's Leeds. Half tempted to do that this year too for going back again.Though I might have lost some more weight and be able to fit in my dress better. Wearing cooler, comfy clothes is key, so I can't imagine how hot people wearing bigger and heavy costumes - like the furries and full body suits, felt!
I'm also going to find like a timetable of what's going on so we could see a few of the talks etc. Maybe see which celebs will be there too. We did know some of them this time but there was more then I remember. Maybe a map of the halls would also be useful! It's easy to get lost in all the stalls. Saving more money to buy a few more things would be handy too.
Most importantly, is making sure my camera works and taking more photos! That was one of my biggest regrets. I took only 20 odd on my phone and then when I got my camera out to take some photos of people dressed, up my camera took two photos then to told me there was a problem with the memory card and didn't work again. Though it seems I didn't put the memory card back in right and after fixing that it seems okay again. I think also, stopping and asking people was a bit challenging for me, but most people will let you if you ask and there's enough chances to jump in when other people are taking photos too.
Overall, I had great fun and I can't wait to go again!
