London Comic Con

This weekend saw the inaugural London Super Comicon (or something...there's so many London comic cons around now, KaPow, MCM Expos and wotnot, I get confused) in Docklands, somewhere I've never been to. So Tone leaves Brum, I jump on the same train at High Wycombe and we hit London together and have a remarkably easy cross-London trip to the Excel centre, in the shadow of the Millennium Dome. Well, actually it was so bright, there were no shadows around but get you know what I mean.

Although Stan Lee was the big draw, Tone was there for Sienkiewicz and I went solely for Brian Bolland and Kevin Maguire: anything else was a bonus. Tone managed to get a quick Elektra head sketch off Sinky and a signed New Mutants but I managed to get Bolland, very nice, polite guy, to sign the Killing Joke deluxe edition and my Art of Brian Bolland (which he thanked me for lugging around, it's a behemoth!). And while there was some internal dialogue, the outcome was never in doubt and I managed to bag it: Kevin Maguire signing Justice League #1. I'm so enamoured of that series, that cover and maguire's work that I'm really chuffed with this and proud to hold it alongside the first Adam Hughes issues signed by Hughes too.

The event itself? Good venue, lots of space with some major names in comics: other than the above, there was Perez, Cheung, Chaykin, Jiminez, Lee, Wrightson and many more but quite often, they had commissions booked straight away. Some had nothing else on their tables and there weren't a huge number of dealers. However, the organisers expected 5000 a day and got 8000, more than making their money back (Stan Lee cost £120-125,000!) The retailers all had phenomenal sales...but there wasn't much to see.

I think I picked up the Trouble mini series for £2.50(and put it straight on my giveaway pile after reading it) and 2 cheap 80s graphic novels, just to sample something different. My main find was Marvel Masterworks (softcover) for £7.00, cheaper than the black and white Essentials, which is padded out by loads of issues I didn't want (feel like I'm writing for Comics On The Ration!). The reason I wanted it? This reprints the first 11 issues, and as #5-11 are by the masterful Wally Wood, I snapped this up like a snappy snapping thing doing some well, snapping.

While comfortably airy (not sweat inducing like many cons), the worst part was there was no room to move in the dealers alleys, people bottle necking everywhere: yet half the hall was standing empty. Surely the organisers could have spread the dealers out a bit? Next year, I'd like to see more retailers better distributed.

Plenty of cosplay too: I can't see the appeal of doing it myself but have to admit to it being an enjoyable spectator sport, marveling at the great outfits and guffawing at people dressed as cardboard Gobots. Highlights this con were probably Troia, Wonder Woman (as usual), Bruce Banner (!) and Galactus, who lost points with me for not being to scale but won them back with his scale Silver Surfer and a sign stuck on his back saying "Ultimate Nullify Me".

Possibly be looking forward to next year's event now...