Comic Con Midlands (Telford Comic Con – September 28th)
Over the last decade, there has been a huge rise in Comic Cons within the UK, and this is mainly down to Monopoly Events, a convention-focused outlet founded by Andy Kleek. With events taking place in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Monopoly Events has provided attendees the opportunity to meet some of the biggest actors and creative forces on the planet, from John Cena through to Hayden Christensen, the list is pretty much endless at this point. If you follow them on social media, you’ll see that they are constantly announcing guests, and it really is quite a monumental achievement to continuously bring this much talent to the UK on an almost monthly basis. So, with this much nerdy activity taking place, along with our recent interviews ahead of their cons, the time has naturally come for STARBURST Magazine to do a little write-up on one of their events. Providing insight into what you can expect, and a couple of tips along the way. This brings me to my experience at Telford Comic Con!
Telford International Centre is easy enough to get to, with a huge car par right outside (Just £3 for the whole day on a Sunday!) you can’t really beat that when it comes to accessibility. With any convention, I’d strongly recommend getting cash out before you go in, and with there being a few cash points around at Telford you could do this with ease here. With each convention, Monopoly Events tend to focus on a particular film, TV show, game, or even genre (See: For The Love Of Horror/For The Love Of Fantasy) and at Telford Comic Con, they’re doing an ’80s/’90s/’00s celebration idea. There was a heavy focus on Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Lost, and Police Academy (Just take a look at the poster below to get a better idea!).
As I was attending on the Sunday, it was a little bit easier to get around as opposed to what a Saturday can sometimes naturally be like at any convention. From what I saw it was very well organised throughout, and the staff were friendly and professional. If you wanted, you had the chance to meet any guest in attendance. If there’s someone you really want to meet, it’s strongly recommend booking your autograph/photo online in-advance, as pre-booked autographs especially, take priority on the day. Once they’re completed, the remainder of the general public can then pay at the desk where the guest is. I would advise that you only book the guests that you really want to meet. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the convention as a whole. If you don’t wish to meet any of the guests, it’s actually still quite rewarding to see a lot of these iconic actors in real life. At Telford, they all seemed really happy to be there, celebrating some of the biggest moments in entertainment.
Outside of autographs/photos, there are a whole host of incredible shops and stalls to look through, so prepare to face your inner geek, as you’ll see ideas that you were not prepared for that you will buy instantly. Those running the stalls tend to be extremely passionate about what they’re selling, and very kind at the same time. The stalls can vary slightly at every Con, so you will always see something new. Walking around at Telford, I got to speak with some incredibly talented people whilst buying the odd unique present ahead of Christmas. A lot of what you see you will really struggle to find on the high street. If you can, take your time with it, and just embrace the powerhouse of creative talent that’s on display. I enjoyed the majority of the stalls, especially the artwork of Nick Gribbon, Digital Pharaoh UK, and Lea Williams, truly brilliant work!
You’ll see lots of replica props and sets from entertainment that you love. Monopoly Events cleverly try to match these up with the guests that are in-attendance, and they did it again at Telford. I saw models from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and plane displays from Lost. For most of these they are completely free, and included in your ticket. Panels are another element that are normally included with your ticket. Hosted by SoCal Val, throughout the day I saw in-depth discussions with the cast of Lost and The Lost Boys to name just a few. There was also a chance for audience members to ask questions, which is an exciting standard at pretty much any convention. To sit down for a bit after walking around for a while is a wise idea as well. Take a rest, and listen to some incredible stories while you do so. The panels always provide a nice balance to any convention, and there were some superb ones on display at Telford. Surrounding all of this was wrestling and a stack of nostalgic arcade machines. Monopoly Events packed the arena to the brim with nerdy culture, and I had an incredible day. Here’s to the next one!
