I have only been home from London Film and Comic Con 2014 for a few hours, and I miss it already. I want to go back. This was my 4th visit to the convention and it certainly did not disappoint!
What is London Film and Comic Con?
It is a convention where like minded people gather and they can meet their favourite TV stars, have their pictures taken with them and even get their autograph. It is a ticketed event and you should buy your tickets online before travelling.
People are able to dress up as their favourite characters (cosplay) and just be themselves. It is held in Earl's Court, and there are stalls in the main hall. It's basically a big market for geeks.London Film and Comic Con is the biggest event of it's kind in the UK and should not be missed. I love it so much.
Stan Lee
The biggest draw to the con this year, was that Stan Lee was in attendance in his last ever appearance on European soil. I did attempt to get his autograph but the queue was too long and I had to catch my train home, so I was a bit disappointed. However, this did not spoil my enjoyment. And I did manage to see him walking past whilst he did his own shopping:
Oversold
Because Stan Lee was there, the con was incredibly crowded. I couldn't really move without someone bumping into me and there was one point where I had to leave because there were people everywhere and it was so hot.
Some people were saying that the organisers had oversold on purpose because the con was split over two halls, and I have to tell you, it certainly did feel like it. I have never seen it so crowded. This did sort of ruin it for me because people were pushing me out of the way and there were times when I was queuing just to get to the end of the stall aisle.
However, this level of crowd was because of Stan Lee. It wasn't as crowded last year, when they had main cast members from The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones.
Well Organised
As usual, the con was very organised in terms of virtual queuing for autographs and knowing where you had to be for your photographs with the stars. And it was clear where you went to pick up your image. Last year, some people didn't know where to go and there was a massive fiasco with their images getting lost in the mail. This year, they seemed to have learnt their lesson and some of the sections had your photographs printed off right there and then.
However, I did think that they were missing a massive TV star this year. I actually didn't get any images with stars, or any autographs. Last year, that was what I spent most of my money on. The only thing I did do was get the photo taken on the Emporer's throne from Star Wars. That was amazing! I felt the dark side shiver right down my spine when I took my rightful place on the throne. You might say that the power went to my head. If you say this to my face though, I will use the force against you.
They also had the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones, which I got last year, and the inside of the Tardis. You do have to pay to have your photo taken on the thrones, but it is minimal compared to the cost of images with celebrities and autographs. So the thrones are a good addition to the con line-up.
Cars
Last year, they had the Ecto-1 car from Ghostbusters and I thought that that was some large shoes to fill. This year, since the con was heavily themed towards Transformers, they had the new Bumblebee car, the old Bumblebee car and Optimus Prime. I loved these cars!
They had armed guards (cosplay) on the cars and they played the part really well. All the kids were made up! I wonder how they can top that for next year? #delorean #bringbackecto
Panels
There were a few panels this year, with the main ones being Game of Thrones, Stan Lee, Doctor Who, Sherlock and The Walking Dead. I didn't see them all, but I did see The Walking Dead panel. The theme of the panel was how the actors dealt with being killed on the show because all of the stars in attendance were not on the show anymore.
I did really enjoy the panel because they told us some interesting stories and behind the scene information. The part that I found the most interesting was that the zombies have to take part in a 6 hour, 'how to be a zombie' course, before they get the part! This made the think that the actors must play more than one zombie because it would take a lot of time and money to train new zombies for every single episode. So, I am going to keep my eye on those zombies from now on.
Conclusion
I would recommend London Film and Comic Con to anyone that has an interest in all things geek. Even if you don't want to see the guests, you will have a good time just walking the stalls and shopping.
I do suggest that you buy the tickets in advance and spring for the early bird tickets because the queue outside was unbelievable. I was shocked at how many people didn't ask if they were in the right queue. Ticketed and early bird queues are different to the general admission queue. So, ask for help otherwise you will spend hours standing in a queue that isn't yours.
I did prefer last years convention when compared to this one because it was less crowded and there were more guests and panels that I wanted to see. The crowd did not put me off going next year, I just think that they need a bigger venue now. They also need to split up the rooms so there is a good mix of stalls, panels and autograph tables in each room. This year, they had the artists, comics and gaming section in room 1 and the rest in room 2, so more people crammed into room 2.
I did record a video for this convention, which should be live at NerdAsylumOnline and MsNerdAsylum YouTube Channel, over the next few days.
Rating: 7/10
I will be attending San Diego Comic Con later this month, so keep checking back to both Warped Factor and NerdAsylumOnline for articles and videos from my trip to California.
Raff is a massive Disney Geek, Thrill Seeker, Gamer and Comic Book reader. Basically she's an all round massive geek! Read more from Raff at nerdasylumonline.com and follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & YouTube.
