London MCM Expo May: 09

Date: 2009 July 09 12:55

Posted by Spike

23-24th of May saw the 15th MCM Expo come to London in a shower of guests including Lindsay Wagner of Terminator fame, James Duval who appeared in Donnie Darco and Independence Day, and Tony Curtis, who has appeared in films before God thought that a beard and long robes might be a good look, and Helen McCarthy, the well renowned anime expert. Among these bright stars and celebrities many cos-players, gamers, and indie manga producers mingled amongst the fans through this two day sci-fi, games and anime event.

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There were several film releases showcased at this event including Land of the Lost, the re-imagining of the 1974 TV series of the same name that chronicles a group of people lost in an alternate dimension inhabited by dinosaurs an their efforts to get home. Inglorious Basterds is Quintin Tarantino's Latest offering whereby several (obviously dyslexic) soldiers take on as many Nazis as possible in a self-styled "Spaghetti Western" take on World War 2. Along side these are Sacha Baron Cohen's latest attempt to annoy and confuse America with Bruno, and the two new family friendly films Ice Age 3 and Night at the Museum 2.

There was a plethora of games developers on hand including Atari, Capcom, Activision and of course Eidos plying their wares to anyone who happened to stray to close as well as the more Indie rhythm game demo-ers DDR:UK. The Anime and Manga side was well represented with Tokyopop and MVM alongside ADV, Beez and Manga Entertainment. Never knowingly held back, there was over 40 small groups and artists displaying works covering the entire spectrum of manga and comics, and of course dealer tables with everything from pin badges to swords!

Lastly, and by no means least, the array of cosplayers that attended have once again broken the record for the greatest number of games characters gathered in on place. Well done to them! In conclusion, despite the problems that Transport for London decided to inflict on the city over that weekend, the MCM expo was well worth the trip and I look forward to the next one.