Posted in: Comics, Conventions, Current News, Events, Pop Culture | Tagged: excel, london, mcm, Megacon Live

From One Side Of MegaCon Live London 2024 To The Other

Catch the From One Side Of MegaCon Live London 2024 To The Other traditional Bleeding Cool video, blurs and all. This is the way.

Hello Neil Gibson of Twisted Tales! Thank you for introducing the From One Side Of MegaCon Live London 2024 To The Other video above! This morning I set off from Kingston Vale to the London ExCel Centre, but for the first time in two decades, not for MCM London Comic Con. Instead, it is home to a new London comic convention show, MegaCon Live London. Not the Megacon in Tampa Bay or Orlando, but London's Docklands, as well as Dublin, Birmingham and Manchester which it has been knocking around at for the past couple of years. Created by Malo Events, combining other events, Social in the City and TokFEST, it's all from co-founder of MCM Comic Con, Bryan Cooney who sold that show to ReedPOP over six years ago and is now out of his non-compete clause, so he can bring it MegaCon Live London and the ExCel Centre again.

The MegaCon Live pitch is thus: "Experience the thrill of MegaCon Live, Social in the City, TokFEST, and Kids MegaZone with ONE TICKET as we unite these epic shows under one roof at London ExCeL MegaCon Live London is the one-stop destination for families and fans, showcasing a universe of creativity and entertainment. Be the hero of your own story and create memories in an electrifying celebration of fan culture."

As you may have guessed, MegaCon Live is not exactly a comic book-centric affair, but they do promise Matthew Robert Davis, Marc Ellerby, Lee Bradley and Jermaine & Glen of Kindred Comics in attendance as special guests, as well as media guests such as Catherine Tate, Jemma Redgravem Taz Skylar, Jeremy Shada, John Noble, Matt Ryan, Bruce Boxleitner, Jamie Bamber and the like. Claudia Christian is also a comic creator in her own right these days as well. There's also a wall of social media influencers, which, at another time, I might have thrown disdain at, but OMG, there's Abigal Thorn, Spill The Tea and Lemon Teeth as well. I have grown.

The show is around a quarter of the size of MCM, which is also about the size of MCM when it began. However, it has basically all the cosplayers from MCM, making up a much greater proportion of the attending public. There may be less stuff, but it's less pricey and glory be, they have carpets. The difference between walking around with or without carpet is immense, as I discover at the age of fifty-one. Also, apparently JK Rowling writes orange carepts into her stories set into conventions, so the show may be looking to attract any adaptations to be filmed at their shows in the future.

Today was a chance to catch up with some friends, sit in on Claudia Christian and Bruce Boxleitner, and pick up plenty of comics from folk. I even bumped into Matt Ryan, who was looking for somewhere decent to eat. I pointed out the Elizabeth Line would take him from MegaCon Live to Dean Street in 15 minutes these days.

It was noted that certain TikTok creators may have been having too much fun on the Friday night before as didn't turn up at their booths until later on. The footfall of vendors was low for some, but so were their costs. What might have been a Comics Village or Artists Alley was a bit spread out, and didn't have the cohesiveness that a different deisgn might have engendered. But from all accounts, the staff were on top of their game, invcredibly professional, helpful an don top of any situations that came up. They also knew where everything was, which was a real bonus too!

MegaCon Live 2024 was open from 9am to 6pm today at the London ExCel Centre and from 10am to 5pm tomorrow. I'll be running around somewhere looking for Catherine Tate.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!