MELKSHAM Comic Con has seen another successful year with over 800 comic fans turning out over the weekend to enjoy exhibitions, games, and impressive costume creations.
The annual convention, held over the August bank holiday weekend, has been hailed a triumph by organisers who say it was another improvement and drew rave reviews from those who went.
Organiser, town councillor and owner of Komix!, Hayley Spencer said, “Comic Con went really well again this year. We had a great turnout in spite of the horrible weather, and people have told us they had an awesome time.
“Feedback from the exhibitors and traders was brilliant, and we had a lot of new people who enjoyed themselves so we were pleased with that. The Pictionary was a highlight again this year, and the specially made ‘Brew’s Wayne’ beer went down an absolute storm at the Kings Arms.
“My personal highlight was the cosplay – everyone who came in costume really stepped it up a notch this year and looked totally amazing.
“I’m biased but I have to say my favourite was my daughter’s Jurassic Park Jeep! One of our friends made it for her out of an electric Barbie car.
“The Deadpool and Hellboy costumes were incredible as well and I really think the dressing up adds so much to the atmosphere. It’s a lot of fun and a good way for people to socialise.
“Another highlight was the live body-painting. It was very popular and having live art is something I’d like to do more of in the future.”
This year’s event – the fifth – saw the Assembly Hall, Town Hall and Kings Arms come to life with exhibitions from writers and artists, workshops, games and the popular cosplay competition.
The convention is making a deliberate effort to focus on comic books and away from popular culture; to the roots of superheroes.
Hayley said, “The event was a little bit more niche this year because we’re trying to focus on comic books, not on movies or popular culture.
“Some comic cons have been criticised for becoming too much about Hollywood, so we’ve tried to make sure we’re showing what we really care about, and we had good feedback about that; people were glad to see we had such specialist tables.
“Of course everyone is welcome and we love for new people to come along and find out where their favourite stories come from, but the convention is rooted in comics and we’re excited to keep growing it that way.”
