#splizz

Such is its reputation, people from all over the UK, Europe and the World travel to the bi-annual event that is Wales Comic Con. A cold winter weekend in Wrexham, North Wales did not put people off arriving for the Con several hours before it was due to open, many keen to be the first in line to meet the many guests that had been booked to appear at the event. Organiser Jaime Milner really pulled out all the stops for this event, with the main attractions including stars from Walking Dead, Game Of Thrones, The Hobbit, Harry Potter and Gotham, along with wrestling heroes, sitcom classic John Challis, football legend John Barnes and so much more. Wales Comic Con would also not be complete without the presence of regular guest and all-round good guy Justin Lee Collins.

It was clear to see that the organisers had taken on board some of the feedback from visitors to their previous events. The signing zone has always been renowned for being the most congested area at the event, so it was encouraging to see less traders in the hall, making more room for fans to queue to meet their heroes. Thankfully, the stars from the Walking Dead - Michael Cudlitz,  Scott Wilson, Ross Marquand and Steven Ogg had been given their own separate zone, owing to the predicted popularity of these superb guests. A ticketing system was operational as well in order to help manage the queues a little more effectively.

Disappointingly there had been some last minute cancellations, which were out of the organisers control, but these cancellations and the delay in some guests arriving to the event were not always communicated to both staff and visitors. Having an established information desk could possibly help with this at future events. To compensate for the loss of some big names at last minute to work commitments, at the 11th hour Sam Jones aka Flash Gordon was announced and proved to be a very popular guest, enjoying his visit to Wales and getting the opportunity to chat with his many fans.

Despite the volume of people at the event, the guests had plenty of time for the people they were meeting and seemed to be enjoying their interaction with their fans, answering their questions, accepting their cards and gifts, revealing some behind the scenes secrets and posing for photos!

A large percentage of visitors to the Con do so in cosplay and it is always amazing, if somewhat surreal, to walk around the venue and see the creativity and thought that has gone into some of the costumes that have been created by old and young alike. Due to the community spirit surrounding this event, many of these had been interacting with each other on the event’s forum prior to the event, comparing notes on costume choices and arranging meeting points for group photos. This is what is really unique about this event. Even if you attended on your own, you’d never feel alone!

There were a number of talks and Q&A sessions held throughout the weekend which seemed very popular and attracted substantial crowds. Whilst the event is held and spread out throughout a University campus, to a certain extent Wales Comic Con feels like it is almost becoming a victim of its own success with certain areas becoming extremely packed. It’s almost as though the event has outgrown the venue! With it returning in April 2018 for its 10th anniversary, which the organisers promise to be the biggest and best Con yet, whilst improvements have been made, the layout needs to be reviewed so that they are fully utilising the venue they have.