Bigger But is it Better?

It’s been a few years since we’ve been to MCM Comic Con and as we rocked up to the NEC for the first time this weekend we noticed the event was a lot bigger but was it better?

So this lively, high-energy celebration of pop culture certainly had a lovely array of stalls to browse through, some great guests this year (including James McAvoy and hot off the Season 5 premiere release of Stranger Things Vecna himself, Jamie Campbell Bower) and a whole load of food stalls, stage talks and more taking place.

It’s a three day event offering just a little bit of everything and it’s a space to dress-up and let you inner nerd mingle with other fellow nerds.

Whilst walking around this year the scale of the event is now clear to see it’s huge but long gone are the days when they use to lay carpet down and make more of an effort with the appearance as it very much feels like it’s grown so big that carpet costs would now just be a waste of money, totally under stable but it does give the event more of a gritty empty and lazy feel as opposed to what it used to be like (especially the London version of MCM).

An easy aesthetic oversight of course but the stands themselves whilst varied were showcasing quite a bit of AI artwork this year and many of the stalls were copy and paste which was a slight shame as real artists were in short supply as these AI and Temu vendors were very much present at the event.

There were still some great independent stalls but it was a shame to see that many of the stalls we passed were championing AI art (at least to my eyes anyways) whilst real artists and their work were much harder to come across.

Stall variety wasn’t as much as it has been in previous visits but there’s usually something to match your interests as you go around.

There were some great costumes on display and the vibe was very welcoming and friendly, you can head down and chill with your friends or hop in a line to meet your favourite star for an autograph or photo. For those easily overstimulated then this event probably isn’t for you and if you have an allergy to furries you may want to avoid this event too.

Never in my life have I seen so many furry cosplayers. Whether these are characters from anime’s (which I don’t watch) or just simply dressing up with a motorised wagging tail it certainly felt as though when I last visited there was more variety in the cosplay on offer. There were movie and TV characters wandering around still but they were being drowned out by giant furries walking around the building.

It was a very strange sight that’s for sure and if it’s your first comic-con you might be wondering if you’d made a wrong turn into the furry fetish exhibition, it was in a high abundance this year that’s for sure!

A day at comic con can certainly rack up in cost rather quickly but it’s still a great day out to unleash your inner nerd, it’s a fun vibrant gathering for everyone sharing in the same interests as you and it’s great for friends, families or anyone who wants to dive into the social side of fandom events.

MCM put on a great event every single year but can we have a bit of stall diversity please?

MCM Comic Con Birmingham is certainly bigger but better is more of a stretch, I certainly like the big name draws that are coming to the event (usually exclusive to Monopoly Events / Showmasters who scoop up the big names) so that’s nice to see but it really is down to personal preference and if it’s an excuse to dress up and have a good time out then it’s worth the money every single time. 

Embrace the chaos and navigate the furry crowd and have yourself a good time at MCM Comic Con Birmingham.