2012 soon became the year of the convention for the Comics Anonymous team and while we may have experienced some in 2011, this was the first full year the blog had been going. We already had our favourites but February 2012 saw us pack up and head to London Super Comic Con for the first time.
There some notable names announced with the likes of Howard Chaykin, George Perez and many more on hand to catch an interview with or sign a treasured issue. There was also the usual mix of back issues, variants and other comic related stalls with the only drawback being the use of space at the venue itself…..but that was the slightest of concerns that came out of the weekend.
We got the chance to meet some TOP indie creators from the UK, the US and beyond and saw some of the widest range of cosplayers we’ve seen at a Con. While all that was a plus there was still two key aspects that made this stand out for me. Firstly, and probably a significant draw for most, was the attendance of Stan “The Man “ Lee in his first UK con appearance in over 40 years…..that set the Spidey sense of most comic book fans into overdrive.
His signings were extremely busy; there was the opportunity to have a photo with the man himself and there was even a panel with him too which turned out to be a high point from the panels point of view. Funny and intriguing as he meandered through stories about his career from the early years to present day…..a tour-de-force of the achievements he’s made and while some may look at the likes Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and more as the key players in the creation of the biggest characters in comic, it’s fair to say that Stan has made a contribution along the way too. As a lifelong Spider-Man fan this was the high I had imagined it being and the signed issues from that weekend take pride of place among my collection.
There is a secondly part to my reasons for choosing this too as this was another weekend I got to take away from the day job and spend with the Comics Anonymous gang…….a group of people with a different approach to comics and the characters they love…..but the common ground we have, the things we discuss and enjoyment we get from comics turns us into the Justice League of Bloggers. A heady mix of people brought together by the quest to read comics, spread the word of comics and highlight the favourites we have….be they well known characters or the latest indie we’re desperate to share. Long live the JLB 😀
G-Man
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