Filed under: Events | Tags: Alan Grant, Black Hearted Press, CCA, Colin Bell, Colin MacNeil, Erik Larsen, Frank Quitely, Gail Simone, Garry Mac, Gary Chudleigh, Gary Kelly, Glasgow Comic Con, Howard Chaykin, John Lees, John Wagner, Peter Milligan, SICBA, Tanya Roberts, Team Girl Comic
Saturday & Sunday saw Glasgow Comic Con kick-off the summer of comics for me and while the sun shone for the whole weekend (minus a few minor downpours that soon dried up) the guests, comics and cosplayers were all in attendance.
One difference from previous years was the addition of events on the run up to the comic con weekend and this saw a screening of “What Do Artists Do All Day” that focused on Frank Quitely. The team behind GCC had lined up a screening with Frank in attendance for a Q&A afterwards…..plus a bit of signing too. Great show and well worth seeing it on a bigger screen and with one of the nicest/most talented guys in comics…so that’s a winner. If you haven’t seen it yet – check it out over on youtube here.
As for the Con itself, last year saw the it jump to a 2-day event this year felt like things were settling into a steady stride and keeping things as consistent as they possibly could. The likes of Howard Chaykin, Erik Larsen, Gail Simone & Peter Milligan joined some familiar guests from previous years and while at first it felt like numbers were down on last year that seemed to be more in-line with the fact that we were now spread across three venues. That being said, there was never a very significant queue at any of the guests tables – a good thing for most of us but a possible indication of either lower numbers attending or maybe numbers more evenly spread across the course of the weekend.
The three venues were well laid out which allowed a less cramped feeling to the comic boxes, signings, sketching and panel queuing and this all gave the weekend a far more chilled out vibe. Akin to Thought Bubble in many ways as the focus on small press and gaining the quality titles from Glasgow & UK based creators the attention they deserve. Many new releases were getting their debut at this years event and the small press is really the big attraction for me as I get to catch-up with artists & writers who’s work I read, review and recommend regularly. It’s also the chance to meet up with some new folks too as the whole UK scene seems to continue growing year on year.
Cosplay made another big contribution to this years Con and the effort and skill that go into the costumes is amazing…..I’m sure I’ll do it one day too :). The cosplay across two days did help create a fair amount of buzz to the whole day and this just added that extra boost to the atmosphere over the course of the weekend.
The annual SICBA’s were held on the Saturday night too with John Wagner picking up the Outstanding Contribution to Comics award and Dungeon Fun #1 (reviewed here) from Neil Slorance & Colin Bell picking up all the rest – Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel, Best Artist, Best Writer and Best Cover….so a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to them all.
So there we have it…..another two days of glorious sunshine in Glasgow that kicked off my next run of Con going in style. Great chat, great atmosphere, some big name guests and enough small press to ensure that I’m going to be reading & reviewing for the rest of July……that’s a win-win in my book. Here’s hoping 2015 can keep that momentum running.
All photo’s supplied, as ever, by the amazingly talented Fiona Watson Photography
G-Man
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
Comics Anonymous 