In 1970, the West Coast Comic Book Convention met for the first time in a California Hotel to revel in their geeky enthusiasm for comics. Inadvertently, they launched what would be known today as the globally celebrated Comic Con.
Over the years, what was once a convention dominated by comics and graphic novels, grew to incorporate more diverse aspects of pop and cult-culture. But it was when the movie business got involved that Comic Con turned into the massive media Godzilla that George Lucas predicted it would become when he brought Star Wars to Comic Con in 1977. Today, we could detail a long list of reasons why it’s as successful and popular as it is. But ultimately, the Con owes its staying power to one thing: its fan-centric organisation.
A democratic fan spirit rules Comic Con. And as for those who enter into this realm, be they TV mega celebs or geeks in costume, all are equal and possessed by a child-like wonder as they gathertogether to celebrate great art, excellent story-telling and the glory of escapism.
So, what will you find at Comic Con 2012? Read on to find out:
For the gamers:
At the Gamezone & Power-league Gaming Championships, expect to find new releases from the world’s leading gaming platforms and publishers. The zone will also feature heats and finals for the Power-league Gaming Championships. Also look forward to competitions and games like theme tune karaoke, what planet are you on with improv revolution and the Otaku quiz show.
For the comic fans:
The world’s biggest comic book publisher, Marvel, will be there to promote the brand and the upcoming Avengers film. Jashanmal Comics Village will be hosting some of the biggest comics publishers in the world and featuring artists who have worked on major characters and titles.
For the Manga fans:
Like the Comics Village, the SP TV Manga Town will be featuring local and international Manga and Anime creators. Also enjoy browsing through piles of titles from Kinokuniya.
For the film buffs:
The VOX Cinema’s Movie Club will not only be showing a few classic sci-fi and anime films, but expect to see some exclusive sneak peak footage from some big new movies.
For die-hard fans:
Don’t miss the Meet the Artists Area for your chance to meet the TV and film stars and get an autograph or even a photograph with your favourite actors, actresses and creators. At the SAE Dubai Green Screen you can have your picture taken next to some of your favourite characters from the year’s biggest movies.
For the cosplayers:
No Comic Con is complete without cosplay competitions. If you want to do a skit or just take pictures with those crazy costumed kids, then you’ll want to head over to the MEFCC Main Stage. And if you like dressing up but didn’t get a chance to put together your own costume, stop off at Mr. Ben’s Comic Con Costume Closet where you can hire sci-fi and film costumes for the day.
For the artists:
Artists Alley will host over 70 tables showcasing the regional talent with individual artists, writers, sculptors as well as entrepreneurs.
For everyone:
And finally, don’t miss the panel discussions and workshops at the Vox Cinema’s Movie Club and the Workshop Tent. Whether you are an aspiring artist, writer, filmmaker or just a fan, there is something for all.
The MEFCC will be held on April 20 and 21 from noon-10pm on Friday and 11am-10pm on Saturday at the Dubai International Marine Club, Dubai Marina (04 399 5777). For more info visit www.mefcc.com. Tickets are available from timouttickets .com and start at Dhs55.
Anyone for extra cake?
In the run up to the keenly awaited Middle East Film and Comic Con, Elest Ali speaks to Extra Cake’s MD Ben Caddy about comics, cult shows and cultivating local talent.
Why is Extra Cake organising the Middle East Comic Con?
The short answer is we’re a bunch of geeks. It’s something we’re really passionate about and we just think the Middle East deserves one.
what’s the latest news about the convention?
We just confirmed that Marvel will be there – which is amazing, because they hardly do any events really, they just do a couple of shows a year. So for them to come to our first one is obviously a big deal.
Can you give us a lowdown of the biggest names attending?
Sure. Probably the most well known names are Jason Mamoa, from Conan and Game of Thrones – which is obviously a huge series and the second season is just starting now. And we have John Rhys Davies – Gimli from Lord of the Rings and Sallah from Indiana Jones. Then we have Laurie Holden from the Walking Dead.
And you have some UAE names too, right?
Yeah. We have Ali Mustafa who produced City of Life and Ashraf Ghory who wrote Zero Error – which we think is the UAE’s first sci-fi animated feature. We have Kais Sedki, author of the The Gold Ring – the first Arabic Manga comic.
Tell us a bit about the panel discussions?
There will be Q&As with some of the celebrities. But then we’re also trying to give it an educational angle so, for example Michelle Nickelson, who is the script writer for Antar, the Black Night (which is a Middle Eastern Legend – kind of like Robin Hood), is giving a talk with the Khalifa Fund about entertainment finance. So it’s for people who have written a script, made a comic or created a character, and are thinking ‘what do I do next?’
Wow, that’s brilliant.
Yeah, and we’ve got one on script writing with Max Landis, who is the director of Chronicle, and Ali Mustafa. And there’s another discussion on character creation. Basically a huge part of what we’re trying to do is to support regional talent, and to build and support the industry and the culture here. Quite often the people who do end up writing comics or working in films do it in spite of the advice they get from parents and family. So we want to support that talent.
What are you looking forward to most?
I’m looking forward to meeting Jason Lamar and seeing what exclusive merchandise some of the exhibitors are bringing. But really we just want a platform to build this thing. We see absolutely no reason why this can’t be a major event on the Middle East calendar in the years to come.
