This was going to be an exciting event, we knew that right from the start. Not only was there a host of exciting guests but we were going out, not once but twice! A social life is pretty much foreign to us here at Brambledown Towers, it comes from dwelling in the far-flung wilds of Bramblewick-on-the-Moor.
The weekend started on Friday when we loaded in. Other than the fact our pitch was as far away from the loading bay as it was possible to be, it went quite smoothly. Olympia is a breath-taking venue, the scale and grandeur of it is astounding. That was only emphasised by the presence of a full-size T-Rex in the hall to publicise the latest “Jurassic” movie. When we were finished we went back to the hotel and prepared for our first outing of the weekend; Cirque du Soleil -Luzia.
In terms of spectacle, the Royal Albert Hall puts Olympia to shame. Partner that with hosting Cirque du Soleil and you have a jaw-dropping experience. I don’t know where to start, the skill, the costumes, the music, the set? All I’ll say is go and see it for yourself, you won’t regret it!
The comic con itself was all a bit wonderful, Saturday, in particular, was great. We were absolutely rushed off our feet the whole day, which was probably something to do with the fact that both Jodie Whittaker and Richard E. Grant were the headline guests. The number of cosplayers dressed as Jodie was through the roof! We saw girl Jodies, boy Jodies, old Jodies, young Jodies, wheelchair Jodies and even a dog Jodie! It was altogether wonderful, especially when you consider the negativity she has faced for the role.
Among the folk we saw were Carolyn Edwards, Solly from SMArtworks, Biglin graphics, Enrica Martine and Cormallen Jewellery. It was lovely to see Solly again, though he is constantly busy with folk buying up his gorgeous artwork. I couldn’t get close enough to see any of his new goodies! Carolyn Edwards was completely elusive, I didn’t find her until Sunday. In my defence the hall is huge. Carolyn’s work is just gorgeous and her new Jodie and Loki paintings are absolutely pitch-perfect. Biglin Graphics, is run by Mark Biglin, an ex-teacher like us and he specialises in fictional blueprints of the iconic gadgets we see in the movies. They range from “Baby” the Supernatural Impala to Iron Man’s suit and they are packed with so much detail it’ll fry your geeky little mind! Enrica Martine is a wonderfully multi-talented person. Her mind doesn’t seem to stand still and it’s evident in what she makes. It’s a whole range of things, from hand-drawn and digital art to scratch-built movie “artifacts”. Much like their creator, the artwork defies categorisation and it’s all the more wonderful for it. Our neighbour for the weekend was Cormallen Jewellery, a new and very talented jeweller. He specialises in recreating geeky costume jewellery such as Loki’s tie pin and Tyrion’s hand emblem. He and his partner were lovely company and outdid themselves with two different cosplays during the weekend.
Cosplayers in attendance were the Python Knight Cosplayers sporting Cupid Stunt cosplay, a 70s starlet created by Kenny Everett. Our friends from the Somerset Cosplayers and the Iconic League were also there with a whole host of great costumes.
It goes without saying that the staff were great and it was well organised from our point of view, I’d highly recommend it as both a trader and a visitor.
See you lot next time
Love and Glue
Symon and Pamela