|
||||||
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Brighton Comic Expo 2005
|
||
|
 |
|
|
|
Brighton, November 19-20 2005. A new comics event was born this year, in the UK's most glamorous and sun-drenched seaside resort. Brighton is like Monte Carlo, only with less motor racing and more body piercing. The expo was held in just about the swankiest venue available, the Metropole, which is also where the Tozzers stayed for the weekend. The place was clean, smart and civilised – just like the average comic reader.
We set up our display on Friday night, and we could tell we were onto a good thing. How could we fail to make in impact, given the location of our table? The expo was divided into two sections. Downstairs was the main hall, and this was called “The Nice Area”. Upstairs was the much sought-after mezzanine level, host to the cream of the indie press. This was called “The out-of-the-way Crappy Area" (or “Crappy Area”, for short). The Tozzers were lucky enough to have a table in the Crappy Area, and amazingly the Crappy Area tables cost the same as the ones in the annoyingly-busy section down below. Result!
Not only did we manage to avoid the hustle and bustle of The Nice Area, but we also escaped their horrifically mild temperatures. You see, warm air rises, so as the show got into full swing, we lucky few upstairs were treated to the delights of a full-on tropical heat-wave. Wooo!
But enough about the climate. How about the show itself? Well, all-in-all, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The punters we talked to were happy, but they could have just been on drugs. We were in Brighton, after all. Pete worked away, drawing sketches for passers-by, while I was kind of enough to give him free art lessons.
Next to us was the Underfire table. There seemed to be several hundred of these Underfire people. I think they were breeding. Not that I saw any overt acts of copulation, but their numbers did grow at a suspicious rate. And they were always so bleedin’ happy! Whenever we were feeling blue, we glanced over and hey presto, our smiles came back.
Opposite our table was possibly the happiest man alive. He even wrote a comic about his upbeat nature.
Downstairs, in the Nice Area, things weren’t so good. Tokyopop found out, to their absolute dismay, that the Tozzer boys were in da house, and of course, they couldn't compete. “Not again!” they cried, before jetting off back to Tokyo.
The show really got going when Santa Claus appeared. Yes, the real Santa! Monkeys With Machineguns were clearly advertising his presence with their “red Santa holding a weird-looking toy” posters. Highly effective, in a Rorschach inkblot kind of way.
Santa asked the dudes from Ace Comics what they wanted for Christmas, and wham bam, it was done.
Now, what would a comic show be without those inimitable boys from Blink Twice? Yes, I know...quiet. Bob Etherington fell into a cauldron of radioactive sludge when he was a boy and now he is the poised, agile, could-explode-any-minute liability that we know and love. Bob, Lorenzo and “that other Geezer they always bring along” were promoting their new printer-broke-so-we-can’t-actually-sell-it comic called Moon! That exclamation mark is part of the title, by the way, so it’s impossible to refer to their comic without sounding excited. But, actually, I AM excited, and was going to buy the book. Next time, Etheringtons (and that other geezer), next time…
It’s time to talk about the special guests… And boy, were there some big names attending.
Then, of course, there were the soon-to-be-celebs, those auditioning for the part of Tozzer himself, in our soon-to-be-released (but not really) live action fantasy adventure porn epic.
As the day continued, I must admit I felt a little odd. I was probably just dehydrated, but I couldn't understand what anyone was saying, and I had the strangest feeling that I was surrounded by giants.
Feeling restless, I wandered around the Nice Area for a while, and, hidden in a corner somewhere, I chanced upon the Abiogenesisesisesis table, home of the Strangehaven comics. Gary Spencer Millidge was in a great mood, as someone had installed a cloaking device round his table, making it almost impossible to see him with the naked eye. In fact, even a fully-clothed eye had trouble making him out. This meant Gary had time to practice his “menacing bouncer” posture, which should come in handy some day..
Now, let’s move into the heart of the Nice Area. Yes, I speak of... the Maze of Booths! The layout was clearly inspired by The Shining movie, and it worked like a charm. People wandered into the maze and were never heard of again. Giant rats scuttled about, trying to find cheese. And there, in the centre of everything, was Shangri-La. Otherwise known as the Tales of Midnight booth. Perhaps the most surprising thing about Francis Lee, creator of Tales of Midnight, was his extreme reluctance to promote his titles. His booth was very low-key, only taking up half the hall, with just three hundred dancing cheerleaders in Tales of Midnight T-shirts, and only a dozen blimps flying overhead. Although Francis did do a deal with Brighton Council, who have changed the name of the city to Tales of Midnight, in exchange for a free ad in the next issue of the comic. Smart thinking there, Francis!
After seeing the giant rats downstairs, I wasn’t surprised to witness a giant spider-monster rip the head off an NC Soft employee. Such is life.
Of course, there were other weird and wonderful things to experience at the show...
But what of the organiser, the head-honcho, Mr Big himself? Well, Dez was much in evidence, and seemed to be enjoying himself, albeit in a might-have-a-heart-attack-at-any-moment kind of way.
Many thanks to Dez, Mike and everyone else who worked so hard to make the expo a success. Because, flippancy aside, it WAS a success. Not in every way, but a great start nonetheless. Make it happen next year, Dez, and we’ll be there in a heartbeat. Great people, great venue, and I must say Tales of Midnight is a fantastic city. Finally, a big thanks to everyone who came over and said hello. Thanks for tolerating us, and if you let us take your picture, well, you'll know better next time. See you soon. Rob |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
