Comic Con Wales
| Comic Con Wales | |
|---|---|
 Wrestling star John Cena signing an autograph for a fan at Comic Con Wales 2022 | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Multigenre, covering popular culture elements including sci-fi, horror, fantasy, mainstream, wrestling and more |
| Venue | International Convention Centre Wales |
| Location(s) | Newport, Wales |
| Inaugurated | 6โ7 August 2022 |
| Most recent | 12โ13 August 2023 |
| Next event | 10โ11 August 2024 |
| Attendance | 18,000k+ (August 2023 event) |
| Organised by | Monopoly Events |
| Website | www |
Comic Con Wales is a fan convention held once a year in the city of Newport, Wales, United Kingdom attracting 12,000+ attendees across the large venue International Convention Centre Wales situated in Newport, that celebrates films, cult television, video gaming, anime, cosplay and comic books and which is organised by UK based events company Monopoly Events.
History and organisation
Comic Con Wales began its annual run of events in 2022 when the obvious need for a large
Monopoly Events is a
A two-day long event, the convention includes celebrity guest appearances from various film, television, video gaming, anime and comic book series including and many others.
The convention is run between 3 floors of the whole of the ICC, the main exhibition hall features a large dealers zone selling movie, comic, and science fiction related memorabilia, artwork, and collectibles as well as various film props and sets (something for which the Monopoly Events is famous for, making their event experiences very different from others like them within the UK), vehicles from different franchises, celebrity guest professional photoshoots and autograph sessions, cosplay events, and other displays.[2]
John Cena
In 2022 at the very first Comic Con Wales hosted by Monopoly Events in August 2023, wrestler and actor John Cena made a rare live appearance, and took part in an unscheduled panel answering questions from fans. When a young boy in the audience asked for Cena to sign his wrestling belt, a request which Cena readily agreed to do for free, another fan in the audience called out to the star asking why "[The fan with the belt] just got to go up, and I had to do work to pay to see you.", Cena responded by calling the second fan onto the stage to join him, and while attempting to make amends to the fan and the audience, caught the fan trying to take a selfie of Cena on his phone. Again, Cena responded graciously, ensuring the fan got a better photograph of the pair, and expressing his thanks that customers worked hard and chose to spend their money to meet him, before shaking his hand to a large round of applause. A clip of the exchange was caught on video at the time and has since gone viral.[3][4]
2023 SAG-AFTRA Strike
The SAG-AFTRA Strike of 2023, affected many fan conventions worldwide. During the strike, SAG guidelines for appearances at fan conventions had to be followed by both guests and the convention organisers. Whilst appearing at any event, guests were unable to discuss any past, present or future work projects as they would normally do when meeting fans, they were also unable to answer questions regarding work projects whilst on stage during Q&A panels. Event artwork had to be altered significantly so as to not display anything other than the actors actual facial likeness instead of including images of characters played while other issues included the actors not being allowed to have character images to sign for fans on their tables, and instead headshots were used. All of these changes marked a significant change from the normal comic convention experience.
Show features
Celebrity guests
As with many other fan convention events, celebrity guests from past and present popular media are regularly invited to Comic Con Wales and are an extremely popular part of the event, posing for professional photographs with fans and providing autographs as well as giving fans the chance to meet them and chat in person. Monopoly Events is well known for bringing first-time guests to the UK, as well as guests that are from older cult film and television shows of past decades such as the 1980s and 1990s. Sometimes the celebrities involved will use their appearances to raise awareness and funds for a charity or cause important to them, while others use the opportunity to promote upcoming projects such as new films or television shows.
Celebrity panels
Most, if not all, of the celebrity guests at Comic Con Wales appear on stage at some point throughout the course of the event, answering both host and fan questions alike, these panels take place in the venues auditorium with tiered seating for more comfort and to provide a more intimate experience for fans.
Photographs
Comic Con Wales includes a professional photoshoot area where fans can have their photo taken with their favourite guest or guests before collecting them at the exit of the area. Some headliner guests (such as John Cena in 2022 and then The Vampire Diaries stars Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder in 2023), have their own exclusive area for photographs and autographs, this prevents queuing time and size issues and timeslots are issued for fans to be able to meet the guests.
Autographs
The event also includes an autograph area where celebrity guests from film and TV sign items for the public and spend a few minutes chatting with their fans.
Cosplay
A large part of the event is devoted to the cosplay hobby where members of the public are allowed, and encouraged, to take part in dressing up as characters from popular genres such as film and television. Cosplaying has become one of the most popular parts of many fan conventions around the world and can be used as a platform to showcase the costumer's latest handywork, to show devotion to their favourite characters or engage in role-play with other cosplayers in the same series, as well as to meet new people with mutual interests as themselves. The Comic Con Wales event, like all of the Monopoly Events shows, hosts an annual cosplay competition across all of the Comic Con events, with both adult and child participation encouraged and prizes given for the best costumes, this includes a Cosplay Masquerade on both days of the event with the local heat of the annual competition on the Saturday, the finalist from the Wales heat goes through to the finals which take place at Comic Con Liverpool each year.
Prop and set exhibits
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (April 2024) |
Monopoly Events is famous for providing a vast array of props and set builds for its visitors to enjoy, with Comic Con Wales being no exception, visitors can find exhibits such as a full-sized
New props and sets which have been introduced since the 2022 event include the Mystic Grill from The Vampire Diaries, the Cobra Kai dojo from Cobra Kai as well as the Myagi-Do dojo, the Fiat Cinquecento from The Inbetweeners and more, many of these being used with celebrities in photoshoots.
Retro gaming area and other attractions
Comic Con Wales has a large area dedicated to
Trader zone
Within the main exhibition hall, there is a vast trader zone that contains 100s of dealers selling film and television, comic and science fiction-related memorabilia, comics, games, artwork, toys, and collectibles. As of August 2023, a smaller "Artists and Makers" zone will be added to the event, featuring arts and crafts for sale in a smaller area by independent artists and small businesses specialising in small handmade items.
Artists alley
The event has a large Artists Alley section which is situated inside the main hall, where the public can meet published comic book artists and authors, and buy pieces of their work.
Location, dates and notable guests
| Dates | Location | Notable guests |
|---|---|---|
| 6-7 August 2022 | International Conference Centre Wales |
|
| 12-13 August 2023 | International Conference Centre Wales |
Alec Utgoff, Claudia Wells, Colin Baker, Danny Glover, Donald Fullilove, Gareth David-Lloyd, Harry Waters Jr., Ian Somerhalder, Ioan Gruffudd, James Tolkan, Kai Owen, Kim Coates, Mark Boone Junior, Mark Williams, Michael Rooker, Paul Blake, Paul McGann, Paul Wesley, Peter Davison, Sean Gunn, Sophie Aldred, Sylvester McCoy, Tommy Flanagan, William Fichtner |
| 10-11 August 2024 | International Conference Centre Wales
|
John Barrowman, Jensen Ackles, Mark Sheppard, Samantha Smith, DJ Qualls, Sean Astin, Laz Alonso, Jessie T. Usher, Giancarlo Esposito, Michael Biehn, Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, Holly Marie Combs, Rose McGowan, Kat Graham, Ross Marquand, Cooper Andrews, Sean Pertwee, Bernard Hill, David Yost, Brandon Routh, Matt Ryan, Colton Haynes, Roger Clark, Rob Wiethoff |
See also
References
- ^ Barnes, Jo (16 January 2023). "ICC Wales attracts major events back to venue". South Wales Argus. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ Colderick, Stephanie (7 August 2022). "Review: Comic Con Wales 2022: The best photos as superheroes and cosplayers fill ICC Wales". Wales Online. Media Wales Limited. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ Brown, Emily (12 August 2022). "Angry fan confronts John Cena at UK Comic Con asking why he gave someone free autograph". LAD Bible. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ Morrison, Adam (15 July 2022). "John Cena Announced To Appear At Comic-Con Wales". Inside the Ropes. ITR Digital Media Limited. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
External links
List of multigenre conventions in Europe | |
|---|---|
| Belgium | |
| Cyprus | |
| Czech Republic | |
| Italy | |
| Poland | |
| Romania | |
| Russia | |
| United Kingdom | |
