Cosplayers with the iconic MCM Comic Con Logo
Conventions such as comic con have been around for years, dating back to as early as the 1960’s. With the increased popularity of geek culture shifting into the mainstream spotlight will have a wide variety of effects. It can be said that Marvel has had a great impact in making characters such as Iron Man become a household name. With Marvel assisting in bringing geek culture into the public it can be expected that conventions dedicated to such culture will surely increase in number with more people being aware of such places existing and visiting out of new found appreciation and curiosity. The greater the public opinion, the greater the longevity of a franchise and can be scaled on their presence in a convention.
Conventions attract fans of all pop culture, whether they be through a niche medium such as manga or comics or mainstream mediums like films and T.V. Comic Con is a place for those who have a great interest in all sorts of pop culture and can meet other likeminded individuals. With geek culture slowly becoming more and more mainstream, a lot more people who would be considered more casual fans now also attend. Conventions have got to the point where major companies come to these events to publicise their films and show exclusive trailers or snippets of the film itself. This also acts as a large outlet to sell their merchandise.
MCM London Comic Con
Due to conventions being such a highly populated area, companies want to advertise their popular characters, as the characters are essentially their flagship brands. Not only do large companies get space at Comic Con but independent artists, designers and crafters selling their goods get a chance to advertise their work and gain more of a following. It also gives customers the chance to meet their manufactures in person as many people will have ordered products from them online.
With the increase of geek culture becoming more prominent in the public eye, conventions such as comic con became more mainstream. Conventions such as these attract audiences and fans of all pop culture, whether they be through a niche medium such as anime, comics or even mainstream films and T.V. shows. Comic Con can be a place for those who have a great interest in niche franchises and to meet other likeminded individuals. As comics and other franchises from geek culture has become more popular, arguably due to the success of Marvel, a lot more people who would be considered as more casual fans now also attend.
Now large film companies come to Comic Con and show new and sometimes exclusive film trailers, whilst also having a large outlet to sell their merchandise. It almost can’t be considered “Nerd culture” anymore, its just pop culture. There are plenty of news organisations that now cover topics that used to be niche, especially with the Marvel cinematic universe being the only film franchise to make more that $10 billion. Even comic’s that are may have been considered indie to the mainstream audience are turning into hit T.V. shows. The increased exposure to nerd culture aren’t things to be tucked away anymore so it seems but to be celebrated. Not only do large companies get space at Comic Con but independent artists, designers. Crafters and people wanted to sell goods get an opportunity to do so. With the increase of exposure of these conventions, it conveys the impact Marvel’s films have had on the media. Conventions attract all kinds of fans and popularises a trend at these conventions – cosplay. Cosplay is a contraction of the words costume and play. It is where fans dress up as a character from a film, book or video game. It allows fans to show their commitment and creativity when portraying these characters.
Liverpool Comic Con
Cosplay has now become an intrinsic part of conventions, with cosplaying being one of the main reasons people attend. As a convention is a great place to meet other people who are fans of the same franchises and when you’re in cosplay you meet others who share the love they have for that craft. The popularity of this hobby leads to masquerades and fan meet ups which is a great chance to make new friends and share experiences.
Conventions are now on a international scale, so much so that there’s even a convention in Saudi Arabia, which does have some strict laws on human rights. However, at this place it appears that even government see the benefits of having a convention and fund it themselves. Though males and females have separate entrances either genders are able to mingle freely.
France is host to one of the biggest anime conventions outside of Japan itself. It goes by the name of JapanExpo. JapanExpo is up there as one of the biggest conventions in Europe and to have a convention dedicate to all things Japanese and anime shows how far the French culture have become accepting of anime in comparison to the U.K.’s level of perception of Japan’s pop culture. The convention hosts a ton of free performances that give a great insight into Japanese culture – shows like Samurai Spirit by Kamui who have been applauded and rewarded worldwide for their sword performances were free for guest to watch.
Japan Expo
There are also smaller conventions that still still aim to promote and celebrate Japanese culture along with general western pop culture. They are usually smaller as they tend not to have the budget for the biggest venues but they still manage to get retain the important aspect of conventions. That being a place for fans of geek culture to meet and for traders and artists to sell their merchandise. Along with the chance for fans to meet voice actors or influential people in the industry. Furthermore, they provide an insight to the culture of Japan. Conventions like Doki Doki Manchester Japanese festival are great for locals who want to experience Japanese culture and express their love for geek culture.
Doki Doki Japanese Festival
I managed to get an interview the organiser of Doki Doki Manchester’s Japanese festival, Andrew Gaskell to gain more of an insight to the convention.
So who would you say is your main audience?
“There are a lot of clubs and societies in the NW that cater for all things Japanese and the age ranges of the people who attend these societies are large.
“Our main audience are people who have a passive, general, and deep interest in Japanese culture both modern and traditional.”
What are your main goals when organising these events?
“Our main goals are to educate and to entertain.
“Educate people on a culture they may only know something small about and to keep people happy and occupied with talks, panels, music and events on the day.”
How long does it take to organise just one event like Doki Doki?
“A whole year.
“If I didn’t work a full time job I could probably run a couple in a year.
“I’d say it gets easier the more events you run but it doesn’t. You learn to streamline what you do to make life easier but all the issues and stresses are still there.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
What are your favourite things about these conventions?
“The smiles and excitement on peoples faces on the day of the event.
“I don’t visit other conventions; I don’t want them to influence me as I want to keep my festival unique but at Doki Doki I think the wide range of things we have on the event plan is probably my favourite thing.”
What would you say is the main appeal of Doki Doki?
“The main appeal of Doki Doki is that we are not an anime convention.
“We do cater a great deal for anime enthusiasts but we also cater for people who just want to find out, visit or learn something about Japanese culture other than anime.”
Would you say more people are attending conventions nowadays?
“It’s really hard to say, our attendee numbers over the past 3 years have been the same and steady.
“I do think we have to advertise more and more each time.
“Unfortunately I do think there are too many conventions out there that does dilute the amount of people that can attend.”
There is clearly no doubt that conventions are on the rise and are becoming more popular as time goes on. The increase of Geek culture making its way into the mainstream spotlight is shifting it from being perceived as something exclusive for geeks but now it is something for everyone. Geek culture is merely developing into pop culture. Conventions have something for everyone, for those who have been die hard fans from a young age, to those who are new and want to learn more about the culture, it is sure to leave people smiling by the end of the day.
It looks like conventions are going to be postponed until 2020 and it is a shame that we haven't got to experience many of these events this year. But hopefully from this examination of conventions - we can get excited and look forward to when they announce their return.