Comic Con Report: May 2015 - With Added Nerds and Melniboneans.

I know this is a little bit late, but here it is now: my review of the first MCM Comic Con of 2015. 

And what a con this was. For the first time ever I embraced full on cosplay of my all time favourite fantasy character: Elric of Melniboné. This included a DIY costume which stood out in the crowd, for not that many fantasy buffs in this country have heard of the works of Michael Moorcock, nor of the exploits of the Eternal Champion. 

At my side was Caroline, this time cosplaying as Enid, the cynical teenage outcast from noughties cult comic book classic: Ghost World. Complete with t-shirt and a very well fitting wig.

So without further ado, here are a few snaps of the many wonders we laid eyes upon that day.

A geek and a Melnibonean take on London.

My not so Little Pony.

Admiring Big Hero Six.

I am the Dragonlord!

Elsa and Cinderella exploring their similarities.

Natalie Portman in her Leon days.

Kawaii!

Kawaii!

Cat Ears! Never leave a con without them!

Being tempted by the Black Blade.

Take up the sword!

Taming the dragons.

Bought myself an Evenstar.

Ain't he cute!

A magnificent turnout – though it wasn’t as busy or wide as the October one. This was because only one half of the Excel had been used for the con, unlike the autumn one.

As well as the brilliant costumes which included people from many animes and several of my favourite tv shows like Firefly, we saw some exhibits of up and coming movies. One was the very impressive Batmobile from the new DC flick.

Plus a guest appearance was made by one of the many vehicles in the new Mad Max film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Max:_Fury_RoadFury Road. Caroline and I watched that sci-fi action flick last week, and I can safely say, that it is the most feminist science fiction film I’ve seen in a very long time. I won’t spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, but it’s nice that Max isn’t the protagonist.

Plus, for anyone wondering about the feminist aspects of the film, I’ll just say that that is my opinion. Above all, it’s a science fiction movie, and how you interpret it is up to you. For me, I can’t think of anything more pro-women in the action movie canon.

 Cosplay: A World Without Prejudice?

Now one new thing I noticed about the cosplayers this year, was the number of disabled cosplayers who didn’t let their physical feats get in the way of their expression of fandom.

I remember seeing several boys in wheelchairs dressed as Spider Man and Deadpool, which I was certainly impressed with. As well as the gender fluidity of cosplay, no other form of prejudice seems to come into the world of ultra fanboy/girl-ing

.

The great thing about cosplay – and the main reason I do it – is because it’s a world where anyone can be whoever or whatever they want to be regardless of who they are. Anyone can be a fan of anime, comics, science fiction, movies, video games, etc. and when we all congregate every year to share our love of all these things – nobody looks down upon us.

However, that does not excuse the problems of harassment and male privileges that exist in many circles of fandom, namely video games as we’ve seen in the past – but with all the right people getting together to share their love of all cultural products, we can certainly make progress.

I like to think that Mad Max: Fury Road will help break down the tropes we see in many science fiction and action movies in the near future. And if you’ve read my past posts on cosplay and MCM, you’ll see that I have praised cosplay many times. But that does not mean I am not aware of problems facing certain fans, namely female fans – but I do know that progress can be made and I am one of those people helping to tell the world about how sharing a fanatical love of pop culture can help bring people together.

The reason I do these reports is because I want to show the whole world how cosplay is a good tool for peace and equality in the world of popular culture. In cosplay there are no problems with race as anyone can be a fan and dress like their favourite characters. Think of the big number of westerners who always dress as Japanese animated characters without doing anything stupid like make their eyes look Asian.

Being able to share your fandom is what I love about cons and cosplay. It feels like you’re in a world devoid of prejudice for a limited time only. 

MCM never ceases to amaze. Keep up the good work all you kids who make it worth going.

Gotham Review: Episode 3 – Party Tricks Without The Joker

Warning Spoilers!

After holding two teenagers hostage and amassing a ransom, the Penguin returns to Gotham, hoping to reintegrate into society and find Gordon.

We then see that our villain of the week is a man bent on killing corrupted representatives by attaching them to weather balloons and having them killed after the helium disintegrates and makes the balloon explode.

Gordon meanwhile, is led to the place of the Wayne murder by Catwoman where she reveals whom the true killer was by sending him into the sewers to find the culprit’s wallet. She then escapes and leaves Gordon humiliated as he returns to duty.

Fish Mooney is then visited by detectives Renee Montoya (Victoria Cartagena) and Crispus Allen (Andrew Stuart-Jones), who are investigating the disappearance of the Penguin. Mooney reveals that Gordon was the man who kidnapped the Penguin and allegedly pulled the trigger. This sends Montoya to Gordon’s apartment where she confronts Barbara Kean, revealing that the two women had a lesbian relationship before Kean met Gordon. Montoya reveals she does not like Gordon and believes him to be a murderous bent cop and that Kean deserves better.

Gordon and Bullock eventually hunt down and take out the ‘Balloon Man’ who delivered a fairly descent speech on social justice reminiscent of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.

Mooney is then seen talking to a fellow mobster who was behind the Wayne murder and they hint at the Wayne’s plan to reopen Arkham Asylum using the children trafficked in Episode Two.

Whilst all this has gone on, Alfred discovers Bruce Wayne has been trying to solve his parents’ murder and he becomes more and more concerned for the boy’s welfare. A moment of character development foreboding the rise of the Dark Knight acts as the penultimate scene of this episode – before Gordon is confronted by an uninvited visitor which meant the next episode will mean business.

This episode has to be the silliest so far, as one of the men attacked by the ‘Balloon Man’ was so easily armed and could have shot down the balloon before the attacker had a chance to get away. Plus the scene where another victim fell to earth, killing an elderly pedestrian, had me laughing out loud. I understand this is a comic book inspired show, but the suspension of disbelief in this episode got silly more than once.

But I did enjoy the subtlety around Kean and Montoya’s relationship because there have been no hints at them being romantically involved before and this will open up a storyline I’m hoping is dealt with correctly and does not malign LGBT characters. I do hope Montoya doesn’t become another lesbian character defined simply by her sexuality.

Plus Gordon did appear to become more and more frustrated with the ethics around corruption and justice. The ongoing debate of good and evil are what’s kept the Batman stories alive and they haven’t gone away in this carnation. Plus this is the first incarnation where some reason is given for the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents and I give that much credit.

And I’m pleased this series didn’t take on the ‘Villain of the Week’ structure which I was banking on at the start. The Penguin is the traditional Batman villain developing in this season and I’d like to see more. But that does give hope for another season if the villains are dealt with one by one.

Bechdel Result: Pass.