ILLUSTRATIONS: ALVIN LEE, MARK SABLE, YISHAN LI
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ILLUSTRATIONS: ALVIN LEE, MARK SABLE, YISHAN LI
A phenomenon in the States and London, Comic Con finally wings its way to the UAE this month. Expect all manner of fanboys, trekkies, noobs and more suitably dressed for the occasion, we’re sure - at this homage to all things pop culture
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a
t Comic Con, the geek is king. Often the butt of many a joke, the geeks – along with the fanboys, trekkies, noobs and more – will be out in force this month, as their spiritual home, Comic Con, touches down in the Middle East for the first time ever. A smorgasbord of paraphernalia, talks, screenings and, best of all, actual guest appearances from the stars of the show, Comic Con is the only place to be for those that love their pop culture. If, however, you never made it through the Star Wars saga (how is that possible?) then worry not, as we guide you through all things Comic Con
For the autograph hunter…
are the guys responsible for the art work on some of the world’s best-loved comic If you’re the type of person that craves a bit of characters including Spiderman, Street star-power, then bring along your autograph Fighter and the X-Men. Both Townsend book, and find a blank page between the Elton and Lee will be at the conference, sketching John and Kim Kardasian for some exciting and selling original comic prints. If you’re new monikers. On hand with their pens to looking to purchase comics and artwork scribble away will be One Tree Hill heartthrob from the world’s biggest distributors – Chad Michael-Murray, Battlestar Galactica’s including Top Cow Productions, Archaia Luciana Carro, The Walking Dead’s Laurie and IDW Publishing – then head to the Holden and The Lord Of The Ring’s John Rhys- Jashanmal Comics Village. Davies. Please look carefully before asking For the artist… the guy in the Spiderman costume for his autograph, as chances are he wasn’t the one to Whether you’re a budding artist, or just enjoy star in the big screen blockbuster, but in actual sketching in your notebook, one of the most respected editors in the Manga world, Joel fact is a teacher from Mirdif. Enos, will be on hand to review your portfolio, For the collector… offering advice and giving valuations on what At first, names such as Lee Townsend and he thinks your work could be worth. You Alvin Lee might mean very little, but these could be sitting on a goldmine…
Best Of The Fest Trekkies
Roger Nygard’s documentary is a hysterical if tragic study of the people whose love of Star Trek series sees them attend festivals the world over Unsure what and – in some cases to expect at – even go to work in the Middle East full Starfleet regalia. Film & Comic Blimey, one woman Con? Allow the even does jury service following films in a Shatner-style to fill you in jumpsuit.
Galaxy Quest
For the movie buff… It’s not all comics and dressing up – Vox Cinema’s Movie Club will be there too, setting up a screening room that will not only show classic sci-fi and anime films, but also previews and exclusive footage from some of this year’s biggest up-and-coming films.
For the gamer… To prove that all those hours spent button bashing until the small hours of the morning are worth it, head to the Gamezone, where there will be games galore, competitions and previews of new releases. There’s also Warhammer too, for those that like their gameplay in miniature form. You know who you are.
at the San Diego Comic Con where our heroes meet arrogant Stephen King-esque author Adam Shadowchild, have their pictures taken with forgotten stars and contemplate purchasing overpriced movie-related merchandise.
In Dean Parisot’s top comedy, the cast of a forgotten TV series are visited by aliens convinced the washed-up actors are genuine warriors. Special mention must go to Alan Rickman whose Alexander Dane represents a real festival Mallrats Kevin Smith’s shopping stalwart – the oncecentre celebration brilliant actor reduced includes a signing to making B-movies. session with Marvel legend Stan Lee. Cue Paul fanboy Jeremy London The Simon Pegg/Nick Frost road movie opens bombarding the
comic-book kingpin with questions about superhero nether regions.
Chasing Amy
Smith again, who kicks off his idiosyncratic romcom with a panel discussion about racism in the Star Wars universe (“What’s a Nubian?”) and a standoff between Jason Lee’s comic book inker and the ‘fan’ who thinks he’s really little more than a tracer (“You’re mother’s a tracer!”)
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Suit up!
The one time of the year when people can go all out and dress up, (relatively) judgement free, as their favourite characters. Dressing up is a more than just a passing fad at Comic Con; it is essentially its life source What you’ll need if you’re planning to attend the Film & Comic Con as...
Shaun Riley, Shaun Of The Dead A white shirt Black slacks Black loafers A cricket bat A nametag Some red on you
Tyler Durden, Fight Club Sunglasses Hair gel The tackiest charity shop T-shirt you can find The sort of jeans a man could go 15 rounds in Charisma to spare
Frodo Baggins, The Lord Of The Rings A curly brown wig A blowsy shirt (or failing that, some sort of tabard or smock) Three quarterlength trousers Bare feet (preferably hairy) No social life
Clark Superman A pair of red Kent, swimming trunks Superman A red picnic blanket A grey suit Brylcreem NHS specs Little imagination
Red Wellingtons Yards of blue spandex Lots of help from your mum
Mr Ben’s, Al Ghazal Mall, Al Wasl Road, Dubai, 10am to 10pm. Tel: (04) 3463422. If you don’t have time for DIY mrbendubai.com costumes, you can rent one from either Mr Ben’s Costume Closet or their special booth set up at Comic Con
Festival Faves
Your cut-out-and-keep Film & Comic Con eye-spy census Award yourself a point if you see any of the following: 1 A man overheating in a Stormtrooper uniform drinking through a straw to avoid breaking character 2 A parent looking mortified that their child would rather attend a convention than, say, a football match 3 A dwarf having a go at a child who’s several inches taller than they are 4 People having a heated debate over “who is hotter, Wonder Woman or Catwoman?” 5 The guy out of that thing that only aired once some 30 years ago shouting “Don’t you know who I am?!” 6 Someone paying well over the odds for merchandise allegedly signed by Doug McClure 7 Guys dressed as Boba Fett asking one another what their rocket packs are made out of
Glossary n00b – short for newbie, someone who is inexperienced Trekkie – a devoted fan of the television series Star Trek Pwned – short for owned, and used when someone has been dominated by an opponent Manga – Japanese genre of cartoon, normally involving a science fiction or fantasy theme
8 A down-on-his-luck performer trying to sell a clearly self-published autobiography Apr 20 and Apr 21, 9 A parent refusing to let their child play Dubai International Marine with a recent purchase on the grounds that Club, Mina Seyahi, Dhs55 day pass, “it’s not a toy” Dhs100 weekend pass, Dhs500 10 A fan annoying an actor by constantly VIP pass. Tel: (04) 4474344. referring to him/her by his/her character’s name mefcc.com
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