Home › Comics › British Comics › Scotland’s biggest comic con back in Glasgow this weekend

Scotland’s biggest comic con back in Glasgow this weekend

By John Freeman on September 1, 2014

YIshan Li.

Last year’s debut MCM Scotland Comic Con was the largest comic convention Scotland had ever seen – and this year’s show, this coming weekend (6-7th September 2014) is set to be even bigger according to its organisers with comic guests that include Yishan Li and Gary Erskine.

Running across the whole weekend for the first time, Scotland Comic Con returns to Glasgow’s SECC with a host of special guests, comic creators and other attractions. Here are some of the highlights:

• More than 70 artists and writers are making Comic Con their home for the weekend, including Gary Erskine, who has illustrated comic books for over 20 years in collaboration with writers such as Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis and Grant Morrison; Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Toy Story and Strawberry Shortcake artist Tanya Roberts; Edinburgh-based manga artist Yishan Li, whose internationally popular works have been published in China, the US, France and the UK; and Nick Brokenshire, currently the artist for the Amelia Cole series at IDW.

• Luke Evans makes his first MCM event appearance, the actor who plays Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit movies and stars in the upcoming Dracula Untold, where he plays the infamous bloodsucker himself. Other big screen credits include Fast & Furious 6, Clash Of The Titans, The Three Musketeers and Immortals. Evans will be meeting fans on the Saturday of the show.

• Joining him at the show is Scottish star James Cosmo from Game Of Thrones, whose credits also include Highlander, Braveheart, The Chronicles Of Narnia, Trainspotting, Merlin and Troy, along with this year’s Anime Guest of Honour, Shingo Natsume, currently co-directing anarchic sci-fi comedy Space Dandy with anime legend Shinichiro Watanabe.

• Flying the flag for sci-fi are Ian McNeice (Doctor Who), Hattie Hayridge (Red Dwarf) and Primeval‘s Andrew Lee Potts and Hannah Spearritt, while voice actors are represented by Courtenay Taylor, best known for voicing Jack in Mass Effect, and D.C. Douglas (Resident Evil 5, Mass Effect 2 and 3).

• The Con will also be playing host to an official Disney Legend in the shape of Karen Dotrice, who shot to fame as one of the child stars of much-loved 1964 film Mary Poppins.

• VidfestUK, MCM’s celebration of all things online video, makes its Scotland debut at this year’s show, and an awesome line-up of Vidfest favourites includes Tom ‘Tomska’ Ridgewell, Weebl’s Stuff, Eddsworld and Chris Bingham of Slomozovo fame. They’ll be joined by a pair of exciting home-grown fantasy series – Caledonia and Cops And Monsters, both set in alternative Scotland’s where monsters run rampant.

From the colourful costumes of the Cosplay Masquerade to a free-to-play League Of Legends tournament, Yu-Gi-Oh! tables courtesy of Konami UK to exhibitors such as Universal Pictures, Esdevium Games, Manga Entertainment and All The Anime, there’s plenty to experience and enjoy at MCM Scotland Comic Con.

• Tickets for MCM Scotland Comic Con are available at: www.mcmcomiccon.com/scotland/tickets

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.