Oz ComicCon 2022

For our family, ComicCon has been a tradition for six years now. It would’ve been seven, but 2020 was cancelled for obvious reasons. I started out taking our daughter, and a couple of their friends. Then we did it again, then we added a new friend. Each year, I have four teenagers stay Friday night, and we drive in Saturday morning to enjoy the convention.

This year, things were almost back to normal, after last year’s double postponed smaller than usual event.

The queue to get in was LONG. It always is. Used to be we’d bunch up in a massive group, all cheering and laughing, waiting to get in. Now, it’s a long line, that stretched most of the Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, and that was at 9am just on opening. I was told later, by some people I chatted to, that by 11am it was doubling back on itself.

What I love most about ComicCon, apart from all the artists and writers and displays, is the people. So many people coming together to share what they love. And they dress up! As their favourite superhero, or anime character, or movie character, or whatever. Some are just clever, unrelated to any piece of entertainment media. A prime example is a guy who dressed as the Montague Street Bridge, a famous Melbourne landmark that catches trucks with great regularity.

Some of the costumes are simple, out of a packet, but worn with pride. Spider-Man, Deadpool, various Anime characters (so many from Demon Hunter!). Others would’ve taken weeks or months to create. A Skeksis from The Dark Crystal was my stand out this year. Also, a friend was there with his R2D2 unit, that he built himself.

There’s a lot of merchandise available for sale, too. Mass produced props and costume pieces, games (board, electronic, and RPG), handmade delights of all types. Artist Alley is a place to cruise for prints, originals, commissions, badges and stickers. Then there’s the authors hoping to sell their latest book. I looked at many this year, but only bought three short story compilations.

This year, as has happened before, Melbourne ComicCon coincided with World Wide Knit in Public Day, so of course I took my knitting, and when I needed a break from walking and talking, I sat and worked on the blanket I’ve been making for my mother. It got a few stares, and more than a few smiles.

I think this will be my last ComicCon, though. I’m getting on in years, the crush of people and the constant noise have begun to get to me, and the kids are all young adults now. Next year, they can organise themselves for once.

Or, maybe, I’ll just go in for a couple of hours, rather than the whole day, just to get my ‘fix’. Yes, maybe I might.