‘N’ VILLAINS
Not every weekend do the likes of Batman, Chewbacca and Iron Man pay Stirling a visit. But Saturday was different as 2000 fiction fans packed out the Albert Halls for the city’s debut Comic Con event. Many of those who went along to the event, which was staged by the Big Glasgow Comic Page, were paying homage to their favourite fictional character with striking costumes and fancy dress. The organisers admitted that they were stunned by the way in which people bought into the event, and reckon they’ll need a bigger venue next year to cope with demand. Ian Bonar, of the Big Glasgow Comic Page, said:“It was quite crazy to be honest. It all went really well. We had more than 2000 people and we only expected just over 1000. The hall was at capacity for most of the day. What I’d say is that we’ll need a bigger venue next year. “Restaurants and pubs in Stirling were all tweeting about the event in the days leading up so we had great support locally, and there were a lot of people from all over Scotland who travelled just for the event.
“The queue outside the venue was the biggest I’ve ever seen – and I’ve been involved in around 100 different Comic Con events.”
The special guests for the event were Monty Nero, who has written the X-Men and Hulk for Marvel, Tom Foster, an artist who has worked on Judge Dredd, and John Lees, who has written a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic.
They met with fiction fans and even took the time to do some personalised work.
There were also more than 50 trade stalls selling everything comic-themed, while those who went along could enjoy talks, workshops, quizzes and activities.
Ian added:“The guests all had a great time. Some of the costumes were really impressive too. A lot of work goes in to them. One man [Lukasz Zujwoda] came along as Iron Man [Mark II]. Normally with bigger costumes like that people just leave it at the venue to get changed when they arrive. But I think he just got changed in the car and walked through Stirling – which was quite a sight.”