23 – 24 May 2009. Those are the dates for this year’s MCM London expo, which will no doubt be quickening the pulses of all you Nerdles fans out there. The expo will be showcasing hundreds of guest comic-book artists, anime and manga illustrators as well as such esteemed guest as Linda Hamilton, Lindsay Wagner and James Duval (he played the freaky bunny in Donnie Darko).

It’s also the one time of year where anime and manga fans deluxe join together in force to indulge in mass cosplay mania. For those of you unfamiliar with the cosplay phenomenon, nay, art, I’ll quickly elaborate. Folks dress up for fun, in detail. Well, that’s the gist. The characters and costumes are usually sourced from various Japanese and East Asian media, including manga, anime, tokusatu (think Power Rangers), comic books, graphic novels, video games, and fantasy movies.

Especially for anime and manga fans it’s an opportunity to dress up with like-minded people and play the role of whichever character you choose to channel for the day. In fact, the MCM websites states that they currently hold the Guinness World Record for most cosplayers in one place, snatching the title from the Germans quite recently. I personally have only never cosplayed (cue a horrified gasp from all the anime and manga readers). I am however considering making this year’s MCM expo my first. Be gentle with me.

If you’re a games fan you likely won’t be left disappointed. Capcom, EA, Activision and Ubisoft will all be promoting their newest games and gadgets. I personally can’t wait for Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe! There’ll also be back-stories to the popular game Deadspace and sneak peeks of upcoming game/anime adaptations.

The expo will, as per usual, have their “photo with a star” deal where you can sign up for a photo with any one of the guests there. Linda Hamilton hear I come (what, she’s still foxy!).

So feel free to drop by, hang out with fellow geeks, check out the wares and revel in the bizarre. It’s bound to be a fun time!

The expo is taking place at that gigantic piece of glass architecture called the Excel centre in East London.

Kids under 10 get in free. It’s £5 for 11 to 14’s and £10 for anyone older.

For more information visit http://www.londonexpo.com

Alastair Moore

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