Melksham Comic Con 2016: The Voyage Home

Now we've had a chance to settle back into reality following our fourth visit to Melksham Comic Con, here are some thoughts on last weekend's events...

James R: Every year I think Melksham Comic Con can't get any better, then every year it does. Now firmly established as our annual convention highlight, this year it was an absolute honour to be more involved than ever before.

The Road To Melksham Comic Con 2016

James R: At last year's Melksham Comic Con, founder of the convention Haley Spencer spoke to Matt C and myself and said that 2016 might see the con taking a break, Glastonbury-stylee. If she had decided to recharge the batteries it would have been totally understandable - as the driving force behind the convention with her army of Brians she has established MCC as one of the best cons in the UK, and that's no easy task. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when the news broke that not only would MCC be returning in 2016, it would be arguably bigger than ever.

Melksham Comic Con 2015: The Voyage Home

Now we've had a chance to settle back into reality following our third visit to Melksham Comic Con, here are some thoughts on last weekend's events...

Matt C: The summer's coming to a close and the PCG are suffering from a collective case of 'Post Con Blues' (a real medical condition) following the enormous highs experienced at last weekend's Melksham Comic Con. This was our third year in attendance, and our second being directly involved, and we felt just as welcome and embraced by the organisers (collectively known as 'Brians') as we did the first time. There's such enthusiasm and a real love of all things geeky on display that it's impossible not to get caught up in it all.

The Road To Melksham Comic Con 2015

Matt C: Has it really been a year?! Apparently so! 12 months after we waxed enthusiastic about last year's Melksham Comic Con - where the PCG managed to wangle a starring role - we're back for the freshest, friendliest comic con on the calendar, and yes, once again we've managed to get involved. So it's a sure bet that we'll be bigging this year's convention up!

Eagle-eyed readers may have spotted something strange about our decision to depart to Wiltshire over the Bank Holiday weekend, leaving our stomping ground of Bournemouth at the moment when the town gets its first ever comic convention, the Bournemouth Film and Comic Con. Well, we made enquires, we were met with indifference, and then we looked over the guest list to discover that the event was far more skewed towards film, TV and sports celebrities, with barely anyone from the realm of comics getting a look in. Another of those all-too-frequent cases where trading on the 'brand name' and public awareness of San Diego Comic Con is considered the best route to getting people through the door, regardless of whether or not there's any major comic book presence involved. And to be honest, we had our hearts set on the Melksham con anywhere, because if you're looking for a place with a lot of heart where comic fans can gather, this is it.

Melksham Comic Con 2014: The Voyage Home

Now we've had a chance to settle back into reality following our second visit to Melksham Comic Con, here are some thoughts on the weekend's events...

Matt C: And we’re back.

We made no secret of how much we enjoyed our first visit to Melksham Comic Co last year, so much so that begged/pleaded to be involved with the next one and, to our eternal surprise, were presented with the opportunity of hosting not one but two panels for 2014, with the con going from a one-day to two day event.

Based on that, you could probably accuse us of being a bit biased when we say we had an even better time this year, and while there is undoubtedly an element of that at play I think most of it is down to the absolutely tremendous con the organisers put together last weekend. From the guests in attendance, to the variety of exhibitors displaying their wares, to the diversity of excellent panels on offer (yes, including our own!) it was an absolute blast to attend, and by stretching it out across two days it allowed the friendly atmosphere and sense of fun to really bed itself in even more than before (no doubt helped by the inebriated mid-con silent disco on Saturday evening!).

The Road To Melksham Comic Con 2014

Matt C: Two years ago when Melksham Comic Con made its debut, we at The PCG were completely oblivious to existence. Although we like to think that our fingers are always on the pulse, sometimes those fingers slip off, and we’ll chalk that occasion up as one of those times. The fingers were back on in 2013 as the MCC went the Kickstarter route to enable its existence, and although we hadn’t experienced it personally, we weren’t going to ignore the fact that it was the closest Con to us, geographically speaking, and we duly pledged some funds to ensure it was came to pass.

Kickstarted: MELKSHAM COMIC CON 2014 - THE EXPANSION

In our Kickstarted feature, we take a look at those comics-related projects on the crowd-funding site Kickstarter that we feel warrant extra attention...

Matt C: A little over a year ago, we at The PCG were entirely oblivious to the fact that a bona fide comic convention had been held less than 60 miles away from us in August 2012. Then, in early 2013, an article at Bleeding Cool alerted us to a Kickstater campaign that had been started to help fund the second annual Melksham Comic Con. While the first one had passed us by, considering its proximity made it the closest convention to our stomping ground, there was no way we were going to miss it this time around.

We duly invested some cash in the campaign and were of course enormously pleased to see it hit its target, enabling con organizer Hayley Spencer and her team of Brians (yes, well get to that) to mount the event at the end of August. When August came around we set off towards Wiltshire, unsure of quite what to expect. A small town just outside of the Cotswolds, not the most obvious place for expressing a love of comic books… Would it be any good? Had our money been well invested?

Melksham Comic Con 2013: The Voyage Home

Now we've had a chance to settle back into reality following our first visit to Melksham Comic Con, here are some thoughts on last Saturday's events:

Melksham Comic Con Saturday 31 August 2013

James R: Well, that was a pleasant surprise! After our dalliance with the giganto-con that was the London Super Comic-Con in February, our daytrip into deepest, darkest Wiltshire was both a treat and a tonic. If you asked me what I want from a con, I'd say: firstly, great panels and guests, secondly, back issues and merchandise, and finally time and space to go and sit with my friends. Melksham doesn't provide the first two in abundance, but it's clear to see that the seeds of a great convention are in place. Hayley and the Brians did a superb job of running the day, and it was great to see such a wide age range in the attendees. The panels were a total treat, with Kieron Gillen, Simon Spurrier and Rob Williams' 'The Writing Room' providing a particular highlight. Personally, what I really loved was the location - quaint little town it may be, but out off all the cons I've attended, Melksham provided the best range of places to go sit, eat and drink away from the convention itself, and having a couple of hours with my friends from the PCG made the day alone worthwhile. As the con came to a close we learnt that it would not only return next year, but be a two day affair, and this is fantastic news. If they can bring in more guests and panels without losing the unique atmosphere of the convention, Melksham 2014 could be truly spectacular. But for 2013, I'll simply say bravo to all involved - I had a great day.

The Road To Melksham Comic Con 2013

This Saturday will see the 2nd annual Melksham Comic Con, but it marks the first time the PCG have been in attendence, and after helping fund the Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, Matt C and Stewart R share their thoughts on what to expect...

Matt C: Melksham? What's a Melksham?! At the beginning of the year I'm ashamed to say my knowledge of smallish Wiltshire towns was pretty poor. I knew the highlights - Warminster! Swindon! - but it seems that Melksham had passed me by - or rather, I'd passed it by - during my time on this planet. First time I became aware of Melksham and, by extension, it's comic convention was an article on Bleeding Cool I spotted when leaving the London Super Comic Con earlier this year. A Kickstarter campaign to enable the organisers to get the 2nd Melksham Comic Con off the ground sounded like a project worth investing in, especially as Melksham's only an hour or so away from the PCG's homebase (makes my lack of knowledge of the place even more embarrassing, right?). It was clear that the team behind it were serious, and as they'd booked the likes of Keiron Gillen and Si Spurrier (two of our favourite Brit writers, no less) it was doubly clear the PCG had to be involved in some capacity. We got together and ponied up some cash and were exceedingly pleased to see that we helped the Melksham Con become fully financed (and you can expect to see our logo popping up in various places as a result). A one day celebration of comics not too far from home... how could we resist?

Kickstarted: MELKSHAM COMIC CON 2013

In our Kickstarted feature, we take a look at those comics-related projects on the crowd-funding site Kickstarter that we feel warrant extra attention. We’ll highlight the ones currently looking for funding as well as reviewing those that have been completed, with the finished product now in the hands of the contributors.

Matt C: If you’re a fan of the funny books, you can’t deny the allure of a comics convention. They offer the chance to mingle with folks that don’t sniff at your obsession, whether they’re like-minded fanboys or girls, friendly retailers tempting you with their wares, or creators who produce those sequential art delights we love with a passion.

Spotting the Bleeding Cool article during downtime at the LSCC last weekend put this project on my radar, a convention that was held last year and completely skipped my attention. That’s not surprising in itself (plenty of things skip my attention these days!), but it’s the fact that it’s just an hour up the road from me that had me raising an eyebrow as makes it, by default, my ‘local’ con!