Thousands of sci-fi and comic book fans descended on Liverpool’s Exhibition Centre over the weekend to attend this year’s Comic Con, an event which celebrates all things pop culture.
Instead of turning up dressed ordinarily, many attendees arrived in cosplay as their favourite comic book and science fiction characters.
For three days, the venue hosted space for visitors to get up close and personal to sets from Stranger Things and Only Fools and Horses, as well as for signings and photographs with an all-star line-up of special guests.
Some of the famous names who attended the event included Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, who starred in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Joining them was also Eric Roberts, known for playing The Master in the TV Doctor Who film, as well as Sal Maroni in The Dark Knight.
Alongside the stars and famous sets, fans also had an opportunity to buy limited edition and exclusive memorabilia, play some iconic retro arcade games, and take selfies with life-size props.
YouTube: Dalek 120002
Owen Smith, who attended last year’s Comic-Con as Marvel superhero Thor, spends a lot of time and effort on his costumes. He told JMU Journalism why and how he got into cosplaying, saying: “I’ve always been a massive fan of Star Wars and Marvel, so the idea of getting to portray one of those guys was what really got me into it all. I started off with a fancy dress foam Batman costume and over time managed to make and purchase better items to enhance it.
“It doesn’t matter how much effort you put in or how good or not your costume is, everyone [at Comic Con] is treated the same. It’s such a good big thing in this day and age. The looks from kids as they see their favourite TV or game character walk by is an added bonus.”
Nathan Briggs, who came as arch villain, The Joker, has been to other Comic Cons before and told JMU Journalism: “Other cons from other areas can be bigger, but I really like the atmosphere that the cons in Liverpool have because when you’re just walking around in cosplay in the main city, no one really questions it. Everyone is very nice about it and accepting.”