(Charisma Carpenter, Lou Ferrigno & Holly Marie Combs)
The most exciting weekend of Ireland’s convention calendar has just gone by, with Dublin Comic Con having another jam packed show. Hosted twice a year at the Convention Center in Dublin, it hosts a space where dozens of stalls sell merch from TV/Movie/Anime/Gaming franchises, comics, American and Asian snacks, candy and drinks, custom print Tshirts and some unique handcrafted items such as Dice Boards. There are also numerous interactive sets and backdrops, perfect for those Instagram-worthy selfies. As well as rows of very talented individuals selling their wares in the Artist Alley. The main attraction to this event are the guests! This August we were treated to guests from Buffy (Charisma Carpenter), Charmed (Holly Marie Combs), Marvel (Pom Klementieff & Lou Ferrigno), Game Of Thrones (Richard Brake), Red Dead Redemption (Roger Clark) and Family Guy (Patrick Warburton).
I travelled up to the Capital on the Friday prior to the show in order to attend the Press Evening, where they was a panel hosted by Fergal D’Arcy from Today FM. In attendance we had Lou Ferrigno, famous for playing The Hulk in The Incredible Hulk! Followed by Charisma Carpenter, who was the very popular Sunnydale High Cheerleader Cordelia in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Lastly we had Holly Marie Combs, who was the memorable Piper from the hit series Charmed that is now celebrating their 20th anniversary. Unfortunately Roger Clark of Red Dead Redemption couldn’t attend the panel due to a late flight, so the staff insisted he go to bed. Very considerate! The panel was insightful, with stories from working on set, their personal lives and highlighting the long hours that the staff behind the scenes of TV go through. As well as comparing the long 60 plus hours they worked each week on their shows, to the normal 40 hour work week nowadays, as well as the overuse of CGI and violence in modern shows and films.
(Venus De Vilo – https://venusdevilo.bandcamp.com/ )
There were numerous panels on offer to attend, from talks on how to make a start in Cosplay, Q&A opportunities with Guests and more. The first thing I did when I got inside the convention, was make my way upstairs for a panel by Venus De Vilo. Her talk was on Horror In Manga And Japanese Pop Culture. An informative panel to start off the day, with plenty of audience participation and multiple manga recommendations. You can check out her many poems, stories and music in the link here. https://venusdevilo.bandcamp.com/
(The Nightmare Realm – @molly_mayhem666 on Instagram)
For those that attended DCC, I hope you weren’t easily scared as The Nightmare Realm was in attendance with perhaps the most terrifying performer I have ever met. Her acting skills were certainly top notch, but there was no way that I was going to willingly go anywhere near her. I did spot some very courageous children who interacted with this demon lady, facing her head on as I quietly, but very quickly made my escape. The Nightmare Realm is no ordinary haunted house, it takes it to the extreme, by taking you out of your comfort zone and brings you face to face with Hell. Just check out the link here, if you think you are brave enough to take on the challenge this October. https://www.thenightmarerealm.ie/
(Ghostbusters Ireland – https://www.facebook.com/TheIrishGhostbusters/ )
Well if demons and ghosts weren’t your scene last weekend, Ghostbusters Ireland (https://www.facebook.com/TheIrishGhostbusters/ ) was on hand to help. I mean they just had to get them in for precaution if the creatures of Nightmare Realm were going to get out of hand. As well as being decked out in their jumpsuits and proton packs, they also had fundraising buckets for Heart Children Ireland & CHD on hand for people that wanted to give a donation, and what a perfect event to do that at! There were also a handful of other groups doing the same for other worthy organisations, including The Irish Guide Dogs that brought along some of their four legged members.
(Eoin McMorrow Sculpture – https://eoinmcmorrowsculpture.com/index.html )
Inside the Artist Alley, there were dozens of illustrators, writers, jewelry makers and even a freelance sculptor. Above are the before and after shots of a Dobby figure, crafted by the talented Eoin McMorrow. https://eoinmcmorrowsculpture.com/index.html
Every time I go to this event I find another unique table that just blows me away. Because of DCC I have found the work of SinProps (https://www.facebook.com/SinProps/) & Alternative Style Ireland (https://www.facebook.com/alternativestyleireland/?ref=br_rs), both of which returned for the event last weekend. In the trade hall you may see several of the same items being sold on multiple tables with different prices, in the Artist Alley however each work is exclusive to the table you are buying it from as the artist or creator is the one sitting right in front of you. Here you could see them hard at work on a new piece, showcasing their skills or even doing a commission.
Now the weather wasn’t exactly ideal last weekend, with some passing light showers, but the wind was incredible! My heart went out to those that had to go outside with wigs on or with props that weren’t sturdy enough to battle the elements. It was inside however that held all the stalls, the panels, the food and most certainly, the incredible amount of people! The crowds were immense and I am not sure were they expected to be that large, as on the Saturday, the trade hall was closed for a short while to people going inside due to the volume of attendees browsing the stalls. I think it may have just come to the stage that DCC has outgrown the Convention Center. Either they need to start cutting down on tickets, or start looking at another venue like the RDS.
It was once again another great opportunity personally for me, to attend another Dublin Comic Con as press for our site www.ComicBuzz.com. Although I prefer to attend smaller, usually college based conventions like Kaizoku Con and, what was my local Bro-Con. I do trek upto the Capital for DCC to see friends, check out the stalls and see the many high level guests that I don’t think I would have the opportunity to meet anywhere else in Ireland. It is well worth attending every year, but for those that are not a massive fans of crowds, skip the Saturday and go straight for the Sunday. As I found on the Saturday, I didn’t get half as many pictures as I usually do, due to the immense volume of people around me. To those that did take the time out of their day for me, thank you very much and I hope to see you all again next year! To the staff at DCC, especially Olivia, congratulations on another great event. Now go and enjoy some downtime, as it’s all so well deserved! You can check out their website and social media links below. Now any guesses as to who will be attending next year?
https://www.dublincomiccon.com/
https://www.instagram.com/dublincomiccon/
https://www.youtube.com/user/DublinComicCon/videos
https://www.facebook.com/comiccondublin/
