Chester Comic Con 2022

Well, what a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. So there we were looking for things to do on a summer Sunday afternoon and the suggestion of taking a look at the Chester Comic Con 2022 event and exhibition, I suppose you could call it, popped into the equation. I must admit, this event intrigued me in earlier years when it was held pre-pandemic. But, up until yesterday, we hadn’t ventured down to have a look. And what a good idea that turned out to be.

For those reading this and not knowing what Chester Comic Con 2022 is about, carry on reading and all will be revealed.

Chester Comic Con 2022

The first thing to note and as quoted on their website – https://chestercomiccon.com/#homepage – it was a fun family day out. A fun family day out held at an ideal location, Chester Racecourse. A very suitable and appealing venue without a doubt. Walking around the event you could see such a wide range of age groups, from toddlers right up to grandparents in many cases.

It was brilliant to see the excited looks on the faces some of the attendees. Some of them eagerly running around like the proverbial two year-olds. To coin the old phrase, “like kids in a sweet shop.” But that’s enough about the parents and grandparents – the youngsters had a great time as well without a doubt!!

The event itself was an incredible display of a variety of TV and Movie related memorabilia, exhibits, comics, memorabilia auctions, Cosplay competitions, a gaming room and an abundance of stalls offering a variety of interesting and fascinating items. Items like comics, posters, t-shirts, souvenirs, mugs, coasters, books, etc…..etc….etc. In other words, plenty of items of interest. Oh, and there was even a smattering of TV and Movie stars with their own stall offering selfies and autographs.

Hang On – A Couple Of Questions Over Here Please

I imagine some reading this may already have some questions in mind. I’ll beat you to it and pre-empt one or two. What is Cosplay I hear some of you ask? Ah ha, well we have the answer. Cosplay is the practice of dressing up as a character from a film, book, or video game. And fair do’s there were some really great Cosplayers (is that the right word?) on display.

I must admit there were many that didn’t ring any bells with me but nevertheless they looked great. All the Cosplayers (there’s that maybe word again) made a great effort. I imagine meeting some of them on a dark night down an alley may well be quite scary.

So, yes, there were Cosplay competitions where Cosplay entrants basically put on a bit of a show and entertained the audience with their carefully put together ensembles. As I say, a big credit to one and all who put on a fine show.

I’m also guessing that some are asking, what kind of exhibits were on display? Have a look at just some of the photos I took. These were all so impressive.

Who You Gonna Call? – You Got It…….Ghostbusters!!!

How cool was this machine. An actual Ghostbusters motor. And a fully roadworthy, working one at that. I spoke to the owner and he was telling me about all the motors they had, which of course, included this Ghostbusters classic. He even told me that he was recently using the car to drive down to London from Manchester. Imagine seeing that motoring down the M6?

“Eyes on the road please and get that green, gooey ectoplasm off your face!!”

What other cars did they have?

Back To The Future

How’s about the ultra mega cool “Back To The Future” De Lorean!! As an aside, have any of you ever thought what it would be like if we could time travel. And no, I don’t mean donning your best “Lionel Blairs” and penny round collar shirts and dancing around handbags in a local nightclub trying to recapture days of Rendezvous, Blimpers etc.

(NB: A footnote to some of our younger readers. Lionel Blair? An entertainer/dancer/singer from back in the days when Nelson had two eyes and, as you may have guessed, the reference to wearing your “Lionels” is a recognition of a popular pair of strides back in the day – flares. If you don’t know what flares are…….Google it!!).

Anyway, let’s get back on track. The De Lorean. Here you go…….

I had a quick look inside and there was even flashing lights on the dashboard. Tempted!! Tempted!! I’ll say I was. Slip into the driver’s seat and set the dials for……..erm…..let me think. Here’s a question, if it could be fired up and it could disappear into a cloud of smoke at 88mph, what would you set it at? A date in the future, or a date in the past?

The car owner was telling me that they had quite a few other cars, including Del Boy’s Reliant Robin; Starsky and Hutch’s red and white Ford Gran Torino and the Duke’s Of Hazzard’s General Lee. And a selection of others. You can see what they have and what sort of events they attend by checking their website HERE.

Chester Comic Con 2022 – The Amazing Stalls

Another huge feature of the event of course was the wide array of stalls displaying their amazing wares. Again, fair do’s, there were some incredible offerings. One such stall well worth a visit was “Smokey Joe Draws.” A very interesting, novel concept whereby local budding artist, Joe, was offering a wide range of his originally created artwork where he includes characters and topics from two movies, or TV shows, and depicts them into the one image with a catchy tagline, or a well known movie title.

As well as the artwork, Joe also had a fine selection of his creations displayed on t-shirts and hoodies. One great way to add a bit of originality into your casual wear and get people checking out the character artwork from a couple of blockbusters.

Very original and very inventive. Well, done Joe.

There were so many other great stalls as well. You could even rub shoulders with a star from the screen if you wanted to.

Aside from the stalls, exhibits and talent on show, you could have had a go at the Climbing Wall if that took your fancy. Or, what about a bit of axe throwing? The kids were well taken care of as well with the Kids Zone and the gaming Room. All said and done plenty on offer to keep a whole family entertained. Food and drinks were also available so you could really make a day of it.

Chester Comic Con 2022 – The Venue

A quick word about the venue. As already mentioned it was held at the Racecourse. And a worthy location it was as well. It offered a good mix of indoor and outdoor facilities that fitted well in with the theme of the event. Plenty of space and plenty of options that went a huge way to making it a day to remember.

Mind you, as good as the venue was, the whole event wouldn’t have been a success if it wasn’t for the great efforts made by the organisers and the staff on the day. I managed to speak to three of the organisers and it was clear that a lot of hard work and careful planning behind the scenes was needed. It’s when you see such effort and dedication you really appreciate how such events deserve to succeed.

Great Effort From The Organisers

Hats off to the organisers and the staff, you really put on a great event. Having attended this year’s, it is definitely an event to look forward to in future years. As a general comment, you can’t beat a good local event put together by ambitious, inventive local people, held at a popular, local venue.

Again, as a general comment, it would be brilliant to see more and more, inventive local events on a regular basis. And not only to be held at the Racecourse either. We have some great venues available that can host a variety of shows or events. Like Chester RUFC at Hare Lane for instance. I’ve already waxed lyrical about how good that venue is as you will see from this post HERE.

Or, what about Grosvenor Park, The Groves, Chester FC, the Town Hall for instance, to name just a few. Let’s hope we can look forward to many more inspirational great days out at some of our finest city venues.

That reminds me, when is the Raft Race?

A Couple Of Extra Thoughts

A couple of other points I would raise as I think out loud. One thing I would say and it is worth emphasising that this is not in any way a criticism, merely a possible suggestion for subsequent years. After we left we had a cheeky little snifter on the way home in our local and we were telling some of our pals about where we’d been. Each one we told mentioned that they didn’t even know the event was on. I don’t know where it was advertised (we heard about it by word of mouth) but it may appear that the message didn’t reach as many ears as maybe expected, or hoped for.

So, maybe a bit of thought about the marketing may be an idea going forward. Even on the day itself for instance, I remember thinking how groovy it would be if they had, say, a couple of “Darth Vadar’s” or the like with placards in the middle of town. Or wearing a sandwich board, promoting the event? Or, maybe even better, someone dressed as Del Boy standing next to his Reliant Robin in the middle of town (where it may be safe and legal to park of course) handing out leaflets?

Also, maybe a short presentation video by the entrance showing what was on and who was attending. Nothing too fancy, but maybe a brief introduction as to what to expect and where to find it.

There may be other things to consider, but these are possible little tweaks going forward. And as I say, in no way are they criticisms – just observations and possible suggestions.

All in all though, an excellent day and a very well organised event.

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