A retro gaming area, live wrestling and a Doctor Who display, plus stars of Red Dwarf, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings among Spalding Comicon attractions
A retro gaming area, live wrestling and a Doctor Who display are just some of the fantastic attractions coming to a popular comicon this year.
Actors from hit shows and movies including Red Dwarf, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones will also be in attendance while, of course, fan favourites such as cosplayers, roleplaying games and trade stands will also wow the punters.
Following on from the success of last year’s Sutton Bridge Comicon, organisers Adam and Mel Landy have teamed up with King’s Lynn store Retro Retreat to bring a bigger and better event to Spalding later this year.
Among the guests on hand to pose for photos and sign autographs will be Hattie Hayridge, best known for playing ship computer Holly in BBC sci-fi sitcome Red Dwarf.
Also booked to appear will be Ross Mullan, who has played a white walker on Game of Thrones and The Silence on Doctor Who, as well as voicing Nev the Bear for CBBC, along with Tony McCarthy, whose credits include Deadpool & Wolverine and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
The unmissable 7’1” presence of Ross Sambridge - who has played a wookie and Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars movies - will also be in attendance, as will Craig David Dowsett and Maria Taylor, both Razzie award winners for their appearances in cult horror movie Winnie the Pooh: Bloood and Honey.
“We had to move the event because it became too big for the village and we anticipate there’ll be a lot more footfall this year,” said Adam Landy, who is organising the event at Springfields Exhibition Centre with wife Mel, following on from the success of last year’s Sutton Bridge Comic Con.
“It just made sense to move to a bigger venue.”
The mega Doctor Who display, provided by the Who-Ray Dalek Hire team, will include a TARDIS, Daleks and plenty of other villains.
The three wrestling bouts will be put on by local promoters Falling Starr Wrestling and entrance will be included in the ticket price.
A line-up of soon-to-be-announced cosplayers and props can also be expected, and it is hoped to set up some eyecatching backdrops to allow the punters to have their photos taken alongside these guests.
One for gamers and fans of nostalgia will be the array of retro consoles - harking back to the days when Nintendo and SEGA were battling for dominance - which will be free to play.
“It will be old school consoles and hopefully some classic games as well,” Adam added.
“There is something about retro gaming that still has me hooked. Even through the graphics are nowhere near as good, the storytelling back then was a lot more solid.”
RPG fans will be delighted to discover Spalding War Games will be showcasing a number of board games, from Warhammer Star Wars.
The organisers have partnered with King’s Lynn-based store Retro Retreat to put on this event, with proceeds raised by the Landys going to Pilgrim Outreach School, which cares for ill children.
Adam and Mel used to trade at comicon events with their Strangers With Things stall but, although no longer trading, they regularly attend events to get tips on how to put on a good show.
“We still have lots of friends who are traders, so we listen to what bugs them and what they find works well,” Adam added.
“We’ve been to comic cons and thought ‘this isn’t good for customers’, especially when it comes to space.
“We’ve been to events where space between stalls has been less than four feet. How does someone with a wheelchair or buggy get down the aisles?
“Having been on both sides of this, we know what irritates people and what is important. We made sure the layout as is accommodating to everybody’s needs as possible.
“And the cafe will be open all day as well. We’ve been at events when there’s lots of standing about, waiting for certain events amd it can be really draining.
“We want to make sure food is available all day.”
The Spalding Comicon will be held on Saturday, September 7.
