University of Portsmouth: First Year Diary

May 2018- Part 2: Portsmouth Comic-con Weekend

The 2018 Portsmouth International Comic-Con was a great experience. It wasn't as big as the Tampa Bay Comic-Con I went to in the summer of 2016, but that was to be expected in that every year that something happens it's expected to get bigger and better. This year the  Portsmouth International Comic-Con  was a brilliant weekend and I can't see how they can top it next year. I just spent most of my time walking around all the different stalls and vendors multiple times to see if I could notice new things each time. I didn't go to the entirety of any panels but I did go into one, just to see what they're like. The one I won into turned out to be about how they created the virtual reality effects for the film 'Ready Player One, which I listened to some of, and itwas quite interesting.
My brother and Izzy came over to come to the event with me, it was nice to share it with some people.
I'm not great with big crowds, not least because I'm worried about accidentally running over feet with my chair, people were very nice and conscious of me, and got out of my way where ever possible.
I met, and received autographs from, quite a few guests at the event including Tom Clarke -Hill, who is the current voice of Tony the Tiger from Frosties, next to him was a guy who starred in 'Little Shop of Horrors', among other things. I also met Ian McElhinny of 'Game of Thrones' and 'Rogue One' fame.
By far my favourite guest to have encountered at the event time was Marc Silk. He is a genuinely lovely guy who starred in 'Star Wars: The Phantom Menace',and as the voice of Scooby Doo among other things mostly for younger children, including being the voice of Bob the Builder in the US version of the show. He said hello to me every time I went past where he was sitting, and he was a fascinating person to talk to, telling me that he started in voice acting after beginnings in local radio. He ended up giving me two free autographs.
Overall the weekend was a great experience, with consistently lovely weather outside to bask in the sun whilst taking breaks from the crowds, and when we were moving from guest to guests there was plenty to look at including a music history exhibition and showcase of retro games consoles and games as well as a selection of props from Doctor Who which I couldn't decide whether they were fake or not.