Something to Muse About: London Comic Con

The second MCM London Comic Con of 2017 has just closed its doors after a successful three day celebration of pop culture featuring UK exclusives, iconic celebrities, superheroes, and thousands of pop culture fans, gamers, comic collectors, movie buffs and anime enthusiasts.

MCM London Comic Con returned to ExCeL London on 27-29 October for its biggest and most exciting fan experience yet! The show included a brand new Marvel area that had never been seen before in Europe, unique interactive fan experiences, costumes and props from the latest movies, major exhibitors like Nintendo, WWE and Warner Brothers, as well an exclusive reveal of the fourth PowerPuff Girl at the Cartoon Network stand.

Headlining the pop culture weekend was Anthony Mackie, who stars as Sam Wilson – aka The Falcon – in Marvel’s ongoing Avengers movie series, alongside Peggy Carter’s Hayley Atwell and Stefan Kapičić, best known for playing Colossus in the hit Deadpool movies. MCM London Comic Con also featured other iconic celebrities including Harry Potter and Game of Thrones’ David Bradley and Warwick Davis (Harry Potter, Star Wars). Other notable guests in attendance included rising star Talitha Bateman (Geostorm, Annabelle: Creation), Sherlock’s villainous Andrew Scott, Julian Glover (Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Indiana Jones, Doctor Who) and Rogue One and Harry Potter’s Guy Henry.

Alongside an eclectic mix of sci-fi, film, TV, online video, comic book, gaming, anime and cosplay content, MCM’s panel line-up featured exclusive interviews and screenings all weekend. Panel highlights included Jason Flemyng (star of X-Men: First Class, Snatch, Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels) speaking about his directorial debut Eat Locals, the Blade Runner 2049 panel, as well as an exclusive cast and filmmaker panel for new western adventure The Stolen, with exclusive clips from the film.

Josh Denham, MCM Comic Con’s London Event Manager said: “This was the best event we’ve had in London to date, the show looked amazing and the fans were incredible, bringing an electric atmosphere to the entire weekend!

“We have the best fans in the world and the past weekend proved that; they turned out in mass and showed the world how we do a Comic Con in London…we can’t wait to see them all again at MCM London Comic Con in May 2018!”

MCM London Comic Con was the first MCM event to take place following the recent acquisition of MCM by ReedPOP, the largest producer of pop culture conventions around the globe. “It was exhilarating for the ReedPOP team to step right into the London show so soon after having the MCM team join the family,” said Mary Franklin, Global Event Director for ReedPOP, following the organisation’s acquisition of MCM.

“The London fan communities are inspirational in their passion and dedication to pop culture. Together, ReedPOP and MCM are looking forward to delivering brilliant new content to them in their favourite genres.”

MCM Comic Con Joins the ReedPOP Family as It Continues Rapid Growth as #1 Producer of Pop Culture Conventions Across the Globe

NORWALK, CT -- October 23, 2017 – ReedPOP, the world’s largest producer of pop culture events, is adding a series of premier events across the United Kingdom to its portfolio through the acquisition of MCM Comic Con. Today, ReedPOP announces that the leading pop culture events producer in the UK has joined its family of leading experiential fan events. The acquisition by ReedPOP, a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions, part of RELX Group, of MCM will take effect immediately and its impact will begin to be seen and felt on all 2018 events.

The MCM Comic Con show portfolio boasts nearly 300,000 pop culture fans and cosplayers who flock to events throughout the year in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool and Belfast.

"For nearly a decade I’ve watched with great admiration as the MCM brand grew in size, scale and quality, as well as in the hearts and minds of UK fans. I could not be more proud and humbled to team up with the MCM team to bring two world-class pop culture event companies together,” said Lance Fensterman, Global Head of ReedPOP. "The addition of the MCM brand extends the reach and influence of the ReedPOP portfolio and further solidifies our place as the number one producer of fan events across the globe. We cannot wait to work with the MCM team to build even bigger and better events for fans in the UK.”

Since ReedPOP's first event in 2006, the sold-out New York Comic Con, the group has sought to produce exceptional experiences for passionate audiences and grow the industries surrounding these passions. This philosophy has led to burgeoning attendance, the support of major creators and publishers and partnerships with leading entertainment brands including Lucasfilm (Star Wars Celebration), Twitch (TwitchCon) and Penny Arcade (PAX).

In recent years, ReedPOP has recognized pop culture audiences emerging throughout the world, where it has produced once-in-a-lifetime experiences for these new fans and connected exhibitors to these hungry, unexplored markets. ReedPOP’s previous global events have been held in China, France, Australia, Germany, India, Singapore, Korea and other territories across the globe.

MCM Comic Con was co-founded by Bryan Cooney premiering the show in 2002 as the London Expo. The next few years saw London Expo grow and flourish. In 2004, it rebranded as London MCM Expo – the ‘MCM’ standing for ‘Movies, Comics, Media’; and in 2005, it took the first steps that would transform it from a collectors’ and autograph event into a comic con, with the addition of dedicated comics and anime areas plus film and TV content. More recent years saw MCM spread its wings, launching events across the UK.

“Everyone at MCM is delighted to be joining the ReedPOP family. I have visited NYCC many times and thought how cool would it be to work with Lance and ReedPOP. Today, all my wishes are granted. I look forward to launching MCM into a higher orbit of popular culture’s greatest shows alongside ReedPOP”.

About ReedPOP:

ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading event organizer. ReedPOP is devoted exclusively to organizing and managing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and working with premium brands in the pop culture world to deliver once in a lifetime experiences for fans everywhere. ReedPOP is dedicated to facilitating celebrations of popular culture around the globe that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) West, East, South and Australia, Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC), BookCon, Oz Comic Con, Comic Con India, Comic Con Paris, Comic Con Seoul, Star WarsCelebration, TwitchCon, ComplexCon and more. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan-based group of professionals uniquely qualified to serve those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, India and Australia. (www.reedpop.com).

About RELX Group
RELX Group is a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. The Group serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs approximately 30,000 people of whom half are in North America. RELX PLC is a London listed holding company which owns 52.9% of RELX Group. RELX NV is an Amsterdam listed holding company which owns 47.1% of RELX Group. The shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX and RENX. The total market capitalisation is approximately £33bn, €38bn, $44bn.

About MCM:

MCM Central is the umbrella for the award winning MCM Comic Con shows held throughout the UK. MCM's odyssey began in 2002 with the launch of London Expo. In 2017 MCM Central hosts shows in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Belfast and Glasgow with London being Britain’s leading pop culture festival. MCM London Comic Con is the double, double award winning event, sweeping the 2015 & 2016 AEO and EN Awards for Best UK’s Consumer Show. In the future, MCM looks to develop and expand its modern pop culture portfolio, as well as some other incredibly exciting opportunities.