On the 15th and 16th of April 2017 the Edinburgh International Conference Centre will host the 2017 Edinburgh Comic Con. In recent years the event has grown in size and moved from it’s humble beginnings at Potterrow at the University of Edinburgh. This year the guest list is impressive, with comic book creators and stars from film and television in attendance. The event will also feature several film screenings and talks and panels with a wide variety of guests. It will be a packed weekend and one which will no doubt attract a huge audience.
The comic book guests this year include local Scottish creators and several acclaimed international artists. This year the weekly British comic book 2000AD reached the milestone of being 40 years old. Several regular writers and artists that contribute to the comic will be in attendance. Emma Beeby, Gordon Rennie and Tom Foster have all worked on Judge Dredd and other characters that feature in 2000AD, such as Judge Anderson, Rogue Trooper and Mean Machine. It will be interesting to hear an insider opinion of what makes 200AD so appealing and how it continues to attract new readers, while keeping hold of older ones after 40 years. The championing of the influential comic book will continue during the film screening schedule at Edinburgh Comic Con 2017. On the Sunday there will be a screening of a new fan film based on the character of Johnny Alpha. Search & Destroy: A Strontium Dog Fan Film will receive it’s Scottish Premier alongside the first UK showing of a Kevin Smith biopic called Shooting Clerks.
Despite not being in attendance, Clerks, Chasing Amy and Yoga Hosers director Kevin Smith has a strong presence at Edinburgh Comic Con 2017. The filmmaker has a love of comic books and hosts podcasts dedicated to the medium. Guests Ming Chen, Mike Zapcic and Bryan Johnson have all collaborated with Kevin Smith in various forms of media, including working at his comic book store and hosting the I Sell Comics! podcast.
Other comic book creators in attendance include X-Men artist Ken Lashley, Spiderman artist Reilly Brown and Dan McDaid. The latter having worked on many Doctor Who comic strips. At Edinburgh Comic Con the audience will be able to hear from these artists first hand and find out what goes into illustrating a comic book and bringing these excellent characters to life. With Spiderman, the X-Men and Doctor Who all making appearances on the big and small screen, we can expect many insightful debates and discussions on what makes a good page to screen adaptation. The Edinburgh International Conference Centre will no doubt be full to the brim on the weekend of 15th and 16th of April 2017, so it is advised to book ahead. There are various ticket deals on offer and full information on the lineup, schedule and tickets can be found at the Edinburgh Comic Con website.