Comic Con Northeast 2023

A brand new convention for 2023, well established convention organisers Monopoly Events hosted their first event in the North East last weekend in what I would describe as a resounding success. The two day event was held at the Utilita Area, situated by the river Tyne in Newcastle. Being only a ten minute walk from the cities train station, this was an incredibly accessible event and despite tickets being almost sold out on the Saturday, the convention itself didn't feel crowded, making this a perfect first comic con for so many.

I've attended a dozen or so similar events across the UK since 2016 but this was my first event held by Monopoly Events. I've seen and heard a lot of good things about the organisers and at this point it's safe to say that they are at the top of their game when it comes to value for money, their events feature both the cheapest ticketing options and biggest variety of guests -beating out Showmasters (Collectormania/LFCC) and Reed Pop (MCM). 

If you're unfamiliar with the concept of a comic convention they are usually ticketed events where said ticket gains you entry to the event where once inside you can browse venders, watch/take part in workshops and Q&A's and also have the option to buy photo ops and autographs with the guests attending. A photo op is a very quick meet and greet opportunity where you get around 10 seconds with a guest to say hello, strike a pose and get a photo taken. If you're getting an autograph at a guests table, depending on queues, you're more likely to get a couple of minutes with a guest who may also offer selfies either included with an autograph or at an additional cost. 

Comic Con North East had fourteen guests for their first event, six of which were only at the convention on one of the two days, so each day there was eleven guests you could meet and this really helped with keeping the convention feel less claustrophobic and it's also worth noting that this is the first convention I've ever attended where every guest who was announced turned up on the day, no cancellations at all and that's a very rare thing in the convention circuit. 

For me there were two guests I wanted to meet, the first being Nick Frost who I have seen at conventions before but have never got around to meeting. I'm glad I wait though as like I said, this was a very chill convention and Nick had a lot of time for the people meeting him. There wasn't a time I saw him throughout the day where he didn't have a smile on his face -except in my photo op where he opted for the maddest face and it really makes the photo. 

The other guest I wanted to meet was Ross Marquand, who is actually someone I've had the pleasure of meeting twice before at another convention that unfortunately ceased operations in 2018. Was anyone around for the Walker Stalker drama? Ross was the first guest I ever met at a convention so he has a special place in my heart, as well as for playing my favourite Walking Dead character and MCU villain. 

Something I noticed from following the convention on Instagram was that a few days before the event they advertised selling the guests table banners, which the respective guests would sign and you could pick up either from the event or have shipped to you. I've never seen something like this offered and as an avid film merchandise collector, I couldn't resist. So that is how I now own a ten foot banner with Ross Marquand's face and signature on, I will say I only set it up to take photos and it has gone into storage for the time being -but it's still one of the coolest things I own, extra special I think as it's from the first Northeast convention, and because it's my hometown con. 

Overall I had a blast at this event and I'm very excited to see what next year brings. Obviously I'm hoping for some even bigger names as this is a great tourist opportunity for Newcastle and I like the idea of my city becoming a popular comic con stop, but as this event is a twenty minute drive from my house, I'll be going regardless. Were you at the convention? What did you think? Let me know on Instagram and if you'd like to see more, I took some videos for my TikTok too.

@thenorthernfilmblog A look at Monopoly’s first North East Comic Con. Hell of a day 📱✌🏻# #northeastcomiccon #northeastcomiccon2023 #monopolyevents #rossmarquand #nickfrost @monopolyevents ♬ original sound - Rebecca Stobart