Scouting London Comic Con Spring

First time in London. First time at a UK convention. Coker Co-Op plans to exhibit in London at some point this year. If that happens, it'll be our first international show. We needed intel. What's the vibe? How do folks engage with comics over here? What are creator booth setups like? What works? What doesn't? All questions that needed answers. London Comic Con Spring was to be our recon mission, and it delivered.

Chris Geary at London Comic Con Spring

This past weekend, my wife and I jumped on a flight to London, checked into a hotel in Fulham, and hopped on a train from West Brompton as we made our way to the Olympia Exhibition Centre in Hammersmith.

Picture the opening scene: A bright yellow VW Bug wrapped in Pikachu livery, surrounded by a group of kids with their eyes pressed against the glass, climbing all over the thing. Twenty feet away, a replica K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider, similarly mobbed by a group of wide-eyed men in their 40s, reliving childhood dreams.

A rare moment where K.T.T.T wasn’t swamped!

For the next few hours, Rona and I wandered the hall, scooching out of the way of a roving Monty Python parade, the requisite Vader + Stormtroopers ensemble, and Doctor Whos (Whoses?) of all eras.

The venue (and con) was smaller than expected — but in a good way. We weren't hyperstimulated or fighting through crowds. Lines were manageable, and the whole place had a sedate family atmosphere. Different generations, different icons, but the same wide-eyed wonder in everyone’s eyes.

We were there to check out creator booths, of course, and Chris Geary and Simon Lewis (of White Hart Comics) had one of the most striking booths at the con. It was a clean, professional setup that put their gorgeous art on display. We picked up a signed copy of Flesh and Bone before heading over to see Sam Middleton, Dan Batchelor, and Ian Watson's booths — three authors with very different approaches to publishing their books: Amazon self-published, small publisher, and total indie. Very insightful.

Info was obtained, swag was swagged, and we left happy. On the way back to the hotel, we swung by the Forbidden Planet Megastore in the West End, Gosh! Comics in Soho, and had dinner at Singapulah (very kind staff and great food!).

So yeah, it was an adventure. We also swung by the British Museum, but that's a Bronze Faces-adjacent story for another day.

Fine. If you must know, we did also stop by to get some donuts from Donutelier, in Soho.