I find it remarkable over the last 10-15 years how comic and pop-culture conventions have grown from being relatively small events to huge fixtures on the entertainment calendar. In July, you can’t escape the news before and during San Diego Comic-Con. New York, Charlotte, Seattle, Baltimore and others are just a few other cities that can boast cons of significant size that attract enthusiasts from across the US. These sort of events aren’t restricted to the States either, nor to just the English speaking world. It has been said that geek culture is now pop culture, and it’s hard to argue with that claim as these massive gatherings celebrating fandom spread far and wide.

I’m an avid consumer of a lot of entertainment that could safely be described as falling into the to the nerd category: science fiction, fantasy, comics, movies, videogames etc. But despite my proclivities, attendance to any sort of fan convention is something I had never managed. There have been a few near-misses over the years in places such as Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto and Montreal, but the stars never aligned and I’ve remained very much on the sidelines of geekdom – never participating in person.

Why? Scheduling conflicts and budgetary restraints aside, the main cause has been hesitation on my part. A genuine discomfort with crowds would be among the chief factors, though as I regularly make the effort for sporting events I can’t say this is a crippling fear. I suppose a degree of shyness also plays a part, though I’m certain there are others far more afflicted than I who attend conventions successfully – I’m almost ashamed to use this as an excuse in light of that fact. Sampling far too many over-hyped con floor and Q & A hall videos featuring “average” attendees may have given me pause as well. I’ve always had the impression after seeing PAX coverage that it seemed as though I was watching a reverse Jonestown, where the enraptured participants were even more zealous than the organizers. Unfettered, unrestrained nerd energy can be intimidating, from a certain perspective. I do wonder whether the current, ongoing boom will reach a point of saturation and the supply of fan events will eventually exceed demand.

Setting aside my predictions for the future, I wanted to write about my recent attendance to a local event which, was, as you would have guessed by the title, my first. The Forest City Comicon in London, Ontario, Canada is in its second year and the first at the London Convention Centre. It appears it was successful enough to have outgrown its previous venue, which I took as a good sign. Though billed as a “comicon”, as is typically the case with these sort of events, one can expect a great deal of cross-over into other genres of entertainment.

Even on the short walk from where my fiancée and I had parked we managed to spot a few superhero costumed types making their way to the entrance. Having bought advanced tickets, we were through the doors and received our received our obligatory hand stamps in just a few moments. It was barely an hour after the 10:00am opening, and the place was already bustling. By midday it was clear there were thousands of people in attendance, and I’ve since noted in an article on the official convention website that in fact nearly 5000 in total turned up to the single day event. Despite the impressive crowd, I never once felt overwhelmed by the scale of things. I’m unsure whether to credit this to the size of the centre, the layout, or the general good cheer of the attendees – perhaps all three share some way.

Most, if not all, of the local comic retailers in London were represented on the show floor, along with many independent vendors selling collectibles, video games (classic and current), fantasy/sci-fi themed jewelry and crafts, posters and more. A number comic book artists were also set up at tables including Bryan Lee O’Malley of Scott Pilgrim fame and Three Thieves creator Scott Chantler. Though I did not make his acquaintance, YouTube humourist Adam Buckley of A Dose of Buckley (and apparently, like myself, a local resident) was also there in person.

No pop-culture/fan convention would be complete without a few celebrities and John Noble, famously Denethor in The Lord of the Rings and Walter Bishop in Fringe was the highest profile on the list. My favourite, however was the talented veteran voice actor Cam Clarke who’s Q & A provided an fantastic glimpse at the career of the man who’s provided voices in Robotech, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Metal Gear Solid and for hundreds more gaming and animated characters.

Apart from sampling the wares and artwork, sitting in on panels and reveling in the atmosphere, the most visible convention activity is enjoying or participating in all the cosplay. There were some truly impressive sights to be see, from a huge Pyramid Head recreation from Silent Hill, several Master Chiefs, a Groot, a memorable centaur and, of course, a healthy amount of Storm Troopers in the mix. Digital Extreme’s own Rebecca Ford (known to any fan of Warframe as the voice of The Lotus) appeared as a diminutive ‘Mag’, complete with space-ninja weaponry – one of our favourites to be sure.

With all the commerce to be had, it was hard to resist picking up a treasure or two, and I bought a large, needle-point Sega logo to go with my Dreamcast collection. Perhaps as this was my first convention and I was still a bit tentative, I restrained myself from much further than that. Who knows, perhaps next time I’ll be walking out with armfuls of Pop Vinyls, trade paperbacks and figurines?

My decision to finally attend a comic convention was partly motivated out of a feeling that I was missing out on something. In some ways, it was also an opportunity for personal growth, and to push past some of my rusted-on anti-social tendencies that are difficult to shake. Just walking around in a large crowd of like-minded people without being overly anxious was a victory in itself. Looking at the convention purely as an attendee, it was a great experience from start to finish. I honestly wish I had tried this sooner in life. I may never be motivated enough to cosplay or take my fandom to the level that some do but I certainly wouldn’t turn down a chance to re-attend. My advice if you’re on the fence is, give it a try. If this sort of content is even vaguely interesting to you, the spectacle alone is worth the time and money.

And as for this convention specifically, I will certainly keep Forest City Comicon on my radar for next year. Maybe I’ll see you there in 2016? More likely I’ll shuffle past you without making eye-contact, but…baby-steps…