MCM LONDON COMIC CON– EXCEL LONDON– 25-27 MAY

Britain’s biggest pop culture festival, MCM Expo London Comic Con returns to ExCel London on 25-27 May with an awesome line-up of movie, videogame, sci-fi, comics, anime and cosplay content ready to entertain the show’s 60,000 plus visitors. Here are some highlights from our first wave of announcements!

      TITLE SPONSOR

·         MCM Expo London Comic Con's title sponsor is Universal Pictures' The Lorax, starring Danny DeVito. An animated comedy from the creators of Despicable Me, The Lorax is based on the much-loved children's book by Dr. Seuss.

·         London Comic Con has also teamed up with Universal Pictures to give fans the chance to attend the world premiere of upcoming fantasy blockbuster Snow White and the Huntsman at London's Leicester Square, 14 May. The competition opens at noon on Friday 4 May on www.londonexpo.com

FILM AND TV GUESTS

• Comic Con visitors will get a sneak peek at the next generation of turtles, as Nickelodeon previews its upcoming CG-reimagining of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animation with an exclusive presentation and Q&A. Taking place in the MCM Theatre from 11:30 am on Saturday 26 May, the special panel stars Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman and Nickelodeon Senior Vice President, Current Animation Rich Magallanes.[/*]

• Crystal Reed, who plays female lead Allison Argent on hit supernatural drama Teen Wolf, will be attending the show as a special guest.[/*]

• Upcoming Universal Pictures sci-fi horror movie Storage 24 to host Q&A panel featuring director Johannes Roberts and writer Noel Clarke.[/*]

·         Falling Skies stars Seychelle Gabriel, who plays Lourdes, and Sarah Carter, who plays Margaret in the Steven Spielberg-produced sci-fi drama following a group of resistance fighters in the aftermath of an alien invasion will be guests.

• Cult favourite horror hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, will be signing autographs and promoting her upcoming DVD, Elvira's Haunted Hills.[/*]

• Pascale Hutton, who stars as Abby Corrigan in popular sci-fi show Sanctuary, will be meeting fans and answering questions about the series.[/*]

·         Top voice actors Michael Sinterniklaas (One Piece, Naruto Shippuden) and Stephanie Sheh (Naruto Shippuden, Bleach, K-On!) will be hosting a Q&A to promote the worldwide exclusive of anime film Welcome To The Space Show, as well as signing for free on the Manga Entertainment stand.

·         Film, TV, anime and videogame voice actress Ali Hillis, who stars as main character Lightning in Final Fantasy XIII and its sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2.

      VIDEOGAMES

• UK first playable of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s stylish new zombie-hunting Xbox 360 and PS3 actioner, Lollipop Chainsaw.[/*]

• First UK playable of Aliens: Colonial Marines multiplayer, SEGA’s highly anticipated first person shooter coming out on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U and PC.[/*]

• First UK playable of three top Nintendo titles: action RPG Kingdom Hearts’ much anticipated 3DS debut; Wii music game Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise and 3DS‘augmented reality’ horror title Spirit Camera. In addition, Nintendo will be bringing Mario Tennis Open and innovative action RPG Heroes of Ruin for the 3DS, as well as survival horror sequel Project Zero 2 on the Wii.[/*]

• Capcom titles confirmed for MCM Expo include mech battler Steel Battalion: Heavy Armour and open world action RPG Dragon’s Dogma.[/*]

·         Tecmo Koei to show a playable demo of upcoming fighter Dead Or Alive 5, including a tournament in their booth on Saturday. Other titles show visitors can get hands-on with will include Warriors Orochi 3 and Ninja Gaiden 3.

·         Jagex to bring MMO RuneScape to MCM Expo for the first time with an exclusive voice acting panel, live concept art demos, event-exclusive t-shirts and a chance to try out the game. Jagex will also be bringing Transformers Universe, the as-yet-unreleased MMO based on the popular Hasbro brand. 

• Gamespot UK return with their dedicated games stage; hosting panels and presentations, and giving show visitors sneak peeks at the hottest new titles.[/*]

       ANIME, MANGA, COMICS&COSPLAY

·         Namco Bandai is bringing its ShiftyLook artists and writers to Comic Con, including Matt Moylan (Bravoman), Dax Gordine (Bravoman), Jim Zub (Wonder Momo), Ben McCool (Dirk Davies), Dean Haspiel (Dirk Davies), Marv Wolfman (MCM-announced title), and Rob Pereyda (Editor-in-Chief).

·         Namco Bandai's ShiftyLook will also be hosting an action-packed chat show for MCM visitors featuring stand-up comedy, thrilling guests and live music. The Saturday evening show will be held at the nearby Crowne Plaza Hotel.

·         In a worldwide exclusive, MCM Expo visitors will have a sneak peek of the English dub of anime movie Welcome To The Space Show, followed by a Q&A with two of the film's voice talents, Michael Sinterniklaas&Stephanie Sheh.

·         Kazé UK and Manga Entertainment will present exclusive footage from exciting new anime movie Berserk: The Golden Age Arc– Egg of the King, to be followed by a Q&A with Kaze UK’s Andrew Partridge and voice actor Michael Sinterniklaas, plus a free signing of Berserk posters at Manga's booth.

·         Early bird visitors to the Manga Entertainment stand will get the chance to receive an exclusive, limited edition copy of the Manga Entertainment 'Know Your Anime' comic book along with a free DVD.

• MCM Expo once again plays host to the prestigious Eagle Awards. Introduced in 1976, the Eagles are the comics industry’s longest established awards.[/*]

• Our Comic Village shows off the talents of some of the UK’s top comic creators, including Rufus Dayglo, Emma Vieceli, Tony Lee, Marc Ellerby and many others– for the full list, see www.londonexpo.com/comicvillage[/*]

·         Letraset is hosting a Manga Alley Art Competition, giving artistically-inclined visitors of all ages the chance to win over£120 worth of Letraset products.

• London Comic Con is easily the UK’s largest cosplay event and the centrepiece is the Masquerade, held in front of a packed MCM Theatre audience. This May’s Cosplay Masquerade will see the selection of Britain’s entrant for the EuroCosplay Championship, a competition spanning more than 20 countries.[/*]

• The MCM Expo also boasts the Totally Cosplay zone, hosting workshops, a photography area and its own stage for panels and performances.[/*]

       ...AND GET THE T-SHIRT TOO!

·         The official MCM Expo T-shirt available for pre-order from the geek chic gurus at Genki Gear until 21 May from www.genkigear.com

To buy tickets to the MCM London Comic Con at Excel London on 25-27 May, please visit: https :/ www . mcmexpostore . com store

You can find more about the MCM Expo at www.londonexpo.com ; on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mcmexpo ; on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mcmexpo and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/mcmexpo