Get in touch with your inner geek this weekend in a galaxy not so far away. Science fiction, fantasy, action, superhero and comic book worlds join forces every year at comic conventions around the world. And this time, it's coming to the Middle East for the first time.
Come Thursday, fans of entertainment, popular culture, anime, collectibles, games and role play are expected to descend on Le Meridien Mina Seyahi, Dubai, for two full days of action and celebrity-packed creativity at the Middle East Film and Comic Con.
For those who don't know their comics and card games from their cosplay, the highly anticipated event offers an exciting insight into an unknown world or characters and art. Or, as Ben Caddy, MD of ExtraCake, the company behind the Middle East version, puts it, it's a place to "embrace the geek in you".
"Everybody has a bit of hidden geek in them," said Caddy, a self-confessed nerd. "The misconception is it's all about spells and superheroes. I ask people do they like Avatar, Harry Potter or True Blood and obviously people say yes. Well that's 10ft aliens, wizards and vampires. You're officially a geek."
Held around the world, and at the biggest one of them all in San Diego since 1970, the event has, in recent time, become a preferred platform for Hollywood bigwigs to showcase their new projects with many celebrities in attendance.
Caddy said the Dubai event will be no different.
But MEFCC will not only give an annual outlet for fans and enthusiasts but will also support content creation as well as the artistic community, he added.
"We are looking to uncover a new generation of artists, writers, animators and entrepreneurs," said Caddy. "The demographic is such an interesting mix here and that makes this event even more necessary. We've grown up in such a mixture of environments but popular culture is what we all have in common."
Some of the highlights include a chance to meet artists, watch previews, collect autographs from celebrities and take part in comic book workshops.
tabloid! gives you a run-down on what you can do and experience at the MFCC this weekend.
What's cosplay?
Literally "costume play". Dressing up and pretending to be a fictional character and can involve anything from weapons to clothes to even automotives or animals. The skills required to complete a finished "cosplay" include anything from: sewing, woodcraft, knitting, sculpting, metal working, painting, fabric dying and hair styling.
Abigail Kerr from the Philippines runs the Abu Dhabi Anime Club and tells tabloid! more about what exactly that even means.
Explain to those who have no clue, what is AUH Anime Club?
We're a social community, originally formed for people who are into Japanese anime, manga, film and music. Over the years the club expanded focus and today we have included cosplay, games and artwork competitions as part of our exhibitions and activities. We welcome people of different ages and nationalities as well as people who are not familiar with the anime.
When and how did it form?
Our founder, Amy Zimmerman, put together the J-AMFM group in Abu Dhabi in 2004, which stands for Japanese-Anime, Manga, Film & Music. Over the years we have tried our best to make the group as fun and supportive as possible by helping members excel in their own craft may it be in cosplay or arts and by exposing them to competitions and exhibitions.
Is there a buzz around Comic Con?
It's the first Comic Con event here in the Middle East and will officially introduce cosplayers and amazing artists to competition. Honestly, most of us are thrilled to see the cosplay competition, because it something we have yet to experience.
Find out more at adanimeclub.com.
The stars
Jason Momoa from Conan the Barbarian and Game of Thrones, John Rhys Davies of Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones-fame, Laurie Holden from zombie series The Walking Dead, Max Landis from Chronicle, Supernatural, Firefly, and Doctor Who's Mark Sheppard, Lucianna Carro from Falling Skies and Battlestar Galactica, as well as Cosplay queen Allodia Gosengfiao are just a few of the names attending.
Momoa says he is "looking forward to his trip" but says he won't have time to hit the beach this time as he's only in town for 36 hours.
Best known for his roles as Khal Drago from Game of Thrones or Conan the Barbarian, Momoa is known for his "tough guy" character portrayals.
"I think being my size has something to do with it," he told tabloid! "But the bad guys are the fun ones to play, you know. Fantasy and science fiction are great escapes, but the only way to act in one of these films is to treat it like that world is real, or it just comes off like a cartoon."
So why just 36 hours in the desert? "I'm in the middle of shooting a project I co-wrote, produced and am starring in with my wife, Lisa Bonet," he said. "Road to Paloma. And Bullet to the Head with Sylvester Stallone will be coming out soon."
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Cosplay fans
Nashua Abouelola, 24, is Australian and teaches science at the Australian Institute of Sharjah.
"I have made more than 20 costumes and I'm hooked. I don't see it as dressing up, I see it as art because you actually create your own costumes. It's a real skill and I've actually started a cosplay after-school club at school, which is very well attended."
"In the picture I am the princess form of Sailor Mars from the anime Sailor Moon. She has been my favourite character since I was seven. My costume for tomorrow is a surprise."
Saud Al Hazzani, 28, from Saudi Arabia, is a keen cosplayer.
"I went to an event in Bahrain and tried on a costume and just loved how it felt. You get to escape and it's pure and innocent fun. A big part of it is making the costumes though. I like to experiment with all sorts of materials, but the best one I've found for most outfits is gym mats. You can make many things. At Comic Con I will dress as Devil Jin from Tekken. I am looking forward to it."
Maha Mohammad, 26, is a receptionist from Abu Dhabi.
"I have been a fan of anime for a while but you do feel like you're the only one sometimes. Then I met so many other people who do it too and it's a great feeling.
This weekend I will be Villettanu from Code Geass, which is a Japanese anime. It's a character which goes from a villain to a hero.
Cosplay is just like hobby. It's the same as doing soccer or basketball. You can feel like a rock star for a day."
Manal Esmail, 24, was born in Abu Dhabi and has been cosplaying since 2009.
"The character I will be on Friday is Mahou Shujo Madoka Magica from Japanese series Sayakamiki. She has blue hair, so there was a difficult decision to make. I decided with a wig in the end. I picked this character because she represents me — she's a nice person but she's stubborn. You have to be able to play that character as well.
I love being able to escape my own world for a while.
In the picture I am Gumi Matryoshka from Vocaloid, which is music synthesiser software which enables users to synthesise singing by just typing in lyrics and melody."
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The artists
For the pen, pencil and paper creatives out there the list of artists is impressive.
Alvin Lee, Lee Townsend, Mark Sable, Jeremy Haun, Anthony Del Cole, Conor McCreery, Yishan Li, Sonia Leong, Joel Enos and Ali Mustafa make up the tip of an iceberg.
Don't miss it
Tickets to the MEFCC, priced Dh55 single day, Dh100 weekend and Dh500 for VIP, are available at the door. Tomorrow: from 10am until noon for VIPs and from noon until 10pm regular entry. Saturday: from 10-11am for VIPs and from 11am-10pm regular entry.
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