I decided to write about the first German ComicCon in Frankfurt not from a journalistically distanced point of view, but from the personal perspective of a self-confessed nerd who has already enthusiastically followed two such events in Dortmund and of course the big Star Trek convention in Frankfurt three years ago. As such, I was of course very pleased that the German ComicCon also came to Frankfurt. Over the past few months, I have followed with great interest which guests from film and television have announced their coming, and once the program was announced, I planned through the two days at the con with much anticipation.
I have to be honest: When I arrived at the show with my buddy, a tiny bit of disappointment set in at first: Unlike Dortmund, where the hustle and bustle was spread over several halls, the offer in Frankfurt was much smaller with only one hall. There were also far fewer visitors dressed up in original costumes, which was also a bit of a shame, as the many very lovingly and elaborately designed costumes are one of the reasons why such events have such a special charm. And finally, it was also noticeable in a negative way that the Main Stage, which was located in its own small hall in Dortmund, was not separately demarcated here, which is why the panels were accompanied by a constantly present background of noise.
After this initial disillusionment, however, enthusiasm returned quite quickly when the star guests gathered for a group photo and then sat down at their places at the autograph tables. Here we as the press had the opportunity to take photos and in some cases to talk briefly. And there were quickly the first very positive surprises. Because without exception the actors and actresses were extremely accessible, friendly and sometimes pleasantly down-to-earth. This then also led to the panels on the Main Stage being extremely entertaining at times.
Here there were three very big highlights for me: Firstly, TJ Thyne, known from the series "Bones", who enthusiastically talked about all the things he has already done in Frankfurt and how much he enjoys his time in Germany. With a lot of charm and wit Thyne answered the questions of his fans, which made his 20 minutes on stage fly by. The second highlight was the appearance of Natalia Tena and Daniel Portman from "Game of Thrones". Portman in particular kept the audience laughing with his answers, proving to be the perfect showman for such an event.
But my absolute highlight was the four-person panel on the series "Gotham," which featured Robin Lord Taylor and Erin Richards, as well as Sean Pertwee and Drew Powell. It wasn't just that the chemistry between the four was just perfect. At the latest when Powell took a fan to his lap, it became clear how much fun they had the direct exchange with the fans and that they didn't just put on a big grin because they were paid for it. I noticed this, by the way, when I was able to exchange a few words with Robin Lord Taylor at the autograph table, who even went to extreme lengths to be able to exchange a few words of German with his fans.
Also on the smaller comic stage there were some nice appearances, like the one of the wonderful, because always unpredictable Sylvester McCoy ("The Hobbit", "Doctor Who"), the very likeable appearance of Alicia Witt ("Walking Dead", "Dark Legends", "Dune"), who still had a gig as a musician on Sunday night in Frankfurt, and the comic talk of Martin Perscheid. Some nice photp-points, a cosplay-contest, cosplay-speed dating, indoor bungee jumping, a retro area with old computer games and fan-areas were also offered. More aimed at younger visitors was an area that, admittedly, almost completely passed me by. The Influencer Stage featured guests who have become famous in particular through social media platforms such as YouTube or Instagram. And judging by the enthusiasm with which they were greeted by their followers, it was probably a good decision on the part of the organisers to integrate this area into German ComicCon for the first time.
After two days with around 19,000 visitors, the first German ComicCon in Frankfurt was a satisfactory success, despite a few points of criticism. The guests were in a good mood and provided their fans with some unforgettable moments. And in the end, that's all that matters. For me it's quite clear: If the German ComicCon 2018 comes back to Frankfurt, I'll be there again!
If you want to know more or want to visit one of the cons in other cities, you can find more info here: <link http: www.germancomiccon.com de _blank>Http://www.germancomiccon.com/de/
An article by Frankfurt-Tipp
Copyright: Frankfurt-Tipp.de
