Since I live in Cambridge, am geeky, and have the audacity to refer to myself as "The" Cambridge Geek, rather than "A" Cambridge Geek, I felt it would be rather remiss of me to not attend the Cambridge Geek Con.
There's been a couple of different attempts at these over the years, most recently CamCon but I also have a dim and distant memory of a very small affair taking place on St Andrews St, either in the church or Union. Shout in the comments if you remember it.
Being a rather nerdy city, it's a surprise these don't tend to be more regular affairs, though this one did flag up a few of the problems that Cambridge does present.
It was out at Duxford Imperial War Museum, which I keep meaning to drop in and visit, but have utterly failed to find the time to do so. Part of the problem is the transport links. I live and work in Cambridge, and as such have no great use for a car. Bikes and buses get me everywhere.
Duxford is a bit more awkward though. It's about a fifty minute trek out on the bike, or a train to Whittlesford and then a walk parallel to the A505. (There are bus routes, but bit awkward.) Luckily, the weather today was glorious, so I turned this into an excuse to stick the hiking boots on and killed two hobbies with one stone. But, I'm a bit unusual like that, and I suspect most students, the perfect target audience, wouldn't necessarily have bothered.
Okay, I've had a google, and it's still the University holidays. The students aren't here. No wonder it was quiet. Might be worth a timing rethink.
The trade stalls were as you'd expect for a geek convention, with comics, games, anime, and various paraphenalia. A couple of food/dessert stalls rounded these out, and I had a nice bit of fudge to sustain me on the long walk back.
Though the celebrity guests were unfortunately cancelled approximately a month ago, did have a lovely chat with Andrew Wildman and Stephen Baskerville, who I mainly had to pester on behalf of the Girl, a massive Transformers fan. Still, came away with a nice inked cover, so that's another one for the collection. (Apparently I collect Transformers covers now.)
Picked up a fair few first volumes from up and coming artists, and a rather lovely piece from one of the locals, though did manage to resist the urge to go crazy in the comics section. Just a first volume of Morning Glories, which I've been aware of for ages.
Also had an enjoyable conversation with PR:UK who appear to have done a proper old school superhero team-up, being independent Power Ranger cosplayers who decided to form a group, and now drop into conventions as a full team (presumably with colour coordination).
A fair number of impressive cosplays, though I failed to actually hunt any down for photos this time. Hands a bit too full of swag. Particularly impressed with the Predators, though the Star Wars were also decent. Plus enjoyed the clockwork person with a surprisingly loud tick. And of course there were lessons in fighting with sabers made of light (legally distinct, honest).
I'd like to see it succeed, because I always enjoy the London ones, and something a little closer to home would be excellent. Definitely a bit of work to be done on the logistics though. I think it needs improvement in communication, as I'm aware of people who were struggling to get access to the dedicated minibuses or answers in general, and it might need a few more volunteers to help point the way, with a bit more signage.
(It's only fair to note that this is the first year this event has been run here, and teething troubles are to be expected. I did skedaddle about 2ish, so it's possible things have been continuously improved. Tomorrow may go smooth as silk.)
Tagged: Event Convention Nerdy/Geeky