Comic Con Wales is not the first comic con in Wales. Wales Comic Con, organized by Mercury Promotions, was first held in Wrexham in 2007 and took place there annually until May 2019, when the organizers announced a move to Telford, England, while keeping the same name. In the absence of a large pop culture convention held in Wales, Monopoly Events organized the first Comic Con Wales in Newport in 2022.
Monopoly Events is a Manchester-based event organizer known for its comic cons in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Lisburn, Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle, as well as its For the Love Of series of events, including For the Love of Wrestling, For the Love of Fantasy, and For the Love of Horror.
For Comic Con Wales, Monopoly Events secured the 5,000-capacity International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), which has 4,000 square meters of pillar-free space. The inaugural convention was held on August 6-7, 2022. It featured celebrity guests such as Aimee Garcia, Bitsie Tulloch, James Marsters, John Cena, Linden Ashby, Melissa Joan Hart, Peyton List, Tom Payne, and Tyler Hoechlin.
Like most multigenre conventions, Comic Con Wales covers various elements of popular culture, including science fiction, horror, fantasy, anime, comic books, video games, cosplay, wrestling, and more. Celebrity guests from popular media, both past and present, are among its main attractions. Celebrity events at Comic Con Wales include panels where guests answer questions from hosts and fans, photo ops, and autograph sessions.
A significant portion of the convention focuses on cosplay, arguably one of the most popular hobbies among fans. The con’s program includes the Cosplay Championship, the Cosplay Masquerade, and other events for attendees who love dressing up as their favorite characters. The main difference between the Championship and the Masquerade is that the Championship is open to those who have made at least 75% of their costume themselves, while the Masquerade is open to anyone in costume. Those in handmade costumes can enter both events, but must apply separately.
In addition to the cosplay and celebrity events, Comic Con Wales has prop and set exhibits from various sci-fi and fantasy films and shows (Star Wars, Doctor Who, Back to the Future, Transformers, Cobra Kai, etc.), as well as a retro video gaming area and a tabletop gaming area. There is also an Artists Alley where visitors can meet comic book artists and authors and purchase their artwork. Finally, there is an extensive trader zone where dealers sell comics, collectibles, toys, artwork, games, and other memorabilia.
Comic Con Wales is a ticketed event with a variety of entry tickets, including early entry and standard entry for Saturday, Sunday, and both days. There are three price brackets: standard (ages 10 and up), concession (ages 5–9), and infant (ages 0–4). There are also Diamond passes for Saturday, Sunday, and the weekend. Tickets for autograph sessions and photo ops must be purchased separately.
Photo: comicconventionwales.co.uk
