MCM London October 2025 in Review
I have been attending MCM London Comic Con since I was around 17 which means I've attended almost 30 shows given their twice yearly schedule. I've only missed a handful over the years largely because of COVID, house moves and I believe one year I attended NYCC instead for a bit of extra adventure.
The show has changed a lot - notably having been bought by Reedpop and consuming EGX into a single show. I'm not sure if I am the typical convention attendee - for me it is largely a weekend to shop exhibitors and stall or to get autographs. I only attend the occasional panel, I don't cosplay and I'm not really into the fan meets - I love MCM as a weekend just for me. I throw my headphones on with a nice podcast, I wander the stalls, I get some art signed and I eat (a lot).
Friday opens at 10am so I like to get to the Excel for around 8:30am that day. I grab a coffee in the Starbucks across from the entry gate and sip away until the doors open to the hall. I was a VIP this year so I was able to enter at the nearer doors - a small but nice convenience as I'm getting a little older now and my feet will hurt as the day goes on. The Excel Centre is slightly unique in that it has a line through the middle with food options and then the show floor is through lines of bay doors on either side (My understanding is that it used to be an aircraft hanger). This means you can get through the queue hall and chill in the centre before the show floor opens - get there early, sit and relax rather than tire yourself out with long lines later in the morning. It is convention tradition to visit wrapid before the show opens and get a pepperoni pizza wrap to start the day as we mean to go on.
Friday was an opportunity to meet and get autographs from Naoki Hamaguchi (Producer of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth) and Richard Jacques (Composer of 007 Bloodstone and Mass Effect) along with autographs from VAs of Final Fantasy, Mass Effect and others. I enjoyed wandering the halls and particularly love that artists in the Artist Alley seem to have better access to different kinds of products now - I have bought so many art prints over the years that it is nice to see unique pins, socks, flags, totes, fidget toys and many other items on sale. Of all the years I've attended, I've never left Friday feeling I still had so much to see going into Saturday.
Saturday is always the busiest day - and also the longest as doors open at 9am. It's really important to enjoy the show from 9 to 12:30 on Saturday as when you hit 1pm the floor is unwalkable for an hour or two. Saturday this year was an opportunity to meet the Timesplitters team and some Lorcana artists. The Timesplitters talk and signing was great and I got a good laugh out of them when I asked them to size Haze. The Lorcana signing was a bit of a mess as it ended up in the wrong area and they were charging for autographs (which is the norm for other guests but hasn't been for Lorcana in the past). I left a bit disappointed as I hadn't been able to budget for this change. Regardless it was another really enjoyable day despite that hiccup. The VIP pass was absolutely amazing today as it allows you to skip ahead in autograph queues which saved me a lot of time and it offers a VIP Lounge which was a great quiet space during the busy hours of the day. At 1pm I grabbed a chicken katsu curry and some prawns from Chozen Noodle and relaxed until my feet stopped throbbing and the crowds diminished slightly. In the afternoon the highlight was definitely meeting Ellen McClain (GLaDOS) and Tom McKay (Kingdom Come Deliverance) as they were both absolutely delightful. I grabbed some chocolate brownies for the road and headed back to the hotel for the evening.
Sunday is always a shorter day. I do a quick sprint around the halls for any last minute shopping fun, grab some food and hit the road for an early night before travelling home. Recent shows have had some good author guests and this weekend had some great Star Wars writers. I felt that the new Writer's Block area was a little bit isolated from the show and I worry that this might hurt the growth of that area in the long run. Especially in recent years with guests like T.J Klune and Holly Jackson I felt like that area was growing so rapidly that I'd hate to see it get cast aside. I was able to sneak in a quick chat from Ben Starr (getting a Balatro card signed), Matt Ryan (who signed my Edward Kenway Magic the Gathering card) and Elias Toufexis (who signed my Deus Ex Steelbook) and all three were very kind and welcoming. I'm sure it's a very long weekend for the guests so I am often pleasantly surprised by their kindness. Matt was a particular standout, he seems to be very proud of his time with Black Flag and left me with a great looking piece for my collection.
Overall I had a great weekend and am really looking forward to my next adventure in London. The VIP pass was a huge game changer for me and I have already bought my pass for May. EGX joining MCM has opened up the opportunity for me to meet developers and composers which was exciting and, as those signings tend to be free, it's a great way to go home with something that doesn't cost an absolute fortune like some of the guests are charging. The artist alley this year felt bigger than ever so I'm glad they're using that space well. MCM London - thank you as always -
