• Home
• /
• In The City

Comic Con: Beware of the Geeks bearing gifts

Dubai - An oasis of pop culture, this year's edition is expected to attract 70,000 fans from across 30 countries around the world.

They came, they geek(ed), they conquered.
The exceptionally eccentric Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) is back for its fifth edition and the geeks have returned - bigger and stronger - not to deceive and conquer but to invade Dubai with its own version of eclectic fun, colourful imagination and tonnes of joy and happiness.
An oasis of pop culture, this year's edition, which runs until today, is expected to attract 70,000 fans from across 30 countries around the world, according to the organisers.
The Dubai gig can also be compared to the more established comic cons like the San Diego Comic-Con.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) co-creator Kevin Eastman told Khaleej Times: "To me personally MEFCC is very much like the comic con in the States and all over the world."
"The fans want to be here; they love being here because this is the happiest place they can be. You see like-minded people who come here to celebrate to Star Wars, Star Trek, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel and DC Comics heroes. All things pop culture and comic books are here all in one great place where the level of energy is just infectious and everyone is fantastic," shares Eastman. "The culture here in Dubai is so diverse and this diversity is like in any successful comic-con shows in the US," he added.
Fans and cosplayers (costume players) who come in their favourite hero, rogue character or any other made-up persona that best represent their identity are no longer seen as part of sub-culture.
TMNT producer Ciro Nieli said: "I think the geek culture is universal now. When I came here in Dubai I had no idea what to expect. But if I'm brought here blindfolded, the moment someone will remove my blindfold I can say that I can be in any other comic-con like San Diego. This proves that there is a universal geek language and it has no boundaries."
For Belgian teenager, Azif Demuynck, 25, who came in as a Viking Huntsman, and his Vietnamese friend Chloe Nguyen, 26, who came as a fox, "cosplay or dressing up is displaying and sharing your talent."
"We also inspire others to be imaginative and that means there's more to cosplay that getting good Instagram or Facebook photos, it's about self expression and fun," the duo added.