Tripwire Convention Tips From Writer David Baillie

How To Avoid The Pitfalls

Tripwire’s occasional contributing writer David Baillie returns to offer some sage advice on attending comic conventions…

I just got back from WorldCon 2024 in Glasgow, and boy are my arms tired. Mostly from carrying all the books I bought there. Honestly – so many books! It was my first real WorldCon (I was a panellist at London WorldCon in 2014, but only hung around for a few hours because of *checks diary* – deadlines?) and it was very, very different to the sort of convention I usually attend – namely the humble but glorious comic convention.

WorldCons have a dizzyingly enormous programming schedule, and a million things seemingly happening at once, and I was very grateful to stumble across a couple of helpful “guides for a first WorldCon”. I’ve been attending comic cons as a fan and a professional for the past 25 years, so I thought I’d return the favour with my own set of tips for the conventions I most regularly visit. Some of the advice you’re about to read will apply to all comic cons, while some is so specific it’s ridiculous that I’m even committing it to HTML. But if even one person stumbles across this while looking for ice cream and a copy of 2000AD from 1993 on a chilly November afternoon in Harrogate, then it will have all been worth it.

General Advice

Find a favourite toilet!

I know it sounds ridiculous, but one of the first things I do when I arrive at a convention is scope out the best public convenience. Tens of thousands of attendees can quickly ruin a hygienic and fragrant restroom. I try to locate one off the beaten track – one away from the main thoroughfares – and there are bonus points available for finding an actual secret toilet, that literally no one else knows about! But, of course, be prepared for the crowds discovering your private oasis halfway through the con and ruining everything.

Wear Comfortable Shoes!

This one is key. You can easily rack up 30,000 steps in a day exploring a comic con. The one time I brought new shoes instead of cushioned trainers, I regretted it within hours and ended up wasting a morning browsing a shoe shop. Don’t be like me in 2003 – be prepared! (Don’t be like me in 2003 is my new catchphrase.)

Okay – now for specific advice for my regular conventions:

MCM London

MCM is great, and my daughter and I usually attend both the May and October events. It’s a real spectacle event with fantastic cosplay and vendors selling everything from toys of your half-remembered youth to mind-blowing fan art.

Queues

Pre-book your tickets – the queues for buying tickets on the day are bananas. Even the lines for picking up passes you’ve already bought can be very long. The best advice I can give you is to collect your badge on the Friday when it’s relatively quiet, although I nearly missed a 12pm panel I was scheduled to be on one Friday as, even then, the pick up wait was unexpectedly long.

The queue for the DLR when MCM London closes its doors on the Saturday and Sunday is notorious. It’s the slowest procession of nerds on the planet, and if the Elizabeth Line is down, it’s even worse. My advice – leave an hour or more before closing time. If you don’t want to cut your time short, avoid queuing for Prince Regent DLR and instead walk around the massive venue to Custom House or in the other direction to Canning Town. The trains themselves aren’t too busy; it’s just getting to them that takes an eternity.

Cable Car Discounts

If you’re travelling from south of the river, the Emirates Air Line cable car offers half-price tickets for MCM attendees. They usually extend this offer automatically to cosplayers, but if you’re not in costume, just show your pass or event email for the discount. It’s a very nice way to start your day!

Food and Coffee

My daughter and I have a tradition of grabbing sushi followed by chocolate-dipped strawberries for lunch (the chocolate-fondue stand is pricey but tasty!) Plan your meals and try to eat outside peak lunch hours to avoid the crowds and find a table. The carts have all got plenty of food, so don’t worry about them running out.

Coffee lines can also be ridiculously long, so use a mobile app for any café chain that offers one, order online and collect at the till. You’ll still have to wait a bit, but at least you won’t be standing in a massive queue for an hour for your Venti 5-shot, no-foam, half-caf, ristretto, with soy latte, non-dairy whip and sprinkles! (I refuse to confirm if that’s my regular order, but if it is yours – definitely use the app!)

Thought Bubble

I’ve been attending Thought Bubble (TBubs to the regulars) since it began in 2007, and it’s always brilliant. It’s held in Harrogate now, having started in Leeds, and it’s the largest independent comics-focused con in the UK.

Accommodation

Since the move to Harrogate, accommodation has become a bit pricier. Booking early is key, but don’t panic if you miss the initial rush when the convention dates are first announced. Many con-goers book a hotel, and hold it, hoping they find something better – meaning rooms are always being released the closer we get to TBubs weekend. This year I missed out myself, so I saved the URL for the specific dates on Booking.com, hit it a couple of times a day, and sure enough a great B&B a few minutes from the convention centre popped up. Hang in there!

Explore Harrogate

If you’re a charity shop fiend like me, Harrogate is paradise. I have a walking route that hits all the best ones in a pleasing spiralling pattern, ending with a walk up the hill of Cold Bath Road. A worthy walk if ever there was one, as it leads to the best ice cream of your life at a place called Vanilli’s Artisan Ice Cream. There they make small-batch, hand-made flavours that rotate throughout the year. Absolutely delicious – and in keeping with the theme of Thought Bubble, you’re supporting a local independent trader!

Sketches and Prints

Thought Bubble is a great weekend for loading up on sketches and prints from your favourite creators. Last year I snagged a fantastic Judge Dredd sketch from D’Israeli and a lovely Spider-Man from Roger Langridge. Both now hang in my office, keeping me company while I procrastinate.

Portsmouth Comic Con

Full disclosure: I’m the Artistic Lead for Portsmouth Comic Con (and the job was previously held by Tripwire Joel and Tripwire Andy) but that obvious bias aside, this is honestly one of my favourite conventions in the UK. I help curate the Artists Alley list, so there’s basically a lovely room full of my favourite comic creators – a dream come true.

Outdoor Vibe

Portsmouth is unique for its fabulous outdoor space. Every year, the steps of Portsmouth Guildhall are filled with fans watching the main stage, which offers everything from cosplay parades to tea-duelling. This outdoor area is the heart of the con, creating a chilled vibe that’s perfect for sitting in the sun, on a bean bag and soaking up the atmosphere.

Doctor Who

For my money, Portsmouth is the best place to meet and hang out with Doctors Who. Last year saw Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann and Sophie Aldred entertain many, many eager Whovians, and the year before Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant were guests. And if those cons were anything to go by, 2025 will see another candid interview with big names from the Doctor Whoniverse on the main stage in glorious May sunshine.

Portsmouth Comic Con 2024 at Portsmouth Guildhall – 12/05/2024 – (Picture: Vernon Nash)
Filename: Vernon Nash_Comic Con 2024_079

Accommodation Choices

Many Portsmouth Comic Con fans are local and don’t need a hotel bed for the weekend, meaning that affordable accommodations abound – mostly right on the door step of the Guildhall itself. One year I stayed out in nearby Southsea, which was great fun and only a 20-minute walk or quick bus ride.

Affordable Merch and Munch

Another of my favourite things about Portsmouth is the affordability of the vendors. I always end up buying way more than I intend to – last year, I left with a suitcase full of Pokémon treasure for my daughter.

Simply by virtue of taking place not-in-London the food available onsite is far less likely to empty your wallet. Last year I refuelled between panels with some really tasty food at bargain prices.

Speaking of food, there’s a fabulous sushi restaurant called Otaku, less than a minute’s walk from the con. Curt from the Guildhall team thinks it’s hilarious that whenever he walks past me on a Comic Con weekend, I’m usually recommending this place – but the sushi there is so good. At least one evening meal should be booked here!

Games Fest

I also recommend you check out Games Fest, an annual retro and boardgaming festival curated by the same crack team. Taking place in a few weeks’ time, in the same venue, it sees loads of board game geeks and indie game creators assemble over a chilled and fun-filled weekend. My top tip is an indie game called Pet Evil, which you’ll be able to play against (and buy, if you like) directly from the designer, Joe Liano.

London Film and Comic Con

LFCC is a great place to hang with legends of the UK comics industry as they always have a very strong line-up, which they’ve recently rebranding as The Comic Zone. This convention is the closest in vibe to the old Bristol conventions of yore, albeit on a far grander scale.

Hot

Usually scheduled for mid-July my first tip is to keep checking the weather, right up until you leave home or your hotel – as Central London gets hot! Layer clothing where possible so you can remove items if required. This can be difficult for cosplayers, but I’ve seen more than one have an ingenious too-warm-to-wear-for-long outer layer, with a cooler under-version beneath.

Billions

LFCC returns to the newly reopened Olympia next year, and attendees will be among the first to experience £1.3 billion refurbishment. I’m guessing the air flow and air filtering, in particular, will be state of the art, and I’m looking forward to checking it out.

Eat

For the budget conscious, Kensington can be a pricey area of London in which to find sustenance – so I’m going to recommend an app called Too Good To Go. It provides a list of local restaurants, cafes and takeaways with too much food still in their chillers and, rather than throw it out, they offer it to the public at knockdown prices. This part of London has some very fancy eateries signed up to the scheme and I hope you find some delicious bargains!

Sidequest

My final tip is to collar, if you can, one of the organisers – Mr Tony Lee. Author, raconteur, publisher and bon vivant – I’ve never seen him at a loss for words, and more importantly I’ve never seen him duck a conversation at a comics event because he’s spotted someone ‘more important’ to talk to. Whether you’re looking for an anecdote or advice to help you into and through the comics industry, Tony’s your man.

New York Comic Con

NYCC is the most affordable American con for UK  attendees. (I love San Diego, but getting there in the middle of the school holidays costs a medium fortune.) I’ve been going to NYCC since the very first one back in 2008, and my tips have evolved as the con has grown.

It used to take place in February, when the main concerns were winter blasts, and the treacherously icy ground underfoot. Now located snugly in the middle of October, when the weather is usually still quite warm – it’s a very nice way to dodge the shocking first few weeks of the British autumn.

Accommodation

New York hotel rooms are famously tiny and expensive. Airbnb was great while it lasted, but new legislation in Manhattan has effectively outlawed most of the properties that used to be on there. This is probably a good thing, as in its last year of operation on the island the site saw a battery of fake listings and chancers offering one property, only for con-goers to show up and find something entirely different waiting for them  – sometimes in a totally different part of the city!

Despite the questionable legality, some of those properties have now migrated to Booking.com – especially the single rooms in apartments. While this can a very affordable option, I know someone who opted for one last year and found themselves nervous every night about the possibility of returning to find their stuff outside and police tape over a kicked-down door. (I’ve no idea how likely this is – I’m guessing not very?)

I usually recommend The Jane Hotel for its history, charm and affordability. It’s where the survivors of the Titanic stayed, and though the rooms are ship-cabin-sized  and the walls are thin (oh – and bathrooms are mostly shared – which I know is a deal-breaker for a lot of people) it’s quirky and cool and only a 30-minute walk from the Javits Center along the lovely High Line. The cafe downstairs also does a great avocado toast, which at one point they referred to as the Zachary Quinto, after he ate one there while being interviewed by The Times.

Secret Toilets

Of all the conventions listed here, finding a secret toilet at NYCC is the most challenging, but it’s worth the effort because of the simply incredible footfall.

One year, I discovered an undisclosed cubicle in the Pro Lounge – and was then heartbroken when that transformed into the Anime Area, and became common knowledge. Another year, I snuck into a secret elevator behind a popcorn stand to find a serene and clean bathroom that was also slightly terrifying in a Backrooms kind of way. You’ll probably find that your oasis will vary year by year, but a little ingenuity goes a long way.

Eating

Some years, I have pretty much lived off dollar slices of pizza the whole weekend (though they’re a bit more than an actual dollar, with tax, and optional toppings). These are available at many mid-town corners and will keep you going, as long as you’ve had a good start to the day. If you can find a hotel that includes a decent breakfast. make the most of it.

The food court downstairs at the Javits is actually good, but a packed lunch is never a bad option. I rented an apartment last year (or Murder Basement as I described it all weekend) that had a kitchen, so I dined like a king, snacking on tuna bagels and a mix of nuts and seeds.

But I miss the days when I worked for DC and they had a Green Room at NYCC. You could pop in for a coffee and sandwich – with the added benefit of occasionally queueing behind Jim Lee and Frank Miller for a wee. Halcyon days!

Phone Home

Many a UK comic creator has returned to find a phone bill that would stun a Tory, but this is completely avoidable. Many phones have dual sim functionality, meaning you can pop in a cheap US sim card and keep both running during your visit. Alternatively, the UK mobile company Three have a PAYG option that works in the US for no extra charge. I pop a tenner on it, which provides enough data to navigate the streets of Manhattan, and then watch a weird French film when I get back to whatever Murder Basement I’m staying in.

Late Night Coffee

Finding decent caffeine after 7pm in New York is bizarrely difficult – if you’re looking to rejuvenate your ambition before an evening afterparty or meetup, I recommend Ellen’s Stardust Diner on Broadway.

David Baillie is on Twitter/ X here