Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Oct 6, 2014 21:12:38 GMT -6
Thousands filed into Moscow’s Crocus Expo over the weekend for what’s billed as Russia’s first-ever comic convention. While Misha Collins of long-running CW series Supernatural was a big celebrity draw, the main attraction appeared to be the idea of the convention itself. “I’ve wanted to come for years,” 31-year-old Elena Formina told The Guardian. “There have always been geeks and fans here, it’s just now they call it Comic-Con. American, Russian – all fans are the same. They love their heroes. It’s about sharing that love.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/05/comic-con-moscow-russia-geek-culture-global-domination
It’s a far cry from the streets of San Diego, but for Artur, the early morning trip to Moscow’s Crocus Centre is a pilgrimage like no other. Like the thousands of other pop culture fanatics enduring the two-hour queue in the damp drizzle, he doesn’t complain. Instead, all eyes are fixed on the front gates.
Russia’s Comic-Con has arrived and the anticipation is feverish. “Just three more steps,” Artur whispers to his friend standing next to me. “Three more steps, we’ll actually be inside.”
Once almost exclusively the domain of Japan and the US, self-proclaimed “geek culture” has gone global. The Moscow iteration of Comic-Con is the latest of a series of new destinations on the map. After the Delhi Comic Con launched in 2011 and the Middle East Comic-Con appeared in Dubai in 2012, Comic-Con landed in Eastern Europe in Bucharest last year. The Romanian festival pulled in 9,400 in its first year, with attendance more than doubling to 22,000 this time round.
For the thousands who have waited in line, the convention’s appearance in Moscow was an inevitable next step. “I’ve wanted to come for years,” says 31-year-old Elena Formina. “There have always been geeks and fans here, it’s just now they call it Comic-Con. American, Russian – all fans are the same. They love their heroes. It’s about sharing that love.”
Autograph sessions with Misha Collins, star of hit TV show Supernatural, have stolen the headlines, but presentations and sneak peeks from Star Wars, Playstation, and Xbox are also hotly anticipated.
But home-grown Russian talent is thin on the ground, leading some to wonder if this truly is a Russian version of Comic Con or just another advertisement for westernisation.
“There are always going to be people who are against us,” says 23-year-old Dmitri Makyorov. “It’s easy to say that it’s a generational and a cultural thing that can’t be bridged, but I don’t think that’s the case. Look at my mum; she loves the idea of the Star Wars stand. A lot of the films may be American, but it’s an international culture and it is becoming more and more global.”
Dressed as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games trilogy, 18-year-old Victoria Ocharova clutches her bow and arrows tightly. She says she’s not here for anything specific, but to simply be with like-minded people. “Would my friends think this was strange, or not Russian? I don’t know. I’ve not talked about it with them. They don’t know I’m here. We have different interests. But I just love this book and I love being this character. I love when people ask to have their photograph taken with me. Next year I’ll be back – except then, my costume will be better.”
Not everyone is buying into it, though. Olga, a middle-aged woman standing on the glass balcony overlooking the entrance, is quick to share her concerns. She cautiously peers out on the convention, making it clear that she is only here to supervise her 13 year-old-son.
“He likes the TV show Supernatural but nothing else,” she says sharply. “It’s probably not harmful for children, but it’s not normal. These people are throwing away their time and their money and for what? It’s not part of our culture and it’s not part of us.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/05/comic-con-moscow-russia-geek-culture-global-domination
It’s a far cry from the streets of San Diego, but for Artur, the early morning trip to Moscow’s Crocus Centre is a pilgrimage like no other. Like the thousands of other pop culture fanatics enduring the two-hour queue in the damp drizzle, he doesn’t complain. Instead, all eyes are fixed on the front gates.
Russia’s Comic-Con has arrived and the anticipation is feverish. “Just three more steps,” Artur whispers to his friend standing next to me. “Three more steps, we’ll actually be inside.”
Once almost exclusively the domain of Japan and the US, self-proclaimed “geek culture” has gone global. The Moscow iteration of Comic-Con is the latest of a series of new destinations on the map. After the Delhi Comic Con launched in 2011 and the Middle East Comic-Con appeared in Dubai in 2012, Comic-Con landed in Eastern Europe in Bucharest last year. The Romanian festival pulled in 9,400 in its first year, with attendance more than doubling to 22,000 this time round.
For the thousands who have waited in line, the convention’s appearance in Moscow was an inevitable next step. “I’ve wanted to come for years,” says 31-year-old Elena Formina. “There have always been geeks and fans here, it’s just now they call it Comic-Con. American, Russian – all fans are the same. They love their heroes. It’s about sharing that love.”
Autograph sessions with Misha Collins, star of hit TV show Supernatural, have stolen the headlines, but presentations and sneak peeks from Star Wars, Playstation, and Xbox are also hotly anticipated.
But home-grown Russian talent is thin on the ground, leading some to wonder if this truly is a Russian version of Comic Con or just another advertisement for westernisation.
“There are always going to be people who are against us,” says 23-year-old Dmitri Makyorov. “It’s easy to say that it’s a generational and a cultural thing that can’t be bridged, but I don’t think that’s the case. Look at my mum; she loves the idea of the Star Wars stand. A lot of the films may be American, but it’s an international culture and it is becoming more and more global.”
Dressed as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games trilogy, 18-year-old Victoria Ocharova clutches her bow and arrows tightly. She says she’s not here for anything specific, but to simply be with like-minded people. “Would my friends think this was strange, or not Russian? I don’t know. I’ve not talked about it with them. They don’t know I’m here. We have different interests. But I just love this book and I love being this character. I love when people ask to have their photograph taken with me. Next year I’ll be back – except then, my costume will be better.”
Not everyone is buying into it, though. Olga, a middle-aged woman standing on the glass balcony overlooking the entrance, is quick to share her concerns. She cautiously peers out on the convention, making it clear that she is only here to supervise her 13 year-old-son.
“He likes the TV show Supernatural but nothing else,” she says sharply. “It’s probably not harmful for children, but it’s not normal. These people are throwing away their time and their money and for what? It’s not part of our culture and it’s not part of us.”