Review: Heroes and Foes, Mander Centre, Wolverhampton

I attended the Heroes and Foes event at the Mander Centre in Wolverhampton on 9 November, and it was an event which was very different from any other convention I've been to.  It was approximately the same size and scale as Nanocon in Nantwich, with approximately 15-20 traders, and five celebrities from the world of sci-fi TV and film.  Okay, so far so typical, but the main difference is that it was actually held in the middle of a bustling shoping centre.  This had some significant advantages, and is definitely a good move for a smaller-scale convention (passing customers; reduced costs; free admission; and a central location for a start).

I visited the event on my way from Wolverhampton railway station through to Forbidden Planet for their event with Simon Furman and Geoff Senior (more on this in a separate post) and I was very, very pleasantly surprised at the event.

The atmosphere was warm and friendly (compared to the dark and wet early-November conditions outside).  The traders were enthusiastic and engaging, and there was the added attraction of a wide range of people in cosplay - I spotted the Riddler, a few Disney princesses and other villains on my wander around the tables.  

The stalls covered a diverse range of merchandise - I spotted some Star Trek replica models that I'd not seen before, a comic book stall from Oxfordshire with a wide range of comics and the best selection of Transformers comics I've ever seen; and around half of the stalls selling various assortments of Funko Pop vinyls (they're becoming ubiquitous).  Most of the stalls had multiple tables, and the total floor area was around 40 metres long by 20 metres wide (at a guess) - there was plenty of space to move around, and being in a two-storey open area in the middle of the shopping centre meant that there was no over-crowding or having to jostle to reach the best stalls.

I've already mentioned the friendly atmosphere, and a prime example of this happened while I was taking photos of some of the stalls on my SLR.  One of the event crew (I'm not sure if he was part of the Heroes and Foes event, or part of the Mander Centre staff) came to me to ask if I'd lost a part of the eyepiece of my camera.  Staff had found an eyepiece cover on the floor earlier and he was going around checking with SLR photographers to ask them each if it belonged to them  Like I said, this was a nice touch of above-and-beyond service (even though the part in question wasn't mine).

The list of celebrities wasn't long, and didn't appeal to me personally, but it was a good cross-section of well-known stars - Gareth David-Lloyd from Torchwood; recent Doctor Who villain Sam Oatley; Mickey Lewis from Star Wars Rogue One; Simon Fisher-Becker from Harry Potter and comic book artist Grant Perkins (I was on my way to see another comic book artist, as I mentioned).  And let's not forget that there was no entrance fee, either, so no complaints from me at all - well done to the organisers for arranging an event on a limited budget with no ticket sales to rely on. 

This was a rare occasion of a Day Out By Myself - the journey to Wolverhampton was a bit of a stretch for Daddy to take the kids, and I think I judged it correctly.  There wasn't as much to see or do as some of the other conventions, especially not for younger convention-goers, and it was 30 minutes on the train for me.  If I was more local,- I'd have definitely gone and taken the kids for a great morning or afternoon out.  The date for the next Heroes and Foes day has been set for 2-3 May 2020, and I shall certainly be looking into visiting again!