Ink of Blood

So…I have to say that I wasn’t planning on going to this event, at all. I love conventions…I love meeting actors and I love getting autographs. But I hate how crowded and how many people there are at the signing events like Showmasters. It’s why I mostly go to Starfury events, because even though there’s a lot of people there, it isn’t overwhelming in the same way…and that’s mainly thanks to the main organiser and his staff. I was also reluctant to go to this event because I’d bought tickets three separate times with the expectation/hope of meeting Clark Gregg…and each time had failed. And the last cancellation had occurred last year, when I was in the hospital recovering from nearly dying from a combination of DKA and sepsis, so…yeah.

Anyway, one of my friends was going to this event…and he wanted me to go with him, because I’m always organised. I make sure I have a clear list of whose autograph I want and what times the photos are that I want. And when I’m at a convention with other people, I automatically organise them too. So my friend wanted me with him so I could be the organiser. Even so, I was still reluctant to buy a new diamond pass for Clark Gregg until eight days before the event, when I saw him reposting the schedule for LFCC. I literally said to my friend, ‘This is a good sign, right?’

I actually ended up getting two diamond passes, one for Clark Gregg and one for Mike Colter. Because I hate being later in the day to conventions, I pretty much insisted to my friend that I didn’t want to risk getting there after the initial opening time of 9am…especially considering that last year, Showmasters stopped allowing people into the event and operated on a ‘one in, one out’ system. So we got the train to Bournemouth Friday night…and got the coach to London in the early hours of Saturday morning (1:30am, to be exact). So we did get to the venue about two and a half hours before the opening time, which was fine by me…but unfortunately, my body refused to sleep on the coach, so I was pretty tired by the time we got to the event. Also unfortunately, I managed to knock my sensor for my blood sugar off my arm…so I was left with only my testing strips and constantly needing to prick my finger to check my blood sugar.

We were told to queue up at a particular entry, but about 40 minutes after being in one place, we were told we had to go to a different area to queue. Unfortunately, by this time, the line was pretty long, which meant that those who’d been at the front of the line ended up nearer the back…and considering a lot of those were people on access (including myself and my friend), it wasn’t so good to end up at the back of the line, especially since there were no chairs to sit on in sight.

We were let in to the diamond pass collection earlier than the event opened, although there was a lot of confusion, as I had my diamond passes and my friend didn’t…but since we were both on access (or extra help), I didn’t want to risk us getting separated. Eventually, my friend was able to have a seat outside to wait for me…and I got in and was able to collect my diamond passes, although it did take them a while to find my Mike Colter pass, since I’d only bought it the day before.

Once we were inside the venue, it was early enough that I wanted to try and get all of the autographs (I wanted four; my friend didn’t want any) before the photos started at 11:30. When we got in, most of the guests weren’t there, so I collected virtual queue tickets for Jessica Henwick (13) and David Wenham (21). Then I joined the queue for Clark Gregg’s autograph.

Clark Gregg was very nice to talk to. I had a lot of trouble deciding on the photo I wanted to get signed. Unfortunately, there was just too much choice. In the end, I picked up a picture which had Phil Coulson and Nick Fury in it…although if I’d had the money, I probably would have got one of the others. (I thought about the one with Phil Coulson and Steve Rogers, but unfortunately, Coulson was a bit blurry in that, so I put the photo down again).

When I got to the front of the autograph line, I told him I was really happy that he was there (I kept the diamond pass up until last year, when I finally gave up on meeting him and requested a voucher that I then used for a couple of other guests in 2022). I think he was happy to hear that…I mentioned that I was sure he’d had a long trip, but he told me he’d been in Europe for the past three weeks, to make sure he actually made it, and had been in London for the past couple of days, so it hadn’t been as long as it could have been. So while the autograph queue was massive, it didn’t feel like a production line.

The next person I picked up an autograph from was David Wenham…but I was getting the autograph as a gift for another person, so I’m not going to share a picture here. But he was such a genuinely nice person, I did regret not getting an autograph from him as well. Maybe if he comes to another event, I might take the opportunity to meet him for myself.

The third person I went to get an autograph from was Jessica Henwick…and her queue was really long as well, which wasn’t surprising. She’s not only a big Marvel guest, she’s also been in Game of Thrones and The Matrix: Resurrections. I was a bit torn about whether to get an autograph from her as Bugs or Colleen and ultimately decided on Bugs, but…I was very tempted by a visually stunning picture of her character in Game of Thrones. I sort of wish I’d picked up a second autograph as well. Ah, well. Maybe another year.

She was also someone who seemed to really enjoy being there and talked with people…and was very happy and smiley, so a genuinely good meet.

The final autograph I got was, of course, Mike Colter. I accidentally made use of my Extra Help wristband; when I joined the queue, I was questioned, and when I said I was a diamond pass, the staff member said he needed to ask what to do. So I added that I was extra help, since I was worried I’d be asked to come back later. Instead, I ended up being taken to the front of the line. So sorry to the other people I skipped past! I honestly hadn’t intended for that to happen.

Anyway, Mike was also nice and friendly. I didn’t know which photo to get signed and asked him if he had a favourite. He told me all of them, but also that he had quite a few back at his house that he thought he should have brought with him. I’m fairly happy with the photo I did get signed.

I also liked him in the movie Breakthrough, which I saw at the cinema quite a while ago. Similar to Clark Gregg, I was supposed to meet him a few years back, but unfortunately, that convention company closed, so that ended up not happening.

I got those autographs pretty quickly, which was good. Me and my friend got to have a look around some of the stalls, which was fun. I found a comic book that I wanted to go back and get, but…unfortunately, it got snapped up before I got back. I did look at the others, but none of them caught my attention in the same way. I did glance at the book stalls, but none of them really grabbed me.

My first photo of the three I got was with Clark Gregg. I made sure my friend was at the photo studio for his photo (they were happening close to each other time wise) and then went to find the photo studio I was meant to be at. (I had a woman ask me where the photo studio I needed to go to was, while I was trying to make arrangements for meeting up with my friend after both of our photos. I might have been a little short with her when saying I was in the middle of sorting something out with my friend, but…please don’t interrupt someone when they’re clearly having a conversation? I did tell her where I thought the photo studio was, but I couldn’t really wait around, as I was running out of time).

Actually, finding the photo studio I was supposed to be in was fairly easy…I had to go towards the massive crowd of people. And because I’m short, I couldn’t see anything. So I had to call out to ask what was going on…and then fight my way through the group of people pressing in close, since extra help meant I needed to be at the front. (Honestly, this is one of the things that Showmasters is bad about – letting people crowd around and effectively stop those who need to from getting through). In any case, I was able to fight my way through and join the queue…and I was able to finally get my photo taken with Clark Gregg.

After I’d got that photo and my friend had queued up for two of his (but been told he had to come back later, as he didn’t have diamond passes), we went to get lunch, which was…ridiculously expensive. £15 for a burger and fries…though I have to say, they didn’t scrimp on the amount. Still, the food was pretty basic in taste. And there were too many people around, that it triggered my need to ‘get away’. Fortunately, I was able to stay in place while my food was cooked, but as soon as I had it in hand, I had to get away from the crowd. I fortunately found a place I could sit on the floor with my back against the wall and not many people around. (The lack of seating was atrocious).

After lunch and another bit of browsing, my friend and I ended up back upstairs for our next two photos. This unfortunately was another problem, as I wasn’t up to going up and down the stairs (thanks, diabetes, for making me tired out more than I used to be), so we had to get the lift. And there was one lift…and lots of people needing to get the lift. And I didn’t mind waiting in the queue, but if you’re waiting for the lift, please don’t stand around having a conversation when the lift reaches the floor and refuse to get in until someone has to ask you! (I also wish there’d been a better system for waiting for the lift, as people tried to form two separate lines).

I did get to have a massage from a Mobile Massage company, who were at the event. I have a lot of tension in my neck, shoulders and back, so the massage, while a bit painful due to the pressure, was definitely helpful! And it was a really good system, with people paying what they wanted between £15 and £50. I paid £30, although if it had been in a quieter/calmer location, it would have been more. Unfortunately, although I did my best, relaxing entirely just wasn’t an option.

My other two photos were good and went off without a hitch. Mike requested no full body hugs, which was fair enough (I’m not good with physical contact myself, so always try to pay attention to how comfortable the actors are. I basically have to spend weeks/months mentally preparing myself for the huge sensory overload I’ll experience when I’m at conventions).

Anyway…despite the difficulty with being at the convention, I did still enjoy myself. I was able to tick two actors off my specific wishlist (Clark Gregg and Mike Colter), and I enjoyed meeting Jessica Henwick. I do think an event like this needs to have more seating for people with mobility issues…and one lift for a maximum of four people each time was actually quite ridiculous. I was very relieved to finally get out of the event and back to the coach station…and I pretty much fell asleep for most of the journey back.

Signing events are not the same as weekend conventions, but I do think this event could be better, especially when it comes to people crowding the photo op areas. I was able to fight my way through the massive crowd, but what about someone in an actual wheelchair? I don’t want to experience sensory overload every time I go to a Showmasters event, but unless something changes, it’s either that…or not attend again.

So, I actually got my gold ticket for this event last year, shortly after they initially went on sale at the start of the Marvel event in 2022. I did think I’d been one of the first people to buy the ticket…and while I did get the lowest number I ever have for a Starfury event, it wasn’t quite as low as I was expecting. Not a disappointment, but more of a, ‘Wow, so many other people got there before I did!’

This event was a small one, with the amount of attendees being about 250 and the total guests being five. There was supposed to be a sixth guest attending, but unfortunately, the flight he was meant to be on was cancelled and the airline refused to refund the flight cost. The small event was a lot of fun, feeling far more intimate and cozy with such a small amount of people.

Since I had a gold ticket, I got to be part of the meet and greet reception, which had all of gold attendees getting to meet each guest and spend about five minutes with them. Groups gathered around a circular table with one empty seat, and the guest would come and sit in the empty seat and chat to us. I somehow ended up with all but one of the guests sitting next to me, which was really nice! And Nick Blood recognised me…I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad one, although I have now met him on four separate occasions, with one of those being the Marvel event last year.

I only had one photo op over the weekend, on the Saturday, with Adrianne Palicki, who plays Bobbi Morse in Agents of SHIELD. She’s also appeared in The Orville, Supernatural and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, along with numerous other roles.

I also only got two 10×8 autographs, one from Adrianne and one from Katy O’Brian, whose appeared in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and The Mandalorian, along with various other roles. In fact, Katy was only there for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning. Due to a change in the filming schedule of her current project, she had to leave by 11am on the Sunday.

I don’t normally go to many of the talks, but at this convention, I went to all of the guest talks on the Saturday, which were fun…if difficult to sit through (for me personally). Lyrica Okano, who appears in Marvel’s Runaways and plays Nico, had so much energy and was so lively…I loved how she took every question in her stride and answered even the most bizarre one about Doctor Who, that she’d never heard of before. And it was a lot of fun to hear about Jeff Ward’s character on Agents of SHIELD…and I loved that Katy ‘offered’ to answer someone’s phone when their boss called. And Nick and Adrianne were a lot of fun in their talk. Nick, of course, has so much of the Starfury energy and really gives off the vibe that he wants to be there. (I’m not saying that the others didn’t, but to the best of my knowledge, he’s the only one who, last year, came all of the way from Scotland and then back again for one day of the con).

One thing that I also thought was exceptionally good was that there was a young girl in the talks, who asked each of the actors what advice they’d give to someone who wanted to be an actor (her). All of them were completely genunine and honest in their answers, instead of brushing the question off, or ‘dumbing down’ their answers because they were speaking to a child. Nick, especially, gave a response that was incredibly thoughtful and sincere.

Starfury is incredible value for money…and one of the main things is that many guests are included in autographs, even for regular tickets. At this event, all five of the guests’ autographs were included in both gold and regular passes, which was awesome. You can see below my shiny autograph card, which is a must-have for if you want to collect your autographs.

As you can see, although it’s technically a check list for the guests’ PA to tick off, most of them do things a bit more interesting than just the check mark. And I didn’t realise until the Sunday that one of the PAs had done a sad face for Gregg Sulkin! (He was the guest who unfortunately couldn’t make it last minute).

I was extremely happy with my included autographs. I always like to get my convention booklet signed, since it fits very nicely into a plastic wallet to go into my (one of five) autograph folders. Both Katy and Lyrica had extremely long autograph queues; Katy because everyone was keen to get hers on the Saturday, due to her leaving early on the Sunday…Lyrica because, well…I’ll let the autograph speak for itself.

Lyrica’s was actually the last autograph I got on the Saturday and I said to her, ‘You can have the whole of the front!’, and she took it. Which was awesome. All of the guests were lovely people to meet, but I saw Lyrica write a lot on everyone’s autograph they had…which I’m sure wasn’t very comfortable by the time the event ended.

And I mentioned that Katy was leaving early, but in spite of that, she took her time talking to everyone…asking me if I’d seen the Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. I said yes and that Jonterra was my favourite character, which I think (hope) made her happy.

These were not, in fact, all of the autographs I got from this event. I mentioned before that Multiverse was a very small convention…and because of that, the organiser very kindly offered everyone another photo to get signed on the Sunday, by the four guests who were still there…and also promised that the same photo could be signed as an ‘extra’ by Katy at any future Starfury event she might attend.

There really aren’t any other convention companies who would give you an extra autograph from the majority of the attending guests! I really can’t recommend Starfury enough, because while it looks more expensive on the surface…it really works out as much better value for money. Not only are you paying for the whole weekend convention, but you get all of the talks included, plus access to the evening parties, and autographs from the majority of the guests included.

Book for Starfury. You won’t be disappointed. I’m hoping to attend Witchbomb this year. I did also want to attend Cross Roads 7, but I don’t think that will happen for me. But Witchbomb is almost a certainty…just a few more days until I can book!