Thursday, 8 May 2025

Comic Con Liverpool May ‘25

The first of 2 Liverpool conventions this year, the May run of Comic Con Liverpool was loaded with Hollywood stars of today and yesterday. I got tickets for the Sunday, just before the 40,000-strong venue of Exhibition Centre Liverpool sold out, along with a few photo ops. 

 

One arena inside ECL, presumably a sports hall, featured a stage with a Blues Brothers tribute band and some of the guests. 

 

Ricco Ross, Frost in Aliens. One of the first casualties in the hive. He liked my t shirt. 

William Hope, Lt Gorman in Aliens. 

 Mark Rolston, Drake in Aliens. 

Exhibition Centre Liverpool is a vast, multi-room, sprawling venue, so there’s no way you could fit everyone into the main hall for the panels. I gather these are ticketed like the photos. These Q+A sessions are broadcast around the building on the TVs. I found a spot near the photo areas to watch the Starship Troopers panel on the screens, and plonked myself down surrounded by the cosplayers and people queueing for photos. 

Compare Emmanuel Sonubi wielded the mic and introduced the actors: Patrick Muldoon (Xander Bercalow), Casper Van Dien (Johnny Rico), Dina Meyer (Dizzy Flores), Denise Richards (Carmen Ibanez) and Michael Ironside (Lt. Jean Rasczak). 

ES: Did you think it would have the impact? 

DM: We thought it would do better sooner. It didn’t have the reputation we’d like, but over time… 

CVD: in The States, they’d watch Mr Bean, then sneak in to see Starship Troopers. It made $23 million. People bought tickets to see The Little Mermaid. 

MI: It bombed in The States because people didn’t get the story. Europe got it. Like, what the fuck? What movie did you see? 

DM: Children, Michael! Mind your language! I stole the gun I was using on set, and the director’s chair with my name on it. My advice is always take something, because you never know if it’s going to be big. 

CVD: Blink 182 sent me a piece of a spaceship from a music video. The roaming mic goes out into the audience. 

AUDIENCE QUESTION: When Dizzy and Xander land in the bug nest, why did you have 2 guns and only one knife? 

CVD: The Fleet didn’t need a knife. They’re fleet. They’re in space. 

MI: You’re asking questions to a guy with a massive bug on his shoulder. (None of the cast have actual bugs on their shoulders, so I’m not sure what he meant.) 

AQ: In the punishment scene, were you actually whipped? 

CVD: Some people would like to! It was the longest whip they had. The guy was freaking out. He was, ‘I’m so sorry!’ It didn’t hit me, but I felt the wind on my back. That marine married the girl (in real life) who had shot him in the head (in the film). She really blew his mind! 

Another question relates to how the cast gelled together on set. 

DM: It was my 3rd film. Everyone except Michael (Ironside) was new to movies. It was awesome. 

CVD: Michael was like a mentor to me. I still hear his voice. Even now! 

MI: A good director knows exactly what he wants all the time. 

I ducked out here to get to my last photo op of the day: Richard Chaves, Poncho from Predator. He liked my t-shirt from Last Exit to Nowhere

On the day, I was weighing up spending even more than I already had by shelling out for some phone pictures with a few celebs. Paul Reiser, Burke in Aliens and Jim the dad from Whiplash, he was £60. Denise Richards, £50. Casper Van Dien, £40. There was also Daniel Kash, Spunkmeyer from Aliens, although I didn’t even get a photo *of* him. 

Missed opportunities. 

Excellent but expensive day. 

South Park's Towelie cosplay

Trader hall

Star Wars AT-ST

Jon Heder, Napoleon Dynamite



Bryce Dallas Howard, director Ron Howard's daughter. Claire Dearing in Jurassic World, Kate in Terminator Salvation, Lacie in Black Mirror Nosedive

Gaming area

Return of the Jedi set



Aliens cosplay

Rainn Wilson, Dwight Schrute in The Office (US), Gallaxhar in Monsters vs Aliens, smaller roles in House of 1000 Corpses, Galaxy Quest, Almost Famous, Juno, CSI, Star Trek.

Denise Richards. Cindy in Loaded Weapon 1, Carmen in Starship Troopers, Kelly in Wild Things, Dr Christmas Jones in The World is Not Enough

Fiery salt & pepper chips

Jake Busey, Gary Busey's Son, Ace Levy in Starship Troopers

99th Garrison cosplay group

Casper Van Dein

Westworld set

Jenette Goldstein, Vasquez in Aliens, Janelle in Terminator 2, Irish mum in Titanic

Michael Winslow, voice actor. Larvell Jones in Police Academy, voice of Mogwai and other Gremlins, small roles in Spaceballs, Robot Chicken, Cadbury ads.

Michael Ironside

Cameron Monaghan. Ian Gallagher in Shameless, Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska in Gotham


Dirk Bededict, Face in The A-Team, Lt Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica

No-Face from Spirited Away cosplay

Patrick Muldoon


Predelfie

Cobra Kai set

Predator 2 trophy cabinet

Luke's Land Speeder, Star Wars

Powerloader, Aliens




Sentry gun from Aliens Director's Cut

Tardis


Ralph Maccio (Daniel) and William Zabka (Johnny) from Karate Kid

Dalek



Jawas, Star Wars set

Blues Harvest

Leslie David Baker, Stanley Hudson in The Office (US)

Alien cosplay


A Klendathlu attacked me at Whiskey Outpost

Paul Reiser, Burke in Aliens, Jim in Whiplash


Slimer and Ghostbuster cosplay

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