Another stellar success for Cosmic Rebels Con
WHEN Ed Doyle and Brian Thomas came up with the blueprint for Cosmic Rebels Con, they could scarcely have imagined it would prove so popular. One year on and with three events now under their belts, the idea is one which continues to grow and gain traction and they certainly seem to have tapped into something which is most definitely in demand.
The idea behind the con is simple. It brings together all aspects of ‘geek culture’ under one roof with comic books, scifi, artists, video games, figures and collectables, vendors and an impressive costume or ‘cosplay’ competition which sees entries increase in intricacy with every passing event.
While a bigger, two-day con had only taken over the ballroom of the Riverside Park Hotel back in April, Ed and Brian decided it would be fitting to mark a year since their first event with a smaller one day event this time around, and thus the Cosmic Rebels Mini Con was born.
There was nothing mini about the crowds that filed into the hotel over the course of the day as they made the most of chatting with artists, meeting members of the Star Wars 501st legion and other characters such as Iron Man and Captain Jack Sparrow, picking up some comic books and collectibles from vendors and meeting Matthew Dale who appeared in Doctor Who and Star Wars Rogue One. The event saw a total of 28 vendors displaying on the day and 11 artists and writers.
‘Myself and Brian are absolutely delighted with how things went,’ said Ed. ‘This time we had the largest gathering of the 501st legion ever in the South East. We had over 20 of the guys down, which usually you’d only get at the bigger cons in the cities. We’ve had great feedback and families are delighted that they can attend an event like this on their own doorstep and admission is free as well.’
While admission was free, the organisers do collect donations for worthy causes and this year they’ve raised in excess of €400 for the Irish Cancer Society.
The two-day Cosmic Rebels Con is set to make a return next year, and Ed and Brian are aiming to make further announcements in January.