Marc West indulges his comic book fantasy at Oxford's biggest geek-fest

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…. actually not all that far at all. In fact, science fiction and science fact collided in our city of learning last weekend as the strange world of Comicon landed in Oxford - creating a weird and wonderful explosion of colours and sounds.

It’s probably only once a millennium that you’ll see a wookiee stopping traffic for tourists on The High or 20 imperial guards standing watch over the entrance to the University’s Examination Schools – a building which is usually hushed with silence, but for just 48 hours was a buzzing hive of activity and a place where you could live out all your childhood fantasies under one roof.

So, if you could be any superhero who would it be - and what super powers would you possess? Would you want to be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?

By stepping into Future Chronicles' booth I was transformed in an instant and my slightly sinister alter ego of Western Montgomery Deadshot emerged - the quickest draw in Tarnish Town and personal scribe to the Governess of News.

In my new guise I was ready for action and excited to join the other hundreds of worshippers of this exotic - yet inclusive and accepting - tribe. As a hobby, cosplay is on the more unusual end of the spectrum for sure.

But, don’t ever call it just fancy dress. The attention to detail and accuracy is astounding - with many man hours having gone into lovingly crafting these wearable works of art. And, stepping into the shoes/paws/caterpillar tracks of these alternative characters is pure escapism…and so much fun!

If you’re wearing a full suit of storm trooper body armour expect to be posing all day long for selfies with kids and big kids alike. As the most successful film franchise of all time Star Wars has enduring appeal across the board.

For many, it was an absolute pleasure to meet the man who designed the iconic mask of history’s most infamous film villain, Darth Vader.

Having worked as a sculptor on the original series of sci-fi spaghetti westerns Brian Muir is now considered one of the most respected artists in the industry today - and it was a major coup for the organisers to have enticed a name of his calibre to the event in it’s inaugural year.

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And, with the likes of Marvel, 2000 AD and Oxford’s own Inky Fingers all present there was also merchandise of every conceivable variety to tempt the treasure from your pockets - from Superman air fresheners to full-scale Dalek replicas circling the room and threatening to exterminate us all.

Luckily, I managed to dodge the crossfire ricocheting off the marble columns, slip through the rotating doors and land firmly back on Planet Earth - wondering if it had all just been a dream? The End.