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DUBAI: The Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) has landed in Dubai and is taking the city by storm, with event organizers expecting more than 70,000 visitors at the three-day pop culture extravaganza.

The event, set to run until April 8, is an explosion of color and celebrates everything from comic book characters to manga, animation and sci-fi entertainment.

Now in its sixth year, the 2017 edition promises to be bigger and better than ever, with a special Star Trek 50 Year Exhibit featuring art by the original Spock actor Leonard Nimoy, as well as creative tributes to “Star Trek” from 50 artists based in 10 countries around the world.

The event promises to keep fans of all ages busy with a dizzying line-up of activities, including a Battle Park where visitors can test their combat skills in a “Call of Duty” style obstacle course, a WWE ramp on which wrestling wannabees can practice their toughest walk, and a Retro Gaming area full of blasts from the gaming past.

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Apr 6, 2017 at 4:15am PDT

“There’s a vibrant local — expat and indigenous — appetite for pop culture content, hobbyist activity and a culture that’s eager to produce and consume entertainment,” Yasser Alireza, who is taking part in the event as an exhibitor, told Arab News.

He is the co-creator and artist behind “Wayl,” one of the region’s only adult-targeted comic book thriller series based in the Middle East.

“Our strap line is ‘Woe unto the Wicked.’ It’s a completely home-grown project by two residents of the UAE — one Arab Canadian and the other Saudi — with full-time jobs in other fields.

“Last year, we successfully launched our first issue. This year, we’ll launch our second issue, hoping to attract consumers, distributors, publishers and other key influencers. We’ve also been invited to talk at a panel about how to start your own comic book project from scratch, and we’re producing a limited and exclusive MEFCC variant of our comic for the convention.”

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The comic book creator is not the only one looking to entertain crowds at this year’s event. Dubai-based DJ Hype is taking to the Syfy Mainstage as one of the official entertainment acts.

True to his name, he is keeping the crowd hyped with a signature mix of tunes on , his own .

“We plan on bringing a brighter, more animated experience to the event by bringing everyone’s inner geek out, one song at a time, in our live mix,” he told Arab News.

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Why is a DJ taking part in the region’s largest comic-focused event? “I'm an old-school geek, plain and simple. I’ve collected Pokémon cards, was part of the first Super Mario Club in Dubai… collected DC Comics, stayed after every Marvel movie to see the teasers after the end credits… I’m at Comic Con because it’s my tribe,” he said.

Famous faces and cosplay

Fans of Marvel’s blockbuster movies are in for another surprise at this year’s event, as celebrity guest Anthony Mackie is set to make an appearance.

Well-known from Oscar-winning films “The Hurt Locker” and “Million Dollar Baby,” Mackie starred as The Falcon in the third instalment of the “Captain America” franchise “Captain America: Civil War,” reprising his role from “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

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Kevin Sebastien, a visitor at the event, told Arab News: “I’m particularly looking forward to seeing Anthony Mackie. I’d definitely like to have a word with him.

“As a person who isn’t ashamed to call himself a geek, I’m glad Comic Con allows people to express that… Events like this bring people together, from as young as 5 to older fans.”

The biggest draw, said Sebastien, is the chance to get creative and dress up as comic characters in what is known as cosplay, a hybrid of the words costume and play.

“I’m cosplaying as a character called Rorschach from DC Comic’s ‘The Watchmen’,” he said.
His favorite part about coming out in costume is “having kids know who you are and wanting to take pictures with you. They want to take selfies and photographs. Giving that experience to a kid is heart-warming.”

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Fellow cosplayer Katarina is no stranger to the limelight at Comic Con. “This will be my fourth year cosplaying at the MEFCC,” she told Arab News.

“I’ll be going as Laura (X-23) from the movie ‘Logan,’ as well as a female version of The Punisher from the Marvel/Netflix series ‘Daredevil.’ For me, cosplaying is thrilling because you don’t just make your costume so you look like the character you love, you get to embody their personality and essentially perform.”

Katarina believes the event is important as it unites fans from all over the world. “The rise of the Internet in the last couple of decades has led to widespread interest in global pop culture, and it’s not uncommon to find people regularly interested in an anime from Japan, a comic book from the US or music from Korea,” she said.

What better place for fans to unite over their love of all that is action-packed and fantastical than the larger-than-life melting pot of Dubai?

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