IT IS Scotland’s largest celebration of pop culture, the destination point for fans of superheroes, sci-fi and strutting around in outlandish costumes. The MCM Scotland Comic Con returns to Glasgow next week, promising to be bigger and better than ever before.

Now in its fifth year, around 32,000 people are expected to descend on the SECC for a packed weekend of geeky fun with comics, computer games, and celebrities from TV and the internet all making an appearance.

“It’s hard to get any bigger than we are now because of the size of the venue. We’ve taken up so many halls we are now at capacity,” said organiser Bryan Cooney.

“We’re very, very pleased to be in Scotland and people are very excited to be coming along. They are excited to have something to go to where they can share their passion for something, be that comics, or costumes, or anime or games.

“The convention is somewhere they can shop, and dress up, and meet comic artists and other fans who share their passions and their interests, and it’s just gotten bigger every year.”

He added: “The Scottish crowd always come with a big smile on their faces and the convention gives them somewhere where they can really be themselves.

“The fans are always happy and they make it worthwhile.”

Since the inaugural show in 2011, the comic con has grown to embrace many aspects of pop culture, with interest fuelled by the explosion in popularity of superhero films and fantasy series such Game of Thrones and Outlander.

This year’s show will feature a number of guests who have become famous over the internet, rather than the airwaves, something the organiser said is becoming more of a draw for the convention’s fans.

“YouTube stars are becoming the new celebrities. If someone has 20 million views and four million subscribers, then they are being watched by more people more regularly than a lot of TV shows,” said Cooney.

“There is a massive amount of interest in them and they are becoming a mainstay of the various comic cons.”

No celebration of the weird and wonderful worlds conjured up in the pages of comic books would be complete without the legions of fans who come in fancy dress, and cosplayers are expected to be a familiar sight over the weekend.

Cooney said: “The funny thing about cosplay is that not everybody who dresses up comes along and takes part in the competition. They come to show off to others what they have made and give advice and take pointers from others.

“It’s a whole scene about making something and being creative while trying to emulate a character from a TV show, or a film or game or whatever. They show off how close their costume is to the original and talk about how they made it.

“The convention gives people the chance to come along and be someone else for a couple of days. You can be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a mechanic in real life but for a couple of days you’re Iron man, or whoever.”

He added: “There’s nobody doing it on this scale in Scotland. There are other comic conventions and sci-fi conventions, but no-one is bringing together comics and games, TV, the internet, celebrities and things like wrestling and so on.

“This is the place to go for all those interested in sci-fi and comics culture. It’s the big one, and we have the right venue for the right show.”

TV/Film – Iconic British sci-fi stars Sylvester McCoy, who played the panama-sporting Seventh Doctor from 1987-1989, and Red Dwarf’s Chris Barrie, soon to return to TV screens as cowardly hologram Arnold J Rimmer in the much-loved sitcom’s Season XI, are the headline special guests at this year’s Comic Con. The pair will meet fans and take part in talks on the main stage. Also appearing are Doctor Who actor Simon Fisher-Becker and Andrew Lee Potts (Primeval, Band of Brothers), who’ll be presenting a new episode of his futuristic web series Wireless. Other guests include Sean Kelly and Jesse McClure, the host and breakout star of addictive auction show Storage Hunters; Chris Barrie’s former Red Dwarf co-star Hattie Hayridge, who played ship’s computer Holly in Seasons III-V.

Internet – YouTube star Meg Turney, former presenter with the Rooster Teeth channel, heads the line-up of internet stars. The avid cosplayer will be joined by comedian Tom ‘Tomska’ Ridgewell and Hilly and Hannah Hindi, creators of über-popular musical parodies on The Hillywood Show.

Comics – Anime has a huge following in Scotland and few of its creators are as big as Reo Kuroso, producer of the hugely successful Berserk series along with Fullmetal Alchemist and The Heroic Legend of Arslan. Comic-themed events will also see a star of the printed page in the shape of legendary artist, writer and editor Bob Layton, the man behind Iron Man during the series’ 1980s heyday. And a host of up-and-coming creators will be in the show’s Comic Village area too, with dozens of independent producers showing off their work.

Games – Fans of the iconic beat-em-up Street Fighter will compete in a PS4 eSports competition on both days. Aficionados are encouraged to bring their own controller... The Comic Con will also see an appearance from Insane Championship Wrestling on both days.

Cosplay - MCM Comic Cons are attended by more people in costumes than any other convention. Hundreds of Cosplayers both young and old are expected at this year’s event, with a wild and wonderful range of outfits on show. A masquerade will be held, with cosplayers showing off their creations or performing on stage.