Friday July 11, 2008
Fan-tastic show
WORLDS OF WONDER
By KALEON RAHAN
Last week’s Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 was arguably the best comics-related event held in this part of the world.
FOR three consecutive days, the Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre in Singapore was the venue of a “Hungry Geeks” festival as fans gorged on what the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 (STCC) had to offer.
Using the San Diego Comicon as a benchmark, STCC fulfilled the pre-requisites: cosplay, comics, toys, contests, freebies, an exclusive Asian premiere screening of Batman: Gotham Knight, meet-the-fans sessions with Gary Erskine, Joseph Wong Chak, Tan Eng Huat, Sonny Liew, Imaginary Friends Studio, plus a presentation of upcoming Asian artistic talent.
P lastic models at the Bandai booth during the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention last month. The environment was akin to an open day at the Mos Eisley cantina, where one is welcomed by fantasy characters with open arms ... and guns. Clone troopers, Storm troopers, G.I. Joes, Predators, Hellboy and a host of manga/anime-based characters were about, plus the appearance of Masked Rider Hibiki and a performance by the Gacha-Gacha Miracle Girls offered plenty of photo-ops.
The likes of Lego, Bandai, Nintendo, Hasbro, Passion Marketing and Wizards of the Coast occupied plenty of floor space, with the rest taken up by at least 60 cubicles offering merchandise, art talents, gaming centres and the “Walk of Fame”.
One bargain I missed out on was posters/lithograph-esque prints by aspiring artists. My friend picked up a set (of three) of prints by the talented folk at Imaginary Friends Studio for a mere S$20 (RM47). If you’re lucky, you may even get them autographed.
There were also copies of silver age Iron Man #1 and Daredevil #1 but for some reason the issues were “not priced yet”. Otherwise, the presence of G&B Comics, MPH and The Outsiders offered a good selection of back issues and tradepaperbacks.
Lego bricks and blocks have evolved beyond their 12”X12” green bases, judging from the mini Legoland at the convention. Hasbro’s “Storm and Clone troopers” deco, a sneak peek of the latest Clone Wars line and three decades worth of Star Wars merchandise, certainly got me humming the tune of The Imperial March, whilst desperately seeking the nearest money-changer. Surprisingly, Hulk stuff were scarce despite positive reviews of the new movie.
The Singapore Toy & Comic Convention featured a host of toys, comics, animation and games from all over the world . On the art-front, the usual Wacom Bamboo tablets looked like plain vanilla in the presence of a Cintiq 21UX. With artists like Clayton Crain and Kaare Andrews making computer-aided illustrations an essential comic book niche, this art-device is definitely a must-have for aspiring artists.
If the talents scouts at Marvel and DC had been at the convention, they would’ve filled up their recruitment needs for the next two years. From Jim Lee-worshippers to Clayton Crain-wannabes, the talent pool was enormous. Pencils-to-computer assisted illustration techniques, these artists could draw any style, any thing and anywhere.
The crew from Imaginary Friends Studio spearheaded the challenge for all newcomers and even gave established names like Gary (Judge Dredd, Transformers, Hellblazer and Dan Dare) Erskine, Joseph Wong Chak (creator of Old Master Q), Tan Eng Huat (Ghost Rider, Batman Journey Into Knight and Silver Surfer: In Thy Name) and Sonny (My Faith in Frankie) Liew a strong challenge for the crowds’ attention.
Erskine was definitely the biggest creative name at the STCC, in view of his stints with Eagle, DC-Vertigo and Virgin Comics. Despite the endless requests for his autograph, Erskine was the perfect gentleman and even pre-signed several Dan Dare-STCC posters as freebies.
While local comics giant Gempak Starz held a recruitment drive, Singapore’s Association of Comic Artists was also present to lend its self-publishing sector assistance and promote comic creative classes.
The journey home gave me ample time to reflect on the possibility of having a similar comics and toys convention on Malaysian soil. Think of the boost it would give the local comics and toys fraternity, and the career opportunities for local talents.
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