The last week of every month can be all-sorts of crazy due to deadlines, projects, and whatnot. Despite final exams and the end of the school year, however, the last week of August provided a spectacular month-ender after all: The much-awaited Asia Pop Comic Con 2016.
Now held in the SMX Convention Center and already on its second year, the Asia Pop Comic Con 2016 was another one for the books, once again uniting die-hard pop culture fans in all their geeky glory. Regardless of the fact that the people behind APCC were unable to hype up the excitement for the event only until they were less than a month away, this year’s Comic Con surprisingly turned out to be better than the last.
Starstruck
One of APCC’s highlights from 2015 were their Hollywood guests, namely Paul Bettany, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Colton Haynes. Mark Salling, although not included in the official lineup, was among the con-goers last year, so it’s no surprise for the fans to expect another celebrity lineup in this year’s APCC.
APCC’s first announced guest was none other than Agent Carter herself, Hayley Atwell. Her appearance, as well as Holland Roden’s, were unfortunately cancelled due to a scheduling conflict, but the event nevertheless pushed through as planned, ultimately adding Joe Dempsie (Gendry, Game of Thrones), Claire Holt (Rebekah Mikaelson, The Vampire Diaries), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven, Stranger Things), and Nicholas Hoult (Hank McCoy/Beast, X-Men) to the lineup.
All of these stars had meet and greets, autograph, and photograph sessions, though it was only Millie Bobby Brown that had a Netflix special contest to win passes for the said sessions. There were also panel discussions where fans could attend for free, although Joe Dempsie did not have a panel.
On the other hand, famous comic book artists, vinyl artists, beauty influencers and cosplayers were not overlooked, and were found at the Walk of Fame. Jason Palmer is best known for his illustration art for Star Wars, while Billy Tan, Mike Zeck, Ken Lashley and Whilce Portacio were all comic illustrators for Marvel, namely New Avengers, Captain America, Black Panther and Uncanny X-Men respectively.
Meanwhile, the vinyl artists present were TOUMA, the creator of Mao Cat, a capsule toy from Bandai, the DEVILROBOTS team, who are known for their “whimsical, yet sometimes sinister” characters and designs, and last but not the least, Simone Legno, the creative director and co-founder of Tokidoki.
While beauty influencers Vern and Verniece Enciso gave a talk about makeup and style, and Say Tioco held a beauty workshop sharing her makeup tips and secrets, American cosplayer Lindze Merritt held a cosplay make-up workshop and was also one of the CAGE judges.
Also known as the “Cosplay Authority Global Challenge” the CAGE is a competition wherein talented cosplayers compete for the title and for cash prizes. This year’s CAGE judges were none other than renowned cosplayers Alodia Gosiengfiao, Ani Mia, Lindze Merritt, Myrtle Sarrosa, Riki Lecotey, and Yugana Senshi Uon.
Exhibitors and collectibles
This time around, there were arguably a lot more figurines and collectibles the fans could get their hands and wallets on, given the wider range of exhibitors. From Funko! Pops to Hot Toys and to fandom shirts, the list could go on and on.
Some of the more notable exhibitors were The Australian College of Hair Design and Beauty Manila (ACHDB Manila), where guests could ask for a prosthetic makeup trial, and a White Walker from Game of Thrones standing guard at their boot.
Our very own DLSU-STC had a booth as well, in order to promote the newly added game development program in partner with Ubisoft; their booth featured Ubisoft games and giveaways to anyone who would stop by.
Master and Creative Circles
APCC made sure to place a bigger focus on local talents this year, hence the Master and Creative Circles. The Master Circle exclusively featured Carlo Pagulayan and Harvey Tolibao, both established Filipino comic book artists for their works with Marvel and DC.
The Creative Circle, formerly known as Artist Alley, featured “all amateurs and promising comic artists, toy designers and creative minds” in order for them to garner more attention towards their original handmade works and creations. Most people in these Circles were offering commissioned drawings, illustrations, and even figurines—something the past APCC sorely lacked.
Bigger and better
Just like APCC’s well-known counterparts—the San Diego Comic Con and the New York Comic Con—hundreds upon hundreds of people eagerly flocked to this year’s APCC to witness the many activities, exhibitors, and celebrities.
No doubt, this year’s APCC was a hit. With this success, it’s safe to say that there will be a large following of fans looking forward to APCC next year and in the following years to come.
This article has been edited for factual inconsistencies.
