We’ve more or less shared our reactions to the Singapore Toy Game and Comic Convention (STGCC) held over the weekend, so here’s just a non-exhaustive list of the wonderful people we’ve interacted with, and who’ve made those two days an experience to remember.
It’s hard to really thank everyone though, so do bear with us, and deepest apologies in advance if we failed to mention you by name. Also, all pictures be forthcoming, I am the dunce of the team in using our NextGEN Gallery function. Alas, I am also totally photo-phobic, so please forgive the flurry of words in its place.
Without further ado, here goes!
1. C.B. Cebulski
Thank you for coming down to Singapore once again, for spending a whole day with us and allowing us to bring you around the island to try many of our favourite foods at the places where they’re the best. Thank you for your great company and for being so gracious throughout! Your presence last year and this year is a reminder of Marvel’s consistent interest investment in the region and we couldn’t have asked for a better representative.
2. Kieron Gillen
We hope you and Chrissy enjoyed your little jaunt here! Thanks for letting us grill you on your creative process, for signing just about every comic we put in front of you, for making OUR Mjolnir truly one of a kind, and for almost confusing STGCC for SDCC! Alas, it was a mere typo, quickly rectified. Or was it?
3. Paul Levitz
Sir, words just aren’t enough. To have someone with your decades of experience in the comic book business grace our island is something that we can only hope will set a precedent for many other industry veterans to follow. You not only shared your expertise and several anecdotes, but you also inspired many through your practical advice and sincere encouragement. Thank you for letting us pick your brain.
4. Fletcher Chu-Fong
As if having DC exhibit in South East Asia for the first time wasn’t big enough, we had their Director of Events (also visiting Singapore for the first time) arrive incognito and just hang out at the booth! Did I say hang? I meant work – Fletch had to rip open a box of free DC Comics: The New 52 #1 when a volunteer didn’t arrive with a blade in time. Despite being hardcore Marvel fans, we found ourselves totally drawn in with his awesome conversational skills over both days. In fact, we enjoyed our time with Fletch so much he had to ply us with swag just to get us to scram. We stayed, and the swag just kept on coming. Thanks for everything, Fletch!
5. Lance Fensterman, Peter Tatara and Mike Armstrong
You guys came by last year, you took notes, you went back to the drawing board, you worked tirelessly to ensure that the event came together in a shorter time than it had last year. Despite being organisers, you guys went way beyond the line of duty. You held up signs for queues for hours, gave out free comics till your throat went dry and blogged every minute of the event. Oh, and one of you even had to judge the cosplay competition and give out the prizes! Thank you ReedPOP for making this event a success two years in a row. Here’s to many more!
6. Sonny Liew, Leinil Yu, Harvey Tolibao, Benjamin Ang, Kelvin Chan and all the other amazing creators at the Artists Alley
This year’s Artists Alley was filled with top-level talent, both local and regional, and we definitely broke our budgets getting sketches and sketchbooks from so many impressive creators. Each one was more impressive than the next and we’re really, really fortunate to have met them all in one place.
7. Wendy Chew aka Mashi!
Yet, one artist truly stood out among the others and that was Singapore’s very own Mashi! While we missed her both at last year’s STGCC as well as last month’s Comic Art Show at Wilkie Edge, we’re really glad we finally got a chance to meet her this time around and appreciate her stylised kawaii pin-up art! We were so enamoured we got two commissions on Day 1 for Disney’s Snow White and Jasmine, and promptly went back a second time the next day for Ariel and Marvel’s Black Widow! Despite being clearly tired after two whole days of work – we were really happy with Wendy’s gorgeous style and we’re definitely looking forward to more!
8. Black Cat, Lady Mechanika and the Neo Tokyo Project!
So we met some awesomely dressed people along our STGCC journey. I’m not referring to any from among that horde of cosplayers outside Hall 401 who for practical (or financial?) reasons chose not to come into the Hall itself, no, we met some real, dedicated costumers – the sensual Black Cat (aka TokuAsia’s Victoria) and gorgeous Lady Mechanika-inspired steampunk outfits worn by Joey and Jason of the Neo Tokyo Project. It was great to meet you guys, and thanks for all the mutual lovin’.
Eh, that didn’t come out quite right.
8. The Red Dot Diva and the Man of Steel and the Incoherent Boy
Of course, the geek event of the year wouldn’t have been complete without meeting up with Tina, Ryan and Nick, our partners in crime when it comes to showcasing such events both online and off. It was at last year’s STGCC that we first met Tina and Ryan and though its been only eight months since, it feels like we know more about each other than we really want to. Twitter, I blame you. Thank you Ryan for the tiramisu!
9. Joelyn Alexandra and Raven Silvers
Despite being in full force at last year’s STGCC, the Adventure Crew seemed smaller this time around (though I later saw Mintea, she was too distracted to see me) but it was great to meet Jo and RSilvers again so soon after we had met at the Game of Thrones premiere (more on that in a later post). Thanks for the support, ladies, especially at our giveaways and we do hope to see you again soon! Maybe at the next HSWG book launch?
10. Harris Planerds – Adan and Felicia
This poor duo was forced to stand outside the Planerds booth because it was constantly filled with customers (and the occasional moron who treated it like a library, blocking everyone else), so I grabbed the opportunity to introduce myself to the power couple. Having been a Planerdteer since they opened on Free Comic Book Day, I am really proud to have met the brains behind the store and I’m definitely looking forward to their upcoming events involving renowned creators, much like Sonny Liew’s book launch of the “Malinky Robot” anthology outside of STGCC earlier today at 2pm.
11. The lovely ladies at Books Kinokuniya
As you may recall, we’re HUMONGOUS fans of Scott Pilgrim vs The World, so when we spotted these two petite ladies at the Kino booth sporting Scott Pilgrim tees, we had to go up to them and introduce ourselves. Well, at least one of us did. I won’t say who. (It was Kakita.) Kino has been our source of many a wonderful read over the years and their selection of comics and graphics novels remains one of the most comprehensive in Singapore for the past decade, so it was a great pleasure to meet the people who are currently behind it.
12. Rita, Melinda, Jessie, Hsu Lin and the other wonderful people at Reed and Ninemer!
Last, but definitely not least, the people who kept the gears churning, who gave us one wonderful opportunity after another. Thank you to all the ladies (and the gents, of course!) at Reed and Ninemer for allowing us humble bloggers to get up close to our industry idols and share the stage with them, to experience an event that we once thought we had to fly across the Pacific for, and to just have a great time while you do all the hard work. We’re already excited for next year, and once again, offer any and all help we can provide.
