With 45,000 people expected over two days the Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention 2014 started pretty well – and the general vibe that we got from the floor was one of excitement and enjoyment. It’s late, and I want to get in early again tomorrow, so I’ll just throw up some pictures and small comments. Needless to say, I hope you had as much fun as I did!
A key highlight for me was handling the panels – it’s been a while since I did them and it still gets pretty tense. Still, being on stage and getting David Mack and Cameron Stewart move from the Fight Club 2 talk to talk about haters, I knew I struck a nerve. I would’ve have loved to get both of them to continue on about appreciating art and the right ways to do it without being an ass but time ran out. Stewart shared a bit more about what’s been going on backstage, and between him and David Mack, you could tell that it was something they were both very passionate about.
The other panel with Harvey Tolibao, Philip Tan, Andy Price and Olivier Coipel didn’t go as smoothly (I’ll readily admit) – since I brought up the dreaded “D”-word (deadline) – but it did end with a lovely “what character does everybody hate to draw”. Turns out it’s mostly mechanical things, unless you’re Mr Harvey Tolibao, then you actually love doing that.
There’s no con without cosplayers, and I have to say the standard gets better every year. I didn’t have my camera with me all the time (being busy with panels / carrying too much loot) so I missed some, but I was impressed. As Peter says, this makes people want to actually become cosplayers for at least two weeks after the con.
And also, the amazing figures. With Hot Toys, Enterbay, XM Studios AND Imaginarium Art – it was a feast for the eyes, and not so much for the wallet. Play Imaginative was missing this year – wonder what happened.
You need to take a second look at XM Studio’s Magneto. That detail? Stunning.
And finally, meeting the creators, and of course, getting sketches. It’s been a pleasure, once again – organisers Reed have once again managed to bring a great assortment of guests (and more than guests last year’s con), and with strong voices that makes it great to just have a chat with them.
This year, I didn’t quite hit the ground running, trying to grab as many sketches as possible. In fact, I didn’t even bring any comics to sign – despite sorting about 30% of them over the last two weeks of August. I was wondering if I was actually feeling some sort of con fatigue …
And as I was walking home at the end of the day after dinner with the guys, it all came together – especially with people sharing their joy on social media. This feeling I got wasn’t about being less excited about the guests, or getting things signed – but a lovely feeling of contentment, that in the end, going to STGCC every year is like going home.
See you guys again in a few hours!
