Quick Notes on Comic Con Asia 2018

Adding to the already traffic-jammed Pop Culture Convention in the country is Comic Con Asia 2018 which I always accidentally typed as Asia Pop Comicon. The new event whose ambassador is Senator Manny Pacquiao promises to create a balance of content and events for anime, manga, game, comics, TV series and more. This is a feat that no one had achieved yet.

Brief Background on Comicon Asia 2018

Comic Con Asia was created as an event to showcase Filipino, and Asian, talent, and apart from international and regional celebrity guests, there will be plenty of industry panels. It is not just a meet-and-greet with famous actors and actresses, it is also a proper industry con where one can learn from the people behind the scenes: the artists, creators, and producers.

More special events will be held In the meeting rooms upstairs—industry talks, panel discussions, and workshops with experts: One-Shot is a chance to present ideas to the biggest names in the industry. Attendees can hope to get projects produced, get job offers, or just show their portfolio of work. Auction Hero is where collectors can bid on some of the more serious collectibles available: limited edition items, rare finds, and exclusive signed merchandise. The Great Filipino Graphic Novel contest will have veteran comic artists review original work in order to produce a truly Filipino work of comic art. The Trading Guild is where one collector’s junk becomes another collector’s treasure, where they can swap unwanted items to finally complete their collections.

The main floor will be divided into four zones: Manga & Anime, Comics, Toys & Gaming, and Movies, Series, & Animation—four quadrants of vendors, sellers, galleries, and artists. The main stage will be set up right in the center, so people won’t miss a thing while they explore the many different booths and alleys. Around the main stage will be a ring of booths called the Cosplay Circle, with backdrops and other cosplay-related merchandise. Cosplay Match- Up, a cosplay competition that evens the playing field for international, Filipino, gaming, and anime cosplayers, will be held throughout the two-day event

The snippets above are sourced from the official Comic Con Asia 2018 website.

Comic Con Asia 2018 Video

The video above describes to us what can we expect from the event on March 24-25, 20918 at the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia. There is however one issue to this video or probably more. According to a fellow online writer, it seems that a photo had been edited from another event source.

The video can be seen as a slideshow of various photos in the background which was blurred plus a presentation on what the event would look like and some interesting content. These contents however, to be honest are already showcased in various other conventions but they have decided to rename it.

Lack of Invite for Pop Culture Press

Another fellow blogger posted that there seems to be a lack of invite for pop culture bloggers to cover the event and media launching of Comic Con Asia 2018. We can conclude however that this might be inadvertently done due to the lack of contact of the new event organizer to writers and press people within the community.

Mainstream media like ABS-CBN and other published paper media are also invited to the said event.

Comic Con Asia 2018 Organizers

According to an article the event is organized by Pauline Laping of PSL Entertainment Production together with Nam Entertainment Group. We also got information that Justice League PH will be part of the partners for the event.

Meanwhile, though Manny Pacquiao is said to be an ambassador, we heard from a source that he might actually be one of the funders of the event, though this is not confirmed as true.

Let us share with you a reaction from a very active person from the community.

What's with the Eye?

I am also wondering what's with the eye and the word Comic Con? Hmmmm... any one dare to answer.

On Manny Pacquiao as Ambassador

There are again alleged reports that Senator Manny Pacquiao is actually one of the people funding Comic Con Asia 2018. Due to this fact and for some other reasons some in the community already felt off in attending the event.

With Manny Pacquiao actively involved in Comic Con Asia 2018, I will no longer be participating in it.
— Gerry Alanguilan (@komikero) September 13, 2017

He's funding it (or one of the people funding it). He wants to be ambassador for the arts (including comics).
— Gerry Alanguilan (@komikero) September 14, 2017

What is my personal take on this? Well, I respect the organizers for their choice in who they want to be an ambassador for their event, however, they should expect the reactions of people as well. Since Pacquiao is a controversial public figure that will surely have an effect.

Just one sincere question - Is he really the best choice for the event? Well, only the organizers can answer that.

Conclusion for Comic Con Asia 2018

I confuse it always for Asia Pop Comicon, with no offense.
Comic Con is a generic word since many conventions used this and perhaps this is done to relate to bigger cons in the United States.
The event setup is very promising.
If it will be focus more on content and attendee experience rather than celebrities then it would be great.

Comic Con Asia 2018 is a welcome addition to the already long list of events in the Philippines though we are dreaming of that one event where every organizer and group could team up for a united community.

I am personally looking forward to how things will turn out for Comic Con Asia 2018.

Source: ABS-CBN

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