Comicology Goes to Metro Comic Con

We’re fresh off the Metro Comic Con weekend and I can see how fucking stoked the organizers were and how pleased they are with the way things turned out. And I couldn’t agree more. I attended on Sunday, August 9, and I had a fucking blast. I had other plans on the previous opening day, and I was told I missed out on a lot, but there’s always next year. Yeah, *wink wink* next year. Before we go to the recap of my experience, let’s start it off with an announcement.

You read it here first. Metro Comic Con will be back on August 14-15, 2010! The event got the attention of a lot of major sponsors because of the great show format and the truly geeky experience, and they promise to be even bigger, louder, and geekier with more stores, artists, prizes and surprises.

Saturday was the day for most hardcore comic book fans as some of our internationally acclaimed home grown talent manned the panels to share their knowledge and experience, as well as interact with the fans. Since I wasn’t able to attend, I had to rely on a third party for the info. Thanks to Luis for these updates.

So, Gerry Alanguilan (Elmer) gave a talk on Creating Comics 101, and hey, he’s inking again. He’s doing Ultimate Avengers #7. Awesome stuff.

Luis says Carlos Pagulayan (Planet Hulk) draws like a god, pretty much. He also mentioned something about using Maya to map out the Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Santorum and other important Marvel Universe locations so that they’re always uniform when drawn. That is some pretty hardcore shit, in the Kung Fu sense of the word. Luis mentions Harvey Tolibao also, but doesn’t go into detail. I’m looking forward to the comic book creator’s panel next year.

The vibe at Comic Con was geared towards the creators and comics, especially indie Filipino comics for this year. It could possibly change in the later years though, so I’m hoping for some diversity.

Creators of Bayan Knights

This gave me the opportunity to talk to the guys behind characters such as Boy Ipis, who is my favorite of the bunch, and Phantom Cat, who kind of reminds me of a cross between Black Cat, Cat Woman and Stacy X. I will feature these guys soon! Watch out for that, guys. We’ll get it straight from the source.

I was lucky enough to get a poster of Sandata of Sanduguan, drawn by Carlos Pagulayan. After gathering much courage, I approached him, all fanboy-like, asking for him to sign it. And I was greeted with a “O, bakit Sanduguan to? Ay, ako nga pala gumawa nito.” Awesome.

Having a ton of people from the comic book industry present at the event, signing their sketches and artwork, giving tips and just generally interacting with people gave the event the feel of legitimacy and authenticity; it was a proper comic book convention. Its focus was where it should have been.

Pol Medina, creator of Pugad Baboy, signing copies of his work and generally being a rock star in his element

Of course, the standard fanfare were present- toys, statues, gaming, PC tablets, bands- name it, it was there.

This year, I didn’t score any toys as I’ve promised myself to slow down with the collecting and I will only buy selectively. I did see the Secret Wars two-pack Wolverine and Human Torch though, but I already had a 3.75″ Human Torch and Wolverine. I didn’t see the point of getting more than one of each character. I’m holding out for a 616 Cap.

The deals were pretty sweet. PTK said someone was selling the Marvel Universe Invaders set for about P4.5k. Pretty pricey, but if you consider the fact that it is, indeed, an SDCC exclusive and that the SDCC grayscale Captain America already costs P1.2k, it’s not such a bad deal.

The statue displays are always a treat. The Halimaw guys outdo themselves constantly. Ernest, being a statue collector himself, wasn’t about to let the greatest displays go unnoticed.

Gambit, throwing the only type of card he has in his deck- all aces

The most awesome Deadpool statue, EVER. PERIOD.

Cyclops costumes. Condom man Cyclops is still my favorite.

The cosplay was great the second day, and was the main focus of the event. Here are some of my favorites:

Gundam- dude stood 7 feet tall

Some archer chick. She was one of the few that actually agreed to pose for my puny camera

I have no idea who she’s supposed to be.

FUCK YES, PHOENIX!

What’s more awesome than cosplaying one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel universe? Actually pulling it off.

I ran into some interesting people and some old friends and acquaintances, which made the event that much more enjoyable.

These enterprising individuals took a timeless classic, Final Fantasy VII, and modded it with tougher AI and newer high-res character models. The Beta is up and I can’t wait to play their final version.

Eric- owner of Fourth Wall Comics over at Filmore Street, just a few blocks away from Cash And Carry. He had pretty sweet deals at the Con.

An acquaintance of mine- Giselle Banzon, I met at a poker game a few years ago. I was surprised she still remembers me. Her two photographer buddies told me they brought her to the Con to see if she was interested in Cosplay. She could very well be the next Alodia.

Now, Metro Comic Con made a lot of promises and they certainly delivered on each and every one of them. Here’s one of them:

Watchman DVD debuted at Metro Comic Con

So, the verdict is out. Is it at Toycon level? Well, unfortunately, no, not yet. The premiere convention for collectors and nerds is still Toycon as of the moment. However, the potential for Comic Con, especially if it is pulled off with something new every year, whether it be change of focus, special international guests, meet and greets, exclusive merchandise, and things of that nature, then it won’t be long before people consider Metro Comic Con gives Toycon a run for its money.

I’m a big fan of the Toycon- I got some of my most treasured action figures from Toycon. The focus of Toycon is collecting, which is fantastic because there’s diversity. With Otakon, Komikon, and Tagcom being the big players in this game, everyone will try to outdo the others and ultimately the biggest winners will be us, the fans.

To the guys who organized the event, to the guys who participated in the cosplays, to the exhibitors, to the artists, to the toy retailers- Congratulations, guys. Job very well done.