Monday, August 10, 2009

Old, underdressed, and confused

The title of this entry describes exactly what I felt when I went to the Comic Con last weekend in Megamall, a popular mall here in Manila where trade shows are usually set up. We didn't really plan to go, but I was with my good friend R., who's big on comics, umm sorry, graphic novels and who graciously paid the entrance fee (which I think is way overpriced).

The first thing I noticed that I was probably the oldest person in the convention. Everywhere I look, I see teens and tweens in costumes and eagerly checking out the merchandise. I checked out the merchandise myself, and I can barely identify the names of these action figures. There were certainly good deals on the toys though. R. bought a 6-inch X-Men action figure for 200 pesos (about $4).

There was also a panel talking about the comic book industry in the Philippines. Judging by the look of their audience, no one was really paying that much attention to them. The comic book industry in the Philippines is practically nonexistent. Writers and illustrators barely make a living from these comic books. They often have to resort to self-publishing their works. Most of the time, these self-published comic books just look photocopied.

Here are some of the pics my friend took during the Comic Con. (Thanks again, R!)

Merchandise, weird stuff, etc.








Why the wigs? These are actually used for the costumes.


The costumed young people






Shameless self-promotion

This guy doesn't know what he actually is.

Before going to the Comic Con, I finally found a copy of The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite. I seldom buy graphic novels, but I've been hearing a lot of good reviews about this work by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba. Yes, that's correct: the Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. Hopefully, I'll be able to write a review about it soon.

9 comments:

Charlie said...

Fun post, Peter, and thanks for the "graphics."

When I was a kid, I was a comic book junkie. As an adult, I'm a printed book junkie. I'm not planning on regressing.

It looks like those kids were having fun, though, and that keeps them out of trouble. Plus, some of them may graduate to real books someday.

Portobello's coffee said...

whadya mean you were the oldest one there? I'm older than you aren't I? hehe... There may have been a vampire there or two.

Anonymous said...

Saw the Silver Surfer in your photos - I always got a kick out of how Joe Satriani made several references to that comic book character in his guitar albums, not the least of which was "Surfing with the Alien".

Peter S. said...

@Chaarlie: About those kids, I do hope so, Charlie. At least they were having fun.

@Portobello's coffee: Oh, I forgot about that! Hehehe.

@Michael: Hmmmm... Very very interesting trivia, Michael. Thanks!

serendipity_viv said...

I would love to go to one of these conventions, they look like fun.

Jessica said...

Great pics! Those conventions do look like fun but I don't really know if it's my thing. Plus, I'm not sure what I would dress up as. hehe

Matt said...

Some pretty amazing stuff! Looks like that was a good time!

Peter S. said...

@Viviene: They sure are fun events to go to!

@Jessica: I'm not sure if it's my thing as well, but it was interesting though.

@Matt: Thanks for dropping by!

mitch ramirez said...

If i recall it correctly, cosplay came from manga enthusiasts. They sort of embody their fave characters by dressing up like them. Believe it or not, they are in the line of pop culture (yes, cosplay has a big following here). There was even an org in UP for anime and manga enthusiasts. Most of the members like dressing up when they feel like it. I had one or three classmates who has reactions and gestures typical to manga and anime characters. Can't blame people if they see them as weird. Their personalities sort of have a different context. You'll really feel old there since cosplays are brimming with teens! I remember seeing a cosplay event before and I felt so alienated!:)