Red Dot Diva

Autobots Get A Taste of Singapore Kaya Toast

2012-02-20T06:20:00.000-08:00

Singapore brekkie for the Autobots

Frankly.... Red Dot Diva just couldn't help snickering at the images that steamrolled into her email in-box that day.

You see, well-loved Transformers characters Autobots Optimus Prime and Bumblebee decided to drop in to the Red Dot Island last week. And the first thing they did was to have a taste of the iconic Singaporean breakfast consisting of kopi-O, kaya toast and you tiao at the Old Airport Road Food Centre.

Can Autobots even digest food? Red Dot Diva is confused.

Anyway, they seemed to enjoy the local cuisine - whatever form they happened to be consumed in. "Energy foods" has now taken on a new meaning, Red Dot Diva shrugs. After surprising the early crowds at the food centre with their sudden appearance, the two Autobots decided that they had to visit Chinatown.

There, they made friends with an amused ice-cream vendor uncle and then - so Red Dot Diva was told - they took a touristy trishaw ride.

So.... is retro trishaw posting in pic above one of their local robo-mechanical pals? There should already be a Trishaw Autobot, right? As well as a Tuk-Tuk Autobot. What about an SMRT Train Decepticon? Or his bestie, the NTUC Taxi Decepticon? Red Dot Diva is certain they do exist. Right, Hasbro?

What's really missing though is a nice cozy-squeezy pic of Optimus Prime fitting into the petite trishaw together with Bumblebee.

Next, the island-hopping Autobots dropped in at the central financial district of Raffles Place. Against the backdrop of swanky skyscrapers, the popular Autobots met some of their adoring fans and gamely posed for souvenir photos.

If you have missed Optimus Prime's and Bumblebee's local adventures last week, don't worry.

The two are still stomping around town. They have checked-in to their hotel at Resorts World Sentosa today, probably also scoping out the venue and ensuring that it's safe for their fans when they converge for The Transformers Cybertron Convention.

This bi-annual convention, dedicated to all things Transformers, will be held at Compass Ballroom, Resorts World Convention Centre in Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore on 11 – 14 March 2012.

Check out the previous Red Dot Diva blog post and find out about this special convention!

If you are intending to come to the convention, you can buy the tickets/ packages through various ways:

- via the Resorts World Sentosa website
- from ticketing booths located at Universal Studios Singapore, RWS Ticketing and Membership Hub and MEM
- by calling the reservation hotline +65 6577 8888
- or getting them through authorised travel agents

But do hurry! They might most probably be selling out real quickly!

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Go to the website for updates and more information about the 2012 TRANSFORMERS Cybertron Con website!

Or follow on Facebook!

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Specially for those non-local folks:

You Tiao - Chinese food. A long strip of dough, deep fried and usually eaten during breakfast with congee or soy milk.

At Invasion!: Grilling Comics Artist Stephen Segovia

2012-02-18T10:33:00.000-08:00

Invasion! Toys and Collectibles is the latest kid on the block in the Red Dot Island comics, toys and collectibles market.

Announcement of its launch late last year was met with a fair amount of excitement from local comics and toy collectors, as fans felt the need for more choices and healthy competition.

For those who are intending to visit Invasion! for the first time, the store is located at the 5th floor of Funan DigitaLife Mall, around the same vicinity as the food court, and just right next to children-enrichment outlets like a music school and a pottery-making studio. (Check out a previous blog post more about the store and its launch!)

At the store's opening which was held over two days in early January 2012, a trio of comics artist - Stephen Segovia ("Dark Wolverine", "Mighty Avengers", "Battlestar Galactica"), Sonny Liew ("Malinky Robot", "Liquid City") and Rudy Ao - was at the store meeting comics enthusiasts and drawing sketches.

Red Dot Diva was only able to make a quick visit to Invasion! on the second day of its launch. She had brought a friend along with her and also met up with Melvin from the Here Be Geeks team.

Just chillaxing....

Lined with rows and rows of colourful action figures, toys and other collectibles, Red Dot Diva wondered if any of the kids attending the schools next door faced constant temptation from Invasion!'s enticing displays. And after browsing the store's wares, Melvin - who is also a toy collector - commented approvingly that some of the action figures available were the "harder to get" variety.

Right at the corner of the store was where the comics and graphic novels are. Stephen and Rudy were there, sitting side by side, drawing some commissioned art. But Red Dot Diva was told that Sonny Liew had already taken off as he had to attend to some other business.

Still, she managed to snatch a window of time with Stephen Segovia to chat with him about his work. Having started drawing professionally at a young age of 16, Red Dot Diva was curious to find out more about his experiences in this special artistic field.

Bright-eyed, with cute spiky hair and adorned in a bright red t-shirt, Stephen Segovia was a really fun guy to talk to. His answers to Red Dot Diva's nosy questions were more often than not, cheeky and laced with funny, unexpected one-liners. When asked how many times he has been here on Red Dot Island, Stephen mischievously said, "Three times. And maybe on my fourth time here, I may run for Presidency."

Stephen and Rudy hard at work

To kick off the interview proper, both Red Dot Diva and Stephen decided to get THE Question that's on everyone's mind out of the way.

The answer? Fuchsia
The question: "What is your favourite colour?"

With that over and done with (phew!), they proceeded to the meatier stuff:

Red Dot Diva: I've read your profile that said you were a self-taught artist. Do you think there's a difference in learning as you go, compared to going to an art school?
Stephen: If you are self-taught, you don't have a master or a mentor to give you guidance on how you should be doing things. You have to learn them all by yourself. The advantage is that you can build your own technique, but it's definitely faster to learn if you enroll a Fine Arts school as the techniques are already in the textbooks. If you are self-taught, you are discovering a lot of things by yourself.

Red Dot Diva: Do you ever crave some kind of mentor?
Stephen: It's always good to have a mentor. Not everything that you need to know is in the school of Fine Arts. Comics art is not in the Fine Arts. If you want to look for a mentor, at least look for the one whose work you idolize. For me, I like Leinil Yu, Dick Giordana and Travis Charest. They are my idols; they are my mentors.

Red Dot Diva: Have you met any of your comic artist "heroes", and have they given you any crucial critiques or comments?
Stephen: When I was in the Marvel Artist program, I got to visit the Marvel office in NYC. And that's when I got to meet Alex Alonso and Joe Quesada. Joe said that my style is very commercialized and that I need to focus more on my story-telling. And I should draw faster and meet my deadlines. And to make it to a professional and gain superstar status, I should follow my comic artist icons.

Red Dot Diva: What do you love drawing most? And what is your least favourite to draw?
Stephen: I like to draw women and Wolverine. Wolverine is such a bad ass character. And I love drawing Marvel Girl and Black Cat. And least? I don't have a specific character that I don't like drawing. As an artist, I will take the challenge and draw and try drawing anything. I am also very willing to draw a Big Giant Merlion. (Loud snickers from Red Dot Diva at this point.) What I do find hard to draw are actually the details of automobiles and vehicles.

Red Dot Diva: What do you consider to be your forte when it comes to your art?
Stephen: My best strength is the energy of my art. I like to draw a dynamics style. But at the same time, it is also my weakness. I tend to over-detail and have fancy panelling, but then, not all storylines or segments require such dynamic art. So I am still trying to find the right balance with my art style.

Stephen being "happily grilled" by the Diva

Red Dot Diva: Which field would you have gone to, if you were not an artist?
Stephen: I love to cook. If I am not an artist, I will be a chef. I like to cook -- because I like to eat. When you are cooking, it's like you are making art. (meaningful pause) But you can also eat it.

Red Dot Diva: And what dish do you think you'd specialize in?
Stephen: Steaks. Maybe grilled stuff. I just love steaks.
(Red Dot Diva ponders.... artistic steaks?? Hmm.... )

Red Dot Diva: Which superhero movie are you looking forward to most in 2012?
Stephen: Of course it's the Avengers! This will be the first Avengers movie with an ensemble cast and I'm expecting great exciting stuff to be happening on screen. I hope it'll end up being a long-running movie franchise.

Red Dot Diva: What do you think are the benefits of having strong biceps in your field of work?
Stephen: Hmm... I can't answer that because I don't really have strong biceps. But if I do -- maybe ... sex appeal?? I am working on it. Having stronger biceps is also my New Year's resolution!

Red Dot Diva: Whose artistic biceps to you admire?
Stephen: I admire and worship Jack Kirby. The first time I saw Kirby's art in "X-Men #1", that's when I knew I wanted to draw comics. I also like Olivier Coipel's work. Because he knows how to tell a story. You don't really need to read the dialogue, you just follow his drawing. That is a key technique skill that a good penciller should have.

Red Dot Diva: What are you currently working on? And what's coming up next?
Stephen: I'm currently working on "Thor: The Deviants Saga". It's a five-issue book and already on the 5th one. I hear that I will be given some projects but I am not sure what's actually coming up next.

And with that, Red Dot Diva managed to coax Stephen to show off his "work-out"-in-progress biceps, anyway. ;)

Red Hot Biceps!

Before she left, Red Dot Diva quickly cornered a visibly tired but still upbeat Da Boss Alwyn Liang about his inspiration on starting Invasion! with business partner, David. Alwyn said, "Having a store is the next step after all the events that we've run in the past year. Hopefully from this store, we will now have a hub where people can gather to meet comics artists and fellow comics fans."

And in fact, Red Dot Diva recently heard murmurs that there are some more events are in the works.

So dear readers, do spill --- Which comics artist is on your wish list?

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To keep up with the store's news, check out Invasion! Toys & Collectibles online!

One can also follow Stephen Segovia on Facebook!

Transformers Cybertron Con To Create Sparks In Singapore

2012-02-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

It's just not enough that the world's first ever Transformers The Ride made its debut at Universal Studios Singapore recently.

The 3D ride, which has been gaining increasing popularity since it opened, was based on the Transformers brand by Hasbro and the loudly explosive movie franchise by director Michael Bay. Red Dot Diva cannot comment much about the ride, for she has not experienced the thrill yet. In fact, she has not even stepped foot at Universal Studios Singapore before. Any kind ticket sponsors out there? Hint, hint.

Eager to create more sparks and Transformers hype in the region, Resorts World Sentosa will be the proud host of the first ever Transformers Cybertron Con in South-East Asia this coming March. The convention, organized together with mega toy brand company Hasbro, will be held at the Resorts World Convention Centre from March 11-14.

There are so many variations of the Transformers brand -- the toys, the animated series, the movie franchise, and video games. So, Red Dot Diva is already picking up all the delighted bleeps and blops from the Transformers fans and collectors here at the news of this very special convention.

One of the main highlights of the event is an exhibit showcasing a historical run-through of the Transformers brand from the classic "Generation 1" era and this will include exhibits of artwork and stories of the many characters and forms.

Avid fans can also sit in panels with special guest, Mr. Hideaki Yoke and brand experts from Hasbro. Top Hasbro artists will also be attending the event to give drawing classes at select times.

Oh, and there will be a giant 22-foot tall character statue of Optimus Prime for fans to gawk at. Plus, 3-D action figure dioramas from popular Transformers scenes. Hasbro, will of course, be showing off their range of toys and products.

And those with nimble metacarpals and digits might want to gear up for battle and join the National "Fastest Fingers First" Challenge -- a competition to see who is best able to convert Transformers figures from “robot” to “vehicle” modes. How fun!

If these exciting convention activities are already sparking up some interest, head on to the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) website to get your tickets. A Day Pass is at S$12 and a four-day VIP Pass goes for S$68.

There are also other kinds of special packages available for the convention listed at the RWS website. Tickets are on sale NOW! So, hurry!

Well, Red Dot Diva is still hoping for her charitable sponsor.. .and if that happens, she hopes to transform to a red hot diva-like "convertible" and zoom around the event for her readers!

*bzzinggg-krrr-Vrooooooom*!

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Continue to check on updates and more information at the 2012 TRANSFORMERS Cybertron Con website!

Or follow the Facebook page for special contests with exclusive prizes!!

SDCC 2012: Got Your Member ID Yet?

2012-01-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

6 more months to SDCC 2012!

Those who have pre-registered at last year's SDCC should have already received their barcoded electronic ticket. They are basically just set to get their butts to San Diego during Comic-Con week!

For those who want to purchase a SDCC pass when tickets are available online later, the Special Red Dot Diva Reminder Service highlights that they will need to secure a Member ID first.

This new procedure also applied to those who have attended SDCC previously as press, professionals or trade professionals.

So it's crucial that you head to this page for your Member ID if you intend to be at SDCC this year. You'll have to get the ID before February 28!

A few hours ago, SDCC's organizer announced the first batch of 30 guests for the event! These include comics stalwarts like Mark Evanier, Sergio Aragonés, Paul Levitz and Jim Lee. With much amusement, Red Dot Diva noted that Comic-Con is one of the few websites that has finally updated Paul Levitz's profile pic to a more recent one where he's spotting a clean-shaven mug. Folks -- Just Say No to the Levitz Moustache!

Other than the comics people, the Nerd Machine - the geek-centric setup by "Chuck" star Zachary Levi and his good friends - recently hinted that SDCC 2012 planning has already begun! Red Dot Diva is Very Excites to find out what kind of wild Nerdolution will happen at SDCC this year!

Red Dot Diva has already got her SDCC badge, so she is now waiting with bated breath together with convention roomies as to where they will end up staying for that week. There's no news announced yet about SDCC hotel registration.

She will probably also have to start scouting for air-tickets within the next couple of months too. As she found out the last time, international flights to California are super-popular during the summer! And she's hoping again to travel via "the great way to fly".

Just in case, one is a hardcore comics fan and is unable to secure a badge to SDCC this year, Red Dot Diva strongly suggests the alternative - New York Comic Con (NYCC) 2012. NYCC is held at the Javits Convention Centre from October 11 to 14 this year.

NYCC is less hectic and definitely more comics-focused compared to what SDCC has been evolving to in the last few years. The Artists Alley at NYCC is much more spacious than SDCC's and there is more time to be able to try catching one pop-culture favourites at the East Coast event.

The 4-day passes for NYCC (this includes a special preview day on Thursday, October 11) are now on sale online for USD85! Click here to get your tickets.

Word is, the 3-day passes will be made available during Spring, and the Single Day passes sometime later in the Summer.

The tickets for last year's NYCC did sellout, so if one really wants to head to a fun-filled comics-related time in New York, it's better to grab a pass quickly!

Don't say the Red Dot Diva didn't warn ya!

Three Squee-worthy Movie Trailers: #3 - Prometheus

2012-01-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

Lots of gore and splatters of goo.

That's what Red Dot Diva remembers most from Ridley Scott's "Alien" movie series.

The first "Alien" movie was released when Red Dot Diva was only a diva-in-training and the part she remembered most was that classic, bloody chest-burster scene. Ewweggh.

And that one scene with the decapitated gurgling android Ash wasn't that pretty either. Double ewweggh.

As she got older (and more morbid), Red Dot Diva got over the gruesomeness of those key scenes and began to appreciate Ridley Scott's work in the "Alien" movie series more. The suspense and the FX employed at the time were pretty impressive. So was the grosteque biomechanical-styled art and designs of Swedish artist H.R. Giger used in the series. The Alien Queen's physical appearance was scary but elegant at the same time - the kind of beautiful monster one would love to run away from.

Moreover, Red Dot Diva liked the fact that the "Alien" series was feministic in nature. It bore down to a showdown between the tough proactive female space warrior Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the more primal and protective Alien Queen.

"PROMETHEUS"

After much speculation, Ridley Scott confirmed that his latest inter-galactic movie "Prometheus" is indeed set in the same "Alien" universe - albeit several years before the first movie.

The cast for "Prometheus" boasts the latest crop of pop-culture's sexiest stars - Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Idris Elba. Now, that's a whole lot of ogling that Red Dot Diva plans to indulge in! Particularly, the sizzling hotness of Michael Fassbender.

It is difficult to escape the name of Michael Fassbender these days. One of the hottest hunks in recent times, Michael has been busy working in quite a few movies back to back. By lending his creditable acting chops in "Prometheus" as an android called David, he joins yet another iconic franchise (in addition to the already crazily popular "X-Men" series) that would bring his stardom to another level.

Then, there is Noomi Rapace, the Swedish actress with the steely gaze, who became a pop-culture icon after her attention-grabbing acting spot as Lisbeth Salander, the hacker-vigilante heroine in Steig Larsson's "Millennium Trilogy" books. Noomi stars as scientist Elizabeth Shaw in "Prometheus" and with that, she seems set for another strong female role under her belt.

The "Prometheus" trailer offered very limited dialogue except for cryptic snippets consisting of phrases ".. it's so wrong ... I'm so sorry" in the opening sequences. Against a suspenseful booming soundtrack, there were then a series of flash scenes of horrified looks and screams, and people in space suits running away from falling structures, debris and possibly... alien creatures?

Red Dot Diva thought it was a thrilling and scary trailer that promised more gore and horror in space, befitting of the earlier "Alien" movies.

And here's something else for "Alien" fans to squee about. H.R. Giger will be back working on "Prometheus". Red Dot Diva can't wait to set her eyes on more of Giger's stunning visual imaginings in the movie. There are already hints of these designs from a promo pic that was recently released, which showed two Space Jockey-esque figures. Will the prequel reveal more about these alien beings? Red Dot Diva is vibrating with anticipation.

"Prometheus" is currently in post-production and has been set for a June 8, 2012 release date.

What is your personal list of Squee-worthy Movie Trailers for 2012?

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Follow the Facebook page for "Prometheus" right here!

Three Squee-worthy Movie Trailers: #2 - "The Hobbit"

2012-01-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

*gasp* Has it been already been 10 years since the first LOTR movie - "The Fellowship of the Ring" - was released??

Time seems to pass too fast sometimes!

The LOTR trilogy movies hold a special place in Red Dot Diva's heart because it was the first time, a fantasy movie actually looked like a fantasy story from the books. All thanks to Peter Jackson and his team's shared vision and the wonderful FX work by WETA.

She also made many good friends through the LOTR fandom. Some have remained loosely in touch, while others were always close by, especially during her times of need. The Fellowship of the Ring became a real fellowship of sorts in Red Dot Diva's own not-so-Middle Earth.

"THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY"

The movie adaptation for "The Hobbit" had so many stops and starts. In early 2010, Peter Jackson finally took up the role as director for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" after Guillermo del Toro left because of production delays. Fans breathed a sigh of relief when work for the prequel began to take shape and production kicked-off in New Zealand back in March 2011. The avid LOTR fandom was all abuzz with excitement again!

"The Hobbit"'s widely-anticipated trailer was released just a few days before Christmas 2011, making it one of the best birthday presents for Red Dot Diva. Even though she had to share its debut with thousands of people all over the world.

The trailer showed an older Bilbo (Sir Ian Holm) recounting the epic adventure of his younger days to Frodo (Elijah Wood). This prelude then segued to a flashback of a much youthful Bilbo from "The Hobbit" story, played by Brit actor Martin Freeman.

Red Dot Diva thought Martin - with his good comedic timing and adorable facial expressions - made a very watchable young Bilbo. Wonderful casting choice, indeed.

And oh... how visually and aurally exciting it was to get to know the thirteen dwarves who will lead Bilbo in his journey! Never has a bunch of hairy dwarves and dwarven biceps actually look this sexy! *g* And they even sounded good singing "Misty Mountains".

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage)

Special mention must be given to the stern-looking dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield. Red Dot Diva thinks he's one to watch for in the movie. And it's not just because gorgeous British actor Richard Armitage is the face behind all that dwarven make-up.

OK, she lied. That's precisely one of her main reasons. But then Richard, famous for his roles in British TV series "Robin Hood" and "Spooks", has quite a smouldering screen presence so she is certain he will make an impact in the film as the dwarf warrior.

Besides Thorin, Red Dot Diva is very eager to see how Kili fares on screen. Kili, one of the youngest dwarves in the group, is played by the exotic-looking Aidan Turner, who is well-loved (and mourned) for his role as sultry vampire John Mitchell in the original UK version of "Being Human".

Other familiar LOTR faces came up in "The Hobbit" trailer. Gandalf the Gray (Sir Ian McKellen) was back on screen. No surprises there, as he figures prominently in the book. Red Dot Diva simply thought it was lovely to hear him speak with that mellifluous assuring voice of his. There were a few seconds of luminous Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) with Gandalf in Rivendell, and at the end of the trailer, slinky Gollum (reprised by the wonderful Andy Serkis) made a very preciousssss appearanccceesssses.

There have been gripes from some fans that "The Hobbit" trailer was too dark, because it is based on a children's book and should not look too terrifying. In addition, some fans have grumbled that the feel of the movie was too similar to the "LOTR" trilogy.

Red Dot Diva gives a small huff. Seriously, is the second point even a valid complaint?!

Her main belly-ache relating to the trailer was her curious need to see more of those goblins, wargs, giant spiders, shapeshifters from the book, and most of all -- where is Smaug the Dragon? (PS: Smaug will be brought to life on screen by Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor from BBC's latest incarnation of "Sherlock Holmes".) But she guesses that Peter Jackson and team are evilly keeping those visual revelations as surprises, and there would definitely be more exciting teasers leading up to the movie's release.

Remember how late it was in the year when PJ decided to unveil Shelob's appearance for "Return of the King"? Hence, Red Dot Diva will be very very patient. It should be worth the wait to catch glimpses of these creatures and other interesting characters - some from the book, and some not - like the Goblin King (Barry Humphries (a.k.a. Dame Edna)), Master of Lake-town (Stephen Fry) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), a beautiful female elf from Mirkwood.

"The Hobbit" movie will span over two parts and are being filmed back-to-back.

Part 1 is set for a 14 December 2012 release date! Part 2 "There and Back Again" will be released on 13 December 2013.

Let the Middle Earth countdown begin!

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Do return to the blog again for Red Dot Diva's extra-terrestrial views on the trailer for "Prometheus"!

Meanwhile, go check out the official "The Hobbit" website!

And get the behind the scenes scoop from the official blog of the movies here!

Three Squee-worthy Movie Trailers: #1 - "The Dark Knight Rises"

2012-01-10T23:46:00.000-08:00

Is there a Geek Fairy Godperson somewhere in an alterna-universe?

There must be.

As part of year 2011's wrap-up, a festive package of new movie trailers were released online, one after the other.

Red Dot Diva's heart pounded the hardest for these three movie trailers - "The Dark Knight Rises", "The Hobbit" and "Prometheus". She unbashedly admits that she squee-ed when she watched the trailers for the first time last year. And she squee-ed a few more times when she watched them again.

The fact that it is now 2012 doesn't make these trailers less exciting. AHHHhh!

"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES"

Watching this long-awaited trailer was bittersweet was Red Dot Diva. On one hand, she was excited to see what the latest Batman movie would be like. On the other hand, the fact that this will be Chris Nolan's and Christian Bale's last take on the moody Caped Crusader made Red Dot Diva feel quite wistful.

The trailer opened with the same scene as a previously shown teaser - that is, the one showing a young boy singing the USA national anthem in a haunting voice. This quickly gave way to a drone of ominous chanting as background audio, which accompanied flashes of a masquerade ball and a violent prison outbreak, culminating to a big explosive scene at a football stadium followed by a series of fight scenes involving Batman and some uniformed men.

Red Dot Diva noted the visual introductions of new characters, like Catwoman (Anna Hathaway), an original made-for-movie character Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) and John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), as well as the return of familiar faces - Alfred (Sir Michael Caine) and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman).

Through all the excitement about the trailer, there was one thing that stood out. Finally... one gets to hear movie's main supervillain Bane's (Tom Hardy) voice. Or maybe not.

In a low barely-audible muffled voice, Bane warned Bruce Wayne, "when Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die". It was just one line, but it was a line that fueled a fury of fanboy complaints about how Bane sounded more like Mumbly (remember that Inspector dog from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon?) than a brutal hulk of a villain.

Realistically speaking, wouldn't anyone sound like this when wearing a mask like Bane's? Then again, Bane could start this whole new fad for doing bad things with a sexy low manly mumble. Yes/ No?

Well, it seems that the fan objections may have more volume. There have been rumours that a very reluctant Chris Nolan had recently decided to remix the audio for Bane's voice, although that has been adamantly denied by Warner Bros.

Ooh. The Dark Intrigue.

View "The Dark Knight Rises" trailer, and learn how to do The Official Bane Mumble:

Feel free to let Red Dot Diva how well you've mastered the Bane Mumble!

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Check back again for Red Dot Diva's pointy-eared take on "The Hobbit" movie trailer!

Bent-Con 2011: Screenwriter Jane Espenson Talks About "Buffy" Comics, "Husbands" and "Once Upon A Time"

2012-01-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the iconic TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", Red Dot Diva was introduced to the talented writing skills of Jane Espenson.

She considers it a fortune to have met Jane briefly before at UK Buffy cons held in the early 2000's. Even after "Buffy" and spin-off series "Angel" were both cancelled, Red Dot Diva continued to follow Jane's writing career.

Jane Espenson is a prolific TV screenwriter/ producer and her long and amazing list of works includes scripts for "Battlestar Galactica", "The O.C.", "Firefly", "Gilmore Girls", "Jake In Progress" (Yes peeps! That's the short-lived series that starred the geekily-adorable and super-nice celebrity hunk Chris Gorham, who is now a regular in "Covert Affairs"), "Dollhouse", "Caprica" and recently, for HBO's wildly popular "Game of Thrones", "Torchwood" and ABC's "Once Upon A Time".

One thing Red Dot Diva has always wished, was to be able to interview Jane Espenson one day for the RDD blog. Even though, this has not yet come true to Red Dot Diva personally, she was glad that Twitter friend @TheReal_Rebel was able to catch Jane Espenson at an LGBT-centric convention in Los Angeles recently.

Here is @TheReal_Rebel's interview with Jane Espenson when she met the writer at Bent-Con 2011:

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I attended a convention called Bent-Con at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles on December 4-5, 2011.

It was probably the most important convention I've attended all year because it was a comic book convention that focused on graphic novels and other forms of media made by and targeted to the LGBT and LGBT-friendly communities.

The convention showcased a multi-ethnic spectrum of subject matter and styles for audiences ranging from children to teens to adults. Humor, romance, super heroes, noir, horror, science fiction, fairy tales - both modern and medieval - were well represented at the convention, along with angst-driven narratives reflecting a diverse community in both taste and interests.

One of the featured guests at Bent-Con was independent Graphic Novelist Wendi Pini of "ElfQuest" fame. At her panel, Wendi discussed her gothic romance based on Poe's "Masque of the Red Death".

Another treat for me at Bent-con was the opportunity to meet and interview well-known writer and fan favourite (especially in geek-based sci-fi/ fantasy circles), Jane Espenson.

TheReal_Rebel: I'm a great fan of your work in television, comics and on the Web.
Jane Espenson: Thank you.

TheReal_Rebel: But since we are at a comic book convention, I'd like to ask you about your work on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" comic book. (Note: the one based on Joss Whedon's television series.)
Jane Espenson: The "Buffy" comic books? Yes! I love doing those! I'm going to be doing a two-part issue which I will be co-writing with "Buffy" writer Drew Greenberg for Season 9. I'm really looking to get involved in "Buffy" Season 9.
(Note: "Buffy" lasted seven seasons on television and continued in comics as Season 8 and beyond.)

TheReal_Rebel: Is the thinking considerably different between writing a script for a comic book and a script for television?
Jane Espenson: Yes! The amount of story you can get for a comic book script is is less. It can take several pages just to have people cross a room. I'm exaggerating but not by much. I'm always over-estimating how much story you can get into a comic book and I always have to scale it down. And it can't be dialogue heavy! Or it traditionally isn't dialogue heavy. You do see some comic books that are dense with text but I think a better fit for the genre is a lot of movement, a lot of action and less talk. So you have to think of how to pick a story that inherently has a lot of action or take a story that is about talking and find a way to make that talking happen while they're enough movement to make it worth telling in that form.

I did a Buffy comic issue which was about a big adventure for Riley and his wife (Note: Riley Finn was an Special Ops Soldier who was briefly romantically involved with Buffy see Seasons 4-5). That was the first time I felt I had really picked a story that took advantage of the form so well. There was so much for them to do in the story that it made the conversations between them pop! What they were saying was helped both visually and thematically and in every way by the fact that they were doing these huge actions at the same time.

TheReal_Rebel: Has your experience writing the ("Buffy") comics made you interested in possibly doing your own?
Jane Espenson: Creating my own comic book? I thought about it. I had a notion, but I find my favorite part of writing is sitting down and writing dialogue. And that is the least thing you do in comics. So I feel that if I'm going to create my own thing I'm more likely to do it as a TV pilot than a comic book. I love writing comic books but I particularly like creating characters through their voices. Comic books make that seem less natural, I think. Maybe I'm just not good enough at comic books to know how to do that. But my gut instinct is always going to tend to lean towards dialogue.

TheReal_Rebel: You worked on "Game of Thrones"...
Jane Espenson: Yes.
TheReal_Rebel: ...and you worked on "Once Upon a Time". I'm wondering if this sudden move towards successful TV shows having fantasy or sci-fi/ horror elements, like "The Walking Dead", is something new? Or does this just come in waves?
Jane Espenson: If you talk generally about fantasy, let's say "Lord of the Rings", if this is "sudden", it's been a long and slow "sudden". I think fantasy has always been with us. I mean, if you look at "The Wizard of Oz", it's fantasy. The big movie franchises have largely been fantasy or science fiction.

I think the fact we're getting a number of fairy tale stories - that's more cyclic. This is an old idea. When I was first getting into TV there was a show called "The Charmings". It was very similar to "Once Upon a Time" in terms of story. It's a story that is out there in people's minds. People read fairy tale characters, they're going to put it in the same place as aliens, robots and vampires as the same thing that's been established in our world through fiction. But really it isn't of our world. It gives you a way to metaphorically talk about outsiders.

There is nothing better for fiction than talking about outsiders trying to fit in, wanting to fit into society or wanting to get home. That sense of "otherness" is a scary thing, like in "The Walking Dead". Or "otherness" as us, our fear that we are different. I think it's so narratively powerful.

That's universal and that's always going to be represented in popular fiction in some way to represent the outsider. Whether its a current craze to to do them as an alien, robot, a monster or a fairy tale character. That's just fashion and that cycles around.

TheReal_Rebel: You've pretty much done every genre from science fiction to sitcoms, so I'm assuming that you don't have to worry about being pigeon-holed. Was that a conscious decision?
Jane Espenson: At a certain point it became conscious. Actually I think I do get pigeon-holed some. I've done enough sci-fi and fantasy that it's starting to be how I get referred to - as "genre writer." By which they mean, a sci-fi/ fantasy writer. In order to keep all the plates spinning, my next project should probably not be that. Maybe that's what my web-series "Husbands" will do. That's a return to my comedy roots with no sci-fi/ fantasy elements in it.

TheReal_Rebel: Tell me about "Husbands".
Jane Espenson: Oooo! I'm so proud of "Husbands"! "Husbands" was a web series I did this year with some friends of mine, Brad Bell, Sean Hemeon, Jeff Greenstein and Alessandra Torresani and we had an idea to do a "Mad About You" style newly-wed romantic comedy but with two guys.

In the age of marriage equality, it seemed like a natural fit. So Brad and I wrote this script which we think is very, very funny and we put it through a mini-version of the Hollywood development process where we had sitcom writers come in and pitch their jokes at it, the way you would if you were really writing a TV pilot - you'd have your friends come in and help you with some extra jokes.

We hired a producer Elizabeth Hughes, and she brought in a crew and we spent four days shooting this twenty-two minutes of material and put it online. We've had a huge response to it. People love the characters and they love the story and it feels like a story whose time has come. And it has been amazing for me to get back to my comedy roots and do something that is a real product of my heart and see people respond to it. I'm really thrilled with how it turned out.

I've been working in television for twenty years and to have a project come out they way Brad and I envisioned it from the first time we talked about it and see it come to fruition....You don't often get that in TV because the creative process is so complicated and there's so much input, and there's all those people working together to make it great, but there's nothing like saying, "Yeah, that's how I hoped it would look!"

TheReal_Rebel: "Husbands" is clearly your baby. Was the "look" of the series also your vision?
Jane Espenson: We had a Production Designer, Greg Aronowitz, who also did the "The Guild". Our producer did location scouting for us so we found a hotel in West L.A. that looked like a Vegas hotel because it was set in Vegas. So we did some set-dressing to make the hotel room look more "Vegasie" and we used a friend's house to be their house. We ended up with was a look that was very close to what I had envisioned. And certainly the tone and feel of "Husbands" is exactly what I hoped it would be.

TheReal_Rebel: I have to ask how you as a writer operate within adapting the huge text of "Games of Thrones"? What kind of leeway, if any, are you given?
Jane Espenson: I was a freelance writer on "Game of Thrones" so I was not part of the creative team. I was just brought in and was told I was writing a particular episode and told "Congratulations, you've been given the best episode" - which was "A Golden Crown" - an amazing scene in the first book.

They (the producers) pretty much told me, "Your episodes go from this page to that page." This is the only time I've ever written from an established text like that. So the first thing I did was transcribe all the dialogue from the scenes from my part of the book. Then figured out how to shape those conversations into scenes so they would fit as a TV conversation. Because a scene in TV goes no longer than a few pages. Whereas if you write out all the dialogue in George R.R.Martin's book you might have 9 pages of that. So trying to figure out what gems to keep and which gems to throw away was the main part of the project, because it was already there. It was just a matter of cutting it down to TV size. I tried not to diverge and stick to the original text as close as I could because it was brilliant.
TheReal_Rebel: I certainly hope in the future you get to do more work on "Games of Thrones".
Jane Espenson: I would love to! But now they've hired a staff for a full season of work and I'm more of a freelancer for that purpose.

TheReal_Rebel: In "Once Upon A Time", I found it very interesting that the antagonist and the protagonist are both women - something I haven't seen in awhile.
Jane Espenson: Right! We not only have Emma and Regina but Mary Margret or "Snow" (Snow White). We have Jennifer Morrison and Ginnifer Goodwin and Lana Parrilla. Three amazing women at the top of our cast! Of course, our guys are amazing, too. We have Robert Carlyle and Josh Dallas. But you're right, the women are leading the show. Boy, we are passing the Bechdel Test all over the place!
TheReal_Rebel: What is the Bechdel Test?
Jane Espenson: Its a test for checking sexism in motion pictures and screenplays. Is there a scene with two women talking and if so, are they talking about something other than about a guy. And to find two scenes were they are not talking about a guy is almost prohibitively difficult in screenplays and TV. It's just that those scenes occur very, very rarely. We pass the test! Our female characters often talk one on one and are not talking about a guy. And I'm very, very proud of that.

Check out the trailer for "Once Upon A Time" starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Robert Carlyle, Lana Parrilla, Jamie Dornan, Jared Gilmore, Josh Dallas and Raphael Sbarge:

TheReal_Rebel: That's wonderful. So do you have any new projects coming up or anything else you'd like to let people know about?
Jane Espenson: Well, "Buffy" Season 9, "Once Upon A Time" and "Husbands". Those are the projects I can talk about.
TheReal_Rebel: But you have other things you can't talk about?
Jane Espenson: (Laughs.) I might have one or two things I can't talk about yet.
TheReal_Rebel: Well, thank you for talking to me.
Jane Espenson: Thank you!

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Thanks to @TheReal_Rebel for the article and Jane Espenson for taking the time to do the interview!

Go follow Jane Espenson on Twitter!

New Comic Store Opening - Join An Invasion!

2012-01-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a good way to get one's geek groove going for 2012!

A new local comics setup called Invasion! Toys & Collectibles will be having its official launch this Friday and Saturday (6th and 7th January)!

The details are:
Fri 6 Jan from 6pm - 9pm
Sat 7 Jan from 11am - 9pm
Venue: 109 North Bridge Road #05-36, Funan DigitaLife Mall

The store is headed by Da Boss Alwyn Liang and David from Ebony N Ivory Toys LLP. Alwyn is becoming a familiar face at some local comics-related events, having organized quite a few art shows and artists appearances that include talents like Harvey Tolibao, Wendy Chew (aka Mashi), Mico Suayan and Sonny Liew. He was also one of the organizers who brought popular cosplay-photographer Jay Tablante in December 2011 for a special workshop and 1-day event at *SCAPE.

David is one-half of the team from retail store Ebony N Ivory Toys LLP and is an avid collector of pop-culture collectibles. Invasion! Toys & Collectibles will be a unit of Ebony N Ivory Toys LLP.

The store aims to bring in more "Western-pop-culture" geek events with a heavier slant towards artistic elements. But that's not saying that the store will not be also indulging in Asian-style art forms and popular culture!

By aiming to bring more graphic artists and illustrators - both local and foreign - to the store, Invasion! Toys & Collectibles hopes that local pop-culture fans will have better opportunities to meet their idols and favourites in person.

To help kick-off the launch party, a few guest comics artists will be making an appearance this weekend! They include guest of honour Stephen Segovia, local artist Sonny Liew and one of Red Dot Diva's personal favourites, Rudy Ao.

Stephen Segovia, who is based in the Philippines, started doing professional art work at a very young age. His artistic resume ranged from working with Nautilus Comics ("Cast") in the Philippines, to Top Cow ("Tokyo Nights"), and DC ("Countdown To Mystery") and also, with Marvel for a slew of comics like "Wolverine Origins", "Mighty Avengers" and "Dark Wolverine".

A special exclusive Supergirl 16.5 x 11.7" art print (see image on left), so beautifully drawn by Stephen, will be available at the shop launch this weekend!

Locally-based artist and Eisner-Award nominee Sonny Liew, who has a unique art-style of his own, will bring his creativity and smiley presence to Invasion!'s store opening as well. Have you seen Sonny's colourful and wistful take on the elephant artwork for the Singapore Elephant Parade?? His statue, called "Elephant Memory Man", can still be viewed at Vivocity! Red Dot Diva urges fans to go take a look at the specially drawn elephant figure and give it a pat. (Check out the interview with Sonny Liew about "Elephant Memory Man" here!)

Hailing from Indonesia, artist Rudy Ao has decided to call Red Dot Island his home in recent years. His eye for interesting composition that consists of touches of male testosteronal ferociousness and his speedy work with digital software is something to marvel at. Red Dot Diva highly appreciates that Rudy has a specialty for drawing faces and body musculature - something she has no reason to complain about - since there are all these lovely artistic biceps she could ogle at. One just needs to check out his deviantart page to know what she means!

And yes, there will also be exclusive art prints available from Sonny Liew and Rudy Ao this weekend at the event. Go take a look at the sample images posted at Invasion! Comics & Collectibles Facebook page.

All three artists will be available and taking limited art commission requests right now. These will be fulfilled on a first come, first served basis. If one is interested to get an art piece from them, do email Alywn at 8bitmedia@gmail.com now!!

In addition to art and comics, the Invasions! store will also have a section showcasing rare and vintage toys, figurines and collectibles for avid collectors to admire.

True to her nosy nature, Red Dot Diva will be at the launch this Saturday afternoon/ evening to check out the new store, lend her friendly support and also, to primarily check out some actual biceps. Especially Stephen's. He's been duly warned, and he has promised to p(l)ump them up to a nice kind of firmness. ;)

So, come on down to Funan DigitaLife Mall this weekend, meet and hang out with the guest artists, and perhaps, even get to know more local geeks who may love the same kind of things you do!

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To keep up with the store's news, check out Invasion! Toys & Collectibles online!

Spotlight (and Flashes) - Jay Tablante the Geek Photographer

2011-12-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

Mention model photographer and one tends to imagine a stereotypical image of an arty-farty metrosexual male yelling, "Turn that way, dahling... Faaboooulous.. " while busily snapping away with his camera in a studio.

When Red Dot Diva met Filipino cosplay photographer Jay Tabalante at Geekology 101 earlier this month, she found that he hardly fits the bill.

Bright-eyed and articulate, Jay Tablante was not the affected sort at all. In fact, he was very eager to connect to the small group of cosplayers and photographers who attended the event.

True to his geek roots, he wore a black superheroes t-shirt paired with common blue jeans, and peppered his stories with amusing anecdotes concerning photography and pop-culture.

Jay Tablante's powerful sense of imagination and excitement about his work was undeniably infectious. Red Dot Diva certainly bore witness to that during the event. And one cannot deny that he has an eye for interesting photographic angles and set-ups.

In between his well-attended workshop and live demonstration, Red Dot Diva managed to sit with Jay and unmercifully grilled him with nosy questions about his work on set and in the studio. So much so, that poor Jay was starting to lose his voice mid-way through the interview!

Red Dot Diva: So how much of a geek are you... really?
Jay Tablante: The first comic I ever bought was X-Men #1 with Jim Lee and Chris Claremont. There was the gatefold cover with the X-men characters, and I was sold. I was 10 years old, and ever since, I collected comics. And I crossed over to anime, and started watching "Macross" and "Gundam" and I got stuck with the interest.

Red Dot Diva: So do you still have a lot of your comics collection?
Jay Tablante: I do, I do! I stopped for awhile and then I started buying again. I started again with "Civil War" with Marvel and "Blackest Night". Now, I buy selectively depending on the stories because you can download many of these now. And if it's a good story, I'll buy a physical copy of the comic.

Red Dot Diva: In your opinion, and in your years of experience in photography, which is more true? Are models good actors, or are actors good models?
Jay Tablante: That's a pretty interesting question. You know, not all models can be actors and not all actors can be models. Personally, I like to work with actors. They tend to have an added dimension of being able to get into the characters. I like actors for cosplay shoots, beyond just posing, sometimes you have to distort your face for the character. Some of the models are a little hesitant about distorting their faces but actors don't care. To them, it's a role.

Red Dot Diva: So you are saying they are much easier to direct?
Jay Tablante: Yes, they are. It's much easier to direct them. You can tell them, I want you to feel depressed or I want you to feel anger, like you are beating somebody up. Or if you are drunk... For them to get into the role.

Red Dot Diva: How do you actually go about planning for a cosplay shoot? Is there a set of steps that you go through for each shoot?
Jay Tablante: First comes the character. From there, I think about where I want to put my character, and then who do I want to play the character. Everything builds around these three things. These factors will tell me what props I should get, where to shoot it. It takes about an average 1 month of concept work to actual realization. Two weeks to prepare, one week to prepare to shoot it, and one week of post-production.

Red Dot Diva: Do you do these shoots one at a time or concurrently?
Jay Tablante: We used to do it one at a time so that my team a rest. But we are planning to get to STGCC next year and so, we are already preparing as early as now. So I'm doing a huge timeline of one project which can be at pre-production and then it will be handed over to a team, and then I will start on another character. With the chart, I am able to see the sequence of each shoot and which stage it is at.

Red Dot Diva: Has there ever been tantrums on set before? And how did you deal with that?
Jay Tabalante: Yes. Not so much with cosplay photography but I have faced that with commercial shoots. I had a model walked out of the set because she said she hadn't slept for two days. And she was freaking out and saying she couldn't handle this anymore and wanted to go home.

We take it in stride and not take it against them personally. Sometimes they do have personal reasons. However, some of them can be complete divas. When I was a newbie, they used to command me in a shoot. Over the years, you start to grow fangs and once they are in the shoot, you have to assert to them that "I am the photographer, I am the director, you will follow what I say. And we'll get the shot." If you follow what I say, we'll do it quickly and you're out of here quickly.

Red Dot Diva: What other cosplay characters do you aim to style and photograph?
Jay Tablante: I have a long list!
Red Dot Diva: I know that, but there must be a character that's stirring deep inside of you, that you are burning to do one day....
Jay Tablante: Wow.. wow.. You know what it is?? Archie. Characters from the Archie comics. I have been so frustrated with Archie! It's one of those comics with such iconic characters and I want to shoot a tableau shot of all of them at Pop Tate's - the diner. And they are chatting and talking or whatever. But that will be almost 24 characters in one scene and that's just insane!
Red Dot Diva: And there's Jughead!
Jay Tablante: That's such a magical question. It's so easy to identify Archie. As for Jughead, we aren't even sure if he's Mexican, he's white.. he's such Jughead with that nose. And that crown. It is easy to identify the other characters but yes, Jughead is the biggest challenge.

Red Dot Diva: What has been the best cosplay costumes you've seen recently?
Jay Tabalante: There was this bunch of guys who cosplayed the Ghostbusters at this year's New York Comic Con. Even their proton packs worked. They had lights. And they even had a guy cosplay Slimer and was walking around in green underwear.

Red Dot Diva: How do you describe your own photography style?
Jay Tablante: I like people to wonder if it's a photograph or not. Surreal would be the word. That's the style I want to go with, personally.

Red Dot Diva: You have mentioned that you like visiting Singapore as it is becoming an arts centre for the region. Is there some place here that inspires you to do a cosplay shoot?
Jay Tablante: My interactions with local cosplayers here have been limited and I'm hoping to meet more of them at this event. I would think that I would like something done at Chinatown or Fort Canning. Things that has history and a lot of texture to it, like the old shophouses. And maybe for the anime characters, to yank them out of their usual settings. Most of these characters are classically inspired or look Victorian or Asian-styled, and it would be interesting to put these familiar characters in another era or a different situation, and make people do a double-take.

Red Dot Diva: I hear you will be doing a photo book soon. Tell us more about it and when will it be launched?
Jay Tablante: It is also called Geekology 101 and it's a cosplay photography book. I hope to release for next year during STGCC. We are still shooting and gathering material. All of these shots here (in the exhibit) will be in the book. We hope to have it out by June/ July next year.
Red Dot Diva: Will you be having your own booth at STGCC 2012?
Jay Tablante: Hopefully! I'm crossing my fingers.

Well, Red Dot Diva certainly hopes that Jay will be able to make a big colourful splash in next year's STGCC, which incidentally will be held at a new location - the swanky Marina Bay Sands.

Do Not Mess With Diva and Tabalante Biceps!

And hopefully, he will also be flexing his talented photographic biceps to do a very Singapore-styled cosplay shoot with familiar faces that same week too!

Diva loves these signed goodies from Jay!

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Check out more of Jay Tablante's photography and gallery at his website, and or his Facebook page!

NYCC 2011: Diva Shares Her Trip Planning Tips (Part 1)

2011-12-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

If you're a Red Dot Island native who happens to be a hardcore fan of "Western" pop-culture and comics, there is very little choice but to save up and head to USA conventions for your desired geek-gasms.

In her many years of active fan-girling, Red Dot Diva has attended a few smaller and niche-market conventions in the UK and Germany before. But she has always craved for that full geek-out experience which seems to happen mainly at SDCC. Finally in 2009, she managed to truly immerse herself in a large-scale comic convention at the hallowed grounds of the San Diego Convention Centre.

The Hollywood factor in SDCC that year was unavoidable and quite overpowering. And with that, came the good and bad - much of which have already been documented and ranted about on several blogs and websites.

Compared to SDCC, NYCC (held at the Javits Convention Centre) is a much younger, less glamourous and less frenzied East Coast cousin. That does not mean that the convention isn't big though. In fact, the crowd attending NYCC has grown exponentially in the last few years, and this year's NYCC saw its largest number at an estimate of over 105,000 people! That's 3.5x more than STGCC, local peeps.

To get a feel of how different the East Coast comic convention scene is like, Red Dot Diva decided to make a virginal time-leap and headed to New York City this year.

When she returned, she found that one oft-asked question from local geeks was - other than happily securing a NYCC ticket beforehand, how else should one plan for the trip?

Well, here's how Red Dot Diva planned for her NYCC adventures - from a Red Dot Islander point of view:

#1 - Remember To Get Your Travel Permit
When it comes to USA travel arrangements, a Red Dot Island citizen is definitely privileged compared to friends in neighbouring countries. With that eye-catching, chilli-red passport, you don't need an actual travel visa but you do need to get a permit to travel into USA.

Do this by simply registering yourself at the ESTA website at least over two months or more (Red Dot Diva is kiasu), and print out the confirmation just in case. You will need a credit card for the fees (USD 14.00) when putting through your registration. Processing fee is USD 4.00 and another authorization fee of USD 10.00 will be charged to your credit card once you get your approval.

The ESTA approval generally lasts two years.

Click here for the ESTA website.

#2 - Keep An Eye Out For Airfares That Suit Your Budget
Flying to the USA isn't cheap. Unless you have your own pair of feathered wings. Or have powers of supersonic flight. Or own a teleporter (and if you actually do, Red Dot Diva is going to be stealing those building and engineering plans. Consider yourself warned.)

There are several flight options to get to New York, of course. However, in Red Dot Diva's opinion, some are just poor options. Especially those that involve more than 4 hours of transit time or more than 2 changes of airplanes. The length of time taken to do that is just not worth the "cheaper" airfare cost.

Also, a direct flight to New York generally takes 25 hours, so one would be wise to "travel well" and arrive in relatively good shape. And do plan to arrive a day or two earlier to get over the jet lag!

If you're the kind who crave for comfort, Red Dot Diva still thinks Singapore Airlines (SQ) gives the best long-haul direct flight deals to New York at about SGD 2,800 or so for economy seating. You also get to sink your butt for more than a day in the world largest aircraft, the Airbus A380.

For her trip, Red Dot Diva decided to break up the arduously long flight by staying in Los Angeles for a few days. There was a SQ promotion for LA flights at that time, and even with the separate domestic airfares for a return trip of LAX-JFK (via Virgin America), it was cheaper than a SQ direct flight to New York by about SGD 300.

So, if you have friends in LA you could bunk in with or have lots of time and would like to visit LA too, this is a route you could consider. Taking a break in LA also helped Red Dot Diva get over some heavy jet lag, and get all pepped up for NYCC.

If SQ is not your great way to fly, then competitors Cathay and Qatar Airways offer a much more affordable ticket price at about SGD 2,100-2,400. Both routes have transits and you would have to change planes mid-way of your journey.

Whatever route you decide, NYCC is held during the low period in October, so there may be cheaper fares announced at that time. Keep checking for offers and be prepared to book for airfares a few months early to enjoy promotional prices!

Javits Convention Centre

#3 - Plan Early For Roomies and Hotel Arrangements
It is also never too early to start planning with friends about NYCC and locking in your trip dates and deciding on who will be your choice roomies.

Unless you have someone you could stay with during your stay in New York, a week's hotel stay will cost a bomb. Being a crowded megacity, the standard rooms in most hotels are cramped and smaller too, so if your group has four hefty plus-sized guys sharing a room, Red Dot Diva doubts there WOULD be much room.

In any case, other than being flushed with lots of cash, having at least a couple of roomies to share the hotel room costs would help you save some money.

Javits Convention Centre isn't exactly located at the pretty part of Manhattan (i.e. in local terms, it is at a rather ulu part of town), and there are not that many "budget" hotels nearby. The nearest, about half a block down from the convention centre, is Best Western Convention Centre. It is a simple, clean enough setup that came with morning breakfast but a room also costs at least USD 280 per night during NYCC week.

Red Dot Diva and her roomie chose this Best Western hotel because they both like being able to walk back to charge their various digital babies, freshen-up/ shower, or just take a break. Plus, one would find that you would start to amass loads of freebies and goodies while wandering around the convention hall. And it is always nice to have a room nearby where you can store some stuff securely, and to relief aching arms and shoulders.

This is just Red Dot Diva's and her roomie's personal quirk when it comes to conventions. There are many other cheaper hotel options in other places and boroughs, but you would have to remember that distances in New York is far greater than Red Dot Island. And you would need time and extra budget to commute to Javits via cab or subway.

The nearest subway for Javits is Penn Station, which actually isn't that near either. And Red Dot Diva is fully aware of how lazy many Red Dot Islanders are about walking. A cab ride one-way may cost you more than USD 30 plus tips if you are staying slightly farther in other boroughs - which may still work out OK cost-wise if a group of 2 or 3 of you are travelling together at the same time.

But then, when the convention day ends in the evening around 5-6pm, good luck in trying to hail a cab back to a hotel father away, or to dinner. And you can bet there would be crowds at Penn Station too. That may be another reason why you might want to consider slumming in an accommodation nearer to the venue.

So, consider the travelling distances, do your numbers and planning early together with your roomies and make sure that everyone is on the same page regarding accommodation budget and the costs of commuting.

#4 - Stay Warm
Being a tropical islander used to hot humid weather, Red Dot Diva has to stress on the importance of keeping warm.

Look at it this way. It is simply no fun if one gets sick during a geeky event for which one has been saving up and dreaming for months. So do Stay Warm. (Which also means, you'd have to invest in some thicker clothing!)

NYCC is held in the fall season, which means it is not entirely freezing but it may be cloudy and rainy, and one may be glad to have an umbrella handy. There is also a fairly good chance of nice sunny days so how does one dress for fickle weather conditions like this?

It is not an easy thing to dress for fall when Red Dot Islander-wear typically consists of no brainer casual tee-shirts, jeans/shorts or flip-flops.

The trick is to layer your clothes.

Singlets/ camisoles/ tees on the inside, then a warmer cardigan, light turtleneck or another plaid shirt, and a denim or leather jacket for the outer layer. And if you prefer it really warm, a thicker coat (best with a hoodie!) would work especially well. This way, if the weather switches to something sunnier, or if you're inside a building, you can then decide to remove an outer layer of clothing - depending on one's own personal chill-tolerance.

One of the best places to get all these layering clothes is at Uniqlo. So many colours at affordable prices! And their signature Heattech range really works. For a more fashionable (and costlier) look, Red Dot Diva likes getting her threads from the Espirit stores. There are those coldwear chain stores around town as well, but Red Dot Diva thinks they seem to stock up more for actual winter than fall, and they tend to lean to more umm... "Korean" styles.

Geek girls who like to plan their fall fashion early could start ordering from the Victoria's Secrets' online store. VS - a Red Dot Diva favourite - has a fantastic catalogue of fall clothes made of thicker rather longer-lasting material and there is usually a range of very pretty sweaters in different vibrant colours, like passion berry. Best of all, they are available in a wide price range (depending on the material used) and when it comes to sale time on VS, Red Dot Diva thinks they are worth buying even with the shipping cost.

What about the ladies who still want to wear short skirts and show off their legs at the convention? Easy! Go buy a few pairs of leggings or tights. Red Dot Diva says that both Uniqlo and Marks & Spencer offer a rather good range of thermal tights. She found a cute pair of dark grey argyle tights from Uniqlo which one could pair with almost any plain dress or skirt. And if you intend to buy a few pairs of tights, Marks & Spencer sells them in bundles of 3!

And oh! Don't forget to wear covered shoes when in New York - whether they be sneakers or leather boots. With the masses of people at the convention centre, you would *really* want to protect those little toes from getting stomped. When it rains though, boots may be less stinky than damp sneakers or sports shoes. Besides, how often is it that a Red Dot Islander is able to strut around in a swanky pair of leather boots? Just make sure they are comfortable to walk in when you're getting a new pair for the trip!

Red Dot Diva hopes that those planning to head to NYCC 2012 find some of these pre-travel planning tips useful.

Want to know how one should negotiate around the NYCC convention venue and events without getting too frustrated? Red Dot Diva will return to blog more about these in Part 2!

SDCC 2012: Barcoded and Ticketed.... and other convention news

2011-12-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

Nothing would make a geek girl's weary workday instantaneously brighter other than an email that begins with, "Dear Comic-Con Attendee, Your Comic-Con 2012 registration is complete!"

It sure made Red Dot Diva go W00t-Woot when she saw those sentences in her inbox this morning.

With that precious online 4-day ticket (with preview day), she's all nicely barcoded for entry to Comic-Con 2012 at San Diego on 11-15 July next year!!

What's left about SDCC 2012 is the major question about accommodation, as most hotels in San Diego say that they are "on hold" during SDCC week.

The hotels seem to be channeled into Comic Con's registration system. And based on past experiences, the online hotel booking system run by Comic Con hasn't been the most well-organized. When email confirmations for the hotel bookings were sent out, some people who made bookings earlier in the queue did not get their hotels of their choice compared to those who booked later!

She really hopes that together with her regular con roomie @eserei27, they will be able to book a hotel near the convention centre. Both of them like having a resting place nearby so that they can leave bags of freebies and goodies behind, have a shower, or take a sanity-break, in between all that crazy crowds and active fan-girling. Maybe apartment / condo rentals instead? Hmmm...

Other than that, Red Dot Diva is praying that an iffy job situation will not hamper her travel plans. She really needs a California and Comic Con fix in 2012!

This time, she will also be attempting to get a press pass at SDCC. Based on the website, press registration opens on April 2. She is marking that date down on the calendar with a big red X.

If one cannot wait for SDCC or have other more "important" plans during that time (what can these possibly be??!), Red Dot Diva says that there is always Wondercon on 16-18 March 2012!

The same SDCC organizers are responsible for the running of Wondercon 2012 and for next year, it is held at Anaheim Convention Centre, instead of San Francisco.

Online advance registration for Wondercon 2012 opens today, with a 3-day badge costing USD 40.00. Click here to register!

Some special guests have already been announced by Wondercon - a list that includes fan favourites like Jim Lee, Mike Mignola, Matt Fraction and Steve Niles. And with a venue this close to Disneyland, Wondercon might be quite a fun convention option for those who prefer a smaller cozier event.

Swooshing back to our tiny Red Dot Island, important news have also been recently announced about next year's Singapore Toy Games and Comic Convention (STGCC)!

For next year, Reed Exhibitions has decided to take a calculated gamble and hold STGCC at the fancy Marina Bay Sands (MBS) on 1-2 September 2012.

Compared to the more humble Suntec Convention Centre, having STGCC 2012 at MBS certainly ups the ante on the swank factor. The announcement has raised questions on whether ticket or booth prices will be increased yet again for another consecutive year.

A valid concern, Red Dot Diva agrees. Although, it remains to be seen if the profile and number of guests as well as quality of convention events would justify any possible price increases.

The sudden change of location to cushy MBS, with its grand bayside view and red carpet possibilities, also caused some to wonder if any famous people or celebs might actually be invited for the convention next year.

And for a sector of local fans, it is not so much a question about ticket prices but whether more of their Western pop-culture and comic book heroes, whom they have dreamed of meeting for years, will be guests at STGCC 2012.

While exhibitors and fans continue to speculate and rant, Red Dot Diva thinks it will be intriguing to watch more STGCC news unfold in the coming months. Rest be assured that one will get the info right here whenever Red Dot Diva manages to nose out the scoop!

(Pssst.... here's a tip. Go LIKE the Red Dot Diva Facebook page for faster, more casual newsbites.)

Cosplay Photography Secrets Revealed By Jay Tablante At Geekology 101

2011-12-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, a unique cosplay + photography event called Geekology 101, with special guest and well-known photographer Jay Tablante, was held at Grid MMS located at *Scape.

Red Dot Diva decided to drop by the event after lunch and as she approached *Scape, she felt a growing sense of trepidation. No, she wasn't nervous about meeting Jay Tablante, or being surrounded by cosplayers at all.

*Scape is just one of those places that makes Red Dot Diva feel obscenely old.

The energetically youth-centric venue was a good centralized spot to hold a mini cosplay event though. Held at Level 4, there was a small exhibition of more than 20 pieces of Jay Tablante's beautiful cosplay photography. A few local cosplayers of mainly anime characters were in attendance.

Jay was already half an hour into his creative workshop at a small meeting room. When Red Dot Diva tried to slip into the back of the room as unobtrusively as possible, she noticed that there was about 20 cosplay photography enthusiasts - all listening intently to Jay's lively delivery.

Wearing a black geeky superheroes tee and jeans, Jay had an easy smile and was very at ease with a roomful of people. He peppered his workshop session with many amusing anecdotes, and lots of interesting artistic and creative tips.

When going through some of his cosplay photos, Jay animatedly revealed how he managed to achieve the "special effects" using very simple and cheap methods. Red Dot Diva thought that these were the more mind-blowing information offered that day.

For example, the "smoke" effects on many of the pics (like the Black Canary ones) was actually some guy blowing baby powder on cue onto the set. And for the latest completed photo on Black Cat, the crew bought a small cheap Spiderman toy as a really geekworthy yet notable background effect. "Gunshot effects" (in the X-23 shoot) consisted of a packet of black ink covered with baby powder and hurled against a wall.

Jay also mentioned that he likes to borrow stuff from people as props. In the Zatanna shoot, he used his granny's old-fashioned rug, cane and rocking chair. And he also shared how he managed to find someone who actually owned a pair of sais which he promptly borrowed for his Elektra shoot!

The toughest shoot he attempted was the one called "The Tea After Party" - a skewed adult version of the iconic Mad Hatter's tea party from Lewis Caroll's "Alice in Wonderland". Five models were hired for the shoot to play the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, White Queen and Alice herself. To achieve the best highlights and lowlights on the complicated setup, a total of 15 lights were used. In addition, probably due to the copious amounts of boozy beer available on set, the shoot took an arduous 5 hours to complete!

With such detailed and precise set-ups, someone asked Jay how long it took for him to complete a photography session. Jay openly shared that, on average, it took two weeks to plan, one week to shoot and one week for post-production.

Alodia makes a quick appearance!

Jay took some more questions from the room and all too soon, the workshop wrapped up on time at 3 pm.

Everyone streamed out back into the reception area. Not longer after, Red Dot Diva noticed that there was a palpable wave of excitement in the room as she heard someone murmur, "she is on her way up now". She, being the uber-popular cosplayer from the Philippines, Alodia Gosiengfiao.

All dressed up in cosplay gear and looking porcelain-pretty with very delicate features, Alodia was actually at *Scape for a Sony event downstairs. But she had decided to take 5 precious minutes during her break to say hello to the fans and offer support to Jay at Geekology 101.

As expected, she was followed and crowded in by ardent photographers with each step she took. Being short and rather unaggressive, Red Dot Diva had such difficulty getting a good shot of her. Consider this shot on top a fluke because the ever-attuned Alodia noticed the Diva milling tentatively around the edge of the crowd!

And then.... *poof*! She was gone as quickly as she arrived!

Jay spent some time mingling with the fans and attendees, and signing his photo prints. By then, it had already begun to rain heavily outside, making it much cozier to stay indoors. Most of the attendees stayed on for the live photography demonstration by Jay which kicked off a couple of hours later. There were a few hiccups concerning the lighting setup as Jay spent time trying to find out what went wrong with a light trigger.

When that was solved, the demo began with Jay going right into lighting setups with his first cosplay model "victim". Red Dot Diva noted that Jay spent a huge amount of time and effort explaining as well as showing the fine art of lighting for the set and model. By using either reflectors or items to create shadows, he stressed on the importance of proper lighting balance, and that one has to take note of the materials used in the cosplayers' costumes and props.

With the help of a TV screen, Jay also showed the various lighting effects on the different sets of demo photos. It was amazing to see how much more details popped out on a photo when the right formula of light and shadows were applied.

Altogether, Jay invited four cosplayers with different stylings and costumes for the live demo. And from the looks of it, many of the cosplay photographers took away a bagful of useful and practical tips home with them.

Even though Red Dot Diva is not a cosplayer nor a hardcore photographer, she thought that the topic was totally fascinating. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves that wet Saturday afternoon. And to top it off, Jay Tabalante breathed passion for his work, and was an utter joy to meet and talk to.

Here's to a better attended and more exciting Geekology 201 next year! What say you, peeps?

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Always on the pursuit of an interesting victim whenever she has the chance, Red Dot Diva has indeed, managed to kidnap a few minutes of Jay Tablante's time for an interview. So, stay tuned for Diva's nosy Q&A with Jay Tablante, right here on this blog!

For photo references mentioned above, head to Jay Tablante's photography at his website, and or his Facebook page!

Geekology 101 - A Cosplay Photo Event One Can *Scape To

2011-12-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

So what if it rains like giant poodles and tom-cats during the monsoon season?

There are still a number of fun indoor events one can go to, and there's one coming up this Saturday -- right in the heart of Orchard Road!

Red Dot Diva strongly recommends those with a thing for cosplay or model photography (or both!) to sashay their way to Grid MMS, 4th level of *Scape, for Geekology 101!!

Geekology 101 will be a one-day only event, featuring the work of one dude who is the drooling-envy of most geeks. See, he basically gets paid to work with beautiful ladies almost all the time!

At Geekology 101, internationally acclaimed Filipino photographer Jay Tablante, who is also a self-confessed geek, will be showing off his cosplay photography in a special exhibition. His works include those modelled by gorgeous and well-known cosplay celebrities like Jinri Park, Yayahan, Alodia & Ashley Gosiengfiao. Get ready to ogle at photos of the various models dressed up as Marvel and anime/ manga characters, posed against fabulous setups!

Jay will also be holding a workshop and shooting seminar for cosplay lovers and photographers. Both sessions will last 2 hours with Jay going through effective cosplay styling, photography techniques and how to create dynamic and realistic shots with the cosplay models.

And here's something-something Extra for the geek guys (and quite a few ladies too)! Alodia Gosiengfiao will also be at Geekology 101 as a special guest-of-honour! Red Dot Diva thinks that if *Scape turns out to be a wet event, it just might be due to a massive drool-flood. She hopes the organizers have the foresight to prepare drool buckets (or gigantic super-absorbent mops).

Talking about organizers, this unique event is jointly put together by pop-culture blog The Neo Tokyo Project, EightBit Media (hello, Da Boss!) and sponsored by Canon, Grid MMS and Camwerkz!

A brief rundown of events are as follows:

10 am - Exhibition opens
1 pm - Seminar begins
5 pm - Live Shooting demonstration begins
9 pm - Close of event

There seems to be enough time in between to mingle with Jay Tablante and Alodia Gosiengfiao, as well as network with fellow bloggers, photographers, cosplayers and geeks.

In addition, Red Dot Diva also learnt that local cosplayers will be attending the event as well. Which then makes her wonder if Jay would get spontaneously creative this Saturday and select one or two of them for his live photography session?

That would be absolutely pretty interesting to watch!

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Take more peeks into Jay Tablante's photography at his website, and go Like his Facebook page!

And for a look at what went behind the scene with Jay, cosplay models and Marvel characters, click to this page!

Vinyl+Splash Report - Filipino Geeks and Artists Fight Against Hunger

2011-11-28T08:29:00.000-08:00

Red Dot Diva doubts that any of the guests who were at last Saturday's inaugural Filipino pop culture and art event Vinyl+Splash are actually "starving artists" (they do seem very successful in their own right after all!). But, one thing's for sure, they were united in their fight against hunger in the Philippines.

Through the series of events held at Fullybooked Bonifacio High Street Gates, Vinyl+Splash contributed a sizeable donation of 125,000 Pesos to the United Nations' World Food Programme! Country director of the UN World Food Programme Stephen Anderson, was on hand to receive the pledge from Jaime Daez Managing Director of Fullbooked, and mentioned how overwhelming it was to see the event bring the charity to reality.

The event drew a large number of geeks, street art and pop-culture fans as they eagerly flocked into the smallish venue to meet some of Philippines more talented and internationally well-known artists like Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Lan Medina, Harvey Tolibao, Mico Suayan, Stephen Segovia, Bong Dazo and Mark Torres. Vinyl+Splash also saw legendary "Jonah Hex" artist Tony de Zuniga gracing the event as a Special Guest, accompanied by his ever-gracious wife.

Tony de Zuniga

And guess what? There was also a Red Dot Island represent at Vinyl+Splash! Red Dot Diva's pal "Da Boss" Alwyn Liang and his two other friends made their way to Manila last weekend to join in the geekgasm, catch up with "old friends" and make new ones. Just today, she heard underground whispers that Alywn came home with some special naked ambitions together with an artbook for another geek pal. ...oooooh...

In addition to the various auctions and items offered on sale, a live Art Jam held that day also helped to raise funds for the event's assigned charity. According to fellow Geekmatic blogger, Mark Cerbo, who was on site geeking out at Vinyl+Splash, "Tony DeZuniga the SDCC 2011 InkPot Awardee led the way with his first sketch is in what would be the biggest Art Jam that featured eleven other famous artists in Gerry Alanguilan, Mark Torres, Harvey Tolibao, Stephen Segovia, Mico Suayan, Ed Tadeo, Leinil Yu, Bong Dazo, Lui Antonio, and Lan Medina. Jay Anacleto had his own work up on eBay and was present to grace this event."

Harvey Tolibao

At his own booth, Harvey Tolibao did a live drawing of Psylocke on a huge 24 x 36 canvas - an art challenge which he named "Dare To Draw". The final art piece was also auctioned off with 50% of the proceeds going to the World Food Programme!

The Art Jam piece

And Red Dot Diva noted that the artistic fun didn't just end with the comics side of things. Up and coming Filipino urban/ street artists were also present, showing off their individual and unique art style on vinyl toys, tee-shirts, mix-media collage-type art pieces, and even in the area of tattoo art.

Folks should probably start to put a digital bookmark on urban artists like Sarah Gaughler, Bru Sim and Marcushiro Nada (the due rom graphic design Electrolychee), Gabby Tiongson, Brian Vallesteros and Nemo Aguila, and of course, the vinyl toy Rotobox is already a well-known household name.

Jumbo Daimos Qee, Rotobox Vinyl Anatomica

Although Red Dot Diva could not teleport herself to this year's Vinyl+Splash (where are those darn minions??! They are supposed to be building that teleporter!), she sensed that those who were there last Saturday enjoyed themselves tremendously.

And the good news is that, there will be a sequel to all this. Vinyl+Splash intends to be back again next year!

Is anyone counting down yet?

Stephen Anderson receiving a cheque from Jaime Daez

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Check out Mark Cerbo's personal account of his day at Vinyl+Splash on his blog.

And thanks to Mark Cerbo for all the lovely pics he took of the event.
Do check out more of his Vinyl+Splash photos at the Red Dot Diva Facebook page!

Comic Con in Manila - Vinyl+Splash and Charity!

2011-11-25T10:39:00.000-08:00

Calling all collectible and comic fans in the Philippines, especially in the vicinity of Manila!

For one day only on November 26th, a special collectible/ comic convention called Vinyl+Splash mixes street art, vinyl toys and pop-culture at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street Gates! The street art and pop culture smash begins at 10 am and get this -- Admission is FREE!!

Red Dot Diva says that this not-to-be-missed convention boasts of a series of exciting events like live art sessions, auctions, trading blocks, raffles (and who doesn't like prizes, right?) and an art jam. Which should prove to be exciting to watch because some high-profile comic book artists are set to appear tomorrow. They include the well-loved Harvey Tolibao, Gerry Alanguilan, Lui Antonio, Bong Dazo, Lan Medina, Stephen Segovia, quietly handsome Mico Suayan, Edgar Tadeo, Mark Torres, Francis Leinil Yu, and more!

To add to the slew of comic artists, Filipino artist Tony de Zuniga has been announced as special guest. Tony de Zuniga, the co-creator of popular comic creators Jonah Hex and Black Orchid, was a 2011 San Diego Comic-Con Inkpot awardee.

Vinyl/ street art lovers will also get their share of fun, Red Dot Diva notes. There are several vinyl related guests like Bru Sim, Sarah Gaugler, Neil Pasilan, Vladimir Grutas, Bryan Araneta, Angry Woebots and JP Cuison just to name a few!!

To top it all, the event is made even more special as it endeavours to channel part of the proceeds to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in support of the fight against hunger in the Philippines, especially in the war-torn area of Mindanao. Red Dot Diva learnt that the organizers and participants aim to donate at least 100k Pesos to the needy through Vinyl+Splash.

A palette of artistic fun and a worthy cause mixed in a bowl of pop-culture. What better way than to spend a Saturday afternoon at Fully Booked tomorrow?

If any of her Filipino readers are going to Vinyl+Splash, Red Dot Diva invites them to share and post pics on the RDD blog Facebook page here!

Have Loads of Fun, Manila peeps!

Introducing "J, Robot" - Japanese Culture Meets Humanoid Robots

2011-11-21T07:26:00.000-08:00

HRP-3 android

Traversing the interwebs can take one on rather unexpected journeys, and it is on one of these digital travels that Red Dot Diva got to know San Francisco-based videographer/ producer Michael Garrigues.

For one thing, the project that he has been working on was a rather unique documentary on Japanese humanoid robots. It was an interesting visual trip behind the scenes about robotics that promptly reminded Red Dot Diva of "Transformers" and "Astro Boy" and the various sci-fi stories and movies, like the classic "Blade Runner" and well-loved "Short Circuit" to the more recent "Artificial Intelligence". Oh, and which scifi geek can forget the myriad of robots wandering about in the "Star Wars" universe, and those ominous Cylons or "toasters" from "Battlestar Galactica"?

Michael Garrigues has been in the film business for a long time and is currently the owner of Foglifter Media, a company providing video production services in Northern California. He has produced various environmental education videos, event videos and local television, and has also been involved in screenplays and casting.

Red Dot Diva has caught a couple of previews of Garrigues' documentary, catchily entitled "J, Robot", and was captivated by the engineering and science of the rather human-like robots that the Japanese have created to cope with their rapidly aging society. A problem not unfamiliar to the population right here on Red Dot Island.

After a few years in the making, the documentary is now in its post-production phase and Garrigues has decided to appeal for robot and documentary-lovers to be a backer for this special project through Kickstarter. (Kickstarter - for those who are not familiar with the name - is a platform for crowdfunding focused on creative projects.)

With its segments on the wondrous world of humanoid robots and insights to Japan's love affair with robotic technology - Red Dot Diva thinks that "J, Robot" deserves to be released in as many screenings as possible.

So she invited Michael Garrigues to talk about his work experiences and share his vision concerning "J, Robot".


Michael Garrigues at T-28 ceremony

Red Dot Diva: How did you first get interested in the art of film-making?
Garrigues: I began taking photos seriously when I was about 15, and stayed with it for some time. But I became more of a writer at University, writing plays and screenplays. I did study film and made some short films for school and helped others on their projects as well. In the 90's, I moved to New York and did script reading and story editing for a couple of independent production companies.

Red Dot Diva: And for those who are not familiar with you yet, share with us some of the interesting projects (other than "J, Robot") that you've participated in so far?
Garrigues: I came back to San Francisco and directed some plays written by others before I wrote and directed my own play "Waiting for the Inkie" - a cyber-family satire set in the near future where women have neither the time nor inclination to give live birth. A local newspaper reviewer called it "a darkly comedic look at humanity."

I also wrote and directed a short film "Shop Talk." I hired a singer and produced a George Gershwin song for the film, but I couldn't get synch rights to it to show publicly. So it didn't get festival play because of the copyright issues.

My first professional writing job was a multi-media script for a project called "Himalayan Journey." It was really fun as I wrote the storylines for multiple characters and came up with puzzle ideas. It was nominated for the Mobius award for Best Interactive Title. I also was a copywriter for Silicon Valley tech companies for a couple of years.

Red Dot Diva: How did the inspiration to begin the "J, Robot" documentary come about?
Garrigues: I went to Japan for a vacation and thought it was a cool and crazy place and wanted to come back to learn more about the country and its people. I decided that a great way to get into more depth on the place was to do a documentary.

Red Dot Diva: Have you always been interested in Japanese culture *and* robots?
Garrigues: One of my best friends in elementary school was Sansei Japanese (third generation). I think spending a lot of time with his family somehow influenced me very positively towards the Japanese culture. And I've always loved the food!

Red Dot Diva: What was the strangest experience you had on set (with the robots) while doing this film?
Garrigues: A few things. Shooting a life-size humanoid robot dancing to a traditional Japanese folk song in the Humanoid Robotics Group lab led by Dr. Kajita. Also, the head of a robotics lab got upset at me for only asking questions about humanoid robots (of which they've made plenty). He was mad that I wasn't interested in his robotic networks and other non-humanoid research. Needless to say, our interview with him was short.

The last thing I would share is recalling sitting on the floor of the NTT Docomo Lab of Shoji-san, framing up a shot of the Utsushiomi green-screen robot. I had this giddy moment of "Wow, I can't believe I was at my computer in San Francisco six weeks ago when I saw first saw a photo of this thing, and here I am shooting his furry green feet in Japan." I almost laughed out loud.

Red Dot Diva: What key things have you learnt about robots ever since you got involved in this documentary?
Garrigues: Humanoid robots aren't ready for prime time. It will be decades before humanoid robots will be sophisticated enough to move safely amongst humans. However, other robotic technologies are developing quickly, like networked robotic systems that would be the foundation for a Smart House. You know, where you get out of bed and say "Make my coffee" and it appears on the counter. Or if it's a cold winter day and you say "Start my car and turn on the heater" as you're heading to the garage drinking your freshly brewed-by-a-robot coffee.

"Red Cliff"/ "Sangukushi " girls at the T28 opening ceremony

Red Dot Diva: It has taken awhile to get the documentary into this stage of post-production. What were the main cause of the delays?
Garrigues: Funding and language. I lost a steady income as a live video-streaming site producer, and didn't have the money to get back to Japan for more interviews right away. And when I finally got the interviews, I would need to translate them and then have someone else work with me to cut out the quotes that I wanted. That was a long and tedious process as initially, I was relying on volunteer help who would graciously fit translations into their busy schedules. I also had to wait two years until the T-28 statue in Kobe was finished to shoot the opening ceremony.

Red Dot Diva: For folks who are interested to know how to get funding for their film projects, what kind of advice can you offer to them?
Garrigues: Have plenty of credit, and don't lose your steady job! But really, if I had this to do all over again, I would pick a topic in my own language and in my own country for my first film. Most people probably already have the common sense to do that. I didn't. Although I now have a first documentary that was fun and that's rather unique and I'm glad to have done it.

Also, don't worry about making money on your first project. Just finish it. I'm going to use "J, Robot" as a portfolio piece to hopefully get funding for my next project.

Red Dot Diva: What do you hope viewers of this film will take away with them?
Garrigues: I hope that viewers of "J, Robot" will begin to get an understanding of the cultural reasons and historical pressures that create the conditions for advanced humanoid robot development in Japan. Plus, I hope they are entertained while being educated. If they are intrigued they can dig deeper on the topic.

Red Dot Diva: Do you have a favourite "robot" TV show/ movie that you find particularly enjoyable? And why?

Garrigues: As a little kid I really liked the Japanese show "Tobor the Eighth Man". He was a crime fighting cyborg. I remember loving the show opening where he ties a giant dinosaur up with its own tail. I also loved the original "Robo-Cop" film by Paul Verhoeven, supposedly inspired by Tobor.

Red Dot Diva: Tell us more about how and when you hope to get this documentary out for the audience to enjoy.
Garrigues: As soon as I have the clearances from lawyers, I'll begin to submit to festivals - probably at the end of this month. But I will most likely self distribute on-line for DVD purchase and digital downloads. It looks like my European premiere will be at a Robot Arts festival in Prague this winter.

And Red Dot Diva hopes it doesn't just stop there. She would also like to see "J, Robot" swivel its way here for a local-based film festival or screening too!

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To contribute to the "J, Robot" Kickstarter project, click to this page! Check out the video trailer there for a preview!

Also, do follow the "J, Robot" Facebook page for more updates!

Bookfest Singapore 2011: Calling All Book and Comic Lovers!

2011-11-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

Bookfest Singapore 2011 kicks off at Suntec Convention Centre, Halls 601 - 603 this Friday, 18 November.

Just in perfect timing too, Red Dot Diva notes. This weekend is the start of the super long stretch of year-end school holidays for the kids and teenagers here, so she expects that the event will attract thousands of people.

The largest and most popular book festival on Red Dot Island will continue to showcase a wide and varied collection of books and publishers from around Asia. There will be English and Chinese titles, assessment books, music, stationery and gifts offered at great prices during the fair, as well as panels, appearances by local and overseas authors and on-stage performances.

In addition, there will be something very special this year.

Thanks to Harris Planerds, there will be a Comics Pavilion catering specially to the graphic novel geeks! Not only will there be comics from various publishers and countries available on sale, the pavilion will also display and sell action figures from toy companies like DC Comics, Marvel Select and McFarlane Toys.

Plus, a number of special comics guests will be making their appearance at the pavilion. Talented Marvel artist Mico Suayan will be back in Singapore to meet his fans. Red Dot Diva enjoyed perving good-looking, amiable Mico (and his artistic biceps) when he was here for this year's STGCC, so she cannot wait to say hello to him again.

Mico will be sketching and signing at the Comics Pavilion on 18th Nov (Friday) 7 pm - 9 pm and 19th/ 20th Nov (Sat/ Sun) 12pm - 9pm. Don't miss the chance to admire Mico and his artwork up close and personal!

Avid art collectors would be happy to know that Mico has drawn some beautiful drawings on blank comic covers specially for the Bookfest. These are currently on sale, and if one is interested in buying them, do send an e-mail to 8bitmedia1@gmail.com. (Check out the "Mico Suayan, Mashi and Benjamin Ang Bookfest@Singapore 2011" Facebook Event Page for the images and more details!)

Up-and-coming local chibi artist Mashi (Wendy Chew) is well-known for her uber-kawaii artwork. If one has not seen Mashi's cutesy drawings yet, you have got to come to the Comics Pavilion to check her out! Red Dot Diva bets that one will be charmed by Mashi's artwork.

See the note below for Mashi's appearance times!

Other guests include local Marvel artist Benjamin Ang, Sir Fong author Otto Fong, the creators from local graphic novel series "Gone Case" - Dave Chua and Koh Hong Teng, and Eisner-nominated comics artist, Sonny Liew.

If one desires for more food for thought, "Resident Tourist" creator Troy Chin announced that he will be at a panel called "Social Commentary in Local Comics" together with Dave Chua, Koh Hong Teng, Sonny Liew and Morgan Chu. The panel is on Saturday, 19 November, 1.30 pm - 2.30 pm on the Main Stage.

All in all, Red Dot Diva thinks that this a pretty cool list of local/ Asian guests for the comics fans.

So besides drowning oneself in the sea of books, don't miss the chance to meet these talented folks during Bookfest 2011!

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For more details and information about opening hours and the schedule of events at Bookfest Singapore 2011, do check out their website!

And if one needs more information about commissions or purchases of drawings from Mico Suayan, Mashi, Benjamin Ang or Bong Dazo (artist for "Deadpool Merc with a Mouth"), please email 8bitmedia1@gmail.com.

Elephant Parade Singapore - Trumpetting A Cause With Art

2011-11-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

Not since an overly-enthusiastic visitor swam across the Johor Straits to Pulau Ubin in 1991 (and yes, he did bring his trunk *) has the Red Dot Island seen so many pachyderms stampeding its shores.

Well, not until last Friday.

11th November was the start of Elephant Parade Singapore. The Elephant Parade is the largest open-air exhibition worldwide and the high-profile event has made its rounds in several European countries like London, Amsterdam and Milan, over the years. It finally makes its first Asian stomp on Red Dot Island this year.

Up till 11th January 2012, these hand-painted life-sized elephant art statues are stationed all around the island - from glitzy Marina Bay to Vivocity to Singapore Art Museum to the shopping places around Orchard Road and in the semi-wilderness of the Singapore Zoological Gardens. Just to name a few!

While heading back from yoga last Saturday afternoon, Red Dot Diva stumbled upon a few of them peacefully enjoying their choice spots in the light drizzle at the usually crowded Raffles Place Green.

The Elephant Parade aims to build more public awareness and support for the fate of elephants around the world. This year, the organization joined hands with The Asian Elephant Foundation as it works with various projects and organizations dedicated to the conservation of the Asian elephant.

The Asian elephant is widely domesticated around the continent and working elephants around Asia do suffer from injuries or need hospital care. These issues exist while their wild counterparts continue to battle poaching and are in danger of extinction.

Several overseas and local celebrities and designers have got their hands involved with these art elephants. Familiar names include Ricky Gervais, Rupert Grint, Leona Lewis, Solange Azagury-Patridge and Joss Stone, and local personalities who contributed to their works of elephant art include Dick Lee, Glenn Goei, Gaurav Kripalani, Nadya Hutagalung and Bobby Chinn.

Even local-based comics artist Sonny Liew ("Liquid City", "Malinky Robot") has added an elephant called "Elephant Memory" (or Ele for short) to the herd.

Red Dot Diva cheers: W000t!! Geek Represent!!

When she found out that Sonny had put his stamp of artistic talent to the cause, she asked him to share a little about his involvement in Elephant Parade Singapore 2011.

Sonny Liew's Ele

Red Dot Diva: Sonny, what did you find most difficult in painting an actual 3D object?
Sonny Liew: Well... the planning was different from 2D paintings. With the latter you could figure out the design in its entirety. With the elephant, it was a trickier especially with how things are connected from, say, the frontal to the side profile. The underbelly was especially tricky because of the way the character's (Elephant Memory Man) appendages were supposed to loop round the stomach and elephant legs in all sorts of directions. It was something I had to work out on the elephant itself, and I couldn't plan it beforehand.

Figuring out the materials to use was tricky too. I ended up using a mixture of oils, acrylics and spray paints.

Red Dot Diva: Was there another elephant statue you saw during the parade that you really loved? and why?
Sonny Liew: I actually missed the opening, so I only got to flip through the book whilst at Vivocity. Based on those, I liked some of the heavily patterned ones like Andre Tempel's Siegfried and Om Mee Ai's Lacey, but also, some of the ones with a rougher more painterly feel like Kamol Tamsriwan's Human. I guess both involve different processes from my own approach that I find interesting. The patterned ones feel like they involve some sort of commercial process whilst the others have a raw feel to them. It is generally just fascinating to consider different approaches to the same challenges of painting an elephant :)

Red Dot Diva: What made you decide to participate actively in this event?
Sonny Liew: I've always leaned towards environmental issues - from recycling to using your own bags for shopping and not eating meat. So, it was an easy sell - doing something to help the preservation of elephants. I remember seeing one at the Night Safari not long ago and it was just awesome. Animals really remind us of our connection with nature, or at least they should. It's a connection that get very lost in the world we've built up around us; human beings have separated themselves too much from the rest of life, as I think the recent news of 7 billion humans and the extinction of the western black rhino would indicate.

Sonny Liew has written more details about his Ele experience on his own blog. Red Dot Diva thinks it is an interesting personal account, so go check it out here!

Sonny's cute geeky Ele is stationed at Vivocity with many of her other elephant friends, which includes the wizardly one by Rupert Grint named "Sir Richard The III". Who would have thought Rupert was such a clever and meaningful artist??

For a route map of all the elephants that can be found around the island, click to this link!

Simond Chew's ele was found at Fullerton Hotel

With all these varied and unique pieces of art adding a blaze of colour to the city, Red Dot Diva is quite pumped up about doing her bit of "elephant-spotting". Other than Sonny's and Rupert's elephants, she is eager to check out Dick Lee's vibrantly striped fuschia "Zelda Zelliphant", and that comical but quintessentially South-East Asian themed "Delightful Durian" by Nat Posila and Ed Robinson.

Of course, attempting to view all of the statues will be a very time-consuming ~~tusk~~ task, so thanks to the practical wisdom of the organizers, the entire herd of elephants will be placed at the Singapore Botanical Gardens from 8th to 11th January 2012.

After which, the arty elephant statues will be auctioned off by Sotheby’s at two private auction events in January 2012. 20% will be donated to The Asian Elephant Foundation and 5% to Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund from the auction revenues.

For those who are less flushed with cash, one can choose to contribute to the cause by purchasing the limited edition, hand painted replica souvenirs. These 10 cm to 75 cm high mini elephants are painted by professional fine artists from Chiang Mai, Thailand, and can be found at the Elephant Parade Gallery Stores at TANGS Orchard/ VivoCity or at Elephant Parade's online shop.

Instead of seeing more fuzzy pink elephants from all that festive partying, Red Dot Diva urges everyone to spare some thought for the plight of the Asian elephant, and give a warm, jumbo-sized support to the colourful Elephant Parade Singapore 2011.

Besides, it will also be a fun city-safari adventure to find as many ele's as one possibly can!

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* Red Dot Diva's note: There was indeed a bull Asian elephant who made quite an appearance at Pulau Ubin back in 1991. One can read the story archived here.

Comikaze Expo 2011: Some Quick, Precious Moments with Actor Francis Capra

2011-11-11T06:21:00.000-08:00

Francis Capra at Comikaze Expo

Here's something-something for those who love "Veronica Mars" and doggedly keep track of alumni from the cancelled NBC TV series, "Heroes"!

Red Dot Diva's LA-based friend @theReal_Rebel has done it again by helping her to perv actor Francis Capra at the recent ComikazeExpo!

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The hills and valleys of an actor's life can come so quickly that it could give an average person a nosebleed. You can be on a hit show one minute and out of work in the next. The amount of rejection that an actor needs to handle is enough to induce night sweats. Getting and keeping an acting job requires talent, skill, courage, street-smarts and the physical and emotional stamina to endure such vicissitudes of fortune.

So, actors who play tough guys like Humphrey Bogart, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Chiklis and Edward G. Robinson must be pretty tough guys, right? I imagined it should be somewhat daunting to get an interview from someone like that.

Or so I thought.

I was pleased to discover the very opposite when I met actor Francis Capra signing autographs at the ComikazeExpo in Los Angeles last weekend. Despite having another interview scheduled, he kindly invited me to sit with him and do a quick spot Q&A before he had to run off. So I was lucky enough to meet the young actor who's sweetness and bonhomie goes beneath the 'tats. And such a gentleman, he is too!

theReal_Rebel: You were on "Heroes" and....
Francis Capra: I played Jesse on "Heroes". Peter Petrelli was trapped in my body during the season three called "Villains". I had a Sonic power.

theReal_Rebel: What was the experience like?
Francis Capra: It was amazing! When I got the role I was told it was going to be a season revolving around the villains breaking from a prison for criminals with super powers. It was incredible for me. I'm a big comic book fan. I'm a fan of the Hulk, and Marvel Comics Super Heroes and Villains. Venom Thantos and Apocalypse, in particular. I was really looking forward to meeting the very talented cast like Milo (Ventimiglia) and seeing Kristen Bell, who's a great friend of mine from "Veronica Mars". It was awesome. I was looking forward to a much larger arc but, unfortunately, as everybody knows who saw the show, I met a pretty quick demise.

theReal_Rebel: Prior to that you were on "Veronica Mars"? How was that?
Francis Capra: "Veronica Mars" was amazing. I was on the show for three seasons. It was just what I needed at the time. I was doing guest stints here and there playing criminals and gang members on television. "Veronica Mars" was the first opportunity I had to play a criminal with a heart. A criminal with a real back story. I loved working with Kristen and the cast. Percy (Daggs III), Jason (Dohring), Enrico (Colantoni). Really great people on the show.

theReal_Rebel: How are things now?
Francis Capra: Things are great. A little slow. It's hard coming from a series, working every week, being part of such a great cast and having such a great following. I miss it... being on a regular series. I'm hoping to get on a drama. I have a film premiering this weekend called "Rampart". I have a small role, but it has a great cast. I worked with Woody Harrelson. It is directed by Oren Moverman, and stars Woody, Ice Cube, Sigourney Weaver. A really, really great cast.

(note: "Rampart", a name familiar Angelenos, is about the police corruption scandal that took place in Los Angeles in the 1990s. A heavy and important subject, which explains the high powered cast, including Francis Capra.)

Francis Capra: Otherwise doing stuff here and there. My typical stuff to pay the bills of playing gang members on television. It's what I do. I'm the best at it!

theReal_Rebel: I have an odd question. As Capra is such a famous name in Hollywood...
Francis Capra: .... No relation.

theReal_Rebel: Are you Italian?
Francis Capra: I'm of Italian-Dominican extraction.

theReal_Rebel: Being part Italian myself, you go back far enough and you can be surprised to discover who you might be related to. Thank you for your time. Have a great convention!
Francis Capra: Thank you.

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Thanks to theReal_Rebel for the pervy work. Although Red Dot Diva is very sure doing such perving is not such an unpleasant or ardous task! :p

And thanks to Francis Capra for being such a sweetheart. Red Dot Diva hopes to see him in a regular role and back on her TV screen soon!

NYCC 2011: Learning "Scary Tactics" From Dennis Calero

2011-11-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

It has been more than a year since Red Dot Diva met artist Dennis Calero in person at SDCC 2010.

At the time, he was kicking off a web-comic called "Devil Inside" that he had created with his good buddy (and "Heroes" alumni) Todd Stashwick. Having built a loyal and growing fanbase in the last year, "Devil Inside" - a story about a famous demon who is trying to be a different (better?) being - is now in its second chapter!

Within the last year, Dennis also became a proud first-time Dad to an adorable baby girl. And he has also picked up a rather high-profile gig with Archaia/ Relativity Media for one of the stories in "The Immortals", an anthology graphic novel which is a tie-in to the Tarsem Singh-directed Greek mythology movie of the same name.

In fact, when visiting "The Immortals" booth at the NYCC 2011 exhibition floor, Red Dot Diva thought it was nice to see a huge display of one of Dennis' artwork up there!

"Rise of the Olympians" from "The Immortals" graphic novel

And if one is not aware of this yet, Dennis has recently launched his very own Twitter graphic novel called "Scare Tactics".

On Day 1 of #NYCC, Red Dot Diva peeked in Artists' Alley to hunt down Dennis Calero but he was nowhere to be found. A lost-looking guy was sitting at his booth and was equally clueless as to Dennis' mysterious whereabouts for the day. Persistently, Red Dot Diva returned again to stalk Dennis on the morning of Day 2, and was very glad to find the handsome, witty and ever-charming one at his table, busily drawing and fulfilling commission requests.

Dennis affably offered Red Dot Diva to sit beside him for a chat as he continued working. In between intermittent visits from people coming to say hello to him (as well as a quick order of Starbucks coffee by his assistant), she managed to ask him a few things!

Red Dot Diva: What inspired you to start the Twitter graphic novel, "Scare Tactics"?
Dennis: I was very interested in the way that Twitter was delivering information. Specifically everyone was using Twitter for textual information. So I was interested to see how it could be used for delivering art, and how you could send it on to your followers, and how they could scroll through the tweets and photos, and I thought that would be a cool way to deliver a story.

The other impetus was my curiosity about Twitter and how we use it to deliver our thoughts in a more haphazard, spontaneous way. So with "Scare Tactics", I could do it as often as I want. Sometimes it could be two to three episodes, sometimes I don't any. If you follow "Scare Tactics" on Twitter, you will always know when an episode is there because it will pop up on your feed. And you can always check it at any time.

And so, the idea was to do the art spontaneously.. which means, I could maybe spend 15 to 20 minutes to draw, and give it a some colour, and put it up. I have a very strong idea where the story is going to go, and I know the beats where I am going to hit along the way. I see "Devil Inside" as rock 'n roll and "Scare Tactics" is jazz. I have a general idea where I want to go, but it may ultimately change along the way, depending on where the beats that me.

Red Dot Diva: Can you give us a quick introduction of "Scare Tactics" for those who might be interested to check it out?
Dennis: I don't want to give away too much of what the story is about. It's in the tradition of "Silence Of The Lambs", like a 70's thriller. In the vein of "Three Days Of The Condor".. or like "The Parallax View". It's about a man who discovers that someone is running a school for serial thrillers. So, if you paid this guy, he would teach you how not to get caught. And so this guy man is trying to infiltrate this school. That's the primary premise.

Red Dot Diva: Let's talk about "Devil Inside".
Dennis: Sure, please do.
Red Dot Diva: I've already asked Todd Stashwick the same question. This is the second year for "Devil Inside". How has the ride been for you?
Dennis: We'll most probably have similar answers. The ride has been amazing. The fans' feedback has been so heartening... and so strong. We've been *so* happy. Creatively, we've been happy with the way it's going.

We work on "Devil Inside" about one day a week. Todd will really spend time prepping the script and I will labour a solid day on about half a page of comics. It's been a lot of work and we are really dedicated to it. And unless something extreme happens, like the birth of my daughter or Halloween, we will push it through. And it has been wonderful and we've enjoyed every minute of it.

Red Dot Diva: So when is Corvus coming back?
Dennis: Corvus is back... This past week Corvus came back.
Red Dot Diva: Oh! I haven't been able to catch up with it since I didn't have constant wifi connection.
Dennis grins: Yes, Corvus is back...and he's Very Angry. He came back in pieces and he's very sore about it.

Red Dot Diva: Could you give us some more hints about what's coming up in "Devil Inside"?
Dennis: Well, for the first month or so, the strip was about the aftermath of the first year but then we are going to move forward as Ronny begins to piece together what's happening. And Sophie very quickly recovers and proves to be even smarter than Jack thought she was. And Jack begins to put together his plans. It'll be good.

For the "Devil Inside" fans out there, here's Dennis with a short and very perky video greeting:

Just as Red Dot Diva was wrapping up the Q&A, Dennis' assistant finally came back with his Starbucks coffee. Red Dot Diva had a few minutes to waste before Legendary Comics' panel which was held at the other side of Javits, so she stayed around Dennis' booth for awhile.

They casually talked about her first New York experience, and Dennis was (surprisingly) curious about her Chinese name. And he showed off the cutest pics of his daughter - whom he revealed was nicknamed Monkey-Moo. Awwww....

It was too bad that Red Dot Diva had to rush off not long after, just to ensure that she will not miss getting into Legendary's panel. Hanging out with easy-going Dennis (and his lovely assistant!) was like meeting old friends, and she can't wait to catch up with him again, another time ... "soon".

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Check out Dennis Calero's official website! And one can also find him on on Twitter!

To start reading the web-comic "Devil Inside", click on this page!

And for the Twitter graphic novel, "Scare Tactics", click this link here!

SDCC 2012 Pre-Registration - ID's and More ID's!

2011-11-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

Red Dot Diva sighs. As if one hasn't got enough login ID's and passwords to keep track and remember!! SDCC has jumped into the "Member ID" scheme of things too!

For those who had lined up arduously overnight at this year's SDCC in order to pre-register for next year's event, please note this important message!!

Today is the day the pre-registration email was being sent out. They are being sent in batches, so do check your in-box for this very important email.

The instructions are straightforward enough but the requirement to get a pre-registration ID in order to obtain a Member ID is a two-step thing that seems so unnecessary and frankly, quite an annoyance. Also, do remember to get this done within 4 weeks, by 2 December 2011!

Click here for the link to initiate the process!

And one has to obtain a Member ID. Do not miss this step! This is so that EPIC (the ticket registration portal company) can send the ticket barcode to one's account after 2 December 2011.

If one has read the above and has not been confused by all this by now -- BRAVO!

It took Red Dot Diva about 5 minutes to go through the entire process. Thank goodness, she did not face server dead silence or irritating site errors! But W0000t! SDCC 2012 here she comes!

She envisages that there may be more of these "registration" things to come for SDCC 2012. And she really wonders how well/ bad the hotel booking portal is going to fare this time round.

Impatiently, she waits and sees..... !

LBCC 2011: Steve Niles Is One HOT Writer!

2011-11-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

As Red Dot Diva's arduous search for compliant minions continues (their first task is to build a teleporter machine, oh curious ones), she was unable to partake in any effective stalking at the recent Long Beach Comic Convention (LBCC) 2011.

Instead, @theReal_Rebel, her Twitter pal based in Los Angeles, was there to represent Red Dot Diva's pervy intentions. And she cleverly managed to grab hold of frightmaster Steve Niles for an interview.

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You can tell that Steve Niles is one hot writer.

And not just due to his impersonation of the Devil (see pic on left).
(Red Dot Diva: OHhhhhh MYyyyy...... nom nom nom...)

His table at LBCC attracted a sizeable crowd and had the aura of that which fans usually reserve for the rock stars of the comic book world -- the artists.

Public recognition of Niles as the creator, along with artist Ben Templesmith, of “30 Days Of Night”, marks a new tier in his versatile career. The graphic novel and subsequent movie adaptation - probably running right now on HBO or your local cable channel - is a horror story set in Barrow, Alaska where vampires come out during one sunless month to openly feed upon the living.

Success might seem "overnight" to those unaware of Nile's work in multiple-genres and media platforms over the years. Equally at home writing Pixar / Disney's light-hearted “Toy Story” web series adventures, to taking Batman across the line in “Batman: Gotham County Line” to creating an original vigilante character and graphic novel for DC Comics' “Simon Dark”. Then returning back to his own original works in and out of the horror genre.

In realm of horror, Niles' creative works include: “Aleister Arcane”, “Criminal Macabre”, and “Remains”. Niles then deftly moved to the delightful "Mystery Society”, a sci-fi romantic-comedy-adventure reminiscent of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and from there to the pathos of “Freaks of the Heartland”. With his versatility in various genres, Niles is a writer whom one would find difficult to pigeon-hole. But when I met this warm, funny guy, I could see where the dark imaginings and spritely good humor flow from - his heart.

theReal_Rebel: Steve Niles, you're a very upbeat and happy guy. How is it that you write Horror?
Steve Niles: I've actually found that most of the horror guys I know are are generally pretty happy, upbeat guys. Because we get it all out of our system. I get to write all this stuff, do horrible things to people. At least, that's my theory. Then you meet some guy at Disney who draws Tinkerbell and they're like the meanest people in the world. I really think there is something to it. All the horror people, Clive Barker, Guillermo del Toro, some of the nicest guys you'd ever meet.

the Real_Rebel: So there's no inciting series of events like those in Stephen King's life that put you on the path to write horror. Just general pent up anger and subconscious anxieties...
Steve Niles: We get a lot of this out of our system. It's no small thing that we get to do this for a living. I should be happy. I get to write comic, movies, video games books for a living.

the Real_Rebel: I believe, from what I've been reading on the web, you are one of the most adapted authors in trans-media (comics to films, tv, games).
Steve Niles: I don't know if I'm one of the most adapted, but I've had pretty good luck.

the Real_Rebel: What is your favorite piece of work to-date?
Steve Niles: “30 Days Of Night”. We had the largest budget we ever got. It was a theatrical success and David Slade is a good director and made a good horror movie. That's all I wanted.

the Real_Rebel: Of your work outside the horror genre, I was a big fan of your sci-fi romantic-comedy-adventure "Mystery Society”. Now that was a romantic comedy I would actually pay to see in a theater. It was charming and funny and totally unexpected in every way and the art was beautiful. I was disappointed it isn't continuing. I wanted more.
Steve Niles: I did too. It was supposed to be an ongoing series and unfortunately not enough people ordered it....
the Real_Rebel: Or knew about it.
Steve Niles: ... so unfortunately they had to cancel it. I based it on Nick and Nora from "The Thin Man” series I loved when I was a kid. In most fiction, it's always about couples who are in trouble, I just wanted to do something where they're a happy couple.

the Real_Rebel: I also enjoyed the other character's you created...
Steve Niles: ... the Robot Jules Verne and the hunt for Edgar Allan Poe's Skull. It seems its gotten more popular now that its canceled.

the Real_Rebel: The other graphic novel I particularly enjoyed was "Freaks of the Heartland”. I hear its also is to be adapted into a film.
Steve Niles: David Gordon Green has the rights to it now and we're just trying to figure out how...its so hard to get anything made these days (in film). Last time I talked to David we're still trying to find financing, but that's still up in the air.

the Real_Rebel: Do you have a preference of platforms, would you be up for TV if asked?
Steve Niles: You know, you can away with a lot more in TV these days than in movies anyway. So I would have absolutely no problem with that. I'm looking into a lot more television stuff. "Remains” is going to be a TV movie coming out in December.

the Real_Rebel: Anything new to announce?
Steve Niles: Well, I have "Crime and Terror” with Scott Morse and this is going to be an on going series. Scott is an amazing artist and we're teaming up on all these short form stories. And this just came out collecting all mine and Bernie's (illustrator Bernie Wrightson ) stuff in black and white. ("The Monstrous Collection”, see pic on left)

the Real_Rebel: Well, thank you for your time.
Steve Niles: Thank you

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A big thank you to the Real_Rebel: for this blog contribution!

And do visit Steve Niles' official website, or stalk him on Twitter!

NYCC 2011: Spotlight On Comics Artist David Marquez!

2011-11-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to indie publisher Archaia's disturbing graphic novel "Syndrome" (Blake Leibel/ Daniel Quantz/ R.J. Ryan, David Marquez/ Bill Farmer/ Dave Lanphear) about the minds of serial killers, Red Dot Diva got to know young artist David Marquez, when she was at SDCC in 2009.

She had a lot of fun wavering around the dark side reading "Syndrome" and fell in love with David Marquez's artwork. The drawings were sharp with clean lines and there were some creative angles on buildings and landscapes. She also liked how he drew the figures in a rather realistic way in terms of their body language.

It was also then that something suddenly clicked in Red Dot Diva's brain. The art-style was unique and quite recognizable. Where has she seen this before?

She had to solve this piece of mystery. After a few clicks on Google, Red Dot Diva realized that she has seen David's work before in "A Scanner Darkly" - one of the trippiest and coolest scifi movies based on Philip K. Dick's novel. David had worked as an animator in that movie, which was directed by Richard Linklater using a process called 'rotoscoping'.

David's artwork has created a lot of attention since then, and he has worked on another of Archaia's book "Days Missing: Vol 2", and for Top Cow and Image as well. He has also managed to snag a gig with Marvel and is currently working on "Fantastic Four: Season One", written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The comic is due out on hardback version in February 2011!

And to top it all, David was nominated for this year's Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award.

On a busy Saturday morning of NYCC, Red Dot Diva managed to hunt down David at his Artist Alley booth. In the midst of all that buzz and noise from the crowds, they had a fun and easy chat about his career. Mainly because David was quite animated when talking about drawing and was also very open about sharing his own experiences.

Red Dot Diva: When was the first time you realized you’ve fallen in love with drawing?
David: I was drawing since I was a little kid and I've already started reading comics in second grade or so. I specifically remember sitting in one of my classes, and I was doing a drawing of Robin. One of my classmates saw it and I had a lot of responses to it from the rest. So I went 'Wow! I get a lot of positive attention when I draw things that are pretty!' And that was kinda the beginning of it. And I just kept drawing and drawing, and never stopped I guess!

Red Dot Diva: What have been the weirdest things or scenes you've ever had to draw?
David responded immediately: "Syndrome". No doubt about it.
Red Dot Diva laughed: Oh, really??!
David: Some of the things those guys had me draw....(he shakes his head) there were headless corpses and mutilated animals. And I don't like drawing those kind of things, but I'll do my *best*. I will do my damnest to do a good job.

Even in the "Fantastic Four" book I am working on right now, there was a scene, when a character was sadly reminiscent about how his dog died. And I had to draw this dog that got hit by a car.. and this boy crying, cradling his dog's broken body. I have two dogs, and so I had to put the saddest music I could think of. And put it in repeat. And I was crying and drawing....
Red Dot Diva: Awwww........
David: And hopefully that emotion comes through when people read it. Whenever I have to draw an animal that has been hurt, that has always been hard for me to do. But I had to do it several times. And in sometimes macabre and nasty ways.

Red Dot Diva: And what are the most boring kind of scenes to draw?
David groaned: Crowd scenes. I hate drawing crowd scenes. Phil Hester who wrote "Days Missing: Kestus" that I worked on, loved to send me these seven-eight panelled pages of crowd scenes. He loves crowd scenes so there was once where the entire scene is on the street of New York City... ... at New Year's. I had to draw every single, unique little face. I am getting better at it and having more fun with it. But it is tiring.
Red Dot Diva: Maybe you could add faces of people you know in them.
David: Oh, exactly. Again, now when I'm working on this "Fantastic Four" book with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa who's writing it. Fantastic guy.. *loves* crowd scenes!
Red Dot Diva: Oh no!
David: So, over and over I am thrown books with these crowd scenes. There are these spectacular vistas of New York City, at a specific location at specific time of day with hundreds of people milling about. And thankfully, I work digitally. In the foreground, you have to add the detail. But for the middle ground and background, I copy and paste the same dude like 300 times. So I find ways to get around it.

Red Dot Diva: What did you learn from working for “A Scanner Darkly” that has an impact on your artwork?
David: When we worked on the movie, we all worked digitally. And it trained me how to use a digital workflow which is more efficient, for me anyway, than doing it with traditional media. I actually hand-inked a page for "Fantastic Four" recently and it took three times as long. My work is very precise. In order to get the same effect as what I get digitally, I have to work very slowly and very deliberately. So, the most obvious beneficial thing that I learnt from the movie was that I *love* working digitally.

Red Dot Diva: When it comes to facial expressions in telling a story, how to you nail those? Do you people watch a lot?
David: If someone were to be recording me as I draw, it would be like watching some person whose face is out of control. I am always making these faces and trying to feel the way the character is feeling. I can feel my muscles move and I learn how to more accurately draw the expressions. For example, when I'm angry, my brows scrunches up... (David produced his 'angry face').
Red Dot Diva couldn't help bursting out in laughter.
David: Some of the artists have a little mirror right next to their table. I don't have that and I've thought of doing that. Anyway, I really get into the story and the script, and act it out inside, and hopefully that comes across when I draw.

Red Dot Diva: How has social networking helped in your career?
David: That's a really good question. The only reason why I'm working in comics is because I made a concerted effort to put myself out on online forums, where a lot of amateur and professional artists get together and critique each other's art. For "Syndrome", R.J. Ryan saw a Batman sketch that I had posted on one of the smaller online forums, and that led to my first working gig.

And more recently, on deviantart, Twitter and on Facebook, I've managed to develop a small following. At least, it is one of the ways to get people to see my work. Utilizing online marketing has been a huge draw and benefit in getting my art out to the people when my career is still at his young stages.

Red Dot Diva: What are some of the advice you could give to aspiring artists in Asia who are still hoping to work for one of the top comics companies?
David: The most obvious thing is constant practising and drawing. If they want to draw comics, they should practise comics art. And if they want to do concept art, draw concept art. A lot of artists are not sure what they really want to do and so when we look at their work, it could be a smattering of five or six different styles. They all look OK but none of them are really good. They should concentrate and focus on one of those styles, and then they can improve much faster.

Those are the suggestions one can do to improve one's art. But talent does not guarantee work. And there's a saying that I really like. 'Talent, luck and persistence. But you don't need all three. You just need two.' There are a lot of artists working in comics who may not be the best out there, but they were lucky and they were persistent.

Part of that is putting yourself out there online. Especially for the artists in Asia, where a lot of publishing companies are currently in the USA. You'll never know whose eyes you'll catch. Online, geography doesn't matter. A publisher in HK may see my art and loves it.
Red Dot Diva: Yes, the digital age has definitely narrowed geographical borders.
David: I believe so, personally. That said, there is no substitute for meeting somebody face to face. So, if there are industry conventions that they can attend, it is a great chance to meet someone. My first work for "Syndrome" came about online, but I am working for Marvel now, because I was walking about the San Diego Comic Convention show floor and bumped into C.B. Cebulski the talent scout.

We exchanged cards and then I'd email him every 6 weeks. A year and a half later, he emailed me back. So, actually all three factors that I mentioned as there. Luck - I bumped into him on the show floor; Persistence - every 6 weeks I emailed him; and hopefully Talent - I improved enough over that year for him to actually pay attention to me.

Red Dot Diva: Let's go on to a couple of fun questions now. Tell us, what are your guilty pleasures?
David: Alcohol. But besides that, I like trashy music. And I really like bad scifi. And really bad '70s and '80s low budget scific. I love Kelly Clarkson. There you go.

Red Dot Diva: You practise Aikido. How is that going on, and does it help you with your art?
David: I've been practising Aikido for 5 years and my next test is for black belt. A lot of times my work in comics take me away from being able to practise, which is frustrating. It is always a good way to clear my head. Whenever work is slow, I practise a lot and it keeps me mentally and physically in shape. It is a nice balance. I spend so much time sitting at a desk on my own drawing, that it's also a way to get out and be around and interact with other people.

If one was at NYCC and got a hold of a copy of Marvel's mini freebie booklet, you would notice that a preview for "Fantastic Four: Season One" is within, featuring the recognizable artwork of David Marquez.

Preview pages from "Fantastic Four: Season One"

Here's David doing the introduction for the upcoming Marvel "Fantastic Four: Season One" comic ... just for the fans out there!

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To keep up with what David Marquez is up to, visit his website. Preview art pages of "Fantastic Four: Season One" are also available there.

Or, one could follow him on Twitter!!

Off-Broadway: Fiasco Theatre's "Cymbeline" - A Charming Performance

2011-10-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

Undoubtedly, Broadway is one of the main things most people aim for when they are in New York City. For her first ever visit to the megacity, the intrepid Red Dot Diva felt a need for another Shakespearean fix instead. Mainly because she is not a big fan of flashy musicals. (Are those horrified gasps she hears from some distant corner over there??)

Her 'play date' had suggested "Avenue Q", but she had already watched a satisfyingly entertaining version helmed by a Filipino cast on Red Dot Island a couple of years back. So, having scoured a comprehensive list online, it was settled that Red Dot Diva's first theatre outing in New York would be the lesser known Shakespearean play "Cymbeline" at the Barrow Street Theatre - an intimate 199-seat off-Broadway venue. The decision was firmly supported by the many rave reviews from critics for this particular adaptation by Fiasco Theatre.

As a play, "Cymbeline" seems like a mish-mash of plot ideas re-used from many of Shakespeare's other plays. There is the harsh and clueless king, a beautiful heroine (who crossdresses!), an ambitious queen, star-crossed lovers as full in love as they are in jealous rage, and of course, devious plottings and betrayals. And oh yes, even a bloody beheading. With all those mixed in a heady haphazard brew, "Cymbeline"'s multi-plotlines feels messily convoluted.

It is not a Shakespeare play that is often performed nor liked. Not especially in Red Dot Island anyway. Red Dot Diva surmises that one of the main reasons that this is so, would be the sheer task of making the play interesting and coherent enough for the still maturing theatre-going audience here.

All it took to make the play accessible and entertaining in a lovable kind of way was the efforts of a 6-actor troupe from Fiasco Theatre. The play, directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld, was simplified without losing its essence and easily transported the audience to various locations from Britain to Rome, and even to some retro-hillbilly version of a remote countryside.

Feistily performed by the very attractive ensemble cast, Red Dot Diva found that one could hardly take one's eyes off the actors as they vibrantly flit across the stage through the different scenes and characters. At least four of them taking multiple roles from the 15 characters in the play. And in such a versatile and joyful fashion that Red Dot Diva has never seen before. It was quite obvious that the actors were having fun on stage and the vibe was intoxicating.

Good-looking Ben Steinfeld was impishly devious as the play's villain, Iachimo. His large expressive eyes quite the scene stealer. But Red Dot Diva also thoroughly enjoyed Andy Grotelueschen's boisterous take on his roles - King Cymbeline, the useless lout of a Prince Cloten and Cornelius the physician. Cornelius with his ridiculous steampunk googles was an utter amusement to Red Dot Diva.

Red Dot Diva was also impressed with the minimalistic set, its effectiveness enhanced by the very clever use of props, which include a white sheet of cloth, a 'fabulous trunk' (designed by Jacques Roy) and a couple of wooden boxes. The multi-panelled magical trunk, in particular, was most creatively used as a pool table and cave in some of the scenes.

Then, there was the use of music to indicate the passing of time or change of scenery. The actors were surprisingly talented with different kinds of musical instruments and the folksy tunes brought an added dimension to the company's fresh take on the play.

At two and a half hours, the play ran a little too long for Red Dot Diva's attention span. Or perhaps she was quite exhausted that night after running ragged for three days at a crowded NY comic convention. That did not however, deter the fact that Fiasco Theatre's "Cymbeline" is one of the best Shakespearean productions she has ever watched.

It is a production definitely worth catching, especially if one is hungry for a Shakespeare play in New York. Red Dot Diva highly recommends it.

After all, for her first theatre performance in New York, on her last night in New York, watching "Cymbeline" was a lovely, memorable experience. Of course, the cozy companionship of her 'play date' may very well have been a major contributory factor to that too.

NYCC 2011 - Holy Terror! Diva Had A Chat With Frank Miller!

2011-10-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

"Really???" Red Dot Diva gasped inwardly, her heart pounded within her chest, partially with sheer excitement and partially with a kind of (un)holy terror.

She gets to interview He Who Wears A Hat a.k.a. Frank Miller at NYCC??!!

Red Dot Diva's first lame squee-ful fangirl thought: -- O.M.G. --

Next more lucid thought: What key questions should she ask Frank within the frame of just ten minutes??

With a public persona fashioned by dark clothes, an intense gaze and intriguingly diabolical eyebrows, Frank seemed rather intimidating. Even though she crushed over Frank and his previous works like "Sin City" and "300", Red Dot Diva was really not in favour of getting chewed up before she's been up to the Empire State Building. (Which she still has not, BTW.)

So in order to get prepared for the interview, she ploughed through a copy of "Holy Terror", his latest graphic novel about superheroes fighting terrorists, and found it to be a bold, unapologetic and relentless statement by Frank on al-Qaeda and 9/11.

The interview was held at one of the Green Rooms in the VIP Lounge area and started about 10 minutes later than scheduled. After being politely ushered in by the PR representative, she saw that Frank (and his hat!) was already seated at a round table. An image of calm repose that was in total contrast to the violent imagery in the new graphic novel.

The tall and lanky Frank, was surprisingly more soft-spoken and gentler in person, and he put Red Dot Diva at ease immediately by offering to sign her copy of "Holy Terror". She then took the chance to ask if he could also sign a "Sin City" book for her friend. "Sure!" he said easily, even asking for the spelling of the name.

With those tasks out of the way, Red Dot Diva dived into the subject of "Holy Terror" and what ensued was a very enjoyable conversation with Frank, who answered her questions with a kind of serious but languid confidence in that charming accent of his.

Red Dot Diva: "Holy Terror" took a really long time in the making. What were the good parts and bad parts of such a long-drawn creative process?
Frank Miller: The best of it was what it did for the book itself. As my emotions got to be more calm, I was able to see it from a distance and decide on how to effectively do this story. That is, the subject is so emotionally charged and so grisly, and for all that carnage, one of the things was not to show anybody the image of a victim. Essentially, if that happened and if I was a reader, I'd close the book and toss it away. And the other thing was to add just a touch of humour, just to lighten things up.

The bad part was that I loved the project, and as much as I loved the movies I did that interrupted it, it was never far from my thoughts and I was always eager to get to it.

Red Dot Diva: And how much has it changed since you were first inspired about the project? I know that it was originally a Batman project and then it evolved and became The Fixer.
Frank affirmed: Yes.
Red Dot Diva: At what point did you realize that it was no longer Batman, and what made The Fixer, The Fixer?
Frank Miller: Good question. I've done a lot of Batman work and love the character. And I realized that the character had to behave in a way that Batman was not. This character kills people right and left. And it is generally a much harsher personality. So I talked to DC Comics and said you have a multi-billion franchise with Batman and you'd want to protect it. And logically, I would want to protect it. So let me take this away. This isn't a Batman story. The change to it being The Fixer was a very amicable one. And so I was then free to create a brand new character whom I ended up really falling in love with.

Red Dot Diva: It has been 10 years since 9/11, and much information has been gathered since then and emotions have also now been calmer. How relevant do you think this book is at this time when people are more reflective?
Frank Miller: It's meant to be a work of propaganda and not a reportage or an instruction manual for anybody. (laughs) I use the word propaganda because I think it's a very misused word. If there's a story where someone is trying to persuade anybody, it is propaganda. The way people use English - if they don't like the opinion, they call it propaganda. If they do like the opinion, they call it relevance. But it's exactly the same thing.

Mainly, I feel that in the American homefront has become complacent and has absorbed the impact the atrocity with a little too much ease. I want to remind people of how horrible the enemy we are up against is and the essential threat that al-Qaeda remains.

Red Dot Diva: I notice the parts where there were bits of romance.
Frank smiled: Yes, yes
Red Dot Diva: Was it thought of at the beginning.. or..? I liked those parts!
Frank Miller turned slightly serious with his answer: Well actually, it was one of the first things I thought of because I wanted to begin with the romantic sequence so that people would see what we are fighting for... what we could lose in a repressive, totalitarian sort of existence. This is not in any way meant to be a religious piece. I was raised Catholic but I know a great deal about the Spanish Inquisition, and I don't know anything about Islam but I know a great deal about al-Qaeda. al-Qaeda I want to see slaughtered. I despise them.

Frank points out the emotionally difficult section

Red Dot Diva: Was there any scene in this book that you found particularly difficult to draw?
Frank Miller: Yes. The sequence after the initial attacks where you see the political figures and everything leading up to this (Red Dot Diva began flipping the pages of "Holy Terror" to the part that Frank was referring to.) ... through here, was very difficult emotionally.
Red Dot Diva: I noticed that. It was very sad.
Frank Miller: I was breaking my own heart. The reason that I had the characters fade up into empty panels was to make you think of tombstones, and to show lives that have been annihilated. But to depict it in a way that don't show bloody corpses.
Red Dot Diva: I thought it was very meaningful. In a very poetic way.
Frank acknowledged with a wistful smile: Thank you.

Red Dot Diva: Moving away from "Holy Terror", who was the first person to suggest that you could go into directing?
Frank Miller: Well, I was determined that my work wouldn't be made in movies. I didn't like how Hollywood operated. But Robert Rodriguez in Texas kept calling me up, kept asking me to meet him. Finally, I agreed to meet him... not even in my loft, but in a local saloon because I was so skeptical. And he was this big, tall Texan guy... and he showed some things in his laptop that he had worked out and adapted digitally which was based on "Sin City". And he said, 'Well, do you want to do it?' And I went, 'No.' and put him off again. And then he called me up again. He was very persistent. He asked me to go to Austin, Texas saying, 'Just come for one day and shoot one sequence. And if you don't want to do it anymore, we won't do it anymore. We'd just do a DVD. I'd just have some of my friends over to play the parts.' Seemed like a strange offer.

But I went and turned out that the two friends of his were professional actors and I got to direct for the first time. There was one time when the actress in the movie's opening sequence, Marley Shelton, walked over to me with these eyes that could break your heart. (Note: Marley Shelton played The Customer in the "Sin City" movie.) And she asked me, 'Why did you hire somebody to kill me?' And I found myself talking to her about a minute or two, things about her character that I never told anybody. And her eyes brightened and she went back on set and did twice as good a job.

And I went over to Robert and kicked him in the leg and told him, 'I am in.'

Frank Miller said with a playful grin: He talked me into it. I gotta say, I was seduced.
Red Dot Diva laughed.
Frank Miller: But Robert was very determined to make the movie, and that got me into directing.

Red Dot Diva: And do you enjoy directing as well?
Frank Miller: I greatly enjoy it primarily because I get to work with actors. More than any other part of it, it's the actors that I really cherish. I find that every cliche about actors to be false. I find them to be hard-working, very eager to be directed and very intelligent. In the several movies, I directed, I had no major case of any one whom I thought was being difficult or less than completely professional.

At this point, Frank's minder was already signalling to Red Dot Diva that her time was almost up, so she quickly requested Frank for a short greeting for the Singapore fans.

So here it is, people.... Frank Miller's special video message!

Of course, before she wrapped up the interview, Red Dot Diva had to take a pic with He Who Wears A Hat. And while posing for the pic, Frank said to her, "That's my favourite t-shirt. The white Superman one. I think it looks great."

Red Dot Diva couldn't help by beam (and do an internal Squee).

As one can probably see in the epic photograph below.

My autographed copy of "Holy Terror"

Love it or hate it.

The prickly subject of "Holy Terror" would most likely stir up many polarizing opinions about Frank's unflinching sentiments. Despite of that, Red Dot Diva thinks that the book still has its moments of brilliance even if it does feel muted now - 10 years after the catastrophic event which changed the world.

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Red Dot Diva says a very special thank you to Paul Levitz -- for without him, this interview would not have been possible.

Thanks also to Elysabeth Fulda from Sphinx Group for actually making the interview happen!

Red Dot Diva would also like to thank a certain Andre in advance for a special lunch treat -- in exchange for getting that precious "Sin City" autograph from Frank Miller!

Click here to take a peak of the preview pages of "Holy Terror" from Legendary Entertainment's FB page.

NYCC 2011 - Shakespeare Gets A POW! Treatment by Stan Lee and 1821 Comics

2011-10-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

Of all the surprises that befell on Red Dot Diva at NYCC 2011, she never expected to have a good Squee over comic-book legend and former head of Marvel comics, Stan Lee!

She was well aware that Stan Lee (who is now Founder, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of POW! Entertainment) would be at the convention, but because he has always been wildly popular with fans, she thought that meeting the man would be near to impossible.

In between spending fangirly time with her friends, doing touristy stuff, stalking comic book creators and being shown round the city (thanks to a particular silver fox) ... oh, and not to mention, the wondrous lack of free wifi, she managed to miraculously receive an email for a press invite to the unveiling of "Romeo and Juliet: The War" - a new graphic novel by 1821 Comics, a new comic book/graphic novel company based in LA, and Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment.

It didn't take her more than a couple of seconds to RSVP a loud YES.

Red Dot Diva arrived at 1821 Comics booth on Friday just slightly after 12 pm. Thousands of fans and onlookers have already gathered around to catch a glimpse of the man and to view the launch of the graphic novel. With her lack of height and totally surrounded by (giant) Americans, Red Dot Diva could barely sneak a peek of the man, until a group of three young and kindly fellow blogger-journalists offered her a spot to stand beside them. (She is sorry she did not manage to get their names in all that rush. They were cute too!) And one even tried to get a pic of Stan Lee for her. So sweet!

However, she knew that with an official press invite, there had to be a better spot for her to get a good camera angle. Nosing around the booth, she saw that there was indeed a press area in the cordoned section, so she boldly introduced herself to the 1821 Comics peeps and ... yeah!.. was asked to stand at a prime spot right up front for picture-taking. Guess being cute and petite has its benefits *g*

Not long after, Terry Dougas, co-founder of 1821 Comics and co-creator of "Romeo and Juliet: The War" stepped up to begin the event and in the midst of loud, excited cheers formally introduced Stan Lee.

Stan, who was beaming brightly from ear to ear, looked chipper as well as dapper in a light pink shirt and a pair of khakis. He gamely took over and gave everyone a run-down of what "Romeo and Juliet: The War" is all about. All in a rather impressively clear booming voice.

This is what he said:

The 1821 Comics/ POW! Entertainment co-published graphic novel is based on that well-known fateful romantic Shakespeare story of "Romeo and Juliet" but with a futuristic twist and set in the Empire of Verona, the most powerful territory on Earth. In this re-telling, the Montagues and the Capulets possess superpowers! In fact, the Montagues are cyborgs made of artificial DNA. A love story between cyborgs and super-enhanced human beings? Nice.

Terry Dougas then proceeded to proudly show off a copy of the giant-sized coffee table book together with Stan and the graphic novel's artist Skan Srisuwan. Noting Skan's nationality, it was no wonder the Red Dot Diva had noticed a strong Asian slant in the artwork, which is gorgeous, by the way.

And that wasn't all either, Terry also presented a specially made figurine of the Romeo and Juliet graphic novel characters. Red Dot Diva supposes that this might be made available to the fans when the book is launched?? Maybe?

After the official unveiling, Red Dot Diva waited for her turn to introduce herself to the comic book genius. Stan, still smiling and giving her a rather strong handshake, said, "Singapore?? That's an awfully long way from here!" And with that, she managed to squeeze in a few minutes of precious time with Stan Lee. W000t!

Check out Stan Lee's answer to Red Dot Diva's question and his very special greeting to fans in Singapore!

Stan Lee -- So Squeeable!

If one is curious as to *how close* Red Dot Diva got to the man, she blushingly reveals that she had to lean very close to his ear (by his invitation, of course) in order to speak to him. This was partially because of the raucous frenzy surrounding 1821 Comics' booth that afternoon.

So yes, the Diva has now perved Stan Lee - whom she thinks is utterly adorable in person. (SQUEE again!)

Gill Champion, CEO of POW! Entertainment and Stan Lee

Variant cover of the graphic novel

"Romeo and Juliet: The War" written by Max Work and artwork by Skan Srisuwan will be available on November 30. It is a 10''x13"-sized coffee table book, and will be on sale in both hard and soft cover formats.

Look out for it!

FX's New Series "American Horror Story" - Diva Gets Deviantly Curious

2011-10-05T01:33:00.000-07:00

A kind of tingly anticipation has been buzzing around a new FX series ever since the pilot written by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk was ordered and announced earlier this year. For those who are not familiar with those two names, Murphy and Falchuk are the creators of the musical comedy series "Glee" as well as "Nip|Tuck".

Their new "psycho-sexual thriller" which premieres on 5th October at 10 pm, is called "American Horror Story" - a tale consisting of freakish horror dreamscapes that befalls the Harmon family, who have moved from Boston to a big retro 1920's haunted mansion in sunny LA.

Red Dot Diva is not quite sure why anyone would want to buy a house where several violent deaths have occurred... but who is she to judge? And if the Harmons were that practical-minded, there would not be all these otherworldly going-ons happening in "American Horror Story".

And by otherwordly, Red Dot Diva silently points her readers to that fully-latexed human in the poster above. Based on the the show's teasers, Mr Kinky-Rubbersqueak does make some very sudden spooky appearances. Just imagine *that* unexpectedly appearing from a corner of one's bedroom! Eeks.

The Harmons consist of Ben (Dylan McDermott) a psychiatrist, Vivien Harmon (Connie Britton) with typically emo teenage daughter, Violet (Taissa Farmiga). The family have escaped to LA in an attempt to heal from Ben's indiscretions with a younger woman.

But with so many people around them urging them to leave the house, "emotional healing" is definitely not going to be smooth-going.

Red Dot Diva is not quite sure where this modern gothic-like story might be going but the teasers definitely captured her imagination. There is also a deliciously warped twist concerning the Harmon's housemaid. Is Moira a sexy stockinged vixen (Alexandra Breckenridge) or a reserved genteel old woman (Frances Conroy)??

Check out this sexy clip:

And if one wants to take a sneak peek of the first five minutes, check out the following video clip:

To be honest, Red Dot Diva senses that the series tends to give a "I am too cool" vibe, but she is still deviantly curious as to how Dylan McDermott (who was usually serious-poe-faced in "The Practice") is going to fare in the tormented role of Ben, amidst of all the strange and kinky going-ons. Then, there's the return of the eternally beautiful Jessica Lange to the TV screen as the Harmon's neighbour, Constance. Red Dot Diva wonders if she will be able to make her screen presence felt in this series.

In addition, there is the bicepstous incentive of Zachary Quinto appearing in "multiple episodes" of the show as Chad, "the gay former owner of the house who becomes friends with Vivien". Red Dot Diva has to (very impatiently) wait awhile for Zach and his famous eyebrows to appear on the series though. His character is not expected to show up till the series' two-part Halloween episode scheduled to air October 26th and 30th.

Guess Zach alone is reason enough for her to watch "American Horror Story" till then!

Unfortunately, Red Dot Diva will be making her way across the Pacific Ocean to LA in an unusually cramped position when the show premieres. But she is certain she'll be able to catch it soon - one way or the other.

If you have watched the premiere, do fill her in what you thought of "American Horror Story"!

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More information on the weird world of "American Horror Story" can be found at their official website.

Comics Review: Promising Potential In "Wonder Woman #1"

2011-09-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

Red Dot Diva suspects local comic creator Aravind Menon probably loves it when he is being lassoo-ed by a buxom goddess who happens to be a strong character of her own.

Here's his take on the DC relaunch of "Wonder Woman #1":

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Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The trinity of the DC Universe has often been regaled with multiple series, team-up books, movies and toys! Well, for Superman and Batman anyways. Wonder Woman's pretty much been staying at home and making soup.

Hopefully, that's gonna change. I love Wonder Woman. She's my favourite super-heroine and it often annoys me that she doesn't get the same kinda attention that her counterparts do. And it seems like Azzarello and Chiang have finally done it.

Don't get me wrong. Perez, Picoult, Simone, Rucka and many more have had great runs on Wonder Woman. All of them have had different aspects brought to the front and the character has proven to be one of the most layered and definitive heroes of the DCU. But this volume seems to hold the potential of addressing all of the points that make WW unique.

Azzarello and Chiang don't waste anytime in introducing us to the intense and neurotic depictions of Greek deities and it's done incredibly well with a character I assume to be Apollo. Unlike previous depictions where the Olympians were either traditional or similarly urbanised, it seems that each character carries his or her own unique feel now.

What I really do enjoy about this take is how the writers are unabashedly throwing Diana into this fiesta of myths and legends (Zeus bangin' a human chick? Old. School.). Having read the double serving of detective goodness with Batman and the vigilante styling of Superman, this Wonder Woman feels like the she's definitely got a niche of her own. She isn't a metaphor for a god-like being on Earth; she is a god-like being on Earth and damn, does she know it.

And of course, the bigger picture. I would like to discuss how this leads to ramifications on the trinity and all that, but I think I'll wait one more week for Perez's Superman before rattling off.

Till then, "Wonder Woman #1" is definitely my favourite title of the week as well as a pleasant break from the testosterone driven nonsense that Starfire and Catwoman were subjected to.

More on that soon.

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Do check out Aravind's own blog for other reviews. Visit his blog, and feel free to post comments there!

Comics Review: Justice League Dark #1 - It's Freshly and Insanely Magical

2011-09-30T02:54:00.000-07:00

There's a reason the word "dark" is in this comics series' title.

And in DC Comics' new title "Justice League Dark #1", which is part of the new DCU, Ian Austin (web-comic creator of "Death Boy" and "Tezzer") found the story with a magical twist surprisingly enjoyable.

Here are his thoughts:

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In the wide reaches of the DC-verse, rarely did the Justice League meet an opponent they could not beat. This extended to magic foes, a concept which falls apart when you think about it. While they should overcome all odds, the magical aspect of DC has rarely been explored in a depth that fit with the rest of the universe... and thus it felt like their magical foes weren't really ALL THAT.

And when Superman, whose weakness is magic, constantly beats magical characters... well, it tends to minimalise the role of characters like Zatanna. Indeed, Zattana being in the Justice League of America (JLA) at all was always odd. They had to neuter her because she was too powerful, a concept later retconned by Brad Meltzer in (a personal favour) Identity Crisis as being the result of her having to perform a mindwipe on Doctor Light. So when JL Dark was announced, I felt intrigued. The magical side of the DC-verse (from Wonder Woman to Captain Marvel) is an untapped goldmine of potential brilliance.

To this end, I'm happy to say that JL Dark mostly succeeds in presenting a world that the JLA are hopelessly inept in solving. Indeed, given how much I hated the first Wonder Woman comic (as a single issue, if you see it as the start of a TPB it's slightly better) I'm reasonably confident that her exclusion from this team on a full-time basis is a blessing in disguise. She does appear, along with Superman, Batman and Cyborg, and is as ineffectual as they are.

Superman in particular gets his ass kicked in an incredibly violent way. Batman and Cyborg fare little better. Wonder Woman is vague, likely because she's now a 'horror comic' character despite her comic having no horror elements. Having these characters appear here quickly sets up how useless they are at dealing with magical threats. It's particularly gratifying to see Batman getting schooled, given how logical it is that he'd have no way to deal with magic. Magic is not science, it's fantastical: a construct that doesn't make sense so much as it simply is.

The introduction of our core characters (of who Constantine and Zatanna stand out) serves as a deconstruction of the traditional DC group formation. Our heavy hitting trio are rendered inert quickly, and Constatine et al have to save the day. This, in turn, feels like the first launch of the 'magic' verse. DC were right to hold off on Alan Scott, Captain Marvel and co to that end. The same way that JL #1 launched this entire universe, JL Dark #1 pushes magic as a viable mini-verse.

And I have to say, I loved it.

It felt fun and fresh. Crisp images meet up with an interesting story bringing underused characters like the Shade and Madam Xanadu into the fray without an over-abundance of fanfare. They're fighting strange monsters and concepts that feel fresh and rather disconcerting. It improves on the one weakness of JL #1 in that nearly every character of import appears in this very issue. At the same time, it's not trying to do too much too fast like JLI #1 aimed. Unfortunately, it does fall into the trap of lacking a discernible lead. While teambooks should concern an ensemble, you do need that one standout character. Here, Constantine comes close... but his unique quirks aren't brought to the forefront as much as I'd like.

Still, that's a petty niggle. The truth is that this comic surprised me by successfully kick-starting an intriguing new avenue of DC stories. And I'm incapable of hating something which leads to more Captain Marvel stories.

4/5

Comics Review: Nightwing #1 - Dick Grayson Returns As Nightwing

2011-09-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

Comics review blog contributor Aravind Menon, who is also a local comic creator, welcomes the familiar return of Dick Grayson as Nightwing and gives his thoughts on the DC 52 reboot of "Nightwing #1".

Check out Aravind's own blog for other reviews! If one has comments, visit his blog, he will love to hear from you!

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Dick Grayson represents the reader. It is simply who he is. He was introduced in 1940 for the primary purpose of giving young readers an anchor and readers of the universe have pretty much watched him grow up in a way that only Wally West, Barbara Gordon and Kyle Rayner have come close to rivaling.

From being a lost child to a sidekick to being his own man, Dick Grayson completed the cycle of being a hero somewhere in his days of being Nightwing but found an even deeper level to explore as a character: being a son. Having been arguably the most deserving candidate to inherit the mantle of the Bat, Dick spent his time as a son burdened with the responsibility of living up to his father's legacy following the "death" of Bruce Wayne.

Having had his own 2 year long run in the cowl, Dick certainly grew into the role over four titles and has proven himself a detective and tactician worthy of the Bat symbol.

Batman titles have so far been a mix of new reader friendly and unfriendly. Batwoman, Detective Comics, Batman and Batwing are all easy enough to jump on, whereas Batgirl and Batman & Robin are slightly reliant on older stories. Nightwing seems to be a little between the two categories and the first arc seems to be as DC-noob friendly as possible. But given the journey Dick has taken over the past 2 years, I'm sure we're gonna see some less than friendly arcs in a bit.

Until then, I'm just gonna pray that they revert to his blue logo.

NYCC 2011: Diva's Stalking Schedule Is Shaping Up!

2011-09-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

The NYCC 2011 countdown begins! Only 19 days away!!

And this week, the full panel schedule was finally announced, with some interesting ones that Red Dot Diva will definitely be targetting for.

As NYCC is still primarily a comic convention, it has (thankfully) not been inundated with too much Hollywoody stuff. But if one is so inclined, there are still some cool TV/ movie-related panels to check out!

This is Red Dot Diva's first time at NYCC, so she is trying to balance things out during the convention weekend and trying not to pack too events in her schedule.

However, there are particular panels that Red Dot Diva simply *will not* ... *cannot* miss.

At the top of the list is the Spotlight panel with original Star Wars trilogy actor/ famous voice actor - Mark Hamill. AHhhhhh!!!! Most probably way before 7:30pm at MTV Theater 1A10, Red Dot Diva is already staking out for this widely anticipated session. This is also Mark Hamill's first time at NYCC, which makes it even more special.

Then, there is the other very important panel - Marvel Studios on "The Avengers" movie!! (Saturday evening, 6:30pm - 7:30pm at the IGN Theatre) W000t!

Marvel promises more footage from the Joss Whedon-directed movie, which will be released in May 2012 and there has been mention of possible "special guests". Who these will be have not been announced yet but it is all super-exciting news indeed!

And prior to the Marvel "The Avengers" panel is AMC's "The Walking Dead" session with creator Robert Kirkman at 5.16pm - 6.15pm in the same IGN Theatre. So, this makes the zombie-superheroes stalking thing even more convenient for Red Dot Diva and her convention buddies. And they will get to watch a sneak peak of S2 of "The Walking Dead" too!

There is another movie-related panel which may interest lots of people, especially since it consists of a hot favourite from the HBO hit series "Game of Thrones". The tall hunky Jason Momoa will be appearing for a "Conan the Barbarian" spotlight panel on Sunday, 10am - 11am at 1A22, together with Rose McGowan and Stephen Lang. Red Dot Diva is still not sure if she will be at this panel, but if her schedule is open, she would most probably try to!

And in between, she is targetting to attend indie publishing company, Archaia's panels, Jane Espenson's panel new webseries "Husbands", a couple of comics-related panels including the one by Legendary Comics with Frank Miller (*swoon to The Hat*), and indulge in some yummy (possibly foxy) man-wiches. Especially during food breaks.

Artists' Alley/ Cultyard
Looking at the list of artists/ guests who will be at this year's NYCC Artists' Alley, Red Dot Diva might have quite a bit of stalking to do in this section of the show hall.

Even between now and the actually convention, she has been introduced by friends to check out a couple of artists at Artists' Alley - Chrissie Zullo ("Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love"/ "Fables") and Heubert Michael ("Gutters"/ "DC Universe Holiday Special 2009").

Then, there are others whom Red Dot Diva has been hoping to meet or re-connect like Brent Schoonover "Mr Murder Is Dead"), Dennis Calero ("Devil Inside"/ the upcoming "Immortals" prequel) and David Marquez ("Syndrome"/ "Days Missing"/ "Fantastic Four: Season 1"). And over at the Cultyard, Red Dot Diva is eager to say sunny hellos to toy designer Andrew Bell.

Of course, there are the insanely popular artists, like David Mack and Mike Mignola, who are also having booths at Artists' Alley. Whether Red Dot Diva will actually get to meet these people, will highly depend on skilful stalking, opportune timing and lucky chances.

What are mostly missing now are the autograph signing schedules for the various guests. And Red Dot Diva can't wait to see if some of the sessions will match with her free time slots!(Fan favourite James Marsters, anyone??! It will be Red Dot Diva's third time meeting him if she gets to see him in New York!)

Meanwhile, the NYCC show floor plan has already been released. (Click here for the interactive floor plan!) Now, the floor plan is a very important tool for hurtling one's physical body from one room to the next at top speed, especially when two events are held close to each other. So, Red Dot Diva will be poring over this floor plan again before the convention begins for the best use of time and space.

She is definitely getting all ready to perv her NYCC targets good and proper.

She sincerely hopes they are ready for her too.

STGCC 2011: Interview With Oh-No... Oh-YES! It's Andrew Bell!

2011-09-22T02:50:00.000-07:00

It was on the second morning of STGCC 2011 that Red Dot Diva was scheduled to interview artist and toy designer Andrew Bell. There was supposed to be another blogger in the same interview slot but he was not able to attend. So *twoosh!* Red Dot Diva suddenly found herself with a one-on-one with Andrew by default.

Poor Andrew!

Lopping into the room with an easy genial smile, the lanky bespectacled Andrew unsuspectingly fell into Red Dot Diva's squee-trap.

And what transpired in the next 12 minutes became the most fun interview Red Dot Diva had that STGCC weekend. There was just so much amusement and laughter, and the easy rapport that she struck with the affable Andrew firmly assured his place as her STGCC 2011 #1 Squee.

Red Dot Diva: When did you actually decide to make your own toys?
Andrew: I've started drawing for several years before I decided to make my own toys. Mostly black and white illustrations of monsters and different creatures. And then I discovered the designer toy scene. After a trip to Japan actually.. I told myself I had to get into the designer toy scene.

Red Dot Diva: And what is the process like?
Andrew: I started out with a few sketches of different designs and I go through and decide which one will really make a good toy design. Then I'd draw different angles - front, side, back, top. And sometimes I sculpt a smaller version of it to see if it would work properly... if it looks good in three dimensions.

Then after that, for the start of the production process, I'll do a 3D model or a finished sculpture and send that as a prototype to the factory.

Red Dot Diva: How long will that take?
Andrew: Anywhere from 6 months to 3 years. I've had some projects go on for 3 years. Just a lot of back and forth tweaking materials and paint designs and production glaze and everything. Every time you make a change, it adds two weeks to the process.

Red Dot Diva: How did your first toy Groob come about?
Andrew, giving a chuckle: I wanted to do something fun that you could play with. A lot of the designer toys were available just for display. So with Groob you could change his face depending on your mood and I thought it would be fun if you guys should have something to play with and display and have something more unique.

Red Dot Diva: I couldn't help but notice a kind of similarity of your designs to one of my favourite artists, Tim Burton. It's weird and macabre.
Andrew: Yeah, I've heard that before. A little dark, a little cute.
Red Dot Diva: Were those sentiments lurking in your mind when you were young??
Andrew, looking amused: I don't know where this came from. I was pretty happy as a kid. And as I grew up, I became a little more cynical and a little darker. And living in New York helped 'cause you see a lot of weird stuff. It makes you somewhat wary of the world around you.

Both Andrew and Red Dot Diva started laughing on that note. Probably because they shared that same droll sense of humour about the world in general.

Andrew, continuing the thought: But I really enjoy the aesthetic of something that's cute. But sad at the same time.
Red Dot Diva: And I'm sure it appeals to a certain kind of people too. Definitely not the happy-happy kind.
Andrew: Yeah... Life is hard.
Red Dot Diva agreed.

Red Dot Diva: Where do you usually draw your inspirations from? Other than the New York scene that you mentioned about?
Andrew: Other artists. I love going to art shows, gallery shows, museums and online too. I look at a lot of artists' works - toy designers, painters, sculptors and just the world around me. Travelling and seeing different cities, like Singapore.

Red Dot Diva: Have you heard any time to wander around Singapore?
Andrew: A little bit. Not too much. We went to the zoo. That was fun. We got to see some creatures. Some inspirations there. And I ate a lot. I've been a lot of seafood and crabs.
Red Dot Diva: Any hints of what actually inspired you at the zoo?
Andrew: Oh. Have you been to the zoo?
Red Dot Diva: Yes, I've been to the zoo many times.
Andrew: Have you seen the mousedeer?
Red Dot Diva laughs: Yes, I know of the mousedeer.
Andrew, getting animated: They are so cute and they are so adorable. And I like the zebras. My company is called Dead Zebra. And I love all the monkeys with their little faces...

Red Dot Diva: Talking about Dead Zebra.. how did that name come about?
Andrew laughed: It was a joke at first. I was still in school studying and I needed a brand for my projects. I was trying to come up with a funny logo. I drew a zebra lying down, legs up in the air and I thought it worked well in black and white and it was silly. After I graduated and I was working and I needed a real company, it just sorta stuck. I'm glad I stayed with it because it is very memorable and people always ask 'What's Dead Zebra?' and they never forget.
Red Dot Diva, approved: Cool. I *like* the name.
Andrew: It's kinda morbid and goes along well with the aesthetic.

Red Dot Diva: What was the first thing you did when you won the Fan Favourite Award at the SDCC Design Toy Awards?
Andrew: I wasn't ready for it. I wasn't paying attention. It was the first (award) for the night. So I was still drinking my beer. And then people were saying, 'You won! You won!'. And then after that, I finished my beer. That was the first thing I did!

It was a fun night. There were a lot of friends and a lot of toy designers. We just hung out and everyone wanted to look at it and hold it.

Red Dot Diva: I supposed you have attended many years of SDCC.
Andrew: Yeah I've been there for 8 or 9 years.
Red Dot Diva: How do you feel about the changes that have come about in recent years?
Andrew: I think it goes in cycles. Originally, when I started going awhile ago, there was a lot of comics. Really focused on superheroes and things like that. And then the movie studios came in and there were a lot of big movie presentations. But I think they've realized recently that they don't get a good return on their investments. They put up huge billboards and spend millions of dollars and then the movies don't do that well. So, they are slowly pulling back.

Gaming has been more popular, so I think that is more in line with the comics crowd. And I think comics is making a resurgence. And the toys have been great too. They started out pretty small but you see a lot of designer toys around now have comics properties, like Tokidoki and Funko, who are merging with the characters in the Marvel and DC world.

Diva stalking Andrew at Walk of Fame

Red Dot Diva: Have you met any of your long-time fans here?
Andrew: Yeah. I have some good collectors in Singapore for a long time. I never knew why.

Red Dot Diva, offered sardonically: Life is hard.

Andrew, chuckled and nodded: Yeah. You need to escape a bit. Anyway, very happy to meet them finally. And very nice to finally meet Andy Heng from Toys REvil.

Red Dot Diva: Do you intend to come back to STGCC next year? A bigger booth maybe with lots of plushies?
Andrew: If they want me back, I'd be happy to come back. I had a good time. And yeah, it would be really nice to bring some more things. I didn't have time to prepare this year.

Red Dot Diva: If you were to design a toy for Singapore, what would it be? Don't tell me that it will be the Merlion, please!
Andrew, burst out laughing: It won't be the Merlion. It would most probably be the chilli crab.
Red Dot Diva: A chilli crab!
Andrew: I need to see more Singapore before I decide. I need more time to look around. Next year, if I come again, I'll come early so I can explore more. What do you think I should do?
Red Dot Diva: Yeah, I think the chilli crab is a good one.
Andrew: Chilli crab. yeah! It'll go well with the O-No Sushi and maybe have his own crackers in his own 'hands'.
Red Dot Diva: And looking sad that he's being "chilli-fried".

Red Dot Diva then morbidly suggested that Andrew should discover the joys of watching "Drunken Prawns" (a Chinese dish) being prepared. She hopes he managed to find time to do that when he was in Hong Kong after STGCC. If not, he should probably aim to return to Red Dot Island just for the visual treat and more artistic inspiration.

Red Dot Diva: Do share with us some of your upcoming projects.
Andrew: I'm working on a few more Android designs in the next series, Series 3, for next year. And a few more vinyl toys. And a few more conventions coming up like New York Comic Con. I'm also going to Venezuela for an event with artists Jon Burgeman and Tara McPherson. And I'm going to have an art show in the USA in the Spring. And I want to work on some new books whenever I can find the time.

Red Dot Diva: Other than toy designing, do you have any guilty pleasures?
Andrew: I've been so busy, I should have more. Well, eating is one. Eating and drinking. NY is good for that. I like watching movies. I like sci-fiction movies and nerdy things. Not so much superheroes stuff. And I like to drink scotch. That's definitely a guilty pleasure.

Well, Red Dot Diva definitely places stalking a Squee #1 as one of her top guilty pleasures. As she has already signed up for New York Comic Con, she will definitely be continuing the Andrew Bell-stalking at the Javits Center this October.

Poor Andrew!

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Check out the Dead Zebra, Inc website!
For more of Andrew Bell's artwork and news, visit the creatures in my head site right here!

SIFF 2011 - Charming And Quirky "Griff The Invisible"

2011-09-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

Red Dot Diva has to admit, that being a major "True Blood" fan, it was Ryan Kwanten's name that first drew her to watch the indie film "Griff The Invisible" at the Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF) 2011.

She hasn't even heard of the movie before but the synopsis and trailer of the Aussie-made movie (directed by Leon Ford) seemed charming enough.

Partially anticipating an underdog turned superhero story like how most American superheroes tend to begin their gigs, Red Dot Diva was pleasantly surprised to find that "Griff The Invisible" was more of a gentle but twisted love story that thrives in the bubble of childlike imagination.

Socially inept dreamer Griff, is a shipping clerk by day, and bad-assed black-and-yellow latex-clad superhero by night. After work, Griff spends most of his lonely existence back at his small apartment scanning blinking monitors and cries for help with a heroic aim to "uphold justice and to defend the innocent".

At his workplace however, Griff (Ryan Kwanten) in all his voiceless meekness, is the chosen target of Tony (Toby Schmidz) the office bully. In frustration, Griff attempts to break free of the constant torment by taking secret revenge. And in the course of his planning, decides that having an invisible suit would best serve his missions.

While experimenting and trying to fine-tune his "Powers of Invisibility", Griff meets doe-eyed Melody (Maeve Dermody), who turns out to be the current date of his protective older brother Tim (Patrick Brammall). Tim, who is a tad domineering, had left Adelaide to come take care of his brother and has always been bewildered by Griff's constant mental escape to a parallel universe.

Melody - an "experimentalist" - turns out to be as kooky a dreamer as Griff, and oddly holds the belief that she can walk through walls. She bonds with Griff in their shared fantasy world, and persistently insists on being his sidekick by infusing herself into his attempts to build an invisible superhero suit.

Soon, their individually unique psychological makeup fuels each other's wondrous imagination and inevitably, brings them closer.

Red Dot Diva finds "Griff The Invisible" very identifiable in its core storyline about an intelligent and eccentric loner trying his best to exist in a world that often demands someone to be a "normal adult" (which usually then means to blend in and "be invisible").

In fact, the movie was more like a male version of a quirky-smart chick flick. Well, it is definitely much easier for Red Dot Diva to stomach a love story when it comes mostly in the form of Ryan Kwanten - who was an absolute delight on screen as the vulnerable, dorky Griff. Ryan impresses with his talent and ability to draw us into Griff's world - a character who is almost a total opposite from the swaggering, usually naked Jason Stackhouse in "True Blood". A particular scene when Griff was caught up with grief was simply heart-breaking to watch. Ryan's loveable portrayal of the character just makes Red Dot Diva wanna "go grab a Griff" and give him a big hug.

Yeah... .... so Red Dot Diva can get a little sappy too.

Also deserving of a positive "Like" is the lovely Maeve Dermody, whose anime blue eyes adds to her believable performance of the off-kilter Melody.

Director Leon Ford has a great sense of colour and the splashes of bright yellow were particularly memorable. He also move the 90-minute film at a pretty entertaining pace. Red Dot Diva certainly didn't get the chance to feel bored during the movie. There were some okay fight scenes and several moments of amusement, thanks again to the fantastic comedic timing of Ryan Kwanten and the smart soundtrack by Sydney-based band Kids at Risk.

There are a couple of glitches in "Griff The Invisible" however. Red Dot Diva realizes that one has to suspend disbelief quite a lot about the actual state of minds of Griff and Melody. It would be difficult to believe that the couple would be able to sustain their world view and yet survive in the real world for long. One can't help but root for them and wish that they could though.

Then, there's the unresolved storyline concerning Tony the bully. Red Dot Diva senses that the audience might have preferred if there was a final scene showing Griff's triumph over Tony.

But then, perhaps that was not the main intention of this genuinely touching tale -- where the true triumph was a quirky kind of love between two rather psychologically fragile individuals.

View the trailer for "Griff The Invisible":

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After the screening of "Griff The Invisible" during SIFF, there was a short Q&A with actor Ryan Kwanten. So do look out for another blog post about this Q&A with Ryan fielding some rather thoughtful and interesting questions.

For more information on "Griff The Invisible", visit the official website!

Comics Review: An Intellectual Reboot For Superboy #1

2011-09-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

"Death Boy" and "Tezzer" Web-comic creator and writer Ian Austin delves into the DC-52 relaunch of "Superboy #1" and was surprised to find it an entertaining, intellectual reboot of the character.

Find out what Ian thought of "Superboy #1" right here:

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Most of my knowledge regarding Superboy comes from "Smallville", which doesn't speak much for my experiences and for any 'fan' status regarding the prior incarnations of this character. Or the character as formerly detailed in DC comics material.

The exceptions are his roles in "Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds" and "Blackest Night". But as that was solely focused on his ressurection in the former, and him spending a plethora of time being evil in the latter, I think it's safe to say that I, being borderline illiterate when it comes to the character, is the target for audience.

And I dug it.

I think most of the reason for that is that Superboy, as rebooted, has MEGA similarities to Daredevil. The rejigged character has amplified senses, making him more than human and allowing him to see things on another wavelength to the average person. Which, seeing as he's an Alien-human hybrid, makes sense. It also allows him to come across Brainiac-esque, slightly detached from everything as if he's always putting how things work into a puzzle format.

Which is an interesting twist given how Superboy, previously, was pushing his Alien side as far away as possible. Here, he knows that he's different straight away and seems intrigued by the contradictions prevalent in his being. This is shown via an experimental Virtual Reality simulation that Superboy is hooked up to, where they test his empathy levels admist testing his perspective. It's an interesting way to explore the characters inherent nature, and is rather brilliantly subverted with the reveal that Superboy KNOWS he's in a Virtual Reality simulation.

The constant twists in this tale serve to make it akin to a chess game, Superboy fighting a mysterious covert group, his fascination with a redheaded scientist, all the while trying to uncover who he really is. He never plays his hand too much, and in snappily drawn and written pages is allowed to wax existentially while allowing everyone else to think they're deciding his fate. Even when he 'snaps' at the end, it feels like part of a bigger plan than anyone else expects.

I think that's why this piece works. Superboy isn't portrayed as Superman lite, he's being repositioned as a character existing mainly on an intelligence founding. In that regard, a mix between Superman, Brainiac-Five and Lex Luthor. The strength of the first, the mind of the second, and the ever so slight sociopathy of the third.

If they keep this up, Superboy could quickly become a breakout character. He's always struggled to have his own identity, and this could be the start of something special. Especially given his keen intellect, notably the way he seems to be pitting everyone against each other. While the cliffhanger suggests he's going to be infiltrating the Teen Titans as a weapon, one feels a bigger story is building.

4.5/5

Comics XChange 2011 -- More Local Flavour For This Comics Event

2011-09-18T04:50:00.000-07:00

After the shrewdly mixed stew of East and West elements at the recent STGCC 2011, Red Dot Diva thinks it is a good time for something more local. Something laced with curry-flavour with generous portions of sambal belachan.

Comics XChange 2011, organised by the Association of Comic Artists Singapore (ACAS) in collaboration with Moontique & Story Kitchen, aims to be just that.

Held at the Goodman Arts Centre (90 Goodman Road) on 1st and 2nd October 2011 from 10am to 8pm daily, Comics XChange 2011 is holding a host of more locally-relevant programs, including panels and workshop/ seminars with a slant towards the business side of things.

Take a look at the menu offered during Comics XChange 2011:

There's the pretty multi-flavoured first dish called Let’s Talk Comics & Business Seminar: A few local speakers who are well-versed in comics, manga and graphic novels will be giving a series of talks on quality writing to publishing and the use of new digital platforms. The speakers include Cheah Sin Ann (local satirist and creator of "House of Cheah" comic strip), Jerry Hinds (ACAS President and Nice One Entertainment publisher), Benjamin Ang (newly signed Marvel artist from Singapore), Joyce Chng (local writer), Aravind Menon (director of Jove Pater media, co-creator of "Salvation Sam") and Otto Fong (creator of "Sir Fong" series) amongst others.

What Red Dot Diva thinks would be specially valuable for attendees is that they will have a chance to bring along their story and art portfolios for critiques! There's also a possibility of a few of them to land a trial assignment.

Check out the Comics Xchange website for admission costs!

Next up is the starchy staple of CXC Captions and Actions Workshops. The workshops aim to teach and demonstrate the basic building blocks of constructing a good story, including plot/ story structuring and developing interesting characters and character dialogue.

So, if anyone is interested in learning the tools about concept work, Red Dot Diva says these classes may be of interest to you. The sessions are conducted by Senior Members & Associates of the Association of Comic Artists (Singapore) (ACAS). And..... wait for it ....... Prizes (including useful new digital devices help in comic creation!) will be given to the best students attending the workshops.

The Comics Xchange website has the sign-up costs for this workshop.

For proficient/ hardcore creators who up for a challenge, Red Dot Diva recommends the high-energy-exotic comics aphrodisiac - 24 Hour Comics Day @ CXC. In this event, one is to produce a 24-page comic in 24 hours.

Those stories completed within the timeframe will be shortlisted for possible publication in December. Those who are unable to complete in time will still be given notable mentions. It is all about self-challenge!

Finally, the range of sweet-juicy-tarty desserts of the CXPO Bazaar filled with the various offerings from
local creators and artists as well as pop-culture retailers. There will be a festival-like atmosphere of booths selling books, merchandise and apparel with pretty good discounts. Red Dot Diva sees that Dave Chua and Koh Hong Teng - the team from graphic novel "Gone Case" will be there, as well as Collateral Damage. She also hears that locally-based artist friends Kelvin Chan (aka Rocketraygun) and Noval Hernawan will be having booths too!

Hmmm.... she thinks it might do them good for her to go nom on their artistic wares when she is at Comics Xchange.

Plus .... there will be 50+ cosplayers making their appearance at the event, courtesy of CosAsia - Singapore’s premier costume retailer. W0000t!! Red Dot Diva knows that would get some people totally excited with all those swirls of eye-candy!

So, if one needs to fill their pop-culture/ comics/ anime/ manga appetite, get the Comics Xchange tickets at Gatecrash or call the Gatecrash Hotline: 6100 2005.

Red Dot Diva hopes to see you there!

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Some Comics Xchange links for one to note and click on:
- Official Website
- Facebook page
- Twitter

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Specially for those non-local folks:
Sambal Belachan - Chili-based sauce made of pounded fresh chilis and shrimp paste. Pungently spicy.

Comics Review: The Good Stuff and Bad Stuff of Green Lantern #1

2011-09-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

Rooting for the group of ring-powered superheroes is local comic creator and DC comics fan Aravind Menon, who has mixed sentiments regarding his views on DC 52's "Green Lanterns" #1.

Aravind will also be sending more of this thoughts on more comic releases here as well as his own blog!

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I'm confused. The DCnU has me confused. A lot. And today was the big one. One of my favourite titles of the DCoU (are we calling the pre-Flashpoint DCU that yet?) is hitting up its own #1 this week. And I'm not sure how to feel.

On the one hand, I want it to suck so as to show DC that their little reboot plan sucked as well. On the other hand, I want it to be awesome, 'cause I'm a fan, and reboot or no reboot, I just wanna read awesome stories.

So you can imagine my confusion when I ended the issue with both feelings in my head treating my opinions like a tug-of-war similar to that animation of Peter Parker being tugged on by the Spider-Man costume and the Venom symbiote.

So, first with the good stuff.

Sinestro - In all logic, I shouldn't need to explain this any further. Sinestro is pretty much DC's Magneto. The 2 of 'em are awesome no matter what. Don't believe me? Go watch Green Lantern and X-Men 3. The movies sucked, but these two shone. But for the sake of the DCnoobs I'll go on to explain that Sinestro is a deep and layered character that always has an ulterior motive. And by the end of this issue, we see that he's working towards his latest one.

Hal Jordan - Imagine the amount of relief I felt when I saw that ol' Hal looked NOTHING like Ryan Reynolds. DC's previous announcement of making their characters look visually similar to their movie counterparts freaked the sh*t outta me. And the scene where he pulled that John McClane stunt? Brilliant!! Turns out what Green Lantern needed was for there to be a non-Lantern protagonist. I still count Sinestro as an antagonist, though that could be well argued.

And now, the bad stuff.

Carol Ferris - Erm... what's with the throwing the wine/ champagne/ lemonade/ urine in Hal's face all about? I recall a good 6 years of reading how much Carol wanted to not get back together with Hal. And I get that there has always been deeper feelings and stuff, but marriage? Really? Carol's been feeling so jaded about the whole love thing and all, that this feels really out of place. And isn't she the frikkin' queen of the Zamarons now? So what's with the "not wearing the ring thing?" And before any of you bitch about this being about "new readers" just remember that this title wasn't rebooted. You either reboot or you don't. Don't come giving us half-assed character progression. And least of all with female superheroes.

Hal Jordan - Yes, he makes my list twice. And no, there was nothing bad about the character. I was just disappointed that he was there. As much as I was against the twist(ed) ending of War of the Green Lanterns (Ha! Bet you DCnoobs dunno what that is) I was hoping that this would be a brave new direction to kinda let history repeat itself. To allow the audience to see why Sinestro is both, the greatest and the worst Green Lantern. That being said, I can imagine the new readers being confused with Hal being there in JL, Kyle in Guardians and John and Guy in Corps so having Hal might have been more of a calculated decision than a creative one. Either way, it seems to be pointing towards an interesting ride.

So all in all, I liked it. Johns' is doing what he does best and Mahnke and Alamy don't need to be commented on 'cause they're always brilliant.

Sidenote: I wish they had done the cover instead. I love Reis' work, but Mahnke nails Sinestro in a way not many other artists can. Also, I find it more epic when the cover and interior artists are the same. Comics are books that should be judged by their covers. Even if the characters in them blame their writers.

Comics Review: Red Lanterns #1 Is A Very Good Read

2011-09-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

UK-based writer and co-creator of webcomic "Death Boy"
Ian Austin, returns to give his review of the DC new 52's "Red Lanterns" #1!

Ian will be contributing more comics reviews in the coming weeks!

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Between Dex Starr, that terrific oath, and Atrocitus having a fantastic story, I've been fascinated about this title for months. Especially as the first inklings of this comic started pre-reboot. So it's something that has been examined from multiple angles, and was still pushed for an ongoing slot.

It also cements the Green Lantern verse as something to be reckoned with. Which is interesting, given how wide-reaching space is. The possibilities are certainly there for some interesting story avenues.

That said, I'm not a huge fan of anti-hero comics. So despite liking the Atrocitus character, I still had some reservations about this comic. Even if, as The Spectre noted, Atrocitus was on a holy mission.

And there's ALSO the Krona factor. The being who is responsible for the death of Atrocitus's family is dead. Doesn't that mean his mission is over? Well, I guess I (and we) are about to find out.

Well, it starts with some blue Aliens, torturing something human-esque for kicks in Sector 666, being terrorised by Dex Starr - a good kitty who vomits acidy blood.

And immediately, we see the Atrocitus character in every available element. He shows rage defending Dex Starr, yet his narration comes across as lost and is followed by a heartwarming act of compassion towards Dex Starr, or 'my cat' as Atrocitus calls him. The final stage is Atrocitus telling the Red Lanterns not to fight, suggesting a father like nature to his dealings with these children, few of who are capable of any emotion beyond rage

Then we switch to Atrocitus saying that, in many ways, he and Krona are lovers.

... .... ...

Well, there's a thousand slash fictions launched. It's a brave choice of dialogue in these politically correct times, as Krona is dead and Atrocitus vomits blood. The actual point is that Atrocitus feels he's binded to Krona, that the rage he feels kept him going to kill Krona... and now that Krona is gone, Atrocitus finds his life has no purpose.

From here comes the kicker...

Atrocitus was a psychologist on his home planet. This puts everything into a sad perspective. Now we know Atrocitus was determined to know how beings worked and to help them understand their emotions and fears. When his entire world died, Atrocitus shied away from understanding to condemning - someone unable to quantify his grief. This places him into a similar position to Batman, except Atrocitus wasn't fighting for an ideal. Rather, he was fighting his own self-loathing at his inability to save the world.

There's also survival guilt. Atrocitus was a father who watched his family die, sharing eerie parallels to both The Punisher and Flashpoint Batman. To make matters worse, this was back when the Guardians were incapable of emotion.

With the end of this issue, Atrocitus steps up to the plate. Instead of rage for what happened to him, his rage is for the state of the universe. It's a classic trope, the idea formulated in Westerns of the savage man who comes to town to save it from itself and when it's done isn't welcome in the new society. If the Green Lanterns enforce law, the Red Lanterns are vigilantes fighting the dregs.

There's also the threat of a Red Lantern revolt.

As a first issue, I found this fascinating. There's a lot to take in given how Atrocitus as a character goes all the way back to Geoff Johns Green Lantern: Secret Origin. We have to be brought up to speed with a plethora of backstory, delivered by one of the few writers to pen Atrocitus since he was introduced. It also requires some skill to make Atrocitus relatable, while keeping his central character beats the same as they were.

Peter Milligan manages it well. I found this a skillful read. The pacing is quick, the writing adept, the exposition oddly natural and the complexities of Atrocitus fascinating. He's a contradiction, and has sprung to life in a way that bodes well for the future. Credit must also go to Ed Benes and Rob Hunter for making this feel adult without being grotesque to the point of unreadable. One problem I had with Detective Comics was the sheer shock value of the ending, whereas here the feel is of a classic horror variety - violent, but not hilariously cheesy.

So while it's not the best title I've read in the DC 52, it's very good. And does Atrocitus solid fan-service.

I rate this: 4/5

STGCC 2011: Interview With Cutie Cosplayer Kipi

2011-09-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

Red Dot Diva openly admits that this STGCC-related article and a few more following are long overdue. Do blame the delay on her mundane day job and busy life schedule. And erm.... other distractions.

But she thinks that fans of these subjects of interest would still enjoy the information and tidbits gathered that week.

Not being a major anime, game or cosplay enthusiast did not deter a curious Red Dot Diva from getting a little up-close and personal with popular international cosplayer Kipi, at the STGCC Media Preview a couple of days before the convention started.

All doe-eyed and girlish smiles, the fair Kipi (who hails from Japan) was in costume as Serizawa Fumino from "Mayoi Neko! Overrun" and looked like a adorable, giant walking doll.

While doing a round of interview with DC guest Paul Levtiz, Red Dot Diva couldn't help but hear almost constant bursts of loud amused laughter from a group of male reporter-fans at Kipi's round table session. By the time, Red Dot Diva was available to interview Kipi, the official timeslot for media sessions had actually ran out.

However, the kind PR folks from Ninemer and Kipi herself were willing to allow an extended 10 minutes, and Red Dot Diva managed to get a quick one-on-one with the pretty cosplayer.

Noting Red Dot Diva wearing a sleeveless top, Kipi enquired in a genuinely concerned manner, if she was feeling a little chilly from all that strong AC in the room. Red Dot Diva was very appreciative of the sweet gesture, and so decided to be equally sweet with Kipi on her interview questions.

Through a very capable interpreter named Reiko, the winsome Kipi gave Red Dot Diva some surprisingly shrewd answers during the Q&A, belieing her outward appearance as a super-kawaii anime character.

Red Dot Diva: When did you realize that you first got interested in cosplay?
Kipi: It was only recently that I have actually enjoyed the process of cosplay. When I started at the age of 17, I found difficulty in getting the real results that I wanted and found myself struggling with the art. But recently, I was able to make the costumes close to what I have planned and wanted, so I am enjoying cosplaying a lot more recently.

Red Dot Diva: Which character has been the most challenging to cosplay so far?

Kipi: The hardest to cosplay was Hatsune Miku from Vocaloid because her costume was very futuristic looking and it was tough to find the material to make it look as shiny as glittering as it is supposed to be.

Red Dot Diva: And who has been your most favourite character to cosplay?
Kipi: I have lots of sentiments towards Haruhi Suzumiya from "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu" (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) because cosplaying her was what got me famous. And it is one costume that I've worn many times. And because people remember me a lot when I was cosplaying Haruhi, she is my most favourite character.

Red Dot Diva: What do you think are the qualities of a good cosplayer?
Kipi: I think that cosplay is about how accurately one can transform a 2D character and its clothes to something in real 3D form. One thing that I put a lot of emphasis on when making the "conversion" - even if it's just a school girl - is that the cosplay still has to look natural in the actual world. It is also about how accurate the costumes can be replicated, especially in fictional characters.

Red Dot Diva: In your many years cosplaying, have you received many negative feedback and how do you deal with such comments?
Kipi: Actually, most of the time I get negative feedback about my costumes than compliments.
Red Dot Diva: Really?!!!
Kipi, nodding and smiling: Yes. So, I'm used to getting my cosplay and costumes criticized but so long as I'm quite confident and fulfilled with my cosplay and costume, I don't take things too much at heart or get depressed about it.

Even though I cosplay with confidence, it does not mean that I am 100% perfect. There is always room for improvement, and I will try to hit my own standards at that given point in time. And if that is fulfilled, I am satisfied.

It is also almost impossible to look at myself objectively, so when I read negative comments on blogs or websites, I will accept what has been said objectively and as a comment, and try to improve further.

Red Dot Diva: What are the fun things that you are intending to do in Singapore?
Kipi, laughing and immediately gave excited pincer-gestures with both hands: I want to eat some crabs! In Japan, crabs are so expensive and I've heard C.B Cebulski mentioning about all those delicious crabs he has been eating, so I really looking forward to trying some crabs!!

To round off the fun interview, a semi-drugged-out Red Dot Diva (who was, BTW, sounding quite raspily-sexy from a flu *cough*) requested to take a pic with Kipi. And while standing beside her, the lovely Kipi rubbed Red Dot Diva's shoulders again in an attempt to warm her up from the cold wafts of the AC.

So awww.....

The un-glam Red Dot Diva and sweet Kipi

So, it seems that one just can't help but take a liking to Kipi after only spending a few minutes with her!

RIP Andy Whitfield: Beautiful Warrrior of "Spartacus"

2011-09-12T02:40:00.000-07:00

This piece of sad news came quite unexpectedly on Red Dot Diva's Facebook feed early this morning.

After an 18-month long battle with cancer, Andy Whitfield, the handsome Welsh-born actor, who shot to fame as the heroic Spartacus in the popular Starz period drama series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand", has passed away on Sunday.

Just before the second season of "Spartacus" was to begin filming, Andy was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and after rounds of treatment, he had decided to give up the role for health reasons.

The role has now been taken over by Australian actor Liam McIntyre.

According to the press release, Andy died peacefully "surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife" Vashti.

His portrayal as Spartacus in the cable TV's version will always remain as the most memorable in Red Dot Diva's mind. His Spartacus was not just a beautiful gladiator with intense blue eyes, rippling biceps and solid 6-pack abs. Andy made the character highly believable by put his brand of courage, soul and heart in the role and one would not ever doubt that his Spartacus was also an intelligent strategist.

As a tribute, here's another look at Andy in a behind the scenes clip from "Spartacus: Blood and Sand":

RIP, dear beautiful warrior Andy.
And prayers to his loved ones.

~Red Dot Diva, in-mourning

NYCC 2011 Squee Update - Mark Hamill Announced As Guest!

2011-09-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

When this epic guest was announced for NYCC 2011 (13 - 16 October), Red Dot Diva couldn't help squeeing for a week.

This special guest embodies a lot of what began as a delightful journey for a then-10-year-old diva, who had been yearning for some kind of visual interpretation to a fantastical world that resided in her fertile imaginations. (Thanks to a healthy bookwormish diet of fantasy, murder-mystery, myths/ legends and the Britannica encyclopedia.)

So when Red Dot Diva heard that Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker of the original Star Wars trilogy - will be attending as a guest at NYCC 2011, she vibrated with so much excitement she nearly flung herself into a galaxy far far away.

A well-loved international icon, Mark Hamill has been doing a host of various voicing works in recent years and is especially remembered as The Joker in "Batman: The Animated Series". In addition to his various roles on broadway/ TV and film, Mark also provided voicework for several other animated films and games like "The Tick", "The Simpsons", "Powerpuff Girls", "Wing Commander Academy", "Call of Duty 2" and Playstation 2's "Yakuza".

Recently, Mark guest-starred as a villain in the last season of "Chuck", and the series' main stars Zachary Levi and Joshua Gomez could not help but male-squee on set too.

At NYCC 2011, Mark Hamill will be joining transmedia company NEW-GEN at a panel held on Saturday, October 15th at 1:30 PM. There will be news about NEW-GEN's upcoming movie plans and graphic novel releases.

And that is not all! It seems that Mark will also be doing autograph signings at the convention, courtesy of Official Pix. The date/ time is still not announced yet.

Well, Red Dot Diva has got all her air-tickets booked for her trip to NYCC and is raring to go on another convention stalking spree. Right now, Mark Hamill is at the top of the list as Stalking Target #1. She hopes he will be prepared.

There are a few other celebrities who will also be making an appearance at the convention. Geeky fans might want to target for Jason Momoa ("Game of Thrones"/ "Conan the Barbarian"), Clare Kramer ("Buffy"), writer Jane Espenson ("Buffy", "Torchwood", "Caprica"), Jewel Staite ("Firefly"), Kevin Sorbo ("Hercules") and Nicki Clyne ("Battlestar Galactica") - just to name a few!

For the comics side of things, besides the entire slew of spotlight guests and artists from various comics companies, there will also be writer/ artist/ director Frank Miller ("Sin City"/ "300") and his hat!

Frank (and his hat) will be going as a guest under the Legendary Entertainment banner, and will be promoting his new graphic novel "Holy Terror" (released by Legendary Comics) Will Red Dot Diva get to hunt him down too? She will definitely try! *g*

Here's a blood-splattering trailer of Frank Miller's "Holy Terror":

There are a few comics folks that are already on Red Dot Diva NYCC Stalking List. Some of them have been duly warned of her intentions. She and frenemy @eserei27 are definitely staking out indie publisher Archaia's booth. Anyway, Red Dot Diva needs to get a long overdue copy of "Mr Murder Is Dead" (Victor Quinaz/ Brent Schoonover)!

She will also be trolling Artists' Alley for people like Brent Schoonover, Dennis Calero, Ardian Syaf and will try to track down other folks like C.B. Cebulski, Paul Levitz, Matt Fraction and Ivan Brandon. And hopefully, she will also be able to add more unsuspecting stalkees on the list too.

Ahhh... The thrill of a hunt!

Tick tock.
The countdown begins: 26 days more to NYCC!!

Comics Review: Digging The Return Of Batgirl

2011-09-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

In this comics review, Red Dot Diva calls upon Ian Austin, a UK-based writer and co-creator of webcomic "Death Boy". He is also in the midst of getting another web-comic called "Tezzer" ready for readers!

An avid comics reader, Ian Austin is just now getting into the groove with the latest very widely anticipated incarnation of Batgirl by Gail Simone. Thanks to the new DC 52 relaunch.

Here's his review of "Batgirl" #1:

-------------------------

I'm not big on Batgirl knowledge. That's in relation to any of the characters.

While I did buy Bryan Miller's last issue, and dug it, I'm no expert on the character. My Barbara experiences have come mostly via "All Star Batman & Robin", and "Blackest Night".

Buying this book was mostly down to me being a Gail Simone fan after her fantastic "Secret Six" stuff. And so I didn't have that many preconceptions with regards to Barbara being able to walk again, as by the time I read "The Killing Joke" she hadn't been a 'victim' for years.

Now having read the book, I love this character.

All the griping about DC's portrayal of female characters is, to me, almost rendered moot solely by this issue.

We get a strong female character who's capable of showing weakness, still traumatized by what The Joker did to her. She was healed by a 'miracle', Gail Simone leaving specifics vague and clearly using them to tell a bigger story. Throw in a villain intent on killing those who should have died, and the concept of a 'survivor'-themed Bat comic is in full motion.

In this issue, we get a heroic, dynamic, fantastic female character who kicks much booty but isn't a male substitute. If anything, her giddy thrill at the idea of superheroics is something more male characters should aspire to.

I rate this: 5/5

Harvey Tolibao Event: Geeks Assemble At Planerds

2011-09-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

That pesky Merlion sure has a drooly hold on comics artist Harvey Tolibao. It has been two weeks since STGCC 2011 closed its doors and he *still* has not left the Red Dot Island yet!

In fact, Harvey had landed himself in the NRD Prime Forcefield last Sunday afternoon, and was trapped there for a few hours doing signings and limited sketches for fans.

The event, held at Harris Planerds - the mecca for geeks right in the heart of Orchard Road - became a convenient venue for comics fans to assemble. Laid out in front of Harvey's table were colourful comics that contained his artwork, and fans could buy his pretty art prints of Avengers and Supergirl, as well as his limited edition sketchbook titled "Viscosity".

When Red Dot Diva arrived at 1.30pm, there were already a few familiar faces surrounding Harvey's table. And Harvey, always in good spirits (and energized by Green Tea), was set in a steady momentum of signing and drawing sketches.

Red Dot Diva thinks Harvey has a special gift of being able to talk and entertain his fans while drawing (real fast) at the same time. During that afternoon, the art requests that he received ranged from the ever-popular Spider-man to Silver Surfer to Iron Man and even Harry Potter!

While Harvey was taking personalized time with his fans, Red Dot Diva took a walk around the store a few times, curbing the strong temptation to grab a bunch of collectibles and plonk them nonchalantly at the pay counter. Too many cute evil things in Planerds. Ugh.

On one of the low shelves, she also spotted "75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking" written by DC veteran Paul Levitz. It was indeed a beautiful but monstrous artefact to behold. To her credit, she did attempt to pick this giant book up but she simply did not have enough biceps power. And sadly enough, there were no muscley male minions readily available at that point in time.

Come to think of it, where *were* her minions? Grrrr...
Red Dot Diva's note to self: Must chain minions up more securely when taking them out the next time.

As the afternoon progresses, even more familiar faces wandered by. Locally-based artists like Noval Hernawan, Rudy Ao and Kelvin Chan (Rocketraygun) came to say hello to Harvey. Bloggers like 1/3 HereBeGeeks Peter and Ryan from Steelreviews came by the store too. Towards the evening, chibi artist Wendy Chew (aka Mashi) also dropped by to pick up a copy of Harvey's sketchbook.

At one point during the afternoon, Harvey was surrounded by a bunch of young kids watching him in bug-eyed wonderment, as he drew Iron Man and Spidey. Gotta start them young!

Then again, they could have just been distracted by Harvey's very glam, very pearly-pink Man-icure. (O_O)

Harvey also found some time to work on a special art commission for Sabretooth vs Wolverine. It was not finished yet that day, but as one can see from the work-in-progress, it was already a whole lot of !!WOW!!

Red Dot Diva managed to ask Harvey when fans will get to see his next comic project. "It is DC's 'Sinestro #1' - the prequel to the 'Green Lantern' movie. They are finally releasing it. After that, I have not been told what is my next project yet," he said.

The entire Sunday afternoon at Planerds truly felt like a cozy geeks reunion of sorts. And Red Dot Diva spotted lots of happy smiles on the fans' faces, especially when they saw the finished sketches that Harvey drew for them.

She was also really st(r)oked to be able to discuss a very special project with Rudy Ao. Codenamed Nekid Wolvie. Heh heh. More on this particular bloody subject soon, she promises.

Back to the Merlion's mysterious hold on Harvey Tolibao, she kinda hears that he *may* be back again on Red Dot Island some time at the end of this year. If one missed seeing Harvey this time round or wants to get more of his artwork, stay tuned for more information on this blog!

Comics Review: Goodbye Old DCU... and Hello To A New Justice League

2011-09-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

It was an epic reboot that caused such grief amongst many DC readers and collectors, with many thrashing in anger at DC's announcement of a new 52 relaunch.

The hope to revive the comics industry with a new DCU for fresh and younger readers however, seemed to have taken off with a big bang this last Wednesday, with retailers reporting more than usual numbers of orders and many of the titles going into a third reprint.

Red Dot Diva thinks there should be no one other than an ardent DC comics reader who should be giving his honest thoughts about the old and new DCU for this blog article.

Aravind Menon, creator of local superhero comics "Salvation Sam", has been reading DC comics since he was 8 after his first exposure to DC characters through Bruce Timm's "Batman: The Animated Series" and Tim Burton's movies alongside the Adam West series.

The Green Lantern umbrella of titles has been his favourite for almost 6 years now. And he considers the Justice Society his favourite superhero team and faithfully collected the Goyer and Johns run and followed the series even after Goyer left.

Here is Aravind's review on the final issue of "Flashpoint" and the new "Justice League #1":

Flashpoint: A Goodbye to the Old DCU

With the 61-part epic wrapping up on the same week as the introduction of the new universe, the scents of nostalgia and fresh leather mix, leading me to toss my cookies in the back of a taxi.

Also, I am faced with the disappointment that the final issue of "Flashpoint" - the supposedly high octane event which was supposed to be the Old DCU's swan song--was little more than a rushed sequence of exposition and panels that sought to do the impossible: justify this series and the reboot it will usher.

Adding salt to the injury is that this dull epic is penned by the messiah of fan favourite writers, Geoff Johns. Known for his thought provoking and well-mapped stories in the pages of Justice Society of America, Green Lantern and Adventure Comics - not to mention almost every major event in the DCU since 2004 save the conceptually impressive Final Crisis - Johns fails to deliver during the run of this series and seems to be finally cracking under the strain of having the responsibility of making corporate decisions seem creatively driven.

There is nothing much to be said of "Flashpoint" other than that it was a bloated and indulgent manner of resetting the current continuity - and fanbase - while making a pretty penny. As far as events go, I am forced to compare it to Final Crisis and am only able to compliment the beautiful art and a few gems hidden in the pile of tie-ins that accompanied the otherwise bland title.

Much like Final Crisis' Legion of Three Worlds, Rogues Revenge and Requiem, the fans are treated to interesting 3-part stories featuring Batman, Superman & Apollo and Deathstroke in the form of tie-ins that don't necessarily have anything to do with the event itself.

With a clumsy final lap, DC has run its course of holding the biggest issue numbers and it's now time to face this new world in which everyone has collars and shoulder pads. 'Cause evidently the '80s is now.

One-Liner Thought: After 61 issues, everything we thought we knew but didn’t know and then were made to know so we would think we knew all there was to know ceased to be known.

Familiar New Faces: A Review of "Justice League #1"

It was with much fear and apprehension that I dived into "Justice League #1". I had been tempted to actually skip "Flashpoint" and head straight to this premiere but I prevented myself from doing so. Unfortunately, I can honestly say that, short of nostalgia, there is absolutely no reason why a person shouldn't simply jump to DC's new flagship title.

But I will say this: it was a fun ride. It sure as hell isn't a master piece, but it was written with much flare and a dose of in-character humour for good measure. Any corporate strain on Johns that may have been apparent prior to this are now gone and it's clear that DC's 2 biggest names had some mighty fun with this issue.

Which leads me to the biggest problem: there is nothing about this issue that felt particularly new. Sure, it's a new origin story. All their costumes are different and the paper quality is certainly superior, but this story could have well fit into the Old DCU.

Now, I'm in no rush to meet the new DCU and I might even be slightly thankful that DC is breaking us in slow, but if Justice League is gonna be the new flagship, then I think it be best if it felt iconic - or at the very least, unique - to this new universe.

All of this being said, I'm also in no rush to make any judgments and I think next week will be the true sample of things to come with titles that are carrying a fair amount of controversy.

One-Liner Thought: This newly reinvented flagship title with it's newly reinvented characters all see too awfully similar to what we already have.

For a more detailed and personalized review by Aravind, Red Dot Diva says that one can visit his blog.

Do feel free to post one's comments or thoughts about "Justice League #1" to Aravind here or at his website.

STGCC 2011: Diva Stalking The Elseworlds Booth

2011-09-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

The Elseworlds booth at STGCC 2011 started off as a humble idea to offer support to the convention by hosting Marvel artist Mico Suayan and local indie chibi artist Wendy Chew (aka Mashi).

The booth later became the artistic umbrella for two more Marvel guest artists who hailed from the Philippines - Stephen Segovia and Carlo Pagulayan. And with that added number of talents, Elseworlds became one of the "must-stops" for comics or graphic arts fans at the convention.

Although Red Dot Diva helped to promote Mico's appearance at Elseworlds booth in the weeks leading to STGCC, she has yet to meet the artist himself! So, after a busy round of almost back-to-back interviews on Day 1, her next thing to do was to check in with Da Boss Alywn and to say hi to Mico.

There were warm hellos all round the booth, as Mico - who's absolutely photogenic in person with his L'Oreal-worthy hair - seemed equally pleased to finally meet Red Dot Diva too. Plus, it was always lovely to see bright-eyed Wendy again.

While this mini hullabaloo of nerdish attention was happening, Red Dot Diva saw Carlo Pagulayan (whom she had never met at that point of time) do a very obvious double-take when he caught sight of her. He then said very simply, "I know you."

Red Dot Diva froze, startled by that sudden declaration. Pairs of curious eyes all turned to her direction. "I saw you in Harvey's (Tolibao) video," Carlo continued.

"Ohhhh." Red Dot Diva pretended to give a big sigh of relief. "That was not me. It was my Evil Twin." Carlo looked unconvinced. She then quickly slinked away to another corner of the booth. Never a good idea to have one's super-villainess identity revealed too soon.

From her vantage point, Red Dot Diva was pleased to note that the booth was constantly buzzing with people. Many were interested in the comics sold at one side of the booth. Several others wanted to get commissioned drawings from the artists. Some were just contented to get autographs and meet their idols.

Both Mico and Wendy were also selling their own limited edition sketchbooks and art prints. In fact, Wendy had some of her cute original art on display (see pic below) and many of those bigger-sized ones were sold out by the end of the convention!

Too cute not to like!

Mico's sketchbook was filled with his eye-poppingly detailed sketches. His take on light and shadow in the featured art pieces was particularly impressive. Later in the evening, it was revealed that Mico had drawn secret doodles in random sketchbooks. Now, that was a fun and innovative way to draw more interest to his artwork!

Red Dot Diva wants to know - did anyone get a Mico sketchbook with these secret drawings?

Towards the end of Day 2, Mico did a live art demo where he drew a piece of Sabertooth vs Wolverine. Red Dot Diva took some time to sit beside Mico to watch him at work. She observed that Mico stays silently focused as he concentrates on putting his artistic skills on paper.

That didn't stop Indonesian artist Rudy Ao from coming over and cheekily hamming up a quick spoof of Wolverine though!

To appreciate the amount of detail that went into the drawing, Mico started doing the special demo piece at about 5.30pm and didn't finish till slightly before 8pm! His fingers were tired out of course, but he made sure he completed the piece. The drawing was open for bidding and there were a few folks eyeing on that precious piece of work.

Check out the video of Mico doing the live demo here:

The finished art of Sabertooth vs Wolverine by Mico Suayan finally went to a comics fan, Lip Tat, who had the topmost bid. W0000t!

Because there were so many interesting things happening at Elseworlds, there was always a stream of curious visitors, making it a great place for Red Dot Diva to "people-watch" that weekend. Well-known blogger Andy from Toys REvil came to visit on Day 1. There were the HereBeGeeks dudes who fell in love with Wendy's adorable artwork, hardcore comics fans Andre and Chew who were constantly around, and the Salvation Sam gang wandered by on Day 2.

Alwyn, Wendy and Leinil Yu

Fellow artists Leinil Yu and Sonny Liew also stopped by to have a chat. And towards closing hours, DC's Director of Events & Retailer Services Fletcher Chu-Fong came by to say hi.

It was the first time many of us met Fletcher that weekend. And he was always super friendly and very charming. When Wendy presented him with a copy of her sketchbook, he kissed her hand like an old-fashioned gentleman! Awww...

As the convention drew to a close and everyone was packing up their booths, Wendy gave Mico a terrific surprise gift. In the copy of her sketchbook presented to him, she mischievously revealed a sketch she had sneakily drawn of Mico - to his utter delight!

Wendy capturing a great likeness of Mico

For Red Dot Diva, the cheerful camaraderie around Artists' Alley and Elseworlds was definitely one of the best parts of STGCC 2011.

And before a tired but happy Red Dot Diva had to call it a day at the convention too, it was mandatory to give due appreciation to those hardworking and artistic Mico, Carlo and Stephen biceps.

For posterity.