A Quickie Report: Marvel Artist Dexter Soy At Invasion!

Pic credit: Invasion! Toys & Collectibles

An up-and-coming comic artist dropped into town this weekend!

Dexter Soy, a Filipino artist currently working on Marvel, met his fans at Invasion! Toys & Collectibles this past Friday and Saturday.

Red Dot Diva had prior commitments and was unable to attend the event, so she activated Million Dollar Smile aka Red Dot Dude to cover the event.

From all accounts, Dexter is a rather quiet soul. But Red Dot Diva surmises that not many words are really necessary when there is fabulous artwork!

Here's Red Dot Dude's quickie report:

An Island Find: A Teacher's Bound Volume of Vintage "Classics Illustrated"

Earlier this month, Red Dot Diva received a surprise message from a blogger pal Vernon, about something that his cousin had found while going through his uncle's belongings. (His beloved uncle Mr Wee, a school teacher till his retirement, had passed away not long ago.)

The unexpected family find was a bound volume of vintage comics from the "Classics Illustrated" series. His cousin Janice thought that her dad's lovingly kept comics looked old and unusual, but wanted to sell it off to a collector. However, she did not know how much it was worth. 

Not a hardcore comic collector herself, Red Dot Diva was not able to provide her with any information. But the vintage comics got her curious, and she dug around to find out more about "Classics Illustrated".

SDCC 2013: Grab A Pineapple and Get "Psych"-ed at Comic-Con!

USA Network's detective drama series "Psych" is set to go into a song and dance at San Diego during Comic-Con week!

Not only is "Psych" returning to Comic-Con for the fifth time this year, the show will be hosting an exclusive midnight screening for "Psych: The Musical" for its fans. One does not need to have a Comic-Con badge to watch the screening, and the event is free of charge!

The 2-hour musical's screening will be held at the Reading Theatre in the Gaslamp District on 16 July, Wednesday.

SDCC 2013: WB Returns With Exciting Sneak Screenings On Preview Night!

Whooppeeee!

WB TV returns to Comic-Con 2013 to host Preview Night on Wednesday, 16 July, with a lineup of four new TV series.

No real big surprise here, since WB TV has been hosting Preview Night on an annual basis. But it doesn't mean that the announcement was any less anticipated!!

The Preview Night sneak screenings is Red Dot Diva's most favourit-est of all Comic-Con activities. All snuggly and seated usually up front and in the dark of Ballroom 20, she loves the feeling of being one of those pampered few who get to catch the first look of pilot episodes.

This year, WB TV brings a jumble of stories about androids, super-powered beings, and vampires for fans to enjoy.

Red Dot Diva drops the list of sneak screenings that you can sit back and enjoy:

Are You Ready To Nerd Out At Nerd HQ 2013?

And finally the first stream of Nerd HQ news we have been impatiently waiting for, is here!

The folks at Nerd Machine have announced that this year's Nerd HQ will return during Comic-Con week, and will be held at Petco Park!

The ballpark - home of the San Diego Padres - is situated diagonally opposite the San Diego Convention Centre (near the tram station) and just a few blocks away from Hilton San Diego Bayfront.

By the way, zombies would be at Petco Park too for the Walking Dead Escape on Jul 19 and 20. So Beware of the undead!!

SDCC 2013: Exclusive Screen Preview of Starz' "Black Sails" For Fans!

Ahoy Mateys!

Word has been going around that Pirates are Wanted at this year's Comic-Con!

Starz TV is getting ready to release its premiere episode of "Black Sails". The TV series is scheduled to air on the cable channel in January 2015.

Lovers of Robert Louis Stevenson's books especially "Treasure Island" might be very interested in the upcoming pirate adventure TV series. It is after all, about Captain Flint and his men, and takes place about 20 years before what transpired in the literary classic.

The most feared pirate of his day, Captain Flint recruits a smart-talking young 'un called John Silver and together, the crew brutally fight for survival in the New Providence Island, a paradise for all kinds of scum and villainy.

STGCC 2013: First Wave of Guest Announcements!

Red Dot Diva received an email yesterday morning that gave her chills.

The totally squeally kind of happy thrill-chills. 'Coz the email contained the first wave of official guest announcements for this year's STGCC!

For some weeks now, her friends have lamented about the lack of updates and were fidgety for any kind of info. Although bits and pieces, and some rather obvious hints have filtered through the Internet.

A few weeks back, Red Dot Diva's aquaintance, local cosplayer Victoria noticed and posted an announcement that was on Vampy Bit Me's website. The popular US-based cosplayer had listed her upcoming appearances and mentioned Singapore. By that, one could already put one's money down that she would be here for STGCC.

And Red Dot Diva's knew some people who knew some things but were sworn to secrecy. To give them credit, they were pretty respectful of the knowledge they had, and most of news not been leaked in a "Stomp" kind of way.

Now, who are the other guests announced that got Red Dot Diva's in a tizzy?

SDCC 2013: Where Da Parties At??

Not only does San Diego transform into geek nirvana during Comic-Con, her nightlife gets as vibrant, with a slew of party venues for the geek and famous.

After the endless waiting in lines, jostling around with thousands of people, and craning one's necks to have a glimpse of your favourite celeb, almost anyone would feel in need of a drink (or two), or to let loose at a party before repeating the same thing again the next day.

So where are Da Cool Parties at for this year's Comic-Con?

Check this list out:

Mythopoeia: Yoshitaka Amano's Art Exhibition at The Mizuma Gallery

It's a pity that on occasion, practicality takes over the enjoyment of art.

Last Friday was one such occasion for Red Dot Diva, as she sacrificed the opportunity to meet an inspiring and famous artist, in order to fulfill her tedious work commitments.

However, her good friend Andre aka Million-Dollar Smile aka Red Dot Dude was right there at the Mizuma Gallery, bright-eyed and super-duper early, to meet Japanese creator Yoshitaka Amano.

Here is his story!

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Exclamations of “OMG!!!” were pretty much the standard reactions I received after posting a photo of master artist Yoshitaka Amano and me on my Facebook timeline.

But who could blame my friends … I mean it is YOSHITAKA AMANO! This man is a legend!!!

Yoshitaka Amano was in Singapore last Friday (7 June) for the opening of his exhibition “Mythopoeia” at the Mizuma Gallery in Gillman Barracks. The exhibition will run till 14 July 2013.

Mr Amano is renowned for his works on “Gatchaman”, “Vampire Hunter D” and most of all, “Final Fantasy”. He is a five-time winner of the Seiun Award ("Award for the best science fiction published in Japan) and has also won the 1999 Bram Stoker Award (Award for "Superior Achievement" in Dark Fantasy and Horror Writing”) for “Sandman: The Dream Hunters” - a collaboration with another legend, Neil Gaiman.

The art exhibition was supposed to start at 6 pm, however being a big fan of Mr Amano, I decided to be at the gallery much, much earlier. As I was waiting at the entrance, one of his management team saw the “Vampire Hunter D” and “Final Fantasy” art books I was holding and signalled for me to enter. I was then led to a room where Mr Amano was sitting.

Mr Amano's sketch of D

I sat nervously next to Mr Amano as he flipped through my art books and signed them. I handed to him a Shikishi (a Japanese white board) and he asked me (through his translator) what my favourite character was. I told D from “Vampire Hunter D”. He did a quick sketch on the board and apologized that he could not do a more detailed one as his hand had been injured. But seriously, I didn’t care! … Anything Mr Amano draw is golden, even if it is just a few lines!

Apparently, it was reported that the man was here in Singapore on doctor’s orders that he should rest and get out of his studio because he had hurt his arm rushing to complete “Mythopoeia”.

Just before doors opened, Mr Amano did a quick photo shoot for some press and publications. Then, at about 6 pm, the crowd started to pour into the gallery as many young inspiring artists and art fans walked around the gallery to admire the 25 beautiful and elaborate aluminium-based pieces that were on display.

Mr Amano emerged from his room to mingle for awhile and also, graciously took some photos with the crowd before retreating back to his sanctuary. After which, his management team collected the art books his fans had brought, and got him to sign those for them. It seemed that everyone went home that day absolutely happy and in awe of the man’s artistry.

I was definitely one of those happy people.

Last Friday evening was such a surreal experience that I doubt I will ever forget this most awesome day ever!

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Thanks to Andre for this writeup and photos (as he continues to recover from the mind-blowing experience of meeting Mr Amano).

By the way, this is also Andre's first written contribution to the RDD blog! Red Dot Diva hopes there are more to come! ;)

Click here for more information on “Mythopoeia”!

Design Film Festival 2013 Premieres "Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope" in Singapore

This is the second year that the Design Film Festival is being held in Red Dot Island next weekend, on 15 and 16 June. But Red Dot Diva has to admit she has only heard about it a month ago!

The annual film festival aims to screen movies dedicated to the world of design, architecture, fashion and technology, and with it, their underlying sub-cultures. So, with that niche-y, high-brow expectation in mind, Red Dot Diva was a little surprised that geek culture was included in this year's festival's line-up.

To the curator Felix Ng's credit, he has managed to secure Morgan Spurlock's documentary on the Mother of all conventions - "Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope" - as a local premiere screening right here on Red Dot Island. "Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope" will be screened at The School of the Arts (SOTA)'s Drama Theatre, together with 11 other pieces, including "Google and the World Brain" and "Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present".

Now, local geeks who have been craving to get their butts to San Diego Comic-Con, will have the chance to experience what attending the world's largest comic convention might be like. If they haven't already caught the movie on DVD or *ahem* other means.