Sonny Liew and Dr. Hsu Li Yang Explains The Science Behind Covid-19

What a discombobulating year this has been.

2020's Covid-19 pandemic threw everyone's lives out of whack, and here we are, on the last day of an unforgettable year.

The Covid-19 vaccines arrived in Red Dot Island more than a week ago, and vaccinations have already begun for frontline healthcare workers yesterday. Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel, but it still feels as if we are treading on thin ice, as the virus is still raging on in other parts of the world.

Red Dot Diva thought that that best way to end 2020 would be a cautious yet positive blog piece about a new webcomic entitled THE SCIENCE BEHIND COVID-19 by local Eisner Award-winning writer/ artist Sonny Liew (The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, Dr. Fate, Malinky Robot, Eternity Girl) and Dr. Hsu Li Yang, Vice Dean of Global Health and Programme Leader of Infectious Diseases at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. The comic was published on 28 December in both the printed and digital versions of the local English-language daily, The Straits Times.

Click on this link to read the web comic - https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/the-science-behind-covid-19-1

Kanme Studio's Boom Shaka Webcomic Is A Refreshing Read

The realm of webcomics is like an unfiltered pool of digital creativity. Ever since the medium's boom in the 2000's, there has been a growing number of formats and titles published. Readers can decide if they prefer the snappy one panel web comics, or those that are written as an on-going series, like those Hong Kong TV serials you grew up with. Since most webcomics are published independently, there is a wide range of genres out there to cater to a smorgasbord of tastes, especially if you are looking for something really niche.

Kanme Studio is one of those creative collectives who have started publishing webcomics. The studio is founded about 3 years ago by American writer named Yam. The collective's core includes usogami, who mainly takes care of the web-related aspects, and local freelance artist Alan Bay whom Red Dot Diva has gotten to know in recent years. Alan Bay has also done worked in the games industry, and drawn for a number of books including the recently published SACRED GUARDIANS comic (Asiapac Books) and ONCE UPON A SINGAPORE... TRADERS, a finalist for Book of the Year at the Singapore Book Awards 2019.

BOOM SHAKA is the latest web comic published by the Kanme Studio team, and it is off to a promising start. As of now, there is a Prologue, Chapter 1 and a few pages of Chapter 2 available at a very reasonable price on their website, via Gumroad.

Pennyworth Season 2 Premieres on Warner TV Asia on 14 December

Season 2 of the series PENNYWORTH will be back on Warner TV Asia on 14 December, with the first episode premiering at 9 PM Singapore time. This time, there is hardly a delay as Warner TV Asia decides to air the new season on the same day as the U.S. telecast. There will be 10 episodes in this season.

The series is an alternate universe about ex British SAS soldier Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) set in a more violent version of 60's London. In the show, Alfred, or Alfie as he is affectionately known, is not yet the famous DC comics butler of the Wayne household whom we are familiar with. When we meet him in Season 1, he worked as a bouncer at a nightclub and then started a security company, together with his SAS pals, “Bazza” (Hainsley Lloyd Bennett) and “Daveboy” (Ryan Fletcher), of which, their contract work includes working for Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge).

Cartoons Underground Returns With An Online Edition from 9 to 13 December 2020

So what if COVID-19 a.k.a. the Big Bad of 2020 is still lurking in the corners of Red Dot Island, and has prevented festivals and events from taking place? Cartoons Underground 2020, the island's very own animation festival, has in fact expanded from a 1-day evening festival to an exciting 5-day online event from 9 to 13 December 2020.

Of course, the festival, which is also South-East Asia's largest, will not be happening in their usual physical venue. Instead, attendees will step into an interactive and vibrant 360° virtual world created by CG lead Enrique Caballero.

Love is in the air

Within this immersive neon-lit cyberpunk 'hood, festival goers will be able to hunt for easter eggs, view films and behind the scene footages, and attend Q&A sessions with directors. Red Dot Diva had a sneak peek of the 360° world, which had tributes to Lady & The Tramp as well as the chef couple from the movie, Ratatouille. According to Enrique Caballero, he felt that during this difficult year, we all needed more love. Since the locals love shopping online, there will also be an art market where you can buy unique items for your own collection or as presents.

While the pandemic continues to rage on in several parts of the world, live action TV and movie productions have either halted or have been delayed. But as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Seemingly pandemic-proof, the animation industry is set to boom in the next 5 years due to market demand, and for the practical reason that most of the work can be performed remotely.

Red Dot Diva welcomes the rise of animation movies. They are not just for kids and children. There are the cookie-cutter Disneys, Pixars, Dreamworks and well-loved Studio Ghibli films, and then there are so many others that fall in between or out of those familiar lines that are as beautiful and moving.