Singapore Comic Con 2024 (SGCC) Booth Highlight - Meet Eric Chong, Avid Comic Collector And Owner Of Fat Snake Comics

Local comic book fans are already familiar with Pink Ponk Comics, located at a cosy corner of Katong Plaza. One of the owners of Pink Ponk Comics is Eric Chong, an avid collector of comic books who grew up reading stories in that medium. Curious about what specific comicsEric has in his collection? You can gawk at his amazing and valuable comic book collection at this 2021video by Straits Times. Oh, one more thing - you might also know him as one of the co-creators of beloved local comic book character, Mr Kiasu.

Pink Ponk Comics has been making their presence felt at Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) - Red Dot Island's largest pop-culture event of the year. Their booth at past events had featured a number of overseas and regional comic book artists, like Ivan Tao, Marco Santucci, Emma Wu and Maria Laura Sanapo, providing fans with ample opportunities to meet their favourite illustrators.

This year, Pink Ponk Comics' involvement at SGCC will be through Fat Snake Comics (FSC), a new company also owned by Eric Chong. On their SGCC 2024 guest list are the veteran comic book creators Mike Zeck and Joe Rubinstein, as well as Rudy Nurdiawan (aka Rudy Ao) and Roland Amago.

Despite the rush to prepare for SGCC 2024 this weekend, Red Dot Diva managed to steal a few precious minutes of Eric Chong's time for a quick Q&A:

Red Dot Diva: You already own a local and well loved comic book store called Pink Ponk? Why did you start up Fat Snake Comics?
Eric: I guess it is God's Calling. After the passing of my beloved Mother in July 2024, I felt a spirit telling me to setup an online comics store, and I decided to name it Fat Snake Comics. My mother was born in the Year of the Snake and she was, you could say, overly chubby. My Dad always teased her about her weight, and so I decided to call the store Fat Snake Comics in memory of her.
The setting up of FSC will not only serve the local and regional comic communities on a separate platform, but more importantly, Fat Snake Comics will allow me and my siblings to remember and honor our Mum, who has sacrificed so much to care and love us unconditionally and against all odds.
Red Dot Diva: Thanks for sharing this. It's really touching.

Red Dot Diva: How is it like to own a comic book store?
Eric: The feeling is priceless. It has been my childhood dream to own a comic book shop, since I am someone who frequents so many comics shops, both local and foreign. I always feel great walking into a comics shop, as I can meet up with other comic book nerds, and to buy and sell comics. The feeling of owning one is even better. I have so many beautiful comics around me, which makes me extremely happy, and it helps take away all the worries and stress in life.

Eric meets Joe Rubinsten at NYCC 2024

Red Dot Diva: What has your experience been like working with veteran guests (e.g. Mike Zeck, Joe Rubinstein) for a big show like SGCC?
Eric: It is my honour that both Mike Zeck and Joe Rubinstein have agreed to be guests at Fat Snake Comics' booth. Initially I was a bit nervous, because I am speaking to two highly respectable and top level artist in the comics industry. But, when I spoke to them, negotiating about the terms and conditions of their agreements, I soon discovered that that they were both of them very nice, humble and easy to work with.

Both Mike Zeck and Joe Rubinstein are very passionate and proud of their works but they are not arrogant at all. They are thoughtful and so kind to me. I suggested that they should be specified "break times" for them during the show, but they insisted on spending more time at their respective booths so the fans will not miss them and for them to mingle with the fans. Now that is what I call "Very Pro", lor. Respect!
Red Dot Diva: Oh gosh. I cannot wait to meet them this weekend. My heart warms up hearing you speak about how they are like. I've met a few big time comic book pros myself and 99% are absolutely lovely, kind people, and you come away from the experience on an absolute high!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fat Snake Comics (@fatsnakecomics)

Red Dot Diva: What do you aspire to achieve with Fat Snake comics at SGCC and beyond?
Eric: Firstly, I hope that FSC and her guests will have a fun-filled and successful show, just like back in 2022 and 2023.

I am blessed to be able to travel to comic cons each year in USA, and the opportunity to meet most of my childhood favourite writers and artists. My heart skipped a beat when I got to shake Frank Miller's hand. For my fellow comic books kakis who are not able to do the same, I hope through FSC, they will be able to meet and talk to their favourite writers and artists here at SGCC.

I hope SGCC 2024 would allow more people to know about the new online comics book store, Fat Snake Comics. The store is not just about buying and selling comics or arts; it also has a vision of revitalising the local comics market and community through shows like SGCC and other events similar events. It is my hope that the fans and collectors will appreciate and support FSC's vision, so that everyone will benefit in the end, as FSC will be able to keep bringing in top writers and artists, both local and foreign, and together, we can make collecting comics and art a joy.
Red Dot Diva: This sounds ambitious, but absolutely lovely. Comic books are for everyone. It is such a special medium that fuses text and images, and I too hope that more people would enjoy the myriad of stories told in this form through FSC's initiatives. See you at SGCC this weekend!


Meet your favourite comic book creators and artists at Pink Ponk Comics/ Fat Snake Comics' SGCC 2024 booth at Booth L1-AA218.

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Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) 2023 Artist Highlight - Digital Artist OSHred's Dark Fantasy Works Is A Sumptuous Blood Bath

Local comic book store Pink Ponk Comics returns to this year's Singapore Comic Convention (SGCC) with a bang. They have invited notable comic book artists to grace their booth at L1-AA14 - 25. During the weekend of 9 and 10 December 2023, comic book fans will be able to meet overseas artists OSHRed, Emma Wu, Maria Sanapo, Marco Santucci and Ivan Tao as well as well as artists from our local community like Johnny Lau, creator of Mr Kiasu, Ye Zhen, James Leong, Collin Yap, Kang Jing (Chiral Comics) and Shahril Azizi - just to name a few.

While admiring the artwork of these special guests, Red Dot Diva is especially attracted to the dark fantasy, gothy style of Philippines-based digital artist and illustrator OSHred (S. Red Amparo). Red Dot Diva is quite the macabre soul, you see. OSHred has mentioned that she loves the colour blue, and that is so evident with her liberal use of indigo hues in her recent portfolio. It's absolutely ravishing.

Besides variant comic book covers for titles such as W0RLDTR33, Good Boy, Vampirella, and Red Sonja, OSHred has drawn book covers and album covers for independent creatives. To get to know her a little better, Red Dot Diva managed to catch OSHred for a quick interview:

Red Dot Diva: Hello OSHred! Your art is simply sumptuous. Did you start drawing when you were very young, like many other artists out there?
OSHred: I've loved drawing ever since I was a kid and spent a lot of time copying from manga, children's books, and drawing the Powerpuff Girls. I discovered digital art by drawing in MS Paint on my mom's laptop using a mouse. I've been doing digital art for about 14 years now and I take a great deal of enjoyment in composing my artworks and connecting with other artists online.

Red Dot Diva: I read in one of your sites that you graduated from 3dsense Media School in Singapore? What was the experience like?
OSHred: I graduated from 3dsense Media School in Singapore in 2017 from their 1-year diploma course in digital illustration and concept art. It's frequently described as an "intense" course and they truly do mean it. My days were jam-packed with studies, exercises, lectures, and illustration homework. My sketchbooks were filled with figure drawings, skeletons, and musculature studies. We studied fundamentals such as perspective, anatomy, light and colour, as well as more advanced subjects such as character, creature, and environment design. I was able to connect with likeminded people who were passionate about art and some of them are still my friends to this day. I learned a lot from the instructors and I had the opportunity to study under Artgerm, whose work I'd admired since I was a young teen. I'm certain that studying at 3dsense significantly altered the trajectory of my art journey.

Red Dot Diva: I am most interested to know what inspires your art style. Which artists’ work have influenced your style?
OSHred: Artgerm inevitably had a great deal of influence on my art. Some other artists whose works inform my current style are Phil Hale, James Jean, Dave McKean, and João Ruas. I also draw a lot of inspiration from horror & psychological thriller films; I enjoy the work of directors such as Park Chan-wook, Robert Eggers, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and the Cronenbergs. In my free time, I also enjoy consuming dark media in various forms (film, books, music, manga) all of which help inform my work.

Red Dot Diva: I see your love for the macabre, but mostly with a cutesy spin to it. Do you love visiting actual physical sites that are macabre, like gothic cemeteries and catacombs? Some of these historical sites have beautiful sculptures and art.
OSHred: I have been lucky enough to visit places in Europe and the Middle East (such as France, Germany, Egypt, Turkey, to name a few) where I spent some time observing very old churches and surrounded by very dead things. There is a lot of beautiful architecture out there which take on a frightening air because of time and dust. I think because of the religious nature of these trips, the effect is that some of my artwork has a subtly blasphemous flavour (although when actually visiting, I am always respectful of these sites). That said, the most macabre places I visit are frequently in my own head and in the heads of other people.

Red Dot Diva: Which kind of supernatural creature or monster do you love drawing? And why?
OSHred: My favourite monster to draw is the human being. :) But to answer more seriously, I love drawing vampires (which is basically human-shaped anyway). I read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles when I was a kid, which I think had an effect on my preferences. A few years ago I was playing a decent amount of Vampire: The Masquerade, so I drew a lot of art of my vampire character, as well as the characters of others. Vampires are easy because if you add a splash of blood to any character, you can basically get away with saying they're a vampire.
Red Dot Diva: I get ya. Vampires are also my thing!

Red Dot Diva: How did you become the cover artist for W0rldtr33 and Source point’s Good Boy? Do you have any tips on how artists can get noticed by publishing companies?
OSHred: I hesitate to give advice on getting hired, because what worked for me might not work for others, and I don't know how applicable the advice will be in a few years considering how fast our industry tends to change. That said, as embarrassing as it may be, don't underestimate the power of networking. I was lucky enough to be noticed by a comic retailer through social media (Instagram specifically), who saw that I was connected with Artgerm and he apparently requested that Stan help establish communication between the two of us. Stan was kind enough to do so, which led to me getting hired for my first variant covers for comic retailers. I like to think it was not one element, but many, that led to me getting hired and continues to help me get hired: I put effort into creating decent quality work with a consistent, recognizable style, as well as maintaining a solid presence on social media and connecting with artists I admire. Maintaining good relationships with current clients also makes them more likely to recommend me to others, and few things are more effective than word of mouth.

Red Dot Diva: Is this the first time participating at Comic conventions in Singapore? Please let us know what can we look forward to, along with your appearance in this year's SGCC.
OSHRed: Yes, this is my first time participating in a comic con in Singapore. I've attended a couple for fun in the past, but it will be my first time tabling. I'll be offering signatures and remarques, dropping off some pre-convention commissions, as well as selling prints of both my original artworks and more popular fanarts. If you are friendly and vaccinated, I might provide hugs (free of charge).

Red Dot Diva: That sounds like a plan! See you soon at the convention!.


You can check out more of OSHred's artwork at her DeviantArt page!

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