The Comic Embassy - Get To Know Clio Hui, Clio Ding and Rixou Low (15 - 30 August 2022)

For the last 3 months, pop-up art community space The Comic Embassy held an array of activities to help raise the profile of our island’s local comic book scene.

From 15 to 30 August, the headlining theme will be Realms Of Allures, and artist ambassadors CLIO HUI, CLIO DING and RIXOU LOW (Liu JiaHui) are poised to share their art and experiences about comic book creation in the local marketplace. The trio have each published original books set in an alluring and imaginative fantasy world filled with cyborgs, demons, dinosaurs, fallen angels and vampires.

To find out more information about the events scheduled from 15 to 30 August 2022, check out the link here: https://sgcartoonhub.com/comic-embassy/#programme-2

Here’s an introduction to the three artist ambassadors for the last fortnight of The Comic Embassy:

The Comic Embassy - Meet Sam Lay, Sean Lam and Kang Jing (1 - 14 August 2022)

Since The Comic Embassy's launch in June 2022, the pop-up art community space has hosted a number of local comic book creators like artists Foo Swee Chin, James Leong, Alan Bay and Collin Yap. These ambassadors met art students, comic book fans, did live drawings, drew portrait sketches as well as conducted interesting workshops about illustrating comic books. Creative guests like poet Felix Cheong also shared about their personal creative journeys.

Last month, on Community Day, a busy flow of comic book fans, art students and members of the public mingled and sat down for portrait sketches by the artist ambassadors. The many colourful participants of the Harajuku Fashion Walk Singapore dropped by that day, adding on to the convivial and creative ambience of the place.

The Comic Embassy will wrap up its busy and fruitful run promoting the local comic book scene at the end of August 2022. Before that happens, the organizers have planned a list of exciting activities, and will be introducing more featured guests throughout the month.

From 1 to 14 August, the theme will be Realms Of Chiaroscuro. SAM LAY, SEAN LAM and KANG JING are the three featured artists who will share and demonstrate the use of their skills and techniques of using light and darkness to tell compelling narratives. There are also scheduled sessions with other creatives like veteran artist Cheah Sin Ann (best known for The House Of Lim), Zaki Rahman and Danny Jalil.

The Comic Embassy - An Interview With Inimitable Local Artist Foo Swee Chin

The pop-up artist commnunal space at Tekka Place called The Comic Embassy, is featuring two artist ambassadors for the month of July. Veteran local freelance artist Foo Swee Chin, more affectionately known as FSc, is one of the artist ambassadors. The other is local illustrator and comic book creator Alan Bay.

FSc has been creating comic books cartoons, games, manga, tattoos and web journals since the early 2000s. Her various works have been published in Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and the US. She is well known for her NIGHTMARES AND FAIRYTALES comic book series (2002 to 2005) published by Slave Labor Graphics (SLG), in collaboration with writer Serena Valentino. She gained a large following in Japan when she managed to publish her work there. One of them is NIHON LAH (2012 to 2015), an online travel blog comic. Her other works include psychological-supernatural tales like muZz (SLG) and MINCE (Neko Press). FSc's historical action comic PARAMESWARA AND TEMASEK: THE SACKING OF SINGAPORE, was also featured during the Singapore Bicentennial celebration.

There is no easy way to describe FSc's unique yet recognisable art style. Her mix of the morose, almost Tim Burton-esque sentiments and fluid, imaginative visuals, are as enigmatic as FSc herself. Curious to find out what makes her tick, Red Dot Diva asked her some nosy questions:

The Comic Embassy - An Interview With Versatile Comic Book Creator Alan Bay

The Comic Embassy, a pop-up artist commnunal space at Tekka Place, is currently in its second month of operation. Every month from June 2022, two artist ambassadors will be in the spotlight, providing ample opportunities for people to meet them, and get to know more about their creative works. In June, the artist ambassadors were Collin Yap and James Leong. This month, local artists Alan Bay and Foo Swee Chin will step into the spotlight.

Alan Bay is a prolific illustrator and comic book creator who is known for his artwork in several high profile projects, including games like Assassin's Creeds: Brotherhood and TMNT, and the comic book “ONCE UPON A SINGAPORE... TRADERS”, which was nominated for Singapore Book Publishers Association's Book of the Year 2019.

Red Dot Diva last met Alan Bay when he was busy promoting local fantasy comic book “SACRED GUARDIANS”, published by Asiapac Books. She managed to catch up with Alan for this interview as he prepares for his appearances at the Comic Embassy:

Art Is Community - The Comic Embassy Opens At Tekka Place - 11 June 2022

A brand new communal space called The Comic Embassy will be opening at Tekka Place this Saturday (11 June), and you are all invited! The experimental project is conceptualised by SG Cartoon Resource Hub, supported by Tekka 1001 with sponsorship from Millet Group and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

From June to November 2022, The Comic Embassy aims to generate more interest for local comic book artists and creators, by showcasing the talent of established as well as emerging artists. A pair of artist ambassadors will be featured each month. Through an extensive programme that includes book launches, meet and greet sessions, live drawing, workshops and more, The Comic Embassy hopes to provide ways for artists to connect with the public, including comic book fans as well as future collaborators.

The Comic Embassy - An Interview With Multi-faceted Freelance Artist James Leong

An exciting and experimental communal space for comic artists called The Comic Embassy is currently being set up at Tekka Place. The embassy aims to promote local interest in comic creation, and will shine the spotlight on two artist ambassadors each month.

Local freelance artist James Leong is one of the artists who will help kick off the launch of The Comic Embassy. Upon first impression, James’ buff and tough exterior might remind you of an Asian Jason Statham, all ready to dive into action with guns a-blazing. However, instead of drawing real-life weapons, James draws gorgeous art pieces of highly imaginative characters and creatures.

Before he went freelance, James spent decades toughing it out as Art Director in the advertising industry, working with client projects like OCBC and SK-II. Now, he not only creates comics and manages his own wearable art brand #DaCatPeeps, he also flexes his knowledge as a professional educator teaching enthusiasts about art, story-telling and related topics.

As an artist with several years of working experience, James certainly has a lot to share. So, Red Dot Diva pumped up a few nosy questions, just to find out a little more about the man behind the drawing board:

GnB Comics Announces Guest Artist Shane Davis at FCBD 2019

Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is held annually on the first Saturday in May. This year, the event falls on the same day as May the 4th, or Star Wars Day, which means, that the day is going to be jam-packed with geeky events held in various locations.

However, if you are not a mega Star Wars fan, and have not pre-ordered a FCBD pack from Kinokuniya, then Red Dot Diva says there is one place you have to go to collect your free comic books - local comic book store, GnB Comics. The day is also one of the best opportunities to get a friend or family member interested in reading comics.

GnB Comics hosts FCBD in the most festive and fun way. The lines may be long, but there are usually poster or pin giveaways for early birds, and photo booths for your Instagram snaps. Cosplayers also make their rounds to keep things lively, and there is a wide range of free comics for you to select.

Some of the comics are already listed on the event page, like “Earth's Mightiest Heroes: Avengers”, “Spawn”, “Riverdale”, “Stranger Things”, “Vampirella” and more.

For this year's FCBD, GnB Comics has announced artist Shane Davis as a special guest. Shane Davis is well-known as the co-creator and artist of DC Comics' “Superman: Earth One”. He was also involved with Justice League of America, “Green Lantern: Brightest Day”, and Marvel's “Deadpool vs X-Force”.

Shane Davis will be meeting comic book fans at the GnB store from 12 PM to 3 PM. This will be a great time to get your sketches or comic books signed!

Something to note about these special FCBD comics - they are not free for the retailers, who end up bearing the costs for promoting comics as a medium. When you are at the store on that day, do support the local business by purchasing an item or two. That would go a long way to in helping to keep the comic book store running for everyone's benefit!

There will definitely be more details about GnB's FCBD event rolling out this week. Just keep tabs on GnB's Facebook Event Page for more news as to how many comics are available for each person, what are the goodies given away, as well as any other side activities. And, remember to be there early on May the 4th to choose your desired comics!

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FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
Where: GnB Comics, Blk 809 French Road Kitchener Complex #02-38
When: 4th May 2019
Time: starting from 12 PM

STGCC 2017: An Interview with Mirka Andolfo - Female Heroes Can be Sexy Too!

Italian artist Mirka Andolfo has a vast experience working with indie comic book publishers like BOOM!, Dynamite and Zenescope, as well created her own cheeky angel-devil romance title called "Sacro/ Profano". Recently, she worked on DC Comics' series "DC Bombshells" as well as "Wonder Woman".

From her portfolio, it is evident that Mirka Andolfo draws influences heavily from manga, with a penchant for drawing women in cute-sexy poses. What is most eye-catching about her drawings is how she manages to add wonderful facial expression and movement to the figures, with hair or items of clothing flowing in sync with the character's action, as if she manages to catch them in a second's freeze frame.

Mirka Andolfo is a guest at this year's STGCC and this will be her visiting this part of the world. Red Dot Diva managed to catch hold of her for a quick interview before this week's convention.


Red Dot Diva: When you first started out doing art as a career, did you have a mentor, and what important things did you learn from this person?
Mirka: After my graduation, I started attending a comic school in Naples (my hometown). After one year of study, I had the chance to have a little work as colourist for a comic, and then I started a career as colorist, working on international properties like “The Kite Runner” (my first “important” job), then “Mickey Mouse”, “Geronimo Stilton”, “Ice Age”, “Adventure Time”, and some French and American comics.

To be honest I never had a mentor. I was inspired by many great Italian artists, and some of them became friends of mine, and gave me a lot of valuable advice.

STGCC 2017: Booth Highlight - Treat Yourself with a Dose of Callous Comics!

Dr. Carlo Jose San Juan is a great example of how one can be scientific and artistic at the same time. He also proves that with determination and passion, one can have a busy professional day job as well as achieve success from your own creative ideas.

His comic strip "Callous", which chronicles the life of Dr. Rianne Nicah and Cal Duck (yes, he's a talking duck who guides her through good times and bad), has been on-going for over 20 years. It is also published in the Manila Bulletin.

Red Dot Diva knows that there may be many aspiring creators out there who already have their own webtoons, self-published stories or zines who find a challenge getting their work to more people out there. Perhaps, you might like to learn something from Dr Carlo's personal experience!

Red Dot Diva: Hi there! Please introduce yourself to the comic book/ cartoon readers here, and how you got into sequential art.
Dr Carlo: Hello! I'm Dr. Carlo Jose San Juan from the Philippines and I'm a practicing physician, cartoonist, comic book writer, and voice actor. Watching a lot of cartoons and reading a lot of comics when I was younger inspired me to pursue sequential art as a profession in the hopes of replicating the positive effect these media had on me on other people.

STGCC 2017: An Interview with Controversial Artist-Writer Frank Cho (Outrage!)

A couple of years ago, comic book artist and creator Frank Cho was flung headlong into controversy when a segment of fans went nuclear over his Milo Manara spoof sketch cover of Spider-Gwen. A discussion about misogyny and "appropriate depictions" of female characters in the comic book industry, exploded all over the internet. It seemed like everyone and anyone had something to say about Frank Cho's art choices.

The intense backlash has not hurt Frank Cho's career, and he probably has not stopped trolling his haters ever since. Many may find his sense of humour and cheesecake art offensive, but Frank Cho is also a wonderful writer, and recently, he has been concentrating on his own creative works.

With "Skybourne", a five-issue series published by BOOM! Studios, Frank Cho puts his own spin to the Arthurian legend, and propels it to the modern times. "Skybourne" is his first creator-own publication since popular comic strip "Liberty Meadows", and the fantasy-adventure tale has been very well received by readers and critics.

Other projects include "Guns & Dinos" at Image Comics, and "World of Payne" with novelist Tom Sniegoski for Flesk Publications. He is also the cover artist for DC Comics' "Harley Quinn".

Frank Cho has been announced as a guest for this year's STGCC, and Agent W and Red Dot Diva decided to team up (with a healthy dose of Outrage!) to get some dibs prior to his trip here.

Meet Benjamin Chee, Writer/ Artist of Comic Book Charsiew Space!

As someone growing up in Red Dot Island, where most people are food-crazy, reading Benjamin Chee's self-published comic book "Charsiew Space" was like nomming on comfort food. To be more exact, it was like savouring yummy local dishes while nonchalantly trotting about on a wild space adventure.

In a sector of a certain galaxy, pork including the traditional roasted version called charsiew, has been banned. Sow, a shrewd elderly Ah Mm (i.e. "old lady") teams up with a space smuggler and his robot to bring the delicacy back on the menu, but not without re-pork-ussions from the citizens of Pig Planet.

Red Dot Diva thought "Charsiew Space" was such a lively and hilarious comic that she recently sent a copy of it to Paul Levitz (formerly the president and publisher of DC Comics) as a small birthday gift . He thought Benjamin's art was "charming".

Today is #PaulLevitz's birthday. If you could sit him down to talk about the history of comics, especially in DC, and in other various general topics, you will learn and be enlightened by so many things and information. He is a rare kind of man (so far in my short life) who lights up thousands of my brain cells at one time. I sent Paul a copy of my friend's little self-published comic #CharsiewSpace as a small birthday gift and he said, "Benjamin's art is charming, and it's making me itch for a local NY restaurant called Pig Heaven..." Happy birthday, Paul!! 🎈🎂 🎈 🎉 Wishing you more fun and happy birthday years to come! #Comics #Singapore #Malaysia #artist #writer #CharsiewSpace #books

A photo posted by Red Dot Diva (@reddotdiva) on Oct 20, 2016 at 7:10pm PDT

She also wants to share the love for this delightful piece of work to the comic book geeks out there, and enticed Benjamin (via a portion of fragrant charsiew) to answer a few nosy questions:

STGCC 2016: Booth Highlight - Diva Speaks to Indian Artist Vivek Goel, Founder of Holy Cow Entertainment

Red Dot Diva finds it exciting when foreign comic book publishers decide to exhibit their wares in Red Dot Island. When she found out that Vivek Goel , one of the first time exhibitors at STGCC 2016, was linked to an Indian publishing company called Holy Cow Entertainment, and she began look up for their books on the Internet.

Oh, and what a treasure trove that was!!

Most of the residents of Red Dot Island are not totally unfamiliar with the vivid colour, smells and stories of the Indian people, as they have been part of our history and racial landscape for centuries. However, what the locals see or hear relating to the Indian culture is only the tip of the iceberg.

So, to see how Vivek Goel, the founder of Holy Cow Entertainment, take core Indian-centric tales and reach out to modern readers in this digital age, is a wondrous and beautiful to behold. The sample pages of their books on the publishing house's social media are filled with dynamic story panels and staggeringly beautiful art, not unlike those who might see on the structures of the Hindu temples dotting Red Dot Island.

Red Dot Diva had a highly enlightening interview with Vivek Goel, to find out more about his journey in the comic books medium, his company and their publications.

STGCC 2016: Tom Taylor Reveals How He Plans His Regular Day As A Writer

Dramatist. Screenwriter. Songwriter. Comic Book writer. Best-selling author.

WOW.

Wait. There's more.

Professional Juggler. Fire-eater!

The awards and achievements of rising star Tom Taylor is simply astounding. Comic book fans will be familiar with Tom's works in the DC Comics series "Injustice: Gods Amongst Us", as well as a list of Star Wars comics published by Dark Horse, before the property was handed over to Marvel in 2015.

Tom has also co-created his own graphic novel by Aussie publishing house Gestalt, together with illustrator James Brouwer, called "The Deep: Here Be Dragons". The book, about the Netktons, a family of sea explorers, won Australia's Aurealis Award for Best illustrated book/graphic novel in 2012. "The Deep" is now a Netflix CG animation series, and was recently aired in the USA beginning June 2016. 

Other than books, he is also known for his various plays. The short "The Example" is probably the most well-known, and has been performed at homeground Australia, the UK, and even in Red Dot Island's The Esplanade in 2009! "The Example" is about the collision of opinions, prejudices, superstition and feelings of distrust when two people meet at a train station where a bag has been abandoned on the platform. The story has also been adapted into a Gestalt Publishing graphic novel, with Tom roping in the help of artist Colin Wilson.

There certainly must be a multi-coloured cloud of fun, clever and thought-provoking ideas floating in Tom Taylor's brain. So, Red Dot Diva and Glam Bloggers Alliance pal Agent W neural probed Tom's brain to see what makes it tick:

STGCC 2016: Artist & Creator Emma Rios Reveals Her Own Memorable Fan Encounters

Every year without fail, STGCC organizer Reed Exhibitions would send out a survey to attendees and guests asking them for their views about different aspects of the year's show. And in every single survey form, Red Dot Diva would request that Reed should invite more female creators as guests.

Red Dot Diva's wish has finally come true as there will be at least four women comic book creators on the guest list in the upcoming STGCC 2016. (Yes, there have been female guests before, but for several years, the male comic book guests far out number the women ones!)

Spanish graphic book artist and creator Emma Rios will be heading to Red Dot Island together with other stellar female artists - Brooke Allen, Stephanie Hans and Hwei Lim. Each of these artists have made their mark in the comic book sphere with their enriching and noteworthy creations.

In Emma Rios' case, she has built a solid fan base through the years drawing for comic, ranging from Boom! Studio's "Hexed" series to Marvel's "Dr Strange" with writer Mark Waid. She then worked with high profile writer Kelly Sue Deconnick on "Osborn" and the collaboration continued again with twisted Western-horror folklore "Pretty Deadly", published by Image Comics. Her fluid and wildly imaginative art style lends a kind of unearthly quality to the images, making them seem as if they are about to pop up from a fuzzy dreamscape or bloody nightmare.

Beyond just providing artwork for books, Emma Rios has also written original stories and designing new worlds, for example in the dystopian tale called "I.D". She has also been working closely with best friend Hwei Lin for fantasy series "Mirror", which was also published by Image Comics. The two ladies will join forces as guests of STGCC 2016, and will be launching the convention-exclusive "Mirror: The Mountain" book during the show.

In the short Q&A below, Red Dot Diva got to know a bit more about Emma Rios and her creative preferences.

Speech Bubble - A Celebration of Comics in Singapore, 2 to 30 September 2016

Next month, the Red Dot Island comics scene will be given the spotlight in a special almost month-long event called Speech Bubble held at Basement 1 of the National Library, from 2 to 30 September.

Organized by media company Potato Productions and local comic book artist Sonny Liew. Sonny has also been in the spotlight in recent times, mainly due to the accolades he received for his brilliant brainchild, "The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye". "The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye" won the Singapore Literature Prize for fiction this year - the first graphic novel to receive such a recognition!

Speech Bubble event consists of an exhibition of original works, books and comics-related collectors items, like those by featured artists Johnny Lau, who is best known for the iconic Mr Kiasu comic series, and pioneer Malaysian artist Nora Abdullah, who published her first comic called "Cik Siti Wan Kembang" in 1955. Other creative works on display include those by Sonny Liew, Eric Khoo, Troy Chin, Otto Fong, Koh Hong Teng, Colin Goh, Gary Zhu, Cheah Sinann and many, many more!

STGCC 2016: Jacob Chabot Chats About Tsum Tsums and Hello Kitty!

Looking for a graphic novel or book that is funny, adventurous and suitable for all ages?

Do a search for the name Jacob Chabot, and a list of lively titles like "Plants vs Zombies", "Hello Kitty", "Spongebob Comics", "X-Babies" and his creator-owned New York Times best-selling book "The Might Skullboy: Garden Warfare" will crop up.

Jacob Chabot, who has been announced as an STGCC guest, is also the writer for Marvel's new "Tsum Tsum" mini series. A limited edition variant of the #1 issue will be available as an exclusive at this year's STGCC.

Before Jacob heads to the convention on 10 & 11 September 2016, Red Dot Diva had a chance to bounce a few quirky questions off the prolific cartoonist:

STGCC 2016: "LumberJanes" Creator Brooke Allen Is Intrigued by Carrot Cake!

Have you been counting down to Red Dot Island's geekiest event of the year?

Red Dot Diva has been keeping track of the countdown. And it's now 31 days to STGCC! The pop-culture event is held at Halls E and F, Basement 2 of MBS' Sands Convention Centre on 10 & 11 September.

A list of interesting and well-known guests ranging from comic book creators, concept artists and illustrators, toy designers and cosplayers have already been announced, and among them is Brooke Allen, one of the creators of award-winning graphic novel series "Lumberjanes", published by BOOM! Studios.

Red Dot Diva loves her lively quirky art style. Peek into Brooke's tumblr and you'll spot drawings of monsters, funny animation gifs, a peek into her various works in progress, and many tributes to her pet dog, Linus. Brooke not only draws, she also crafts unique resin figurines and collectibles!
 
To get more local fans acquainted with Brooke and her work, Red Dot Diva got her to answer a few nosy questions:

STGCC 2016: More Guests Announced, Including Emma Rios, Jacob Chabot and Stephanie Hans

The announcement for the second wave of Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention (STGCC) guests was released when Red Dot Diva was having her holiday in the UK.

Unlike in previous years, Red Dot Diva is glad to see that there are a few more noteworthy women creators in the guest list. She hopes that their presence at the convention will help boost the profile and confidence of other female creators locally in the region.

One of the female creator guests is Spanish artist Emma Rios, who has her very own graphic novel called "I.D." published with Image Comics. She is also part of the creative team for "Pretty Deadly" with popular writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and the scifi-fantasy series "Mirror" with artist Hwei Lim. Prior to these published works, Emma has also illustrated for Boom! Studios ("Hexed") and Marvel ("Doctor Strange", "Amazing Spider-man").

Post-STGCC 2015: Videos! A Quick Roundup, Greeting From Adam Hughes and Talking Comics Panel!

Was STGCC 2015 a fun weekend for you?

Red Dot Diva had a great time with fellow geeks and friends, despite the haze and a severe bout of exhaustion due to lack of sleep. Also, the convention guests were stellar, especially Agnes Garbowska's, Adam Hughes' and Simone Legno's lines were never-ending, and both worked so hard to sign, chat and sketch for their fans.

Red Dot Diva and Toys-etc's Ed are rushing to head to Manila for AsiaPop Comicon Manila in a few hours. So, here's a post-STGCC round-up.... in video!

STGCC 2015: Gilamon Studio's Lefty Will Be Swinging By With Some Very Limited Edition Art Goodies!

STGCC has become a bonding time between many of the region's artists and fans, especially if they only get to see each other once a year or so!

It's also Red Dot Diva's opportunity to be able to catch up with Lefty from Gilamon Studio again. She has always liked his art style, and she has to blame him for always tempting her with his art goodies. Bad, Lefty! Very bad! ;)

If you have been to Penang's Georgetown in the last few years, you would have noticed that there are notable street art located in several places. Lefty has contributed many pieces, including this steel rod sculpture based on this artwork called "Win Win Situation".

Pic found on Pinterest (Source unknown?)

This year, Lefty will be dropping by local store GnB Comics this coming Friday as well as roving around STGC. He has VERY LIMITED pieces of his art available for pre-order! Most have 10 pieces or fewer left! (Scroll down toward the end of this article for the description and prices.)

Red Dot Diva last did an interview with Lefty about 3 years ago. Wow. Time sure flies. (Check out the article here.) She has bumped into him at conventions between then and now, but since he has some really cool stuff available for sale this coming Friday, she grabbed him for a quickie online Q&A.