Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) 2022 - What To See And Do This Weekend (10 & 11 December)

Singapore Comic Convention (SGCC) will open its doors at Sands Expo & Convention Centre this weekend, 10 & 11 December 2022, from 10 AM to 8 PM! The hottest, vibiest pop-culture party of the year is spread over two levels this year at Level 1 and Basement 1.

This may be the first time you will be attending SGCC. Or, maybe you are short of time and do not managed to work out your convention strategy yet. Don't worry. Red Dot Diva offers five suggestions of what you can and do at the convention!

Phantom on the Scan #1 Is An Atmospheric Start To A Creepy Paranormal Tale

Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Mark Torres, co-creators of the chilling horror series “COLD SPOTS”, have teamed up again with another supernatural tale with AfterShock Comics. Their new series called “PHANTOM ON THE SCAN” was launched last week, and the first issue offers intriguing teasers about how the story is going to unfold in the next week books.

Lead character Matthew Jordan began manifesting his psychic powers through a child spectre, after a comet fell to earth 20 years ago. Every time he uses his abilities, he feels his life force being drained away.

Matt learns that he is not the only one experiencing this phenomenon, and gathers together a group of psychics with an objective to save themselves from certain death. However, when one of them dies horribly during their first meeting, they discover something even more sinister is out to get them.

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

Guest Host on Red Dot Diva's Next Facebook Livestream - Carlo Jose San Juan (MD) of Callous Comics

For Red Dot Diva's monthly Facebook livestream, she has moved beyond the shores of Red Dot Island to feature her first overseas guest - Carlo Jose San Juan (MD) of Callous Comics!

Yes, Carlo Jose San Juan is a medical doctor from Manila, the Philippines. He also churns out Callous Comics cartoons on an admirably consistent and prolific rate. As it turns out, Callous Comics is celebrating its 24th Anniversary this year, having shared numerous snapshots of physician Dr. Rianne Nicah's daily life, together with her Guardian Duck named Cal Duck, and her group of friends.

It has not been easy for Dr. Carlo as well as his main comic character Rianne during this on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the tough challenges that have turned the world upside down, Callous Comics' outlook remains brave and hopeful.

The “A DOSE OF THE BRIGHT SIDE” livestream will set aside an hour of conversation where Dr. Carlo will share about his experiences navigating life with two interesting professions, and how he manages to remain positive during such difficult times. Red Dot Diva and her guest will also chat about the meaning of art during a worldwide pandemic and the rise of web comics in recent times.

Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) 2019 - Q&A With Thai Award-Winning Manga Artist Prema-Ja

Thai artist and animator Prema Jatukanyaprateep - more commonly known by her pen name Prema-Ja - will be coming to Red Dot Island this December as one of the guests of popculture convention, Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) 2019.

In 2014, BOKBIG, her manga about a boy and his mischievous pet dog, beat 256 entries and won the 2014 Gold Award at the International Manga Award in Japan.

Prema-Ja's cheerful, colourful and fun artwork has been featured in children's books as well. Go take a look at her her social media accounts, where she has posted an imaginative take on Inktober with a series of wonderful mermaid drawings, and you will see what Red Dot Diva is talking about!

Red Dot Diva: What got you interested and passionate about animation art?
Prema-Ja: I think it is about the storytelling. When start working on my art projects - beside beautiful pictures, I try to focus on the story in the work. And I love telling a story so the animation art and also comic art serves my intention.

Red Dot Diva: Who are your favourite artists, and why?
Prema-Ja: Amano Yoshitaka, a Japanese artist. His style is unique. The ambiance in his work, mysterious and brimming with fantasy, fascinates me. Another one is Beatrix Potter, an English artist. I love how she draws humanoid animals characters. They are so attractive.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Prema-Ja (@prema_ja) on Oct 28, 2019 at 7:39am PDT

Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) 2019 - David Mack Returns, Lineup Includes Jim Mahfood, John Layman, Tik Ka and Koh Hong Teng

The guest list for Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) 2019 is getting better and better!

In the latest news on the pop-culture convention's guest lineup, there will be fan favourites returning to Red Dot Island, like David Mack, Mirka Andolfo, and James C. Mulligan, as well as first-timer guests Jim Mahfood, Alexander Iacarrino and John Layman together with Asian-based creators Koh Teng Hong, Peach MoMoKo, Tikka from the East and Michael Sng.

DAVID MACK
It is always a joyous time of year when David Mack decides to return to our local comic convention. He has built up a loyal fan base in this region, and his booth is always busy!

David Mack is well known as the creator of the KABUKI graphic novel series, and as the co-creator of Marvel character Echo from the Daredevil comics. His beautiful brush strokes can be seen in varied and high profile projects like JESSICA JONES, FIGHT CLUB 2 and FIGHT CLUB 3, AMERICAN GODS, and Dynamite's new series released this year, XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS.

David was also involved with the exceptional, Emmy-nominated opening title sequence for Marvel TV Series “JESSICA JONES”, as well as the concept design, artwork and sequence for “CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER” together with with Sarofsky Designs. Fans of Showtime series “DEXTER” will be familiar with his art in the Early Cuts episodes, and noticed a his recognisable artwork featured in the series episodes.

Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) 2019: More Guests Announced - Sarah Andersen, Fishball, Donny Cates and Yasmine Putri

The rebranded Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) that will be held Marina Bay Sands' Convention Centre on 7 & 8 December 2019, is ramping up the excitement with an interesting, varied guest list!

So far, the headlining guests include comic book artist fan favourites like Greg Capullo and Jock. The convention will also be welcoming Transformers artist Livio Ramondelli, upcoming artist Creees, illustrators Tara McPherson, Joey Spiotto and Prema-Ja, as well as cosplayers Jin (BehindInfinity) and Astarohime.

This week, SGCC announced a new initiative called "WORK IN PROGRESS (W.I.P.)" for South-East Asian creators. There will be more details on this at the end of this article.

The convention also welcomes even more wonderful guests to the local pop-culture event of the year. They are:


SARAH ANDERSEN

You would most probably have seen Sarah Andersen's quirky webcomic called SARAH'S SCRIBBLES, which features a googley-eyed, introverted girl and her struggles in daily in life. Sarah's observations on the minute details on every day moments like going to a bathroom, the weird things pet cats do, dealing with the summer heat and life's anxieties are spot on.

Sarah Andersen's work of art are also available in books, like HERDING CATS, BIG MUSHY HAPPY LUMP and ADULTHOOD IS A MYTH.

Meet Writer/ Artist Max Loh Who Defended Local Flavour with C.B. Cebulski

When Red Dot Diva thinks of food *and* comics, the first name that comes up in her mind is Marvel's VP and talent scout C.B. Cebulski, who is also a foodie and has his own blog called Eataku.

Locally, a well-known food related comic called Dim Sum Warriors by couple Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen, comes to mind. Dim Sum Warriors was were recently adapted into a musical production staged in China.

Others include Red Dot Diva's friend Benjamin Chee of "Charsiew Space", who relished in depicting charming stories surrounding food (yum yum!), as well as Max Loh, who has a self-published book called "About Food". Max recently collaborated with C.B. Cebulski to produce a limited edition superhero food-related postcard entitled "Defend Local Flavour" at this year's STGCC.

Regarding this semi hush-hush collaboration between the two, you might have spotted something shady going on near the Walk of Fame on the first day of STGCC. Somewhat like this:

And if you gave fan love to C.B. Cebulski  at his STGCC Walk of Fame sessions, you should already have received the "Defend Local Flavour" postcard specially signed by him! The postcards were available *only* during STGCC 2017.


Max Loh, the illustrator of the special postcard, is a self-taught artist with a very science-y background. He graduated in Biomedical Science, and has worked as a Research Officer for the past 7 years. You can find his works published in anthology books, "Liquid City Vol 3" (Image) and "Driving Malaysia" (Maple Comics). The later was commissioned by the tech company which owns the popular ride-hailing app.

Max also has a few self-published books like "The Road Not Taken" and "Pointes de Contrôle". Red Dot Diva finds his writing and drawings deeply personal and contemplative, which may help put things into perspective for those who have musings in similar subjects.

Here's a nosy interview with Max regarding his experiences in his journey of being a mostly indie comic book writer/ artist.

Photo by Nicholas Lee

Red Dot Diva: You mentioned that you are a self-taught artist. How did you improve on your craft since you started drawing comics?
Max: Well, I've been to art classes as a kid, so that might not be considered as strictly 'self taught'. However, those were mostly landscapes and posters for school work.

I've learnt the visual language of comics through guidebooks (does anyone still remember the "How To Draw Manga" series of books from the early 2000s?) and emulating things I like from comics I've read. I put out my first self-published comic with friends in 2003, and I think it was only back in 2012 that I started finding my footing in terms of style and the kinds of stories I want to tell.

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: Comic Book Guests David Mack, Adi Granov, Sonny Liew & Mirka Andolfo Added to Lineup!

STGCC 2017 is creeping up on us, and if you have not been keeping up with the news, Reed has announced another list of guests recently. Don't worry, Red Dot Diva is here to recap the second wave of guest announcement.

DAVID MACK
This will be the third time Emmy and Eisner Award nominee David Mack will be back in Red Dot Island, and his booth has always been one of the busiest at the convention. He is also Red Dot Diva's all-time favourite, bicepstous artist. *Flex Flex!*

David Mack is the creator, author and artist for graphic novel series "Kabuki". He has also worked on cover art for the comics adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", Marvel's "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones", and collaborated with writer Chuck Palahniuk for "Fight Club 2 " in the comic book sequel to the cult hit movie.

Sonny Liew Wins 3 Eisner Awards for "The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye"!

The announcements of the Eisner Award 2017 winners came in early this morning over Comixology's live Twitter feed. The award ceremony for The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards (also called "the Eisner" for short) was held at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel during SDCC on Friday night, Pacific Time.

Red Dot Diva nervously scrolled down the list and OMG... guess who won Best Writer/ Artist?? It is none other than our very own Sonny Liew, for this work on "The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye"!

This is the first time a Singaporean had won an Eisner. She did a Diva Dance of Joy!

Photo by @comixology

Join the "Femme Magnifique" Graphic Novel Anthology Kickstarter Campaign!

Never before has the volume of female voices come through so strongly in various forms of geek and pop culture than in recent times, where the rights of women are being questioned and debated upon. These discussions range from the Gamergate incident, the hacking and leaking of celebrities' nude photos, and the rise of "Cosplay Is Not Consent", to the success of the movie "Hidden Figures" which was based on the lives of three black female "computers" who worked at NASA.

Most of these voices from women have been delivered with courage in times of adversity and polarity, while some voices are made in derision against or in confusion as to what a female voice really means. There may be a high level of unfiltered noise and negativity in the feminist rhetoric, and yet, this is the opportunity to fight stereotypes about women and set the stage for more varied and uplifting female-centric stories to be told.

Former Executive Editor of DC's Vertigo imprint Shelly Bond takes up the challenge by creating a comic book project called "Femme Magnifique". She will be working closely together with Kristy and Brian Miller of HiFi Colour Design to publish the hardcover graphic novel anthology, which will consist of 30 short stories about kickass women who have been trailblazers in art, science, history and pop culture.

In Tribute to our Princess, our General - Carrie Fisher (1956 - 2016)

In this personal tribute, Red Dot Diva speaks of what Carrie Fisher means to her.

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Carrie Fisher died on my birthday.

From now on, I will always be celebrating my life while remembering hers. Such is the bittersweet cycle of life, and how different lives connect with each other in different ways. Like many in the Star Wars community, I will miss her dearly.

I first saw 19-year-old Carrie Fisher on screen at the old Odeon movie theatre when I was 10 years old. My grandmother, mother and aunty were movie fans, but for them, they relished in the sad weepy Chinese black and whites, where almost every woman character in those 1.5 hours were put through all sorts of tragedies in life. I sat through many of such movies. While my mom or grandma would whip out tissue after tissue to wipe their overflowing tears, I sat there perched in between them feeling utterly bored, and absolutely bewildered on how helpless or hopeless these women characters were.

Why can't they take charge and do something? Does only crying, looking limpid and being tragic help live life in any way? Yes, my head ruled my heart even at that young age. That Chinese notion of "Fate" was also what I often fought against. In some ways, I felt that you could at least attempt to challenge Fate right in her face.

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.

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: 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").

Meet Elvin Ching, Artist of Singapore NDP 2016's Comic About Local Superhero, Badang!

The fortunate people who scored tickets to the National Day Parade (NDP) 2016 rehearsal parades last week and this weekend will get to watch a preview of re-enactment about the legend of Badang.

Badang was a local and hunky (he must be, right?) Malay superhero around about the 14th century. Story was that, he defended his village and Singapura from many challengers, including the ruler of India and Java. From one of the notable challenges, Badang managed to throw a large rock into the sea, near the mouth of the Singapore River.

One of the fragments, consisting of ancient inscriptions, resides in the National Museum of Singapore. It is called the Singapore Stone.

Included in the goodie bag for attendees of the parade rehearsals and NDP 2016, there will be a little comic adaptation by well-known writer Michael Chiang ("Army Daze"/ "Beauty World") and illustrated by a talented local artist named Elvin Ching, who has done artwork for the MacDonald's "Samurai Burger Returns" commercials.

Also, check out his bicepstuous cover artwork of the "The Legend of Badang" comic above. Red Dot Diva loves the way he made Badang looked determined and gallantly heroic.

Red Dot Diva knows people who knows Elvin Ching. So, she tracked him down and inflicted a list of her trademark nosy questions on him.

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.

STGCC 2015: Creative Strokes From Global Beards (Gene Whitlock/ Wayne Rée) at Artist Alley

Beards have made a come back. They are getting a lot more attention lately. They even get themselves into all kinds of hairy situations - like travelling around the world, fostering international geek-lationships and even publishing books!

Two sets of Red Dot Island-based beards will be making a combined appearance at the coming STGCC 2015 at Marina Bay Sands next month. Under the banner of GLOBAL BEARDS, they are very eager to show off their dark and handsome hirsuteness by peddling their books, artwork.. and other stuff at Artist Alley Booth AA98.

Showing great restraint from stroking these hardworking beards, Red Dot Diva spoke to the two dudes - Gene Whitlock and Wayne Rée - whose faces the beards call home for several years.

Last year, the beards of both Gene Whitlock and Wayne Rée were part of a cohort of writers based at Book Actually's The Comic Strip. Gene-beard had produced a mischievous noir-style detective story called "The Unsavoury Alphabet", and Wayne-beard had written "Tales From A Tiny Room", an absorbing anthology of unique stories.

It will be most interesting to see what kind of the crazy creative synergy the pair will come up with in this year's STGCC!

Want to find out what's in store at GLOBAL BEARDS? Here are some details to tickle your curiousity!