STGCC 2018 - Diva Chats with Mark Brooks about Han Solo and Star Wars' Toxic Fans

Artist Mark Brooks' eye-catching and vibrant artwork has graced the covers of many high-profile Marvel comic books like "Deadpool", "Secret Empire", "Avengers" and "The Amazing Spider-Man". He used to work exclusively for Marvel, but recently, he has been lured by DC Comics to be a variant cover artist starting with the iconic Detective Comics issue #982.

Mark Brook's lifelike rendition of the human figure is striking, especially for the female form. His drawings of female superheroes and villains show off their individual beauty and quirks, balancing strength and a kind of glowy softness.

When Red Dot Diva learnt that Mark Brooks was also asked to draw for Marvel's run on Star Wars comics, she thought that this was a brilliant choice, especially when he was asked to collaborate with writer Marjorie Liu to draw interiors for the "Han Solo" series.  

Mark Brooks will be back in town to meet fans at the Singapore Toy Game and Comic Convention on 8 and 9 September, Marina Bay Sands Expo. Red Dot Diva got in touch with him to chat about "Han Solo", his recent projects, and his thoughts on Star Wars being a hot bed for toxic fandom.

Red Dot Diva: This will be your 2nd time back in STGCC! Are you looking forward to do anything new in Singapore?
Mark: I’m really excited to be back! The last time I was there was 6 years ago.  I loved the city and the people so it will be great to get reacquainted. Mainly, I’m looking forward to eating the amazing food and do some general exploring. I’ll be coming into town a few days early just to do that.

Sentosa Sandsation 2018 presents a MARVEL Edition from 1 to 16 September 2018

This September, not only will you be able to enjoy the warm sun, salty air, and waves splashing at your feet, you will also get to admire 15 larger than life sand sculptures of comic book superheroes.

The Sentosa Sandsation returns with a MARVEL Edition at Silosa Beach from 1 to 16 September, 10 AM to 9 PM daily. The largest sand festival in South-east Asia, Sentosa Sandsation is part of the 3-year collaboration between The Walt Disney SouthEast Asia and Singapore Tourism Board.

Award-winning sand sculptor JOOHeng Tan and his team will be building sculptures of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk - just to name a few.

14 of the world's best sand sculptors will be showing off their skills by taking part in The Sentosa International Sand Sculpting Championship. The theme of the sculptures will be MARVEL-inspired creations, of course!

It's a great way to enjoy a fun day out with the kids during the school holidays, or hang out with your crew, as there are many other activities to participate in. Here are some of them:

STGCC 2018: Booth Highlight - Inky Cat Studio Has Art with A Lot of Purrsonality

For the past few years, Red Dot Diva has introduced artists and creators who will be showcasing their artwork at the STGCC (Singapore Toy Game and Comic Convention) Artist Alley. This section of the show is where the local and region's creative heart beats, producing all kinds of interesting art, craft and merchandise.

There is something special for cat lovers at this year's Artist Alley. Look out for Inky Cat Studio, whose main subject consists of felines, illustrated in adorably quirky ways and scenarios. If you are not that into cats, Inky Cat Studio is very versatile, and also produces cute images of bears, rabbits, raccoons, as well as more traditional subjects like human portraits.

In this interview, Red Dot Diva talks to Stephanie Hew, the lady behind Inky Cat Studio, about her art style and artistic influences.

Red Dot Diva: Hi Stephanie! Please tell the RDD readers a little about yourself, how you got into the career of illustration and graphic design.
Stephanie: Hi everyone! I’m Stephanie Hew, the illustrator behind Inky Cat Studio :) I’m an Australian living here in Singapore with my husband and 2 cats.

I’ve always been creative and loved technology since I was very young. I started with traditional media like oils and watercolor and then when I got my first computer I discovered the world of digital art and kept on teaching myself the software and techniques. This was all happening on the side while my full time job for many years was in higher education. After a few years in Singapore however, I decided it was time for a change and to take my long time passion seriously and see where it could take me. It was a difficult decision but with the encouragement from family I made the leap and started Inky Cat Studio.

Diva Interviews OKAZU, A Sumi-e Artist & Live Art Performer

Last week's Japan Park SG exhibition was quite the cultural fest on all things Japanese. In particular, Red Dot Diva thought the events held on the Omakaze Stage was very engaging.

The schedule of stage events ran the gamut of talks with cosplayers, wrestler Jushin Thunder Liger, robotist Professor Tomotaka Takahashi, various types of traditional dances, a party with girl band Poppin'Party as well as veteran rockers Sunplaza Nakano Kun & Papala Kawai. However, Red Dot Diva's favourite performance on stage was the live drawing of samurai sumi-e art (Japanese black ink brush painting) by OKAZU, a talented artist who hails from Osaka.

OKAZU is well-known for his sumi-e art on historical samurai and warriors, but he also does fantastic artwork of characters from manga, anime, Western pop-culture, and even comic book superheroes!

A post shared by 墨絵師 御歌頭 (@sumieokazu) on Mar 20, 2018 at 6:00am PDT

On stage during the Japan Park SG show, in less than 30 minutes, OKAZU created striking warring samurai images that seem almost alive, as if they are to jump through the white canvases. Accompanied by a cinematic soundtrack, his live performances were both elegant and visually powerful.

At @japanparksg: a video snippet of OKAZU showing his sumi-e art style. Love it!! Swipe left to see the final artwork! #JapanParkSG #japan @sumieokazu #Singapore #sumie #sumieink #artist #Okazu #art #inkbrush #samurai @suntecsingapore

A post shared by Red Dot Diva (@reddotdiva) on Aug 4, 2018 at 5:52am PDT

Red Dot Diva had a chance to interview OKAZU at the Samurai Room on the 2nd day of the show, and learned more about his motivations and inspirations.

Japan Park Singapore, 4 & 5 August 2018 - Experience the Delights of 47 Prefectures of Japan!

Just for this weekend, you do not need to fly to Japan in order to experience the traditions, and gather insights on the lifestyle and culture of the country. You just need to head to Japan Park Singapore exhibition at Suntec Convention Centre!

The show is a one-stop destination for a taste of all 47 prefectures in Japan. It is an ambitious feat that was pulled off by the show organizer Amuse Entertainment Singapore, together with partners Bushiroad, OJ Partners and WAttention, and support from SOZO (the creators of Anime Festival Asia), Japan Creative Centre (JCC), JNTO Singapore Office and JETRO Singapore.

A post shared by Red Dot Diva (@reddotdiva) on Aug 3, 2018 at 7:48am PDT

Based on the media preview of Japan Park Singapore, here are some of the Wonderful Things to Experience at Japan Park SG:


WA-SHIOK GOURMET FESTA
When it comes to priorities, good food is pretty much at the top of the list for most locals. In the WA-SHIOK Gourmet Festa area, one will find much delectable yum yums to choose from!

During the media preview, Red Dot Diva had a taste of the sausage from Teppei Syokudo booth. The juicy meat had a flavourful crunch to it. Don't miss getting one of these!

A post shared by Red Dot Diva (@reddotdiva) on Aug 3, 2018 at 8:11am PDT

Returning Guests for STGCC 2018 and Lego Area for the Harry Potter & Voltron Fans!

The Singapore Toy, Games and Comic Convention (STGCC) must be rather lucrative for comic book artists. Their booths are usually swarmed with fans from Red Dot Island as well as those who check in from countries around the region, where it is difficult to meet well-known comic creators face to face.

Coming back to this year's convention are last year's guests Frank Cho, Arthur Adams and Joyce Chin, as well as Agnes Garbowska! Fans who missed meeting them in previous shows, can have another chance to get their comics signed or request for commissions and sketches.

It was in 2015 when fan favourite Agnes Garbowska was a guest at the convetion. Her whimsical, uber-cute drawings were a hit, especially with the younger folks, and the lines at her booth were mostly 20 people deep most of the time! Her style of art shines in titles like "DC Super Hero Girls" (DC Comics), "My Little Pony" (IDW Publishing) and "Grumpy Cat" (Dynamite).

When we last met Frank Cho, he had just kicked off a new fantasy series called "Skybourne" with BOOM! Studios. The 5-issue comic series wrapped up in February this year. He is currently working on several other creator-owned projects, including "Guns & Dinos" with Image Comics and "War Witch" with novelist Tom Sniegoski for Big Wow Publications.

Veteran comic book artist Arthur Adams will be meeting fans again, bringing with him his knowledge of the industry and art that spans across various publishing houses, like Marvel, DC Comics, Image and Dark Horse. He also founded a creator-owned comics imprint called Legend together with Mike Mignola, Frank Miller, John Byrne. The imprint was published through Dark Horse Comics before it ceased in 1998. His creator-owned "Monkeyman and O'Brien" from the Legend days still exists in various crossovers.

Joyce Chin is like a senpai to aspiring women artists who want to enter into the field of comic book art. She has been drawing for comics since 1995 and has worked for several titles like DC Comics, Marvel, Top Cow and Dynamite, like Vampirella, Red Sonja, Spider-man, Witchblade and Wynonna Earp, which is based on the supernatural Western horror TV series.

Welcome Comic Book Artists David Finch and Mark Brooks to STGCC 2018!

STGCC 2018 announced their first round of guests was well as opened online ticketing for the event yesterday.

Comic book artists David Finch and Mark Brooks will be meeting fans at the pop-culture event, held on 8 and 9 September at the Marina Bay Sands Expo!

David Finch started out in Top Cow Productions' "Cyberforce", working closely with creator and studio founder Marc Silvestri. After the run for "Cyberforce" ended, he created the titles "Ascension" with writer Matt "Batt" Banning, and "Aphrodite IX" with David Wohl.

In 2003, David returned to comics collaborating with Brian Michael Bendis on Marvel's "Ultimate X-Men" and "Avengers", as well as the relaunch of the superhero team called "The New Avengers". Sometime in 2010, David switched to DC Comics, providing covers for "Brightest Day" by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi. He also wrote and drew for 18 issues of the "Batman: The Dark Knight" series, before moving on to "Justice League of America" and "Forever Evil".

As for comic book artist Mark Brooks, this is not his first time visiting Singapore. Mark, who has worked on various of Marvel's popular titles, like "Deadpool", "Ultimate Spider-Man" and "Secret Wars", made an appearance as a guest hosted by the now-defunct Invasion! Toys, back in STGCC 2012.

His career has grown in leaps and bounds since then, with his art gracing the covers and interiors of several Star Wars comics, like "Han Solo" which was published in 2016. The limited series garnered favourable reviews and earned Mark Brooks and writer Marjorie Liu an Eisner Award nomination in 2017. Not only that, his pencil work caught the eye of Star Wars creator George Lucas, and he had requested to buy every page of the original art from the first two issues of "Han Solo"! Wowzas, right?