Comics and collectibles take centre stage at Singapore Comic Con 2019

Comics and collectibles take centre stage at Singapore Comic Con 2019
PHOTO: AsiaOne / Ilyas Sholihyn

It took 12 years but the event formerly known as Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention shed that mouthful of a moniker and went for something far simpler and recognisable: Singapore Comic Con. 

It makes sense too. Organisers ReedPOP also run the big league likes of New York Comic Con, Penny Arcade Expo and Star Wars Celebration overseas, so it’s only natural that the Singapore iteration of Comic Con gets a name rebrand to make it more accessible and familiar. 

The rebranding may or may not have had a hand in its triumphant return to Marina Bay Sands last weekend, where long snaking queues reportedly started forming as early as 7:30am. 

They’d needed to come early — the sheer amount of exhibits that sprawled three entire halls of the convention centre would require hours upon hours of inspection and appreciation. Geekdom was on full display with detailed sculptures and action figures from the worlds of Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars, Japanese manga, and more.

Being a comic convention, the focus was fixed squarely on the actual comics and creators who’ve inspired the industrial juggernaut that is today’s superhero cinema. Beloved artists behind acclaimed Batman runs like Greg Capullo, Jock, and Andy Kubert were the rockstars at the Autograph Alley where long lines of fans patiently waited their turn to get some face time and (of course) autographs.

The Singapore Comic Con playground included other zones of geekdom, including tabletop games and esports. The latter of which had been organised by Singtel’s own initiative PVP Esports, which starred the likes of celebrity cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao and Topson from OG, the reigning champs of Dota 2’s biggest tournament The International. The grand finals of the PVP Corporate and Campus Leagues were held too and saw Realpage Esports from the Philippines, Teletubbies from Thailand, and Unstable Network from the Singapore Institute of Management walking away as champions. 

The real winners, however, were the families. Across the convention, kids were visibly awestruck by the amount of pop culture goodness, as well as taking part in activities and snapping pictures with cosplayers portraying their favourite characters. 

Check out our entire gallery below:

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ilyas@asiaone.com

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