Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo from HBO’s Game of Thrones), Whilce Portacio (Filipino comic book artist), Cosplayers Vampy Bit Me, LeeAnna Vamp, Monika Lee and Riki ‘Riddle’ Lecotey are only some of the amazing international guests slated to visit Manila as AsiaPOP Comicon Manila 2015 shapes up to be the biggest pop culture gathering in Philippine history to bring together the very best in movies, television, entertainment, comics, toys, collectibles, gaming, cosplay for one mega event in September.
Asia’s biggest pop culture universe is all set and ready to explode with its constellation of stars and artists joining forces to complete the ultimate pop culture experience that is AsiaPOP Comicon Manila 2015 (APCC Manila) slated on September 17 to 20, 2015 at the World Trade Center in Manila.
APCC Manila reveals its first lineup of celebrity guests with Hollywood star Jason Momoa—the famous Khal Drogo from the critically-acclaimed and Emmy-nominated first season of the HBO series “Game of Thrones”—as one of its headliners. Fans will be able to catch Momoa in the much anticipated DC Comics films, “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League”, where he will reprise the iconic role of Aquaman. “It is our goal to treat pop culture fans in Southeast Asia with a mega event that boasts the best of the best in the areas of movies, television, entertainment, comics, toys, collectibles, gaming, and cosplay. And our first lineup of stars proves just that,” explained Rita Magnus, General Manager, Events, Universal Events and Entertainment. Adding to the entertainment lineup of celebrities is Jeremy Shada—the teen heartthrob and talent behind the voice of Finn on Cartoon Network’s “Adventure Time”—who will treat the “Shadanators” with a sample of his talents as an actor, voiceover genius, and musician. Shada will invade APCC Manila with his band Makeout Monday as co-lead singer and bassist. His band mates includes brother Zack Shada (vocals), Logan Charles (vocals and rhythm guitar), John Spicer (lead guitar), and Seth Renken (drums).
For the artists and the comic book enthusiasts, get ready to welcome Whilce Portacio, Filipino veteran comic book artist, who will share his 30 years of creative journey in the comic book world. Portacio is the wunderkind behind numerous iconic Marvel characters including the X-Men named Bishop (who recently headlined the movie “X-Men: Days of Future Past”) as well as the characters Malcolm and Randall. He also worked on Spawn, Artifacts, Hulk, Journey Into Mystery, Uncanny X-Men, and has graced various Marvel covers.
“With this initial line-up, we are promising fans with an experience they won’t forget, especially as we are giving them the opportunity to meet their favorite stars via photo ops and autograph sessions,” Magnus added.
The platform is also set for Vinyl lovers and toy collectors with mixed media artist Amanda Spayd and sculptor/ painter Chris Ryniak leading the artistic revolution at APCC Manila with their expertise in creating pop masterpieces using almost all objects, living and non-living, as both medium and inspiration. Spayd is an American artist whose work combines the textures and colors of antique domestic objects and the natural world. With her obsessive attention to detail, her work has been published internationally, and is highly sought after by collectors around the globe. She has recently entered the toy market with Japanese sofubi and vinyl blindbox toys, as well as cast-resin collectible figures. Ryniak is also a toy-designer and sculptor of numerous instantly sold-out editions of designer art toys and figures. He is well-known for his series of daily monster drawing project titled “Morning Scribbles,” in which he has created and shared over 700 original creatures.
Of this, Magnus said, “We have so much more in store for the region’s growing pop culture fan base. There will be more celebrities, pop culture personalities and we will reveal it soon. We also have exclusive screenings, panel sessions, product launches, competitions, and fun activities for everyone.”
The CAGE – Cosplay Authority Global Challenge
Cosplayers are not to be left out. APCC Manila, together with event partner Cosplay Authority Global Challenge (The CAGE) – the world’s biggest and first–of-its-kind cosplay competition – is now accepting entries from cosplayers around the world to battle on an international level and be the next global Cosplay star.
“With this competition, APCC Manila expects to attract the best cosplay talents, not only in the region, but around the world. The CAGE will also have a Kids category to provide the younger audience with a chance to unleash their creativity and imagination,” Magnus explained.
Judging the cosplayers is a specially handpicked panel of judges that include international prop and costume maker Bill Doran, cosplay superstar Alodia Gosiengfiao, Philippines’ own cosplay photographer extraordinaire Jay Tablante, traveling artist and global cosplay phenomenon VampyBit Me, and actress/model Allison Harvard of America’s Next Top Model Cycle 12 and America’s Next Top Model: All Stars.
Participants will also experience an all-star entertainment treat with actress/model/host LeeAnna Vamp, or the “Ghoul Of Your Dreams,” joining the roster of cosplay stars who will definitely spice up the event. Vamp is the host of “I Love Nerd Girls” and “Fiends Forever.”
Then there’s more for the cosplay aficionados with the special appearances of
internationally-acclaimed cosplayers Monika Lee and Riki ‘Riddle’ Lecotey. The two are
well-loved “characters” in the costume and anime-loving world, both of whom starred in SyFy
channel, Heroes of Cosplay.
The CAGE aims to promote the spirit and craftsmanship of cosplay through costume and
prop-making workshops as well as provide a platform for cosplay enthusiasts and fans to
compete on an international level. The grand champion of the Open category will receive a
record-breaking payout of USD$10,000 cash along with the opportunity to compete in the
next edition of The CAGE at APCC Abu Dhabi.
For interested participants, visit www.cosplayauthority.com/application and like
www.facebook.com/cosplayauthority and follow on Twitter @CageCosplay to find out more
about the competition.
For more info and event updates on APCC Manila 2015, please visit asiapopcomicon.com,
like APCC Manila on Facebook (www.facebook.com/apccmanila), and follow on Twitter
@AsiaPOPComicon.
APCC Manila tickets will be going for PhP500 (one-day pass), PhP800 (two-day pass), and
PhP 1,000 (three-day pass).
Photo of Jason Momoa from the HBO website: http://i.lv3.hbo.com/assets/images/series/game-of-thrones/character/khal-drogo-1920.jpg
ABOUT ASIAPOP COMICON
AsiaPOP Comicon(APCC) will be an international pop culture convention themed around
comics, film, toys and collectibles, animation, games, cosplay, superheroes and everything
pop culture. The event will attract several internationally renowned artists, celebrities and
pop-culture icons to various pockets of Asia, starting with Manila in the Philippines, and draw
the attention of ardent fans. APCC will feature exhibitors from genres of pop culture and top
studios from the across the globe, to bring popular brands and exclusive content for the
show.
Focusing on delivering the ultimate fan experience, APCC aspires to bring geek culture
mainstream and stand tall as a perfect launch pad to unveil new products and first look of
movies for the Asia Pacific region providing a galore of potential opportunities for SMEs in
the entertainment business to reach out to big brands and the vibrant creative talent pool
from APAC. While the event will serve as a mega licensing avenue for studios to establish a
direct access to potential clients through B2B networking, the larger purpose of the event will
remain the outreach and communication for celebrities and brands with their fans and
engage with them on a one-on-one basis.
ABOUT UNIVERSAL EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Universal Events & Entertainment (UEE), a subsidiary of Al Ahli Holding Group is a premier
and dynamic international events management company, headquartered in Singapore
committed to be the forefront of pop culture/comic con events globally. The passionate and
dedicated team combined has over 4 decades of event management experience in the area
of pop culture.
Universal Events & Entertainment prides itself in bringing world class celebrations of pop
culture globally that delivers the ultimate fan experience whilst assisting brands to tap into
the pulse of pop culture. We aim to build and engage communities and fans at our comic
cons worldwide. UEE will kick off a series of comic cons events globally in Manila, Abu Dhabi,
Korea and USA in the near future.