What To Expect At STGCC 2013!

The Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention aka STGCC is an annual event that aims to satisfy the pop culture cravings of fans in the Southeast Asia. In our country we have some conventions and mini events that caters mostly to toys and komiks, but with STGCC we have a chance to experience a different convention. Last year we had some Singapore-based correspondents covering the event (see here) but this time the Flipgeeks team will be flying over there in order to bring you the sights and sounds of STGCC 2013.

So what do we expect at STGCC? Expect a lot of pop culture celebrities and of course, a ton of shops, displays and booths. First, let’s look at what they’re bringing in from the world of comics. Marvel Comics’ artist Adi Granov, who worked on a lot of covers for Marvel and  the designer behind Iron Man’s trademark red and gold armour on the silver screens will be there. Also, David Mack, famed for his works Daredevil and KABUKI will join. Both Granov and Mack are first timers in STGCC and fans will have fun meeting them and will have the opportunity to request for their sketches and signed works. But to top it all off, Joe ‘Mad’ Madureira who worked on Avenging Spider-Man, Uncnanny X-Men and Savage Wolverine will be there for the first time. We know that there are a lot of Marvel fans here in the Philippines, and one of our missions is to talk to this trio of artists and get news/updates regarding their work and future projects.

Adi Granov, David Mack and Joe MAD will be in STGCC ’13!

Of course when it comes to geeky events and comic conventions, one of the best things to see there are cosplayers – people who enjoy making and wearing costumes to represent a specific character especially the ones they love. In STGCC, they’re bringing in two cosplayers who are known for their astounding work in the cosplay scene. Vampy Bit Me who was first discovered by Japanese toy company Kotobukiya splashed into the cosplay scene and loved by fans because of her hot and detailed portrayals of different characters like Psylocke, Felicia, Morrigan and more! The other celebrity cosplayer going to STGCC is Aza (previously known as Miyuko). Aza is no stranger to the cosplay scene especially in Korea, and she is also known for cosplaying characters from the popular online game – League of Legends.

Miyuko (left) and Vampy Bit Me (right)

One of the highlights of STGCC is the guests they’re bringing in, and the ones we mentioned above are not all of them. Here are  some of the people you’d definitely be able to meet and greet during the event:

• Rocketed to stardom as the character designer of the hit anime Guilty Crown, redjuice is one of the most promising illustrators in the anime-manga industry. Also a member of the creative doujin (self-published Japanese works) music group supercell, his upcoming works include illustration of the novel BEATLESS.
• An established five man design team, DEVILROBOTS is globally famed by the character TO-FU OYAKO. They have collaborated with international brands such as ADIDAS, Coca-cola, Disney, Nike and so on. The official TO-FU shop will open its store this month in Hong Kong.
• Producer of the commercial track Tell Your World for the collaboration between Google Chrome and Hatsune Miku (famous vocaloid character), the rising music producer DJ kz (livetune) will join the STGCC’s line-up of pop culture personalities to bring the house down.
• TAM’, a regular street artist along Akihabara, Japan. His renditions of popular musical tunes from genres like Anime, Game, Vocaloid and Touhou have received more than 20 million YouTube views, and he has performed to more than 10,000 people and released more than 100 albums for his collection of 2000 over songs.

A bunch of Toy Designers and Toy Exclusives awaits con-goers too. Here in the Philippines we have lots of talented people when it comes to customizing toys and interest in designer toys is booming. In STGCC, we have the chance to get up close and personal with these toys designed by known and award winning toy designers.

The event will definitely host a lot of toy enthusiasts and designers, but it will be spearheaded by guests such as  J?RYU, Luke Chueh and Angry Woebots. New premium toy figurine company ENTERBAY will have its first launch in STGCC with their exclusive NBA collection. Considered as a holy grail by collectors, Hot Toys will return to STGCC bringing in their 2013 Toy Fair exclusives – Midas (Mark XXI), Captain America (Star Spangled Man Version) [The First Avenger], Joe Colton [G.I. Joe Retaliation] and Superman (Evil Version) [Superman III].

STGCC is not all about geek stuff and pop culture celebrities though. This year, partnering up with the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), STGCC is bringing in four animation veterans from the games and animation industry. These four guests will have stage programmes and demos and this will definitely be ‘must-attend’ for aspiring people who want to work in this kind of industry.

• Javier Secaduras, CEO of Zinkvision that specialises in interactive content development
• Stanley Lau (Artgerm), Creative director and co-founder of Imaginary Friends Studios which produced artworks for big names like DC Comics and Capcom
• Derrick Song, Respected teacher and mentor dedicated to training aspiring Computer Graphics artists at 3dsense Media School
• Adeeb Islam (HairyAsHell), Animator by day working on Hollywood blockbusters and toy sculptor at night with works on Tokyo Otaku and