UP Komikon 2010 "Summer de Avance" Report- Or What I Did At UP Summer Komikon 2010

I hardly slept the night before the UP Summer Komikon. I think I only slept for about 3 hours prior to waking up at 7 am. Yes I was that excited!

After having breakfast and finishing my chores, as fast I possibly could, I left the house. Now I live fairly close to UP, close enough that if I were to drive it would only take me about 10 minutes to get there. But alas, I only know how to drive a mini race cart and a bump car.

So I commuted instead. I left the house around 9:40 am and arrived shortly after the doors of the UP Bahay ng Alumni opened. I made my way in after paying for my ticket and the first thing I see is heaven-- Comic Odyssey's booth! I actually had to muscle my way in because there was quite a crowd gathered in front of the PHP 20.00 comic book boxes.

I had a blast going through Comic Odyssey's boxes. For one, everything was PHP 20.00-- and if you get 5, you get one free! I found myself some great titles, some are in my list while some are not, that are still in great condition. It really does pay to be early! Kudos to Sandy and the Comic Odyssey team for bringing such a good selection this year. And thank you for the extra!;)

Comic Odyssey also sold manga for PHP 200.00 each, and if you buy 3, you only pay PHP 500.00. across from their booth was a booth that sold Pocky and anime. Too bad I don't have a decent photo of the Pocky booth to share.

After that, I ventured deeper into the venue, which wasn't as hot as expected thanks to lots of blowers and an overcast sky, and found another booth that sold US comics. Their boxes had prices that ranged from PHP 20 to PHP 100, plus a specified amount for sets. I decided to go around more before buying anything else to see what else I can find. There were far more local comics this year than last.

Bayan Knights was there, Gerry Alanguilan, Ed Tadeo, the guys from Point Zero( Pasig, Kubori Kikiam); and a whole lot more of local publishers and artists. They signed copies of their comics and even gave out some as special prizes for the raffles and games that Syeri hosted. The games ranged from bring mes and, riding on the election fever-- debates on who is a better comic book character. The Who-is-Better-Superman-or-Batman fan debate was such a hit with the crowd!

There was also a comic creation contest that went on in the afternoon. There's a full list of winners here.

The selection of indie comics this year was also good. I've noticed quite a lot of good books that have fantastic art work and story lines. I missed out out on an indie comic I was looking forward to getting-- issue 2 of Aswang Files. The seller was late! Up until the time before I left the con, he still wasn't there, despite assurances from his friends manning the booth that he was on his way. I hope to see YOU at the next con ha. I want my copy of Aswang Files 2!

After a break and a few more rounds of going around the venue, I picked my stuff up at Comic Odyssey's booth and went home. I couldn't wait to read all the cool stuff I got! I picked up some great titles with some even signed by the artists themselves. I'll be sharing these in another post.

Kudos to the Komikon Committee for another great event. You guys are awesome! Can't wait for the next one!

Recent Ebay Purchases

I constantly go on Ebay.ph to look for good deals on titles that are missing in my collection. It was a little over a month ago that I went online and made some purchases from one Ebay store. Though I have purchased through Ebay before, that time would be my first using my own account. My previous purchases were handled by my brother using his account, as all the items I wanted to purchase were from the UK, where my brother lives. He had them delivered to his address, and brought them with him when he came home last year. That I way, I saved on an otherwise huge shipping fee.

Going back on topic, it was a little over a month ago that I went on Ebay.ph to look for X-men comics. I keyed in "X-men comics" in the search bar and perused the results that turned up. one item in particular caught my attention due to it's low price. I clicked and the page opened to the item page. It was marked "Buy It Now" for PHP 45.00. The item was an issue of X-men First Class. That's how I discovered Beautysouq.

Intrigued by the low price of the item, I clicked the link to the seller's main store page and checked out her Comics section. There I found the subcategory I wanted to see-- X-men. So I clicked on it and lo and behold all the X-men comics were on sale for PHP 45.00 pesos each! It turns out the store was having a sale so all of the comics in her store were all going for PHP 45.00. Looking back on the subcategories turned up a very unexpected surprise--an issue of Ghost Rider Vol. 2 #26, one of two Ghost Rider issues that are on my list. Shipping was actually very cheap. All the comics you want for PHP 50.00!

To make a long story short, I ended up buying 10 comic books from Beautysouq. I got X-men First Class # 1, 2, 4, and 7; as well as X-men Deadly Genesis #3 and a still bagged X-men #16. Also part of my purchase were Uncanny X-men # 287, 288, and 289. Rounding it out is Ghost Rider # 27, which is part of an X-men-Ghost Rider crossover. The items came bagged and boarded and were shipped out moments after I posted my payment. The comics were delivered the next day. In total, I paid PHP 500 for everything, including the shipping fee. Not a bad deal I think, as these comics are still in great condition.

Meet Kevin Keller- Riverdale's New Guy!

There's a new guy in good old Riverdale. And he's gay! Meet Kevin Keller, the good looking guy bound to break Veronica's heart.

According to Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics Co-CEO, "The introduction of Kevin is just about keeping the world of Archie Comics current and inclusive. Archie's hometown of Riverdale has always been a safe world for everyone. It just makes sense to have an openly gay character in Archie comic books."

Kevin is the first openly gay character from Archie Comics and he will be introduced in Veronica #202 which will be released in September 2010.

*Photos from archiecomics.com*

Hugh Jackman and Milo Ventimiglia For FCBD

Australian superstar Hugh Jackman--best known for his role as the ferocious mutant superhero Wolverine, and Heroes' star Milo Ventimiglia express their support for Free Comic Book Day.





Video credits: http://www.youtube.com/user/DiamondComics

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2010 COMICS

In less than a week, the whole world will celebrate Free Comic Book Day! Every year on May 1st, Free Comic Book Day partners with publishers, distributors and retailers to share and introduce the joy of reading and collecting comic books. Here are this year's free comics from the sponsors:

I've already picked out which ones I'd like to get so I'm hoping that the local retail participants would carry those titles. As of yesterday, I only know of two comic book stores participating in this year's Free Comic Book Day Metro Manila leg: Comic Odyssey in Robinson's Galleria and Planet X Comics in Glorietta.

More updates soon!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY logos and banners, as well as images used in this post are from the FREE COMIC BOOK DAY website. These pictures are used only as guides for information purposes and does not guarantee that all comics shown in this post will be available in your area.

4th Tagcom Toys & Hobbies Convention Report

Late post is late. Very late. LOL.

The 4th Tagcom Toys & Hobbies Convention was the first hobby convention I went to this year. The convention was held at the Atrium of Robinson Midtown Mall in Malate on February 27 and 28. Admission was free.

As usual, I went to look just for comics, and to check out the cosplay. I was a bit dismayed to learn that there weren't as many stalls selling comics at this year's con.

Day 1 was pretty much uneventful cosplay wise. There weren't as many cosplayers as I expected to see because I later found out that there were other cosplay events on that day. The selling area wasn't as packed as expected too. I didn't find it hard to move around because there weren't too many people. It was a somewhat of a good day comics wise because I managed to get some great titles from Comic Odyssey's booth:

X-men #19 and 29; Iron and the Maiden #2; Divine Right #6; Necromancer #2; Superman The Man of Steel #112, Xtreme X-men In the Savagelands #4, and Marvel Knights Black Widow #1. I saw some House of M and other Divine Right issues, but two other people beat me to them!

I returned on Day 2 in hopes that CO would restock their bins with more House of M and Divine Right issues and what greeted me was mayhem! The Atrium was jam-packed with people-- con goers and cosplayers alike! The turn out was a hundred times more than day 1. Among the many costumed people in the venue, one really stood out to me:

I don't know what or who he was cosplaying as, but he's definitely dressed up as a vagrant. Down to the bags of trash, cans and plastic bottles.

Comic Odyssey's booth didn't restock House of M and Divine Right, so I trooped to their store to buy some bags and boards for the comics I got the day before. I got to talking with Sandy of Comic Odyssey as I was scouring the sale bin about the titles I was looking for. He asked to see my list and started looking for them and managed to find me these:

Aria #4 and Necromancer #3! He gave me a pretty good discount on these. Thanks so much Sandy! You are the best!

And with that my day at the 4th Tagcom Toys & Hobbies ended. I went home tired, but with a smile on my face.

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY At Comic Odyssey On May 1

MAY 1, 2010 is FCBD at Comic Odyssey's ROBINSONS GALLERIA branch! Mark your calendars!

Summer Komikon 2010--One Day To Go!

Less than one day to go and Summer Komikon de Avance will be upon us! Here are some new local comics that'll debut at tomorrow's con. See anything you like? Then troop on over to the UP Bahay ng Alumni tomorrow, between 10 AM and 8 PM. Again the entrance fee is PHP 50.00. Help support the local comics scene. See you there!

Marvel Comics App for IPad

Marvel Entertainment is proud to announce the launch of the Marvel Comics App for iPad on the App Store. This landmark app launches with over 500 of Marvel's greatest comic books, from classic stories to modern tales, featuring Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor and more of the world's most popular Super Heroes. The Marvel Comics App brings the world of Marvel to iPad owners with each comic presented at incredibly high resolution on iPad's full color screen, a user-friendly search engine, innovative viewing options and more.

"We're excited to introduce an unparalleled digital comic experience to our fans with the Marvel Comics App for iPad," said Dan Buckley, publisher & CEO, Marvel Publishing. "The iPad is the first device that offers us a chance to present digital comics that are even close to replicating the experience of reading a print comic. This new world of digital comics distribution provides us great opportunities to reach new readers, allow consumers to sample our diverse stories and characters, and we believe it will drive these new fans into the App Store and local comic shops each week to find even more."

Fans will be granted unrivaled access to Marvel's rich library of comics, with launch titles ranging from the first appearances of characters such as Spider-Man and the X-Men to modern classics like the debut of Red Hulk, Jonathan Hickman's acclaimed FANTASTIC FOUR run, Joss Whedon & John Cassaday's ASTONISHING X-MEN and lots more. Every comic available through the Marvel Comics App is optimized for the iPad through painstaking re-coloring and re-digitizing of select content.

Marvel worked with ComiXology to create the perfect app for new readers, offering the option to preview two pages from each available comic before purchasing and a cutting edge recommendation engine for every fan to find a comic they're sure to love. The app also arms fans with a handy comic shop locator, allowing them to find their local retailer's address and phone number and then journey even further into the Marvel Universe. To enhance the mobile reading experience on the iPad even more, the Marvel Comics App features multiple viewing modes, taking readers panel-by-panel through the comic book in a smooth, action-packed progression using just the swipe of a finger.

"As Marvel's digital comics program has developed over the last few years, we've focused on delivering the best possible consumer experience across different services and devices," said Ira Rubenstein, Executive Vice President, Marvel Global Digital Media Group. "We're confident that the iPad is one of the best ways to read Marvel digital comics from anywhere, at any time. Since the iPad was announced, we have heard from our Marvel fans that this is the device they really wanted to see our comics on. This is just another step in the evolution of Marvel Digital Comics. We hope you love it as much as we do and we will continue to make the consumer experience even better."

The Marvel Comics App for iPad is available for free from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore. Individual comics are priced at just $1.99 each with new content arriving every week.

To commemorate this historic event, Marvel is offering select titles free for a limited time, such as NEW AVENGERS #1, which launched a new era for super hero comics; CAPTAIN AMERICA #1, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 & THOR #1, the perfect place for new readers to discover the titular heroes; and SUPER HERO SQUAD #1, suited for fans of all ages, especially our youngest ones.

The Marvel Comics App is also available for iPhone and iPod touch.

---- From Marvel.com

Summer Komikon 2010

April 17, 2010

10:00 Am to 8:00 PM

UP Bahay ng Alumni

Entrance Fee: Php 50.00