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!
