SCC's Comics Talk

To those who have yet to make the voyage to San Diego Comic Con, you might have the idea that it is a Mecca for all-things ‘geek’. You would be half right as those who have gone in the last few years will tell you its actually more like Mecca at the top of Mt. Everest. And like the real Everest, you need to prepare yourself mentally and physically even if you have a lot of money to throw at the prospective expedition. Trying to get a pass now is basically the digital version of the Hunger Games. You pray for the odds to be in your favor. For my first visit to SDCC, all i had to do was send a fax and mail a cheque. If you are lucky enough to buy a pass for yourself, here is how to prepare for your first foray into what is now...

As Singapore gears up for STGCC and the General Elections in September, the region is going abuzz with comic and toy conventions, which gives you an idea of the kind of creatives we have in Southeast Asia and the big money that is generated through pop culture. For some of us, pop matters more than politics. In the month of August itself, two major conventions took place in Jakarta, Indonesia and in Metro Manila, the Philippines. The latter was held Komikon Indieket 2015 at Pasig City while the city of Jakarta played host to Popcon Asia 2015. I had the privilege to attend Popcon Asia 2015, which was a great event for local comics and original IP. Held over three days at the Jakarta Convention Centre, this was my second time to Popcon and it was bigger than ever. Estimates given were that 37,000 attended this 4th edition of Popcon as...

Ratings out of 5 stars. Comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura).   Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #2 Story: Kieron Gillen Art: Jamie McKelvie Colourist: Matthew Wilson Image Comics Comic of the week. It’s almost meaningless to summarize what Phonogram is about. Like that 3-minute pop song that has changed your life, to provide a synopsis of the first two volumes of Phonogram is to miss the whole bloody point. All you need to know is that this is the series to broke Gillen and McKelvie to the mainstream, paving the way for their Marvel work. They have continued to work their mojo in The Wicked + The Divine (also Image Comics) while Gillen has turned in pretty nasty stuff for Avatar Comics in Uber, the WWII superhero comic. The release of this third volume of Phonogram has gotten notices from The Guardian, Pitch Fork and Paste magazine. Music is magic...

  Ratings out of 5 stars. Comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura) DC Comics Bombshells #2 Story: Marguerite Bennett Art: Stephen Mooney, Laura Braga, Ted Naifeh DC Comics DC Comics return to an excellent idea from the 1990s that they have not revisited for quite some time - the Elseworlds concept which allows writers and artists to tell familiar stories in an offbeat way. We get a retelling of Wonder Woman leaving Paradise Island with Steve Trevor in a WWII setting and Mera from Atlantis came along for the ride. (see cover) What is unique about the book is that the different sections are drawn by different artists. So Laura Braga handled the Paradise Island portion while Stephen Mooney depicted the Soviet Supergirl and Stargirl. Ted Naifeh shows what Posion Ivy and Zatanna are up to in Nazi Germany. There is even a cameo by John Constantine. But this comic is to...

  Start of a new weekly comic review column - 26 Aug 2015. Rating out of 5 stars. Comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura).   Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps #3 Story: Kelly Sue DeConnick and Kelly Thompson Art: David Lopez Marvel Comics Kelly Sue DeConnick continues her winning streak with Captain Marvel, the title that made her a fan favourite and brought her critical acclaim a few years ago. Part of the Battleworld series, we see Carol Denvers refashioned into a squad leader of a group of fighter pilots, the Banshee Squadron. To me, Deconnick does not simply write superhero comics; she plays with genres like giving the old Western a twist with Pretty Deadly (Image Comics). Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps is her chance to write a  WWII style fighter plane comic book. It reminds me of Garth Ennis' Night Witches, also featuring a group of all...