Despite some minor hiccups, the first Singapore Toy and Comic Convention makes enough of an impression to warrant a sequel, writes RIZAL SOLOMON.

Those who attended got to see how tall the Jedi Master really is.

The Clone Shuttle and the V-Wing fighter were previewed by Hasbro.

IF there was ever any doubt that a toy and comic convention in the Southeast Asian region could attract more than just a handful of hardcore comic book fans and toy collectors, those doubts were surely ripped to shreds on a Saturday morning outside Convention Hall 603 in the gigantic Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Like most conventions of its kind around the world, the first Singapore Toy and Comic Convention (STCC) set out to be an event where, over the period of a weekend, fans of toys, comics, animation, gaming, design and Cosplay would celebrate their passion on a common platform.

It would also be a venue for companies to showcase and launch some really cool merchandise.

The STCC kicked off with an event primarily geared to industry and media members on June 27 but everyone knew that the test would be when the doors opened to the public on June 28 at 11am for the two-day main event.
So, there was a subtle undercurrent of excitement and nervousness among the exhibitors as they began setting up their booths.

Nervousness turned to astonishment as the crowd waiting to register and get in began to grow and kept growing, until, half an hour before the doors were set to open, it had already swelled into a long line that stretched almost the entire length of the considerably big Level Six.

The massive turnout — estimated to be in the tens of thousands over the two-day period — led to some problems with registration and admission. However, the fact that such a massive crowd did turn up for a first-time event was incredibly encouraging.

It showed two things, really: Yes, you can draw a crowd to a toy and comic convention in the Singapore-Malaysia neck of the woods and two, the crowd itself was amazingly diverse.

One look at the crowd on Saturday alone and it was clear that STCC had succeeded in attracting a crowd from a wide variety of demographics. From the serious toy collector to the casual browser, from the hardcore Cosplayers to entire families, from comicbook fans to the just plain curious, eclectic was the byword for the event.

Diversity meant that the exhibitors — and, in particular, the artists who occupied the booths in the STCC Artist Alley hoping to introduce their art to a wider audience — saw their mission accomplished a few times over as potential customers who may normally overlook these products were attracted to see what they had to offer.

This made the trip down south very rewarding for a lot of Malaysian artists. Take, for instance, the comic artists from Gilamon Studios Malaysia.

Up until the STCC, not many outside the Malaysian comic fraternity knew about them. The exposure into the mainstream that weekend was exhilarating.

“We met so many people in and out of the industry who were interested in Gilamon’s work. Some wanted to buy our merchandise. Some were looking for possible collaborations,” said artist Julian Kam, or better known in the Malaysian comic circles as Lefty.

Exhibition-wise, one of the biggest hits of STCC has to be the large Hasbro toy booth.

A major highlight of the established conventions held in San Diego or Tokyo are the unveiling of new products.

While we did not get this in abundance at the STCC, (and this is something that will probably change by the next STCC in 2009), Hasbro did deliver some excitement with their preview of action figures and vehicles from the upcoming Star Wars: Clone Wars movie.

Hasbro also had an excellent retrospect of Star Wars action figure lines that explore their evolution since their debut in 1977 right up until the latest versions in 2008.

You could clearly see that the Star Wars action figures have come a long way since their debut in 1977.

However, what really took our breath away at the Star Wars booth was the recreation in action figure form of a pivotal scene from Return of the Jedi involving the Emperor, Darth Vader and a lot of Stormtroopers. That alone was enough to bring out your inner Star Wars geek.

What makes the upcoming Clone Wars basic figures enticing is that the lean animated style translates really well into the 3¾-inch action figure format.

This format was built for vehicles and the Clone Wars line-up does not disappoint in that area.

On display also were the upcoming AT-AP Republic Walker and the massive AT-TE toys.

The six-legged AT-TE is flat out impressive but most outstanding was the sleek V-Wing fighter toy. It upped the ante for detail and paint application in a Habro Star Wars toy spaceship.

While none of the action figures were on sale at the Hasbro booth, there were plenty of collectible shops that set up their booths on the STCC floor. One even had a life-sized and very determined-looking Yoda.

For those into dolls, the Domuya Your Doll Co had some of their very detailed and surreally lifelike dolls on display. The design and set-up of the booth itself was elaborate and visitors got a chance to examine the exquisite craftsmanship up close.

As far as gaming goes, a big hit was the Nintendo display. No surprises that many flocked to try out the Wii console games. Others just had plain fun soaking up the atmosphere. With plenty of people in costumes from their favourite movies, the atmosphere was certainly unique.

The Singapore garrison of the 501st Legion — a group of Star Wars fans who are dedicated to the construction and wearing of screen-accurate replicas from the movies — was on hand to provide many attendees with photo opportunities.

There was much fun in even just watching these guys in full Stormtrooper gear march across the floor.

The one thing in short supply at the STCC were the big names from the international comic industry. Being the first STCC, you can’t blame them for wanting to take a wait-and-see approach. Given the success of this year’s STCC, don’t be surprised to see big names at next year’s convention.

One of the stars who did appear was 2000AD and Dan Dare artist Gary Erskine. The man was an absolute gentleman with the fans who queued up to meet him.

The important thing, however, was that the local artists and creators from both Singapore and Malaysia got a chance to have their work spotlighted.

Singapore creative studio Imaginary Friends IFS had artwork and even live demos from their artists spread across two booths. One of the highlights of their exhibit had to be their gorgeously designed models from the upcoming Freedom Formula comic.

Artist Sonny Liew, whose earned acclaim with his work on the Re-Gifters and Wonderland graphic novels, saw a lot of potential in the STCC.

“In general I think the organisers did a great job and I think they’ll be able to sort out some teething problems for future cons, such as queue and crowd-management and having a bigger arena with more readily accessible rest areas,” he said.

“Attracting more interest might come in the form of more exclusive launches and maybe tie-ins with TV or movie launches, since those always up the celebrity quotient,” he added.

By the time the dust had settled on Sunday evening, and the last visitor had exited the venue, it was clear that despite the early hiccups, the STCC had been a success.

Above all, there was the promise of what it could be in the years to come.