APCC 2016 Day 3!

Day 3 is the last day for APCC 2016, but don’t think it isn’t as action-packed as the previous days! Here are just some of the amazing things that went on during the final day.

The first media session of the day was with Claire Holt. Holt had some interesting things to say about professionalism in the industry, and the rise of strong female characters. She also elaborated a bit on some of the stuff that was brought up during her In Conversations panel the other day. She is apparently a Marvel fan! She’s also out to take on any role that’s interesting, big screen or otherwise. When we asked her what she thought a geek was, she gave us this answer: “A geek is someone who isn’t afraid to be who they are.” We caught some of the other responses that she gave on video, so stay tuned to our YouTube channel for that!

APCC 2016 continued with a comic creator panel, hosted by Mr. Adrian Arcega. Special guests Jason Palmer, Whilce Portacio, Ken Lashley, Billy Tan, and Mike Zeck. Each of them entered the industry differently. Jason Palmer wanted to enter the movie poster making business. Others had lucky breaks. Mike Zeck had the toughest time as he was around during the industry’s infancy. The guests shared stories of their life in comics as well as things to look forward to in the future. Whilce Portacio will soon be unveiling a new Filipino supernatural universe, while Billy Tan is jump-starting an Asian pantheon of superheroes. Mike Zeck was comfortable passing the creative torch to his successors as continuity is a young man’s burden. These luminaries provided some important advice for those who want to break into the industry. Draw, keep drawing, then draw some more. Always seek places to show your work because you’ll never find exposure if your keep your art to yourself. Your journey is your own, so there’s no need to compare your progress with others. And always have a back-up plan, since Lady Luck smiles on only a precious few.

Marvel made a huge impact this APCCPH 2016 with another special Hall M segment. C.B Cebulski treated one thousand of luckiest con goers this side of Asia to scenes and footage from Marvel properties than almost no one else has seen before (with the exception of SDCC). It was hard not to get excited for Luke Cage and Doctor Strange. The Philippines developed a long and deep relationship with both Marvel and Disney that allowed for this rare opportunity to even be possible in the first place. After all, Hall M stands for a certain six-letter word. Hint: it’s not Mmmmmm.

The cosplay panel for Day 3 consisted of Riddle, Yugana, Myrtle, and Ani Mia. Though they all started at different times in their lives, they all shared a great passion for cosplay. They also readily answered questions from the fans soon after introductions were made. On something fans might not know about them: Riddle likes to rescue squirrels, Yugana has a 6-year-old daughter, Myrtle secretly fears a zombie apocalypse, Ani Mia is a very picky eater. On which Marvel/DC superhero they would like to be cast as in a film/TV series: Riddle immediately exclaimed “Squirrel Girl!”, Myrtle answered Ms. Marvel as she gestured towards her Captain Marvel outfit, and Yugana refused the superhero label and said that she would like to be cast as a villain because they’re always misunderstood. On which crossplay they would love to do: Ani Mia would do Cloud Strife, and Yugana would love to do Joker.

The last set of “In Conversation” panel sessions featured Joe Dempsie in the morning and Nicholas Hoult in the afternoon. Both sit-downs gave fans of the former Skins stars a bit of nostalgia moment, as each actor recounted small anecdotes about their time on the show. Notable highlights from Dempsie’s included discussing the big questoon of whether Gendry was “still rowing that boat,” and his hopes to return for the seventh season of Game of Thrones. “We’ve just scratched the surface [with Gendry]. Hopefully we’ll find out more.” He also shared bits about what it was like to audition for the HBO miniseries, which he’d gone back to thrice before he finally landed the role. His impression from the casting was that they were “looking for the right pieces for the [appropriate] roles.”

As for Hoult, the questions posed by the host were similar to the ones raised during his media interview, and the panel offered him the opportunity to expound on his anecdotes a little more. The most aww-inducing part of the panel though was during the fan question and answer segment. When one particularly young fan asked the actor what his favorite ice cream flavor was (Answer: Neapolitan) and Hoult returned the question in turn (we got a murmured “Strawberry,” before the boy ducked shyly behind a chair). Overall, both panels allowed the fans a great chance to interact with the actors, ending that segment of APCC on a high note.

Up in Function Room 2, make-up artist and cosplayer Lindze Merritt took the time to share tips, tricks, and beauty hacks to fellow cosplayers during the Cosplay Make-up Workshop. The workshop was nice and intimate, with informative slides for the girls and boys who sat down to take notes on everything from the contouring face and body, to discussions on full-on body paint.

The day ended with the announcement of CAGE winners. Fred Viñas won first place with his Boush the Tinker cosplay, followed by Guy Singzon’s Mandarin Spawn at second place for the Adult’s Division.  As for the Kid’s Division, Pricess Joviel Espos took first place with her Aatrox cosplay. It definitely shows that Filipinos are great fans of eSports when the two first-placers cosplayed from the biggest MOBAs in the world, League of Legends and DotA 2.

And that’s it for Day 3 of this year’s AsiaPOP Comic Con! We’re looking forward for more great things to happen next year!