Event Coverage

Singapore Comic Con 2019: Reviewing the big picture

By Team GameAxis - 11 Dec 2019

What's there left to say?

Wei Song: SGCC, or STGCC, if we're going by the old name, certainly has grown a lot over the years, and 2019 is no exception. Looking through the offerings and guests for this year, it seems they're kicking off this revamp of sorts by encouraging bigger names from both comic books and anime to make an appearance.

Kenneth: No kidding. As more of an anime fan, I was pleasantly surprised to find writers and artists like Reki Kawahara and abec on the guest list. They're the brains (and pens) behind Sword Art Online, which is still extremely popular as a series, mind you - I wish I could have gotten an autograph from either of them, but I guess you win some, you lose some. On a more objective note, I think getting the big names in is a great way to get the ball rolling, and with PVP Esports as a new addition, now they've got a bigger pool of personalities to choose from. Good call.

Tim: Aw shucks - I certainly understand that "not being able to get an autograph" feeling! For me, SGCC 2019 was pretty much heaven if you're more inclined towards western comic houses like DC or Marvel, but the real kicker for me was that it had something for everyone, regardless of what aspect of pop culture they were into. Esports, cosplay, comics, art prints and what-have-you, it was all there, and the sheer variety made it really worth coming back on the second day just to check off everything on your to-do list.

Of course, the highlight for me was definitely sitting down with Batman comic artist Greg Capullo. Being starstruck was one thing, but he also made us feel right at home with him, as if we were talking to an old friend! It was a really enjoyable interview, in that sense.

Wei Song: To be honest, I didn't really check out the guest list that thoroughly, because the areas that had my attention were the tabletop and esports segments. Now, I'm primarily a tabletop and console gamer, so I confess I was mainly gravitating around the Warhammer 40,000 games in particular. That being said, while it's nice to see tabletop games becoming popular again, the lack of an indie game section surprised me. I kind of look forward to checking those out at such conventions, and it's a real pity they didn't have any to show this year.

Kenneth: Personally, I'm more of an art and trading card kind of guy when it comes to collecting geek stuff, so I hung around the Bushiroad booth and Artist Alley for the most part. The latter is pretty standard fare, but I felt Bushiroad itself was a little out of place, especially since they were only holding tournaments for Cardfight! Vanguard and Future Card Buddyfight. Now, I wouldn't have batted an eyelid had this been AFA, but it isn't, and the fact that there weren't any other events there didn't make it any less odd. 

Speaking of odd, I found SPW's wrestling segment to be a metaphorical sore thumb as well. Wrestling and geeks aren't exactly a match made in heaven, and while sports institutions like lightsaber academies can still make a case for being at SGCC, I can't exactly find a link between the latter and SPW. I guess it's just for visibility - they did put on some interesting performances, after all, and there's nothing inherently wrong with just increasing awareness for SPW.


Well, that pretty much sums up our take on this year's SGCC. It's been a fun, enjoyable, and definitely geeky experience for all of us, but hey, we wouldn't have it any other way.

Images: Singapore Comic Con 2019/HardwareZone

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