APCC Manila 2018 Brings Stellar Guest and Exhibitor Lineup to Filipino Fans!

Enter a universe of awesomeness with the offerings of AsiaPOP Comicon Manila 2018, happening on July 27 to 29 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Coming to the epic convention are celebrities Osric Chau (Supernatural series), Finn Jones (Marvel's Iron Fist), Mike Colter (Marvel's Luke Cage), and Tye Sheridan (X-Men: Apocalypse, Ready Player One).

Accompanying them are a bunch of amazing interactive exhibits. There’s Marvel with Hall M, the legendary event that has been responsible for bringing exclusive trailers of blockbusters such as Captain America Civil War, Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok, and Black Panther to Filipino fans for four years now. Then enter Netflix with Hall N, a showcase of set recreations from hits such as Riverdale, Orange is the New Black, Marvel's The Defenders, and Stranger things, along with previews of their latest series and a panel discussion with some of its stars. Completing the immersive experience is Disney with an all-new Hall D, which promises to bring even more never-before-seen content to the eyes, ears, and hearts of fans from all over.

Spanning three full days of nothing but the best in movies, TV series, games, cosplay, toys, music, and much more, AsiaPOP Comicon has it all covered for the geek in all of us!

APCC Manila 2018 tickets are available at SM Tickets website, https://smtickets.com/, and at all SM Tickets outlets, with ticket prices PhP650 (one-day pass), PhP950 (two-day pass), and PhP1,150 (three-day pass). All these will give the ticketholder access to stage activities, performances, and the main exhibition floor. The event is free for children aged five years and below for all days, but a valid identification is required for verification purposes before entering the show floor.

For more information and event updates, visit asiapopcomicon.com/manila, or follow their official Facebook Page www.fb.com/apccmanila, Twitter account @AsiaPOPComicon, and Instagram account @asiapopcomicon. Official hashtags of APCC Manila 2018 are #APCCPH2018 #AsiaPOPComicon.

Events: Nicholas Hoult Is A Big Fan of Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown

Nicholas Hoult and Millie Bobby Brown during AsiaPOP Comicon. 

Manila - August 2016. During the recently concluded AsisPOP Comicon British actor Nicholas Hoult gushed about being a fan of the twelve year old actress who took the world by storm in the Netflix series "Stranger Things" since its release last July.

"I haven't met her (Millie Bobby Brown) yet-" the twenty six year old actor said, blue eyes sparkling as he met with the local press for APCC. "She gave a wonderful performance (in "Stranger Things") "and I'm kind of  fanboy-ing over meeting her. I'm looking forward to that and I think I'll be line for her autograph as well 'coz she's fantastic in that show and I loved watching her so-yeah that's what I've been geeking out over recently. 

And Nicholas Hoult would know a thing or two about child actors, as he himself was one. He started acting at the age of seven and played the role of Marcus Brewer in the 2002 romantic comedy "About A Boy" alongside Hugh Grant.

In a separate event during APCC, which was open to the public, Hoult sat across radio personality Chico Garcia went to the topic of child actors by asking Nicholas. "(Nicholas) You started very early in your career. From "About A Boy" How has it been? A lot of child actors, they struggle a little with the transition but in your case it was relatively painless. How did you do it? For others, they really struggled a lot." 

Nicholas Hoult in "About A Boy" 

"Yeah, teenage years, are a pain for most people-"  Hoult responded. "I was lucky, whereby I stayed in school until I was 17 , so normal school, normal friends. I had a pretty normal life outside of work. And I got very lucky being cast in "Skins" the TV show. The crowd goes wild at this.

"A lot of 'Skins' fans-" Chico acknowledges, which is met by more screaming.

"Wasn't it a shock for a lot of people? Because you were this adorable kid in "About a Boy" and "Skins"" was a little edgier-a little scary. 

"Yeah-that's what I liked about it. You know, whenever reading a script or looking at some potential work., I like to do something that people don't really expect, or to do something different. I haven't done before." 

This was also tackled in the press junket when Hoult was asked: "Is it a conscious decision to take on unusual roles?" to which Hoult responded.

"Outside of working with great people and telling a good story, the aim for me is to play as much varied characters and styles of film, the stories that I tell - that's what my aim is. I would get bored if I played the same characters again and again. As much as you can transform physically and emotionally for whatever it is then  that makes a big difference." 

Nicholas Hoult in various roles. From L to R. The zombie "R" in "Warm Bodies". Beast/ Hank McCoy. The War Boy "Nux" in Mad Max: Fury Road.: 

Hoult talks about his upcoming work in "The Rebel in the Rye" when he was asked- 

"(So) You're playing J.D. Salinger for "A Rebel in the Rye" Why is entitled that-and what processes did you go through to prepare for the role since J.D. Salinger is described to be very reclusive." 

It's called "The Rebel in the Rye" (since) it's a play off his most famous novel, "Catcher in the Rye" but also he was a very rebellious character. He got kicked out of quiet a lot of schools-his writing was very much against the phoniness of the world he saw around him and that's what lit the fire within him for him to go out and write about what he felt would prove his depictions of the world and the characters he saw around him. That's why its called "Rebel in the Rye"  in terms of preparation it's difficult because there;s no video or audio of him that exist that we could find. 

Nicholas Hoult and Kevin Space on the set of "Rebel in the Rye" 

So it was a lot of reading biographies about him, reading his novels alongside those biographies. A lot of his work is quiet autobiographical, his writing even though they are fictional, they kind of stem back to his life and then basing the decision (on how) to play him around that. Luckily, Danny (Strong) -the writer wrote a brilliant script that was very tight and I have wonderful actors to work with, so that obviously makes it a lot easier, aside from that in an emotional level I would like to sit at home on a typewriter writing stories, just to try and understand what that felt like as well. 

During the convention, Hoult met with his fans in autograph, photograph and meet and greet sessions. He even ended his "In Conversation" session with an epic Mexian wave. He will be staying in the country after APCC to check out the beaches in Palawan with his "Skins"co-star and friend Joe Dempsie, who is also a guest for AsiaPop Comicon. 

Click here for more photos of Nicholas Hoult during APCC. 

Click here for more posts on AsiaPOP Comicon on the blog. 

Events: Things Heat Up for "Asia Pop Comicon" + Day 1 + Photos

Join the dark side. A cute little trooper gets a special invite. 

It's 3:00 in the morning. I got out of bed after being awake from more than 24 hours. I only need about 5 hours of sleep and I'm good to go but aside from feeling the body ache, which is still there, I'm just bursting with excitement. Day 1 of the biggest  pop culture event in Asia ended a few hours ago and while there were so many things to see and do I am overwhelmed with anticipation with what is to take place a few hours from now.

But before I get carried away (yet again) let's take a look at what we saw during Day 1 + Photos!

We could not get over this cute little storm trooper when he saw the his heroes from the Philippine Garrison. The Philippine Garrison is a unit of the 501st Legion, which is an international organization of Star Wars fans, dedicated to wearing the costumes of characters from the Star Wars franchise. The 501st is devoted to raising funds for children's charities all over the world.

The little guy needed some coaching to join "the dark side" as he posed with the different villains from Star Wars. He was shy at first but eventually overcame his fear to join guys in, bigger versions of his costume. Perks of being one of the few kid cosplayers on the first day.

American comic book illustrator Mike Zeck, meets Filipino fans. His work includes Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars in 1984 and his design for a black and white Spider-Man costume eventually led to the creation of the villain Venom.

Zeck has been coming to the Philippines since 1991, he said that he loves the beaches and the people. Just remove some cars on the road though, he added, during the Asia Pop Comicon press conference, which was held at the Conrad Hotel last Wednesday, August 24. Click here for photos and blog post on the Press Conference!

Fans have been anticipating to join the highly coveted "Hall M" which will feature never-before-seen footage outside of San Diego Comic Con of Marvel's upcoming "Doctor Strange" film. They will also showcase content from Marvel's television and web series. Hall M is limited to 1,000 attendees, which makes the tags highly valuable.

The first batch of fans, get their hands on the highly coveted "Hall M" passes. 

We were really impressed with this White Walker cosplayer who got his make up done at the The Australian College of Hair and Design Manila, which is one of the exhibitors at APCC.

Paul also got to skate for a while, which was a treat since he used to skate back in the day.

There is definitely a lot of activities already going on for Day 1 of AsiaPop Comic con, Day 2 will definitely have more happening! Follow the page and our social media accounts for more updates! 

Click HERE for MORE Photos! 

Events: Coffee and Macarons with Asia Pop Comicon's Finest

Apologies. This is such a late post, as I am writing this Day 1 of AsiaPop Comicon has already transpired and Day 2 will begin in just a few hours but we still wanted to share what went down during the Press Conference for AsiaPop Comicon. We were not able to upload this right away, since after the press conference, Paul and I still had to sleep for work, go to work and then it was already Friday, the first day of AsiaPop Comicon. Phew. I know. More Enervon please? 

Overlooking the waters of Manila Bay at the posh Conrad hotel. Members of the local press were teased with what to expect during the upcoming Asia Pop Comicon, which promises to be the biggest pop culture event in Asia last Wednesday, August 24.

Bringing back that wonder we all used to feel when we were children, AsiaPop Comicon promises to bring the ultimate fan experience by bringing a wide range of pop culture elements in one venue, slated for August 26 to 28 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

They raised the bar by bringing a world class convention last year with over 30,000 attendees and inviting guests such as Paul Bettany, Nathalie Emmanuel, Colton Hayes and so much more and they are surely continuing that tradition this year,

Joining the press conference was a stellar line up of artists in their own fields and they got to sit down with the local press to pick at their creative minds.

Whilce Portacio. 

Whilce Portacio is no stranger to the field of comic books, whether it is the international arena or the local scene. The creator of Bishop (of "Uncanny X Men"), Whilce broke in the comics industry by inking Marvel Comics' classic book "Longshot" in 1985. He has then been a sought-after inker at Marvel and worked as a penciler on "The Punisher" in 1988.

"APCC will help open up Manila to the worldwide stage." Portacio told members of the press. "We're always looking for new people and new ideas." he continues. "I would like to see more Filipino mythology" (on new material) he adds.

Mike Zeck. 

Mike Zeck's work has graced the pages and covers of "Captain America", "Aquaman", "Batman" "Legends of the DC Universe," and many more. He has been visiting the Philippines since 1991.

"I love the beaches. I love the people." He says. "Just get rid of a few cars." He adds, referring to the traffic, which got members of the local press to laugh.

A first time visitor to the Philippines, Ken Lashley has been a veteran working on such titles, such as "Excalibur", "Black Panther", "X-Men", "Spider-Man", "Flash", "Superman" among others. 

"I was so excited to get here, I didn't care how many airplanes I took." he said.

Ken Lashley. 

When asked about the state of comic books in 2016, Lashley answered that "The (Comic Book) movies have done a lot of things, but it does not translate to comic sales. People easily recognize what you do though." 

He gives a shoutout to all aspiring artists out there, "Draw all the time. For every artist, there are a 1000 bad drawings. Always hustle. 

Jason Palmer.

"I've never felt so welcome, even before I left" says illustrator Jason Palmer, who is best known for his illustrations of "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" among others. 

"I was already getting messages, even before I left for Manila." 

Shinichiro Kitai. 

Shinichiro Kitai, art director of DEVILROBOTS, a design team of five from Japan are well known for their whimsical, yet sometimes sinister characters and designs. When asked what he was looking forward to in the Philippines, Kitai answered "Jollibee" which was met with laughter from the press. 

Kitai explains that Jollibee shows the Philippines as a happy people. 

"Somebody get this man, his fast food." Host Justin Quirino said laughing. 

Rounding up the line up of guests during the Press Conference is the Queen of Cosplay herself, Alodia Gosiengfiao, who is a household name when in comes to Cosplay.

Alodia Gosiengfiao. 

"It's nice to know that even world renowed artists are looking for new talent." Alodia said, aside from Cosplay she is also an artist herself and an avid gamer. When asked to give advise for the CAGE Cosplay Competition participants, she says "Have fun and be careful. Some people are starting to work with dangerous material." she added, laughing. 

Catch all of these guests and much, much more at AsiaPop Comicon happening this weekend! 

Click HERE for MORE PHOTOS!