[Lookback] DLSU Comic-Con 2012

Posted on February 14th, 2012 by The Mistress

Last January 18, The Mistress and Ruby Knight attended the first Comic Convention held by the Student Media Office and the university’s Malate Literary Folio. The event started at 2 in the afternoon and was held at the lobby of the Yuchengco Building inside the Taft campus. There were talks by comic artists such as TRESE creators Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo. Aside from the comic talks, cosplayers were also present through the cosplay competition for undergraduate students and the presentation by the Philippine X-Men Team.

Gallery can be found on our Facebook page

The Mistress says…

Every year, De La Salle University – Manila (DLSU) holds their “Lasallian Media Week,” showcasing the campus’s different media groups. For the first time ever, DLSU’s Malate Literary Folio, with the Student Media Office as their partners, have organized the university’s first Comic Convention. Held at the Lobby of the Yuchengco Building inside DLSU, this one-day event was held last January 18, Wednesday. Admission was free. However, due to the location, interested visitors and cosplayers were required to contact the Student Media Office prior to the event to facilitate visitors’ passes.

For those who were unable to attend this comic-con, don’t expect it to be a massive event like our yearly Komikon or Metro Comic-Con. The Yuchengco Lobby is as big as 2 or 3 classrooms. It’s simply not the same as a Megatrade Hall, but the accomodations have proved to be just right for this humble event. Admission is free, and the Student Media Office certainly did their part in acquiring visitor passes for the attendees and cosplayers.

I’m one of those guys preferring a nostalgic feel rather than an over-the-top experience (then again, over-the-top and awesome is also nice). DLSU’s Comic-Con gave me that feeling. It was just small and simple event, somewhat like a meeting of the minds, where fun and total geekery come together. Comic artists, comics distributors, enthusiasts, cosplayers and curious people were all bunched up in just one place. I could overhear stories of Marvel and DC heroes, compliments on the artworks by the indie comic book artists, and of course a couple of well-placed cosplayer admiration here and there… oh yeah, and boys talking about girls. Animahenasyon provided some quite entertaining animated shorts, while the guest speakers were present to offer meaty presentations about the comic book world. I recall one talk about panelling, where the speaker (Carlo Pagulayan, I think?) compared comic book art of US and Europe. He did pencilling and inking, while the EU artists were using paintbrushes. Now THAT got me interested in picking up a European comic book (aside from the ones I had: Tintin, Bob and Bobette, and Asterix).

Nostalgia really hit the spot when Lasallians saw the cosplayers as if seeing them for the first time. One group of guys I saw had a totally amazed look on their faces after seeing the War Machine cosplayer demonstrate the motorized parts of his armor. Other photographers were taking snapshots of the Jubiliee cosplayer, while a lot of people were admiring the Green Lantern armor. The festivities further turned into a frenzy when the other members of the Philippines’ X-Men Cosplay Team showed up.

I only had two big gripes from the event. First: why can’t some cosplayers keep their anime costumes in the old antique chest for just one day? Dear readers, this is a comic book convention. Comic books usually come from the Western Hemisphere. The art and inspiration is different from Japanese anime/manga. We’re talking about Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, Image… etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. It’s an obvious and serious mismatch of genres, like wearing pajamas on a prom night. I certainly rued the day when conventions based on Western culture mixed up with the Japanese anime/manga cosplaying subculture (and vice-versa). A word to any and all comic-con organizers out there: It wouldn’t hurt to implement cosplay “dress code” for attendees and contestants alike. I mean no offense to the cosplayers donning a Japanese-inspired costume, but let this be an eye-opener of sorts. Some sensitivity please?

Second, the emcees need more practice. No no, they don’t need to memorize their lines. They just need to be a bit livelier in their delivery. There should be more spontaneity in their conversation with each other and with the audience. And please, after introducing someone on the stage, don’t add anything else

From Inside Ruby Knight’s Armor

This was my first convention for this year, and I can say that the organizers did a very good job organizing this event. From security, to logistics, to everything else – all were ironed out properly. Even the cosplayers were taken care of; entire classrooms (airconditioned, to boot) were assigned as dressing areas. I’ll let you in on a secret – I managed to enter the event despite the fact that I am from the college that is their perennial rival in UAAP. Fortunately, no one noticed. I arrived at the event with a friend, who incidentally was an alumnus of DLSU. They weren’t allowing con-goers to enter before 2pm so we had to wait (although my friend could enter, he chose to wait with me). Once I entered, I bumped upon The Mistress – who gave me further instructions.

Familiar faces were there, including the Harry Potter cosplayer that’s a regular in conventions. Talks by comic artist Rob Cham and Budjette Tan were also held. In addition, the Philippine X-Men Team graced the event with their presence. As far as I can remember, I saw Angel, Storm, Cyclops, X-23, Spiral, Havok, Phoenix, and some others. I didn’t really stay for long, and left at about 5pm. Before I end the entry, here are the winners of the cosplay competition: