Meet Pop Culture Heavyweights and Top Personalities from East and West

Singapore, 18 August 2011 – The 2011 Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) will be a weekend packed with superhero talent from the West and East, bundled with over 80 exclusive collectibles and new product launches for fans to take home.

This year's STGCC will also play host to Guests of Honour – Marvel's international talent scout, C.B. Cebulski, DC Comics' legend, Paul Levitz and Kieron Gillen, one of the rising writers with Marvel. The East-West flavour is also stronger this year, bolstered by a strong mix of personalities from both sides of the pop culture universe.

The annual pop culture extravaganza, which showcases what is new and hot across the worlds of toys, games, comics, manga, anime and cosplay, takes place on 20 & 21 August at the Suntec International Convention and Exhibitions Centre. Into its fourth year, STGCC is co-produced by Reed Exhibitions Singapore and ReedPOP in the USA – the creators of the annual New York Comic Convention (NYCC) and New York Anime Festival (NYAF).

More STGCC Exclusive Collectibles Up For Grabs!

With more than 80 exclusive collectibles and new product launches at STGCC this year, fans can get their hands on coveted items from local and international exhibitors such as Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Hot Toys, HARRIS Planerds, Maxsoft C/O Nintendo, Dooodolls, SingPost, Harley Yee Rare Comics, and more.

These include the 2011 Toy Fairs Exclusive figurines by Hot Toys, which are only available at select international toy fairs; STGCC exclusive collectibles from Android toy designer, Andrew Bell; graphic merchandise from the hit US TV show, The Walking Dead; the release of Singapore-based artist, Sonny Liew's new comic, Malinky Robot: Collected Stories and other Bits; and rare Akihabara Japan products and Comiket 80's Exclusives.

Marvel has especially created an STGCC exclusive variant comic cover, a first for Singapore, to the Captain America #1 issue featuring the iconic superhero in front of the Merlion. DC fans will want to get their hands on the exclusive edition of the FLASHPOINT #1 issue featuring a stunning wraparound variant cover by Andy Kubert, only available at the San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) and STGCC.

Fans can also show their support for local and regional artists at STGCC's Artist Alley, a special segment of the convention for aspiring talent in the region to showcase their works, network and spur collaborations.

Marvel's international talent scout, C.B. Cebulski, returns to STGCC for the second year to continue his hunt for talented artists from Southeast Asia. This follows last year's successful Portfolio Review by Marvel whereby Cebulski handpicked Singapore artist, Benjamin Ang, to work with Marvel.

"As I scout talent for Marvel, I only revisit events in countries where I find the level of artistic talent extremely high, and given the amazing comic creators I met in Singapore at STGCC last year, I knew I'd be back before long and hopefully making it a regular recruiting stop!" says Cebulski, a renowned comic writer whose works include War of Kings: Darkhawk, X-Infernus and Loners. Currently, Ang is working on a few new projects, including comic covers for X-23 and The Amazing Spiderman.

Another renowned guest is Paul Levitz, President of DC Comics from 2002 to 2009 and currently its Senior Advisor and Contributing Editor. He is a renowned comic book writer and editor and his latest book, 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking, recently bagged the prestigious Eisner Award for best comic-related book.

"It's been a lifetime pleasure to have fans across the world," said Mr Levitz. "And I'm excited to be travelling to the furthest comic convention I've ever gone to in order to meet some of them."

A convention highlight, fans will be able to indulge in interaction time with well-known writers, illustrators, toy designers and some of Eastern pop culture's top personalities, at STGCC's Walk of Fame and forums sessions where we shine the spotlight on these fascinating personalities.

In addition to writers and illustrators from Marvel and DC including Kieron Gillen, Ardian Syaf, Carlo Pagulayan, Harvey Tolibao, Leinil Yu, Mico Suayan, Stephen Segovia, and cult toy designers like DEVILROBOTS' Koto Nishiyama and Shinichiro Kitai, tokidoki's Simone Legno and Androids designer, Andrew Bell, who was voted Fan Favourite at the recent Designer Toy Awards (DTA) 2011 at SDCC, will be meeting fans at STGCC. Representing the Eastern space are famed games and anime illustrator, Kishida Mel; popular voice actress, Itou Shizuka; one of Japan's top cosplayers, Kipi; and VOCALOID pop group, ZANEEDS.

ABOUT THE SINGAPORE TOY, GAME & COMIC CONVENTION

The Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention combines the best of pop culture from East and West to Asia, uniting the worlds of comics, anime, toys, collectibles and games. It is the pre-eminent event in the Asian market that fits with other shows in the Reed pop culture portfolio, including New York Comic Con (NYCC), the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Star Wars Celebration and New York Anime Festival.

STGCC will reach out to a whole new world of fans in Asia and opens a vast market with exciting opportunities for companies to break into the Asian market and/or reinforce a growing presence. Fans will experience a showcase of pop culture's coolest and latest products, and be thrilled by personalities and characters from the worlds of superheroes, villains and realms of fantasy.

STGCC's vision is to deliver quality content and spread the currency of cool in Asia and aims to be the leading catalyst for the pop culture industry.

ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS

Reed Exhibitions is the world's leading events organiser, with over 440 events in 36 countries. In 2009 Reed brought together over six million active event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organized by 35 fully staffed offices.

Reed organizes a wide range of events, including trade and consumer exhibitions, conferences and meetings. Its portfolio of over 440 events serves 44 industry sectors, including: Aerospace & aviation, automobiles, beauty & cosmetics, broadcasting, building & construction, electronics, energy, oil & gas, engineering & manufacturing, food service & hospitality, gifts, healthcare, interior design, IT & telecoms, jewellery, life science & pharmaceuticals, machinery, marketing, business services & training, medical education, printing & graphics, security & safety, sports & recreation, travel.

Working closely with professional bodies, trade associations and government departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field.

Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and worldleading publisher and information provider. In 2009, Reed Elsevier made an adjusted profit before taxation of £1,279 million on turnover of £6,071 million.

ABOUT REEDPOP

ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing celebrations of popular culture throughout the world that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers and fans.

The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East & West, Star Wars Celebration, New York Anime Festival (NYAF), Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC), and UFC Fan Expo.

The staff at ReedPOP is a fan based group of professionals producing shows for other fans, thus making them uniquely qualified to service those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Asia and Europe.