Love toys, horror, and Halloween? 

Then you are definitely in for a treat with the upcoming Official Funko Fantastic Party happening at House Manila in Remington Hotel, Newport City on October 25, 2015!

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Witness the exclusive Halloween and World releases of the Funko Pop! Asia White Lady and Funko Pop! Asia Aswang with enjoying the beats by The Lost Box and DJ Janice D!

Interested to be part of it? You can purchase your ticket for only P1,118 at all Big Boys Toy Stores which includes the following awesome stuff: 

• One general admission 
• Random (1) one exclusive LE POP Asia party release
• POP Stack Protector
• Lanyard
• Collector Trading Pin
• Sticker set 
• One (1) house beer or soft drink 

See you there! :)

Calling all comic book enthusiasts-- you're in for a big treat as another geeky event is about to creep in this Halloween season! Fully Booked together with Comic Odyssey are once again celebrating the spookiest time of the year with an exciting Halloween ComicFest!

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On October 31, 2015 at 10am onwards, enjoy free comic exclusives, guest artists, candies, discounts, and more that will surely leave your inner geek and child happy! Best part of all, it's free for all to join! 

For more information and updates about the event, kindly visit the official Facebook pages of Fully Booked and Comic Odyssey!

See you there! :)

Over the weekend, Fully Booked together with Comic Odyssey celebrated the 76th Batman Day! To make it even more interesting, they invited the legen--wait for it--dary writer and comic artist, David Mack, to do an interview panel and book signing. Of course, being a loyal visitor to this annual event and a big fan of David Mack, I couldn't afford to miss at least a part of it.

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Part of the excitement in every Batman day (other than dressing up for the occasion) is the chance to get a special Batman comic absolutely FREE! For this year, the special comic received was the Batman Endgame Special Edition #1 by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV, with a script by Tynion and art by Tony S. Daniel, that includes a special 8-page preview of Batman and Robin Eternal! You could also avail of a special Batman Day discount on all graphic novels, collectibles, comic sets, shirts, posters, and back-issues.

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David Mack and Batman fans alike were also in for an absolute treat as the famous writer and comic artist sold limited edition Batman art prints (only 200 prints made!) for only P500! All of these prints were already pre-signed by him as well since they were already available the moment Fully Booked in BGC opened.

Got the 23/200 print of David Mack along with my free comic book!

Since I already had a prior commitment for the afternoon that day, I had to make sure that I was able to take home one of these prints as part of my collection. Even if it was a little upsetting for me to miss his book signing and panel, I am more than grateful and honored to be able to take home one of his special artworks. I was also able to meet David Mack in person the week before at the Asia Pop Comicon. :)

David Mack and I during the Asia Pop Comicon

Check out a timelapsed video of David Mack in action during Batman Day, courtesy of Fully Booked:

Here's David doing a live art demo of Batman!
Posted by Fully Booked on Saturday, September 26, 2015

Just like last year, I will be giving away one copy of the Batman Endgame Special Edition #1 for free to one of my lucky readers as a sign of my appreciation! If you missed out on Batman Day this year, this is your chance to grab yourself a copy of the much anticipated free Batman comic book! To join, simply follow the instructions provided by the Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I will be selecting the lucky winner via random selection on October 9, 2015 so stay posted and good luck to all!* 

Thank you for reading! Thank you as well to Fully Booked and Comic Odyssey for another successful and fun event! :)

*OPEN TO METRO MANILA RESIDENTS ONLY

Last September 17-20, 2015, Manila finally had its first try in having an official International Comic convention event called "Asia Pop Comicon" at the World Trade Center. Loaded with comics, celebrity guests, comic artists, novelty collectibles, and other geeky pop culture surprises;  it was truly something no geek in the Philippines could afford to miss. 

Official Event Poster

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Since I was busy at work during the first day of the event, I was decided to visit the event on the weekend with my friends. We were there from 2pm all the way until the end of the event. To get in, each of us had to get a 'DAY 2 PASS' which cost about P500/head. A little pricey but personally speaking, it was worth the experience especially if you are eyeing to meet some of the well-known guest artists and celebrities. Here is a breakdown of my experience, told in pictures:

Upon entering the convention, I was already greeted with these giant lego Star Wars pieces! :)

A lightsaber battle by Pinoy 501st!

Oh hello R2-D2!

It was very inspiring to see the works of many local and foreign comic artists around the event, as each of them shared their insights, styles, and art to every visitor who comes by their booth. It was also nice of them to share their personal tips and techniques to those who were interested in starting their own art and comic pieces.

One of the artists who I was really looking forward to meeting was Mr. David Mack, the well-known American comic artist and writer behind several popular and unique comic stories and art like Kabuki, Daredevil, Fight Club 2, All-new Avengers, and also the All-New Archie #1 variant cover to name a few. In fact, he was mainly the reason why I wanted to go to the Comic Con in the first place. At first I felt so bad since the schedule mentioned that he would be guesting on the 19th but luckily, I was told that he will be present that day as well!

With the legendary David Mack!

I was also able to appreciate and bring home some really neat limited edition art prints from the legendary Whilce Protacio and Carlo Pagulayan! (sadly wasn't able to take a photo with Carlo Pagulayan since he was so busy signing autographs)

With the talented Whilce Protacio!

There were also several booths catered to our local artists along with an interesting Mini Cooper doodle area where talented young artists were literally doodling onto a real Mini Cooper!

Artists at work doodling on the front hood

Other than just comics and art, there were also booths for popular social media personalities and vinyl toy sculptor/artists. I got to meet the co-founder and creator of the extremely cute brand "Tokidoki", Simone Legno! Best part of all, he was able to draw me a personal sketch of my favorite Tokidoki x Marvel character-- Wolverine upon our meeting. :)

Simone Legno of Tokidoki-- busy doodling my Wolverineeee! :D

With the king of kawaii Tokidoki art-- Simone Legno!

The finished artwork :)

Unlike our current local conventions, the event also had exclusive interview and open forum panels, photography sessions, and autograph signings where special celebrity guests like Paul Bettany, Nathalie Emmanuel, Colton Haynes, Jeremy Shada, Make Out Monday, and the cast of Checkpoint could interact with their fans. During my visit, I was able to get a glimpse of Paul's panel and Nathalie Emmanuel's autograph signing session. Of course, to get these special one-on-one interactions with them, every fan who was interested had to purchase a pass (which are limited per day) for it depending on which artist they wished to meet and which activity they wanted to do (whether photography or autograph). The interview and open forum panel on the other hand, was open to all to enjoy.

Paul Bettany in the flesh while doing his interview panel

Toy and game enthusiasts were also in for a treat as the event booths had exclusive pre-order offers to certain collectibles from Hot Toys, Egg Attack, Lego, Tokidoki, Tomica, and games. You could also try the Occulus Rift for free or even have a glimpse on how video games are developed. Sadly, I was not able to try it out since the lines for these booths were rather long. Instead, I took more time exploring the toys and games available. I was able to snag the official Walking Dead board game and even won a free starter deck of an indie card game from AEG at the Ludus boardgames booth. :)

Iron Man and the Hulkbuster at Comicave Studios

Egg Attack Levitating Iron Man

Watch me float!

The new Hot Toys Cosbaby for Marvel's Ant-Man series

Hot Toys Cosbaby Avengers series

Hot Toys - Star Wars Boba Fett

Awesome statue of Ant-Man! :)

Visitors could also take photos with official and life-size statues of their favorite heroes and creatures from different comic and film features. Among these statues that really caught my attention was the life-size Hulkbuster, which you could actually "wear" and take a photo with when you purchase a shirt from Comicave Studios.

On the Hulkbuster!

What you lookin' at? -- Aliens

 Side view of the popular sci-fi film creature in "Aliens"

The Beast in X-Men: First Class. This was the actual costume used during the shooting of the movie! :)

Alien Ressurection!!!!

Of course, the famous battle between the Predator and the Alien!

Beauty in every detail!

Overall, my experience at the Asia Pop Comicon was fun however, I still feel that there is still more room for improvement, especially in terms of ticketing and organizing. I was also hoping to see more toy and comic exclusives available around the convention. Their celebrity guest line up was also a bit confusing since 2 of their originally announced guests cancelled suddenly, which made it a little difficult or at some point "questionable" for some of the interested fans. Nevertheless, they were still able to make up for it and pull it off well. In terms of ticketing, I hoped that they would've left the option to purchase tickets online even while the event was ongoing to help ease the long lines for walk-in guests. Either way, it was a good start and definitely something for everyone to watch out for in the near future. I definitely am already looking forward to the next one with high hopes!

My personal finds from the APCC! :D

Congratulations to the organizers and guests for making Manila's first International Comicon experience a success! I cannot wait to see what's in store for the next Comicon! :)

Feel free to share your Asia Pop Comicon experience at the comments section below. I would love to hear your awesome story!

Thanks for reading! :)

Hey Batman fans! Mark your calendars as it's that time of the year where we celebrate Gotham's dark knight together with Fully Booked and Comic Odyssey at Batman Day!

Be sure to come early on September 26, 2015 in your favorite Bat Wear to join the fun at any Fully Booked branch in Metro Manila! They will also be giving out one free special edition batman comic book to all those who attend! For more information and updates, visit the official Facebook Pages of Fully Booked and Comic Odyssey!

Over the years, the Star Wars saga has been a popular Sci-Fi classic enjoyed by millions around the world. As they recently announced that upcoming and much awaited Episode 7, it was no doubt that the fans couldn't hold their excitement to see where the story takes off after Vader's death.

The Star Wars Episode 7 Trailer

To add further excitement to the fans who happen to be toy enthusiasts and collectors of the franchise, Disney, along with partnered toy companies, has decided to do a one-time special event called "Force Friday" that allows fans around the world get first hand dibs on the new Star Wars toy collection at exactly 12 midnight on September 4, 2015-- months before the actual movie release. For the Philippines, the Force Friday event was held at SM Mall of Asia. You can view the entire toy collection catalog here: https://imgur.com/a/lbYLw

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Some of the really cool toys I personally think you should look out for are the Sphero App-enabled BB-8 Droid, BB-8 Droid RC, Kylo Ren's Lightsaber, the new Star Wars Black Series Collection, Star Wars Strom Trooper Blaster gun by Nerf, the Iconic Tie Fighter and X-Wing ship figures.

I was able to score my own BB-8 Droid RC made by Disney and Hasbro at Toys "R" Us in Glorietta!

These Star Wars toys will be available only in selected branches of Toys "R" Us (Galleria, Trinoma, Magnolia, Glorietta, Ermita) and Toy Kingdom (SM MOA, Megamall, SM Aura, Virra Mall, SM North EDSA) so be sure to visit them soon if you plan to get your hands on some of these neat collectibles!

May the force be with you! :)

For many, the month of May is the best time to hit the road and enjoy a summer vacation with friends and family. But for me, its usually a different story. One of the most interesting international geeky holidays that I anticipate yearly is the "FREE COMIC BOOK DAY" (also known as FCBD) which was celebrated on May 2, 2015. 

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Yep, you read it right -- for one day, most if not all bookstores around the world give readers a chance to bring home special comic books from different comic publishers to enjoy without any purchase required from the store. Other than the free comics, you could purchase graphic novels, back-issue comics, and a couple of action figures at discounted rates. It is also a gathering where many comic readers, cosplayers and comic book artists of all ages celebrate the joy of their favorite titles, comic book characters and stories. Of course, since this is a first come, first serve "until supplies last" kind of event, many fans had to really make the effort to come early and line up to get their share of the fun. In my case, I had to line up with a friend for almost 2 hours outside before I was able to get in but trust me, it's definitely worth the wait especially if you love comics and graphic novels like me. 

For this year, I was able to bring home a total of 7 free FCBD comic books from big comic book publisher names like Image, Dark Horse, Marvel, McFarlene, etc. I was also able to buy the much awaited Archie VS Predator #1 during my visit at Comic Odyssey in Fully Booked. Lucky for me, it was also the last copy of the issue. :)

My free comic book day stash! :)

Sadly, some of the titles I was anticipating to check out weren't available in all participating branches such as "The Fight Club" from Dark Horse Comics and the "Bob's Burgers" special issue. Nevertheless, it is definitely an exciting and fun experience that you ought to enjoy by yourself or with your friends and family. Thank you to Comic Odyssey and Fully Booked for making this possible every year!

HAPPY FREE COMIC BOOK DAY EVERYONE! :)

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Last April 2014, DC Comics announced that July 23, 2014 is officially BATMAN DAY! It is quite amazing how Gotham's favorite Dark Knight has reached another milestone as it marks its 75th year! Though, since Batman Day landed on a weekday, one bookstore in the Metro wouldn't let this remarkable moment in comic book history slip out!

Photo Source: Fully Booked Philippines

Fully Booked Philippines celebrated Batman Day last Saturday, July 26, 2014, in several of their branches spread across the Metro. The main event of course was celebrated at Bonifacio High Street. To start the event, the first 75 fans to show their love for the caped crusader upon store opening - whether it is to come in full costume, have a Batman tattoo or as simple as wearing a Batman T-Shirt, get exclusive goodies from Pacific Licensing, the official license holder of Warner Bros. I arrived at the store about an hour early with my Funko Pop Rides Collectible #1 - the 1966 Batmobile that I snagged for a great deal at the Bangkok Comic-Con (I will be writing about my finds and experience there soon)! Despite coming early, the line was already piling up by the back entrance of Fully Booked.

Batman fans lining up outside Fully Booked!

Part of the fun that awaited all Batman fans is that Comic book stores around the world, including Fully Booked, were going to give out the special anniversary issue, Detective Comics #27 for one day only. This comic features a reimagining of Batman's 1939 comic launch designed by Chip Kidd, and written by the NY Times best selling author Brad Meltzer. Since there was a limited number of copies of the comic book available in each branch, only one (1) comic book was given on a first come, first serve basis. 

Stacks of Detective Comics #27 ready to be given out!

Photo Source: Fully Booked Philippines

Detective Comics #27 with paper Batarangs!

When the store opened, there were already several activities lined up for the fans. Aside from free comic book giving and the first 75 gifts, you can get prizes from joining the trivia contests or even just impersonating Batman's voice and impressions! Batman themed donuts from Go Nuts! Donuts was also being distributed to the hungry fans for free! 

While lining up to get my free comic book!

My free Batman Donut! Thanks Go Nuts! Donuts :)

Batman donuts for all courtesy of Bruce Wayne? :)

After collecting the free comic book at the ground floor, the Batman fans were then directed to the 4th floor where more Batman themed activities awaited them. Artworks and the vast Batman toy collection of Anna Gajudo were displayed for fans to appreciate. There were also a number of local and talented comic book artists who were offering to do awesome sketches for a reasonable price. There were contests as well that you could sign up to win prizes such as the trivia contest, the drawing contest, etc. 

Toys! Toys! TOOOYYYYSSS!!!

Artists at work!

Other than just enjoying the several activities throughout the day, the fans and walk-in guests could also enjoy a discount up to 20% off on selected titles and items just because.... it was BATMAN DAY! My brother was able to get a good deal on his new art book and got a free DC Comics poster with it. 

Overall, it really was a commemorative moment for Batman. Other than celebrating its overflowing success for 75 years, it was truly heartwarming and fascinating seeing how the event was enjoyed by different generations and how parents who were Batman fans encourage their children to appreciate and fall in love with the brilliant caped crusader. Thank you once again to Fully Booked Philippines for the amazing experience!

Stay connected as I will be doing a special Batman Comic Book giveaway very soon! Hope you enjoyed reading my Batman experience. KAPOW!