I never attended any comic convention before, and the main reason why I attended is because of the Philippine Ragnarok Valkyrie Server Eyeball event that was organized by Level Up. But of course, I took advantage of the fact that I was there and roamed around the convention.

A painting by artist Jun Lofamia

It was both a visual feast and a learning experience. I was able to take some pictures! See them all after the jump!

The event was a well attended affair. I estimate atendees to reach the near one thousand mark. Not bad for an event that caters to a niche market.

One of the most popular attractions was the portraiture and caricature booth run by some veteran comics artists. Who wouldn’t want to have their picture drawn or be portrayed as a cartoon? I for one did not let opportunity pass and had myself drawn as a caricature! If you haven’t seen it yet, you can read all about it in my previous post.

Caricature artist Rene Clemente

A couple having their portraits drawn

There was also an exhibit of selected works from various comics artists. Here are some of my favorite works.

Ate V and Bitoy in Caricature form

A collage of comic cover artworks by Alfredo Alcala

A very intricate printwork of a tree by Christian Alcala

Aside from comics and visual arts, there were also booths that feature different kinds of merchandise such as anime DVDs, on the spot art contests, and action figures to name a few. I wanted to buy that complete collection of Shaider and Maskman DVDs but alas I was short on cash on that day. Among all the booths, there’s this one that caught my attention. It was the booth that featured a unique card game called Talecraft: story-creation-game.

When I first saw the cards being played by atendees, I thought it was just another derivation of the classic Magic the Gathering game. But then I was surprised to see my friend Edwin (of the Frost Jokers playing there so I began to ask questions. I didn’t get the specifics but the main idea of the game is that, you create a story based on the literary elements that are given to you on the cards you have at hand. It can be played by multiple players. After doing a simple Google search, I was able to find the Talecraft website. It’s really a very interesting game, and what’s more, it’s an original Pinoy creation!

The Talecraft Lady

Talecrafters

Edwin of the Frost Jokers composing his story

Edwin sharing his tale crafted from his cards at hand

There were other sites to see, and even some musical numbers onstage from local UP musicians as well as open discussions with comics veterans. I don’t know if it’s the weak sound system or the quality of the stage events themselves but the overall stage presence was a bit lackluster. Ironically, the Zeny o Bayong Valkyrie Event literally took over the stage and really caught the attention of everyone for a short while.

Marvel Comics’ Skarlet Witch action-figure

A Haven for Narutards

Overall though, I enjoyed my trip to the Komikon 2007 even if most of the time I was with the Valkyrians at the Level Up Booth. At times it seems that the Ragnarok players have their own little world at the Komikon but that’s just an indication that our community bond is very solid. And with that said, I look forward to the Komikon 2008!

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