THE ATMOSPHERE

THE COSPLAYERS

THE COLLECTIBLES!

THE NETFLIX ZONE

THE STARS

THE EXCLUSIVES!

WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS

Comic conventions. Urgh, what a boring nerd fest, right?Look, take whatever preconceived notions you may have about events like these and flush ‘em down your nearest toilet because if you’ve never been to one, you’re really missing out. Unless of course, you don’t watch TV shows or movies and generally dislike the idea of having fun.If you’re a comic con newbie, might we suggest givingthe much-deserved honour of snatching away your comic convention virginity.APCC is only THE LARGEST pop culture convention in South East Asia and since its inauguration just three years ago back in 2015, has already seen the likes of Paul Bettany (Vision from 'The Avengers'), Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei from 'Game of Thrones'), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven from 'Stranger Things'), Ray Fisher (Cyborg in the DC Extended Universe) and many, many… many more gracing the event with their presence.This year, Rojak Daily was invited by Netflix to attend APCC so let’s just get to the whole experience bit.As I took my first step into the convention hall,Music blares from every corner, huge booths with neon lights draw you in like an unsuspecting moth, you’ll see everyone from kids to(yes, I saw a few) walking around excitedly, cosplayers roam the hall proudly displaying their self-made work of art, the aroma of delicious Filipino food engulfs your nostrils, the ever-friendly Netflix staff constantly greeting everyone with huge smiles that never seem to fade, you’ll see long lines of people queueing up eagerly to get autographs from their favourite artists, personalities and cosplayers… it is just all simply so magical.I’ll have you know thatexploring the hall and there was something new and exciting to see or experience each time. This also explains why I’m a little more broke than I was before the trip….Okay, let’s get the mandatory cosplayers out of the way first. Obviously, there wasaccompanied by, some, the man himself… you know, the usual suspects for comic conventions.But beyond those, I saw people dressed up as(from 'Rick and Morty'), there werewas there,gave us the finger,, I spottedplaying some arcade games,, many… many webslingers and some families made it a point to all dress up together as their favourite characters.There was one such family with the dad dressed up as Kylo Ren, the mum as Rey and their two adorable kids as little Jedis which got many (myself included) going “Dawww!”. There was even an impressive looking Thanos walking around with his daughter dressed up as a young Gamora!Fans would run up all excitedly to their favourite characters to snap a photo or two with cosplayers who were always up for it. Also, watching the professional cosplayers compliment, share tips on costume designing and just spending time with fans only goes to prove how close-knit and family-like this community is. And let’s not even get started on how much time these guys have clearly spent carefully putting their customized costumes together. Dedication and passion right there, folks.(Look out for our cosplay-focused article that'll be coming out sometime next week for more photos!)When I first walked in, I headed to the Netflix zone first obviously because it was the highlight of the whole convention but right after that, I went to a booth selling anIt took me a while to browse through ‘em all, but as I wandered around I came to the realisation that was merely the first of an absurd number of booths selling those and each had their own unique figurines to choose from. The choices were insane! There is simply no way any Funko fan walks in without making a purchase.you friggin’ name it, they had it all!My biggest regret? Missing out on that Predator Funko POP which caught my attention on the first day thinking it’d still be there at a later time. (Note to self: when you see something you like at a comic convention, leave no room for hesitation and just go ahead and buy it.)Then there were(which I bought without even knowing where or how I’d use them),and other memorabilia, 'by really talented artists from the Philippines, badges, buttons… and thankfully an ATM machine right outside the convention centre.Ah, this area felt like home. Every day,and for good reason.First, waswhere fans could snap photos with cut-outs of their favourite 'Stranger Things' cast, play fully-functioning arcade games like Pac-Man, snap photos on some vintage bikes just like the ones the kids used in the series or grab a crayon to recreate Will’s sprawling tunnel maps however you like.Hell, even Spiderman joined in for the latter.Then there wasright opposite the arcade, where fans could get their “yearbook photos” taken donning either a Riverdale High varsity jacket or a more rebellious Southside Serpents leather jacket.So, while the girls were going selfie-crazy over there, right beside it was a small stage whereand naturally, this was where most of the guys flocked to.Take a short stroll outside and you’ll end up in anconstantly causing a ruckus and getting into the occasional fist fight with an “unsuspecting passerby”.Fans also had a chance to punch a wall and a car to vent out frustrations (similar to the one I had for missing out on the Predator Funko POP) or get a temporary tattoo fromand even immortalise themselves with a slow-motion-action-hero-punching-the-ground video in a nice Iron Fist-themed setting.so unsurprisingly, it was also where you’d find the longest queues.and I was no exception.To start off, everyone knew that gracing this year’s convention would be('Iron Fist'),('Luke Cage'),('Bushmaster'),('Ready Player One'),('Supernatural'),('Castlevania’s executive producer) and(producer of 'Godzilla: City on the Edge' and and 'Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters').Now that line-up alone should wet your pants but adding to the list of special attendees of this year’s APCC was, comic artists likeandas well as popular cosplayersandFans were given the chance to get their photos taken with their favourite stars, there were autograph sessions and there were even panel sessions which I’ll come to next.I managed to get a photo and an autographed poster of Darth Vader from the man himself, Brian Muir!Alright, so we’ve got all the activities, cosplayers, comic books, toys and collectibles but what really got the fans excited were all the exclusives!Questions that every fan had on their minds were asked by the host and 'Castlevania' co-executive producer Adi Shankar decided that the time and place was just right to debut the world premiere of the second season of 'Castlevania'!Next up were Marvel’s superheroes with Mike Colter, Mustafa Shakir and 'Luke Cage'’s showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker taking stage first.Finn Jones joined the cast soon after and 'Iron Fist' fans went completely hysterical (leaving me partially deaf for a while) when he said that Sacha Dawan (Davos from 'Iron Fist') and Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing) had special video shout-outs for their fans.But that wasn’t– meaning those who were present saw it before anyone else!I’m missing the fans, I miss patiently browsing through all the comics and Funko POP figurines looking for what interests me, I’m missing the dedicated cosplayers and people from Netflix who made sure we had everything we needed constantly throughout the trip, I’m missing all the happy faces of kids, teenagers and adults wandering around the hall looking for their favourite collectible or stars.I also miss just walking up and down the convention centre for hours straight without once feeling bored,dammit. The entire experience felt… so wholesome and you can bet your ass I’ll be back next year.And this time, if I see that damn Predator Funko POP, I’m buying it RIGHT AWAY!