Drawing new talents

OVER 55,000 gamers, cosplayers and fans of pop culture, anime as well as comic books thronged the exhibition halls of the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) recently for the Comic Fiesta 2016 (CF2016).
This two-day festival, said to be the largest of its kind in Malaysia, featured over 400 booths showcasing the works of established as well as aspiring local artists and 50 unique exhibitors, including those from the business, art and design schools, publishing houses and more.
Hundreds of cosplayers and enthusiasts alike were already waiting at the door as early as an hour before the official opening at 10am.
It was quite an experience to share the walkways with fellow fans and colourful characters in both simple and elaborate costumes.
The venue’s easy access by public transport also made it convenient for visitors, including a large number of students, to attend the event this year.
Besides the attraction of the booths, there were also performances and talks by both local and international guest artistes and artists.
The line-up included local bands 5 Minute Heroes and Ocean of Fire; international cosplayers such as Siutao, Miu, Onnies, and Stayxxx J; and popular illustrators Eva Comics and Zeen.
Also at the event was Wan Hazmer, the lead game designer (culture team) of the recently-released open world action role-playing video game, Final Fantasy XV.
Other notables in attendance were Culture Japan creator Danny Choo as well as Japan’s music producer and singer-songwriter Yuyoyuppe, singer Kradness and indie pop band f’hana.
Comic Fiesta started in 2002 as an event where fans of anime, comics, and games could gather and share their interests. Today, it has become a fertile ground for showcasing and recruiting talents as well.
For the Ommel Art duo of Nadia Azman and Ahmad Sufian Mazilan, this is their third year running a booth at Comic Fiesta.
The event has given them a chance to gain exposure and sell their art, which is mainly based on the popular game, Overwatch, and western-style animated series Star vs the Forces of Evil and Steven Universe.
For aspiring digital artist Ning Yasmin, this was her first time manning a booth at Comic Fiesta.
Well-known in certain circles for her My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic-based artwork, the 18-year-old spent months preparing for this event.
According to her, while artists like her mainly gain exposure through the internet, events such as Comic Fiesta provide another option to reach out to their fans.
Despite the anime and manga-centric nature of Comic Fiesta, the number of fans and artists who are into non-Japanese style art has been growing over the years.
However, there are very few local platforms for aspiring non-classical artists to display their art.
Although the internet opens their work to a wider and more welcoming international audience, these local artists still choose to participate in events such as Comic Fiesta for the sake of their local fans.
Julian ‘Lefty’ Kam, one of the co-founders of Gilamon Studio, said he was surprised by the number of people who had preordered his Star Wars ink prints set and T-shirts despite his work being neither anime- or comic-based.
Indeed, Comic Fiesta 2016 had something for everyone.
Walking to and around the exhibition halls alone easily covered the 10,000 daily recommended steps.
It was crowded, it was hot, and it was tiring, but it would have been difficult to find anyone who did not have a smile on his or her face.