IT was a star-studded weekend as celebrities partook in the Asia Pop Comic Convention (AsiaPOP Comicon) Manila 2018 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, which ran from Friday to Sunday.
“Ready Player One” star Tye Sheridan and “Iron Fist” lead Finn Jones were among of the most anticipated guests of this year’s convention.
Jones, who is known for his role as Ser Loras Tyrell in the HBO hit series “Game of Thrones,” and is the lead in the Netflix series “Iron Fist,” emphathically announced his arrival last Saturday.
Jones was supposed to attend the event with his fellow star Jessica Henwick, but the latter had withdrawn her appearance due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
Jones, together with Mike Colter of Marvel’s “Luke Cage,” joined the excitement as the Netflix booth returned to the convention.
According to Orange Magazine, it was announced that the Netflix booth this year was inspired by and designed especially for the Filipino fans.
The Marvel’s “Iron Fist” star joined showrunner Raven Metzner as they teased the fans with information on the show’s second season.
Aside from talking about his movie, Jones shared to the media that he had already eaten a Filipino dish since he arrived last Saturday. When asked by the reporters what he ate, he described adobo but called it sweetened pork.
He also signed some autographs for fans and took photos with them during the meet and greet.
Colter also joined showrunner Cheo Hodari, who answered the fans’ questions about season two of “Luke Cage.”
Pinoy fans had an engaging experience as the Netflix booth prepared life-size replicas of sets from their favorite shows such as “Iron Fist,” “Riverdale” and “Stranger Things.” Some TV collectibles were also available in the booth.
Meanwhile, Sheridan, the ambitious Gunter Wade Watts from Steven Spielberg’s Hollywood box-office hit, also graced the event.
Aside from “Ready Player One,” Sheridan is also known for playing Cyclops in “X-Men Apocalypse,” and had also starred in dramas “Mud,” “Joe” and the “Stanford Prison Experiment.”
Sheridan admitted that the Philippines is the first Asian country he has ever visited.
Sheridan actively answered the questions from the press, which mostly were about his upcoming movie, “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” which will be released later this year.
He also told the media that he will surely come back to the Philippines for a vacation and that he considers the country a good setting for his future movies.
Sheridan heartily welcomed his fans during the meet and greet, too.
Aside from Jones and Sheridan, Canadian actor Osric Chau of “Supernatural” was also present at the three-day event.
Celebrity guests from other fields also joined the convention. Among them were Stanley Lay, a digital artist and Imaginary Friends Studios founder; cosplayers Vera Chimera and Yugana Senshi Uon; and Amanda Visell and Michelle Valigura, who are both animation artists and Switcheroo founders.
AsiaPOP Comicon had also prepared something for the aspiring artists as Stephen Wacker, Marvel’s vice president for creative development, made an appearance in the convention.
The convention staged various performances, activities and exhibits. The event was free for children aged five years and below.
This year is the fourth year of AsiaPOP Comicon. It is an annual comic book fan convention that features international brands in the fields of comics, toys, animation, film and music within the pop culture phenomena.