Intergalactic visitors open Indonesia's first-ever international Comic Con

(28 Sep 2015) LEAD IN:
Indonesia is welcoming a host of galactic explorers, superheroes and arch villains to the country's first-ever International Comic Con.
The event is allowing fans to engage with their favourite characters from Hollywood's top movies and TV shows, it's also giving exposure to local artists and their work.
STORY-LINE:
Indonesia's first-ever International Comic Con is being opened by some intergalactic visitors.
The pop-culture phenomenon, first established in the US city of San Diego in 1970, is now arriving in Jakarta.
It's playing host to various attractions, including exhibits on upcoming movies, TV shows, comic books, cartoons, toys, video games and cosplay competitions.
This three-day event was put together by Thailand entertainment giants, BEC-Tero TrueVisions.
They also collaborated with Singaporean youth-marketing company SOZO and Indonesian media publishing company Megindo.
Having purchased the license for Comic Con and hosted the event in Bangkok for two years running, the Thai-based company decided Indonesia was the perfect place to expand to.
"This is such a big market for such you know, pop culture here in Indonesia," says Ong-Ard Prapakamol, managing director of BEC-Tero TrueVisions.
"So as such, we thought, with our connection, with our friends, partners, coming from studios and also TV networks that we can actually do something big here."
There are over 50 exhibitors and 50 guest-stars for fans to meet.
It's also a chance for attendees to pose for pictures with elements from some of their favourite titles - there's a 'Speeder Bike' from Star Wars and the 'Iron Throne' from 'Game of Thrones'.
And that's not all - the event is also an opportunity for networks to promote upcoming shows to fans.
Fox International is here to screen a trailer for the upcoming season six of their hit show, 'The Walking Dead'.
For Tiara Sugiyono, marketing manager of Fox International Indonesia, Comic Con is the perfect place to engage with fans.
"We were very interested in this event because Fox isn't the only one here as an exhibitor, there are others as well, and the people that have come here are die-hard comic fans," she says.
Organisers say they also want to showcase local artists, because Indonesia has a prominent creative community.
That's why the decision to stage the event in Jakarta was not just made for business reasons, it's also a move to inspire the local creative scene.
Another network drawing the attention of fans is HBO.
Besides their 'Iron Throne' replica from fan favourite, 'Game of Thrones,' the network is also promoting its upcoming Asia original production titled, 'Halfworlds'.
Award-winning Indonesian director, Joko Anwar is at the helm.
The eight-part series, which tells the story of an underground society of demons living among people in present-day Jakarta, is set to premiere 29 November.
But it's not just about existing and upcoming shows.
A 'Girls of Marvel' panel event is showcasing three female Indonesian illustrators working for the comic behemoth.
They're here to talk about the industry and the challenges they've faced.
The trio landed their dream jobs after a long journey which included beating hundreds of other applicants during a talent scouting visit to Indonesia by Marvel last year.
In a field mostly dominated by men, illustrator Alti Firmansyah feels fortunate to be doing what she does.
"I think that the industry here has grown volumes in comparison to what it used to be, and I see a big chance for Indonesia to stand out globally," she says.
Jakarta Comic Con 2015 ran from 25 to 27 September 2015.

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