Asus Joins Lanka Comic Con as Our Biggest Partner

The computer maker and gaming industry leader, Asus, is now Lanka Comic Con’s principal partner. They are also our title sponsor: Lanka Comic Con 2017, is now the Asus Lanka Comic Con 2017.
 
“We’re delighted to partner with Lanka Comic Con, our country’s Geek cultural festival,” said Ishkey Irshard, country channel manager for Asus. I came to the 2016 show and was impressed with the event and potential, as a result was very keen to come on board and sponsor the event."

Many of us know Asus from when we used to assemble our own computers. Asus motherboards and graphics cards were top choices. Since then, Asus has become the world leader in gaming laptops, sponsoring its own gaming tournament, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Masters. The ROG prize pool by the way, is 200,000 USD.  


 
Asus is also lifestyle company, providing notebooks for all users. Whether you need something to read on, watch movies, or just to work, Asus has a big range and many price points. We’ll be talking about these, and giving people chances to test out, and even win, Asus notebooks.
 
The Asus Lanka Comic Con 2017, will take place on August 26th and 27th at the SLECC.

Asus is the biggest patron of Geek culture in Sri Lanka.
— Thilani Samarasinha, Lanka Comic Con Principal Organizer

Free Comic Book Day, and the Geek Art Show

Free Comic Book Day... 

Local comic store startup, Red Dot Geek, is bringing Free Comic Book Day to Sri Lanka. They'll be giving away 2000 comics. Everyone gets 2 free (till they run out). Be early!

 

... And The Geek Art Show...

We'll also be having an art show, just for Sri Lankan Geek Art. Artists will be both displaying and selling their work. 

Feautured artist will be: 

Aishwarya Tennekoon
Prabath Wijeyantha
Orlando Magic (performance art) 
Shanya Kulasekera
Druon De Silva
Kalath Warnakulasuriya
Lakal Chamikara Priyantha
Ruwanthi Sulanjali
Nipuni Rio Manuthunga
Vishwa Thishakya
Paintedfigs

If you would like to exhibit or sell your art at the Geek Art Show, please use this form

 

... And Other Stuff

With the LARP Guild, make your own armor, and test it out in a foam weapon fight. Fight for honor, fun, or to be dastardly. 

Paint miniatures with Paintedfigs. You've seen these around. Come and learn how its done.

We're also having a small cosplay design challenge. Make a costume to time, with the available materials. 

Where is this happening? 

At the JDA Perera Gallery, on the 6th of May. Don't drive, there isn't much parking there. 

Info here, and you can follow the Facebook event page, here. 

 

Lanka Comic Con Supports the Empowerment of Young Women

Lanka Comic Con congratulates the students, staff, and families of Musaeus and Visakha, for claiming their half of the national sport. 

You're doing good work changing ideas about what women do in Sri Lanka.

We hope your example reminds young Sri Lankan women, that they too, can do anything. 

Aniwa.lk is Lanka Comic Con's Sinhala Online Media Partner

The most interesting story I've read this week on space travel and TRAPPIST-1 , has been in Sinhala. It talks about propulsion, habitable zones, the works. Right now it's the front page feature on Aniwa.lk, Lanka Comic Con's Sinhala Online Media Partner.

"At Aniwa," said founder Anisha Yasarante,  "our mission is to provide the Sinhala digital community with a high quality alternative that focuses on 100% original content that is humourous and useful instead of low brow gossip and politics." 

Aniwa has been covering Geek and Nerd-based articles for a while now, for Sinhala content readers. From Sinhala language scifi, to the Suicide Squad Not-Actually-Banning, to how to pick a tattoo (a story many should have read, but didn't). Check out their page: there's a whole world of Sri Lanka relevant content out there, that English readers are less likely to find. 

"We're really excited to reach out to the geeks of Sri Lanka," said Anisha,  "and come up with a lot of fun and interesting Sinhala content together with the Geek Club of SL in the coming weeks on comics, scifi, gaming, cosplay, and everything else that makes up the Lanka Comic Con movement."

Is Comic Con Just for English Speakers? 

If you think this is a silly question, then you are a geek. But, it's not silly, at all. Language splits this country like the Berlin Wall. It makes us aliens to each other, and keeps us from allies we don't know we have - or worse, assume are enemies. It was one of the first questions Aniwa reporter Pathum Punchihewa, asked me. It is probably one of the most important questions we've ever been asked. 

Yuval Noah Harari talks about 3 inventions that enabled tribal humans to cooperating with infinite strangers. Government (pay tax, or get shot); Currency (which is why Steam can trust you); and Ideas.

Comic Con is a celebration of geek ideas. Any geek can go to Comic Con Russia, the Malaysian GCC, or Lanka Comic Con - and be treated the same way. Our Geek ideas unites us with people around the planet. It unites us, here at home.   

Come Be Yourself. 

We’re especially honoured to be able to play a part in spreading the word far and wide all across the country to include everyone in all the activities leading up to and during what is shaping up to be a bigger, better and even more unforgettable celebration of Sri Lankan geek culture!
— Anisha Yasaratne, Aniwa.lk

Volunteer - Join the Like Helmets!

In August, Geeks are taking over the largest exhibition space, in the country.
But, we need your help to do it. 

Spread the Word: Become a Like Helmet!

People say you can't change the world by clicking "like." That's partly true. You need to share and click "like." Then,you change the world. 

Become a "Like" Helmet, an official Lanka Comic Con, social media volunteer.

To be a Like Helmet, we need you to:

- Share the event
- Share our blog posts (like this one!). The maximum we'll ever do is once per week. 

"Like" Helmets get the the following perks:  
- First access to our chief guests, David Lloyd and Kevin McNally
- Free admission (FREE!) 
- A nifty "Like Helmet" badge

You also get to say "Nuh UH!" to people who say you can't change anything by clicking "like." 

Because you will.

Help Connect: "I Know A Guy At..."

Know someone who might want a booth, or want to exhibit, at Comic Con? Let us know who, and we'll get in contact with them.

Submit a contact's name and their email and phone number, and we'll say you recommended them to us. Helps them, helps us!

We need your help to make Comic Con a success. Please click on this link if you'd like to get involved!

Why we’re doing a Science Fair

Science Fair to receive 10,000 square feet- as large as Lanka Comic Con was, in 2016

Where there are Geeks, you will always find Nerds. Sometimes they do not get along. Sometimes they work together to create something more powerful. The rest of the world cannot tell us apart - and the rest of the world is correct.We are two sides of the same coin.

The Lanka Comic Con Science and Technology Fair is a place for businesses, students, and educators, to see what they can offer each other. Stalls are very inexpensive, and given low as cost for some groups. We want you to present, impress, and grow.

Who This is For

We are targeting five main groups.

Businesses. We want businesses to have a low-cost platform where they can show off or sell new technologies that they are developing, or bringing into the country. We want them to find new partners or investors, and recruit smart young people. Small and medium enterprises will do best. A low-cost, technology trade show, will be good for the country.

Teachers and schools. They can demonstrate the strength of their science curriculum- mostly by putting forward their students, and their exhibits. It does not matter what you invent - if you cannot present it well, you’ll go nowhere. Schools with strong science programs can get the recognition they deserve.

Students and parents. Some of you are going to want to know what the best schools are for teaching science. Others will want to know what sort of professions in Sri Lanka, are awaiting your children. I assure you, your children probably want to know even more than you do. At the fair they are going to meet employers, and many may not be what you would expect.

We are also going to allow individual students to come forward, and present science exhibits. Even if your school is not interested, even if your parents aren't interested, you can do a science project. See Lanka is big on getting approvals and permissions to do anything interesting. We however, are not. No one will ever give you permission to do something great, so you may as well get started.

Enthusiasts. Last year, we had two astronomy groups and a student team that sent a balloon to the edge of space. We want more of that. Share your passion, grow your groups, and use this as a national platform. You dare to do things, in a country where the national pastime is waiting for other people to fail. Come and show them that creating things is not that hard, and they may as well try it.

Children. If you can get children interested in science, then nothing else matters. Whatever else happens in their lives, they will know this is something that will give them joy and confidence. Later, it will give the power. Over their own lives, and to transform the world they live in. Of everything just mentioned, Inspiring children is the most important thing we can try to do.  

How many Ramanujans are living in Sri Lankan villages, without access to the Internet? How many Nikola Teslas are on the road to Puttalam?
— Satis Arnold

Big Picture Questions

Not everyone chooses Sciences at school. How many who do, graduate with passes? How many go on to do science at University level?  What percentage start businesses and create value? How many leave the country with their precious skills, because they don't see local opportunity?

Now most of the world scientific scholarship is available online. How many Sri Lankans can afford devices to online, or to afford data? Most of that information is available in English. How many Sri Lankans are learning English?

These are national questions. We can't answer them, but we should be asking.

The Hidden

Genius happens. The world's greatest mathematician, was a misunderstood, poor, Indian clerk. His name was Ramanujan. He died in 1920, and we are still trying to decipher his notes. We know about him largely by chance - after years and years of fighting to be noticed, he finally was, in a letter to Cambridge.

How many Ramanujans are living in Sri Lankan villages, without access to the Internet? How many Nikola Teslas are on the road to Puttalam?

Answers come from questions, not vice versa.

The Lanka Comic Con science fair will take place alongside the Lanka Comic Con main event, On August 26th and 27th at the SLECC.  You can follow the event here.

The "V for Vendetta Artist" is coming to Lanka Comic Con 2017

British comic book artist, David Lloyd, is coming to Lanka Comic-Con 2017. He is probably best known as the illustrator for the Alan Moore story, “V for Vendetta.”

Picture credit: Warner Bros., DC Comics

Picture credit: Warner Bros., DC Comics

“I thought that would be great if he looked like Guy Fawkes, kind of theatrical. I just suggested it to Alan, and he said, 'that sounds like a good idea.' It gave us everything, the costume and everything.”

 

V for Vendetta is a tale of resistance against a fascist government. In it, the UK is controlled by a xenophobic, authoritarian party, revolving around strong leadership.The anarchist, V, begins a one-man terror crusade against the them, inspiring others to rise up.

 

Lloyd has been illustrating for Comics since the 1970s, and has worked on IPs for Marvel UK, DC, Dark Horse Comics, and more. He has worked on such properties as "Hellblazer" with Grant Morrison, "War Story" with Garth Ennis, and "Global Frequency" with Warren Ellis.

 

Picture Credit: New York Times

Picture Credit: New York Times

In 2012, Lloyd started Aces Weekly, a multi award-winning digital comic anthology.  

It features the work of such creators as Mark Wheatley, Val Mayerik, John McCrea, Phil Hester, and Lew Stringer.

In 2005, V for Vendetta was made into a movie, starring Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving:

 

Source: Material plundered liberally from Wikipedia.

 

 

 

An Amazing Tent-based Comic Con Just Happened

Comic Con India's Delhi edition, was this weekend. This is what a tent-based Comic Con, looks like once you're attendees are in the 10s of thousands (try to count the number of tents):

Last year, was 30,000+ attendees. Picture Credit: Comic Con India

Last year, was 30,000+ attendees. 
Picture Credit: Comic Con India

Jatin Varma is the main organizer of India Comic Con. We had the good luck of having him visit us at Lanka Comic Con this year, and we got to visit him and his crew in turn last month, at Benguluru Comic Con. 

I don't know yet how many came this year (last year's figure was 30,000 attendees). However, here are some pictures of their massive crowd.

This is what a Comic Con in the tens of thousands, looks like.

Here are just a few shots of the amazing cosplay that took place. To see more, check out their event gallery, here:  

We're delighted at how well the India Comic Con team has done. Congratulations!  

Picture Credit: Comic Con India

Picture Credit: Comic Con India