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Filipinos make their presence felt at San Diego comic-con

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Steve Angeles | TFC News San Diego

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UIwhfBgMY7Q?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Superheroes crash landed into San Diego in California to celebrate the annual comic-con international convention.Filipino fans flocked in costume as creators showcased their art and shared their insights on the comic book world.Among the high profile Filipinos who joined the panel discussions was Marvel&#x27;s Anthony Francisco.He shared his fight for diversity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and how he added Filipino flare to movies such as &quot;Black Panther&quot; and &quot;Guardians of the Galaxy.&quot;&quot;I try to put as much of my culture as I can in my designs,&quot; said Francisco. &quot;I used to joke that baby Groot is a Filipino [but] no, he’s an alien.&quot;This year&#x27;s comic-con had no blockbuster Hollywood panels due to the ongoing writers and actors&#x27; strike.Hall H, known for major movie announcements, was suspended this year as strike rules in Hollywood prevent stars from actively promoting their projects.But Filipinos made their presence felt with their own panels and autograph signings.That included Halo Halo, which brought together several Filipino comic book companies, and the legendary Whilce Portacio, who has worked on the X-men and Spawn series.In the meantime, the cult classic-indie film-turned-comic book series “Lumpia with a Vengeance” announced that it will be releasing on streaming platforms in October.&quot;Everybody knows Filipinos now,&quot; said Portacio. &quot;Everybody is interested so now everyone’s taking note of it which is cool, i like it that way. That&#x27;s what we were pushing for all this time. We&#x27;re really grateful that it&#x27;s happening. We&#x27;re gonna take it as far as we can.&quot;Said Meriden Angeles: &quot;Today was a special day for me. I got to moderate a whole panel of comic book creators. [I&#x27;m] very thankful to be part of this wonderful community.&quot;Some of the regular attendees found the absence of Hollywood refreshing, which they said gave them a chance to focus on the comic books, writers, and artists.Even a contingent of four artists from the Manila-based Next Comic Art drew a crowd with some live sketches.Among them was Harvey Tolibao who’s worked as an illustrator for DC, Marvel, and Dark Horse.

Filipino fans flocked in costume as creators showcased their art and shared their insights on the comic book world.