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A sorceress, two Power Rangers, a Peter Pan Fire Lord, a lycan (ie. werewolf), pop idols, and a legendary comic book creator are coming to TOYCON POPLIFE FanXperience 2018 on June 8-10, 2018 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.

The Philippine TOYCON, Asia’s longest-running culture convention for toys, collectibles, and various pop culture fandoms, announced the latest line up of guests for this year’s highly-anticipated event.

Leading the list is comic book industry Hall of Famer Neal Adams, whose reinvention of Batman’s look to the blue-and-gray color scheme highlights his work and influence during the 1960s and 1970s, aside from creating Batman villains Ra’s al Ghul and Man-Bat, and revitalized other titles such as Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and X-Men.

Kelly Hu joins the TOYCON 2018 guest roster in the latest announcement. Her most popular roles include playing Sorceress Cassandra in The Scorpion King, and as the villain Lady Deathstrike in X-Men 2. She also appeared in the popular TV series The Vampire Diaries and Arrow. Kelly also did voice acting for animated series Phineas and Ferb, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and in video games such as Mortal Combat X and Batman: Arkham Origins.

Filipino-American actor Dante Basco will finally get to meet his kababayan fans this year. He played Peter Pan’s sidekick Rufio in the 1991 movie Hook alongside Robin Williams, and is the voice actor for the fire-bender Zuko in Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jake Long in Disney’s American Dragon: Jake Long cartoon series, as well as various video game characters.

Two actors from the Power Rangers franchise will share the TOYCON 2018 stage. Jason David Frank played the Green Ranger and the White Ranger in the 1993-1996 Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers series and its other iterations over the years. Michael Copon’s breakout role was playing the Blue Ranger in the Power Rangers: Time Force television series, but he was also known for his roles in the TV series One Tree Hill.

Performing before the TOYCON crowd would be South Korean singer-songwriter Hyolyn and Japanese pop idol group KissBee. Hyolyn is best known as the former leader and member of popular and award-winning KPop girl group Sistar, and is currently pursuing a solo music career. KissBee has been active in the Japanese pop scene since 2014, and will perform songs from their second album Pop Honeycomb which they released last May.

Kevin Grevioux is best known for his role as the lycan Raze who fought against vampires in the Underworld film series, which he also co-created and co-wrote. He also appeared in films such as Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apesremake, The Mask, and Steel.

According to Cholo Mallillin, Event Marketing Head for TOYCON PH, this year’s event aims to give Filipino pop culture fans a playground experience with a community that shares their common interests.

“What we want to give TOYCON fans every year is a sense of belonging with various fan communities. We bring in guests and experiences that bring fans back to why they collect toys, cosplay, read comics, or rewatch their favorite TV series or movies in the first place,” Mallillin said.

Mallillin added that more guests and attractions will be announced in the coming days and even on the opening day itself.

Among the other attractions in TOYCON 2018 is “Sikat Ka Toy!”, the Philippine’s first ever toy design contest. Artists and toy aficionados can submit their designs by June 2 for a chance to receive more than Php 30,000 worth of prizes and the opportunity to have their winning toy design produced for limited sale. Toy designs for the Sikat Ka Toy! contest can be emailed to toyconph@gmail.com by June 2, 2018, and contest mechanics are on toyconph.com.

Other attractions for this year include toy exclusives from the popular Funko toy line, as well as toy exhibits and launches from global designers, Anatoy from South Korea, Coarse from the USA, Deewy from Malaysia, Playhouse from Thailand, and Hidden Fortress Manila featuring the works of premier Pinoy toy designer Quiccs Maiquez.

TOYCON POPLIFE FanXperience 2018 regular day passes and FanX VIP Experience passes are available in all SM Ticket outlets or through www.toyconph.com.

Cove Manila continues to bring in a diversity of top acts from across the globe including Zedd, Diplo, Steve Aoki, Keri Hilson, and Nelly. On June 2, Seungri, the maknae of legendary K-Pop group, Big Bang, is returning to the Philippines to spin at Cove Manila. This time, Seungri will showcase his skills behind the DJ booth, accompanied by DJs TPA and Glory from his very own electronic music label, Natural High Records.

Fully equipped with advanced audio, video, and lighting systems, Cove Manila’s 9000-square-meter space houses a luxurious nightclub and beach club set against the famed Manila Bay horizon; capped by a 30-meter-tall, column-free, UV protected glass dome.

Born Lee Seung Hyun, Seungri debuted with Big Bang in 2006, quickly winning the hearts of fans across the globe with a long list of hits such as “Lies” (2007), “Haru Haru” (2008), “Love Song” (2011), “Fantastic Baby” (2012), and “Last Dance” (2016). Big Bang broke barriers for K-pop groups in the global music scene including being the first artists to win the Best Worldwide Act award at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards. Their 2012 album, Alive, was the first Korean album to chart on the Billboard 200. As a solo artist, Seungri has released one full-length Japanese studio album, and two EPs, V.V.I.P. and Let’s Talk About Love, both of which topped Korean music charts.

Natural High DJs Glory and TPA will share the booth with Seungri on June 2. Both are in-demand DJs from South Korea. DJ Glory is best known as the resident DJ of popular clubs in Seoul, and has also performed in Hong Kong, Japan, and China. TPA released a collaboration featuring Seungri, Al Rocco, and Ivy, called “Combo” in March 2018.

Get ready to dance to the beats of your favorite Big Bang oppa! Tickets start at Php 1,000, and doors open 10:30pm.

For more information, visit covemanila.com, an

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