Comic Con Asia 2018 is teasing an appearance by Stan Lee in Manila, Philippines.
See their Facebook page for more: https://www.facebook.com/ComicConAsia/
I'll believe it when I see it. XD
While I've rarely attended comic and other geeky conventions here in the Philippines recently, I've kept an eye on the influx of major geek celebrities. I'm genuinely excited whenever these celebrities find the time to visit our little Asian country. In the past, appearances have been few and far between, so every appearance is a big deal. A few significant ones come to mind though:
Neil Gaiman, famed author of Sandman and American Gods, visited the Philippines as part of promotions for a local bookstore called Fully Booked. This marked the first time a superstar cult-favorite author did a signing in our country and fans appeared in droves to have him sign books. I've personally witnessed him staying well over the night until early morning to finish his signings. Seeing his dedication turned me into a huge fan. He's been over here a few times by now. I've attended two of his signings. Other bookstores had brought over other authors by then.
Actor Ryousuke Kaizu who portrayed Red Mask from the Japanese sentai series Hikari Sentai Maskman was notable for being among the first actors to do a public signing among this genre here. It wasn't too much of a stretch since he married a Filipina and lives in the Philippines, but this started a nearly annual event where other Japanese actors have come over and did their meet and greets and signings.
Actor Jason Momoa was scheduled to appear in the inaugural Asiapop Comic Con with announcements and all. He was coming from Game of Thrones and a just-then-announced role as Aquaman and the anticipation was very high. Sadly, he was also one of the first high profile guests to not push through... bringing to light the challenges that comes with inviting these celebrities to our country.
My personal wishlist would probably be to see Grant Morrison, comic book writer, and one of the actors from Doctor Who locally. Until that time comes, I'll probably keep an eye out.