Information
Singapore-created comic dives into Roman mythology with LEGIONARIES #1 on Kickstarter; set to debut at the 2022 Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) on 10-11 December at Marina Bay Sands.
Featuring the handpainted art of Malaysian illustrator Zehe Abdul Rahman, and a special Kickstarter cover by Singapore Poly student Tasha Leah Santiago, Legionaries boasts action and adventure inspired by ‘90s Saturday morning cartoons and will launch at SGCC with multiple exclusive event covers.
Originally created and developed as an animated series, Legionaries has found itself undergoing an interesting evolutionary process over the 8 years since its inception, now culminating as a comic book series with a 6-issue opening volume, its debut issue now on Kickstarter.
Written by co-creators Ryan Mennen and Sathya Sandiran, the series is illustrated by Malaysian artist Zehe and features intricate pencil work and a distinctive watercolour finish from cover to cover–literally.
The ongoing Kickstarter campaign, scheduled to end on 16 November, gives backers the option of a digital copy (S$12), or a physical copy (S$18-S$24) with six different covers to choose from, featuring art by primary illustrator Zehe, and a special campaign cover by 19-year-old Singapore Poly student and award-winning artist Tasha Leah Santiago.
Occupying an 18sqm area in the artist alley, the CS Comics space will feature multiple locally-based comic book artists–many of whom have worked on the imprint’s previously published content.
Works by these featured artists, each spotlighting the heroes of Legionaries, will be the subject of November’s Fans’ Choice Cover vote. Some of the confirmed talents include Tricia Wee, Rachel Kong, James Leong, Collin Yap, Haider Amir, Azri Djokoloro, Pavithiran Charlas, and Gabriella Adytanthio. Joining those will be a pair of special SGCC covers by local comic creator Elvin Ching, who will also be attending the convention as a guest of CS Comics.
Comic titles available at the booth will be a new edition of the currently sold-out Crimson Star: Book One, the long-awaited Singaporean superhero anthology SingaHeroes, WW2 historical-fiction/romance graphic novella HERO straight off a Singapore Writers Festival appearance, the official launch of Legionaries #1 with multiple special event covers, the debut of Tasha Leah Santiago’s art book series SantiaGold, and an ashcan chapter of Tales of the Crimson Star: Book One illustrated by local art veteran James Leong.
In addition to the artists, writers Leroy Lam (Hero), Sathya Sandiran (Legionaries), Hijanah Noor (SingaHeroes), Tan Guan Hao (SingaHeroes), Kanesh Pillai (SingaHeroes), and Ryan Mennen (Crimson Star) will also be present at the CS Comics space.