Beyond pop culture and collectibles

Borneo Post

2 days ago

Musriffin shows collector's figures of Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear from Disney's animation hit 'Toy Story'.
THE pop culture convention is no longer a novelty in Kuching, although the genres may still be more focused on comics, games and movies – or at least that is how I observe it.
Do not get me wrong – I am indeed a fan of movies and cartoons, especially those popular during my growing-up years throughout the 1980s up till the mid-1990s, but a hardcore enthusiast I am certainly not.
'For me, it started with movie posters,' says local entrepreneur Musriffin Sani Musa.
'In fact, this venture of mine began with posters. It signifies my passion for things related to motion pictures,' adds the 44-year-old Kuchingite, the founder of Kuching Comic-Con.
'From posters to other collectibles'
Musriffin brings me to his premises, Kuching Pickers, at CityONE Megamall Kuching, to talk more about Kuching Comic-Con – a project that materialised last year after a long planning.
'It's more than just a showcase of collectibles. My intention was for it to become a gathering of people who share the same interest.
'I grew up in the 80s, and I know you and many others did as well.
'Remember those Saturday morning cartoons? It's a part of this pop culture.
'Then, I got into collecting movie posters and only much later on, I realised that I wasn't the only one.
'From there, it progressed into a business, which I established in 2016 and since then, my collectibles have grown to include action and scale figures, comics, model kits, and many other pop culture merchandise,' says this father of three girls.
Musriffin's wife Ratna Dewi Kaderi, 41, remains his pillar of support, but she admits that at first, she was quite sceptical.
'It was more about me not understanding the value of these items. I used to call his movie posters 'just a pile of papers!' she laughs.
'Gradually, I began to learn more about his passion, and understand the viability of this thing being a business.
'I was actually shocked to learn that some posters could fetch prices of up to hundreds of ringgit,' says Ratna Dewi, who now manages the public relation and marketing aspects of the Pickers Zone Company – the holding group of Kuching Pickers, Kuching Comic-Con and also Kuching Collectors Mart, the flea market held in different locations around the city once every two months.
Musriffin and Ratna Dewi arrange the collection of movie posters at Kuching Pickers.
'Celebration of creativity, passion, shared culture'
During a break, I get to take a closer look at the items in Musriffin's shop, where I observe his team's interesting way of attending to the customers.
There is no hard-selling at all.
'We highlight storytelling, much like our conversation today,' Musriffin smiles.
'This is a niche sector, but one with a quite considerable following.
'The people in this community see us as a meet-up platform, where they can share and trade out with other like-minded individuals.
'This formed the foundation of Kuching Comic-Con – being a larger-scale, more comprehensive version of this platform.
'Beyond that, it's a celebration of creativity, passion and shared culture. It brings together fans, artists, collectors and creators under one roof to appreciate the worlds of comics, games, films, and everything in between.'
Photo taken at the Kuching Comic-Con last year shows a visitor snapping some shots of the exhibits on display at one of the booths.
Asked further about the objective of creating Kuching Comic-Con, he replies: '(It is) because I want to bring that kind of energy and experience back home; to give our local community a space to celebrate what we already love, but may not have realised it being a part of pop culture.
'Truth is, pop culture isn't something new – it's always been here.
'Our grandparents were already into it: collecting vinyl records, trading stamps, and reading comics like Archie or Beano way back in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
'The only difference now is that pop culture has evolved from print to screen, from analogue to digital – and it's time that we embrace that evolution here.'
'Tribute to past, present'
Elaborating on Kuching Comic-Con, Musriffin hails it as 'a tribute to both the past and the present, and a step forward into the future'.
'The event might have made its debut in 2024, but planning had kicked off a year earlier.
'To be honest, I've had this in mind since I established Kuching Pickers in 2016.
'So technically, it took almost eight years of building networks, understanding the local scene, and waiting for the right moment before it all came together.'
The idea behind it, according to Musriffin, was to promote Western pop culture to the public, and also to present Kuching as a hub for it not just for East Malaysia, but for the entire nation and the Southeast Asia (SEA) region as well.
'It's also meant to elevate the local communities dedicated to these ideas towards the forefront of such discussions.'
'A grand showcase'
This year, the Kuching Comic-Con is set for Dec 13-14, with the main event to be staged at Pullman Hotel Kuching, while the 'Flea Market' will occupy the floors of The Hills Shopping Mall adjoining the hotel.
'It sets out to build upon the great momentum from the maiden event on Oct 19 and 20 last year, where we recorded a total of 16,843 visitors throughout the two days,' says Musriffin.
This year, the organiser is expecting around 10,000 visitors for both days.
Musriffin explains: 'Kuching Comic-Con 2025 will be a ticketed event, with minimal charges, so we're seeing this as a reasonable attendance number for a paid event.
'Moreover, this is more than just a specific event as parts of the proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to the Sarawak Society for the Deaf.
'On top of that, we're aiming to have a total of 150 booth participants of this convention, ranging from the main headliners, exhibitors, hobby vendors and event sponsors.'
The Flea Market, however, is ticket-free.
'It will house up to 80 business operators of various kinds, including specific food-and-beverage vendors.
'As the flea market area is not inside the main hall area, it will be a ticket-free zone; therefore we expect to welcome some 15,000 visitors,' says Musriffin.
Apart from collectors' showcases, Kuching Comic-Con 2025 will also host many other exciting activities such as special panel discussions; meet-and-greet sessions with artists, creators and celebrities; 'Cosplay Championship'; 'Movement, Art and Literacy (M-A-L) Experience Zone'; 'Action Zone'; 'Pop Culture Science'; interactive photo booths; as well as musical performances.
There will be a 'Cosplay Championship', in Kuching Comic-Con this year.
As with last year, the event this year will also feature key headliners.
They are Adam John – a Malaysian musician, actor and media influencer renowned for his extensive collection of toys and memorabilia, as well as his engaging online presence; Monsta Studios – a prominent Malaysian animation company renowned for producing family-friendly and award-winning content such as 'Boboiboy' and 'Mechamato'; Dato' A Rahim Muda, professionally known as 'Imuda' – an actor, comedian, host, singer and cartoonist, whose television character 'Budin' in 'Pi Mai Pi Mai Tang Tu' forever lives in the minds and hearts of many inter-generational Malaysians; Tintoy Chuo – the visionary founder of 'Fusion Wayang Kulit', an innovative initiative that revitalises the traditional art of shadow puppetry by infusing it with contemporary elements from pop culture; and Keith Chong – a Malaysian cartoonist celebrated for his engaging and humorous comic series.
Adam John is renowned for his extensive collection of toys and memorabilia.
Imuda is among the headliners for this year's event.
Tintoy's 'Fusion Wayang Kulit' revitalises Malaysia's traditional art of shadow puppetry.
Looking ahead, Musriffin aims to make Kuching Comic-Con as iconic as internationally-recognised conventions like the Tokyo Comic-Con and San Diego Comic-Con.
'With this vision, comes the projection of having the pulling power not only for the participation of collectors groups, but also international celebrities as well as global toy companies like Hasbro, Mattel and Playmates.
'We want to attract larger crowds, which would help boost our tourism as well,' he smiles.
To know more, seek 'Kuching Comic-Con Official' on Facebook.
Kuching Comic-Con 2025 will be a galore of comic books, much to any hardcore collector's delight. anime comics cosplay manga pop culture