Over the last twenty years or so comic books and video games have been adapted in to movies. Novels have been adapted into comic books. Many of these products have been licensed as toys. Indeed two Singaporeans are actively engaged in such adaptations: Sonny Liew is working on a comic book version of Jane Austin's novel Sense and Sensibility for Marvel Comics, and Eric Khoo is doing a film adaptation of Yoshihiro Tatsumi comic A Drifting Life. Increasing there are convergences between media forms and products.
This conference held in conjunction with the Singapore Toys, Games and Comics Convention examines the issues involved in these developments from a scholarly perspective with a focus on Asia.
From Lori Lynn Taniguchi:
I consider Penny Arcade to be a singular phenomenon: not only is it a wildly popular comic on gamer culture with heavy "bromance" language, vulgarity and shock value, but it is also an unparalleled business venture. Not even the very rare self-sufficient webcomics online can boast a huge, yearly gaming expo in Seattle and an immensely successful charity for sick children in St. Jude hospitals. The writer and artist have created not only an entertaining webcomic, but have grown themselves into a culture icon with lasting and far-reaching influence, all with an aw-shucks-gamer-next-door quality.