What began as a premiere for our film LUMPIA WITH A VENGEANCE has grown into an annual celebration of Filipino nostalgia and pop culture. Our sixth straight year at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) was our biggest yet, capped by a prime-time panel on one of the convention’s main stages.
Moderated once again by Winston Emano (mano Y mano Media), our panel this year was called LUMPIA POP! Unwrapping Contemporary Filipino American Pop Culture with Apl.de.Ap (Black Eyed Peas), AJ Rafael (Red Roses), Doug Marcaida (Forged in Fire, Lineage), Patricio Ginelsa (writer/director), Patrick Ballesteros (artist), and Lauren Lola (writer).
AJ Rafael surprised the crowd with an opening performance, handing out roses and saving the last one for his wife, Alyssa Rafael.
We spotlighted the early 2000s—AJ’s YouTube beginnings and the 15th anniversary of his debut album, Red Roses—which inspired our new comic, Red Roses High.
Writer Lauren Lola shared how crafting Red Roses High became a meaningful healing process.
Artist Patrick Ballesteros traced his journey from storyboards on the Bebot music video to his new cover art for Red Roses High.
Doug Marcaida returned to the same room as last year to unveil the first three issues of his crowdfunded comic, Lineage.
Apl.de.Ap and director Patricio Ginelsa premiered the newly remastered Bebot: Generation One music video for its 20th anniversary and received a standing ovation—then Apl closed the show with a show-stopping performance.
Fans packed the next day’s autograph session. Joining the panelists were artist Whilce Portacio (The Ones & Twos), creator Benjamin DeGuzman (Anito: Book of Entropy, Red Roses High), and Lineage writers Earl Baylon and Justin Quizon. The turnout was so strong we needed an overflow line.
It wouldn’t be Comic-Con without exclusives. Our Kid Heroes booth in Small Press drew both longtime supporters and first-timers. As always, comics were the top sellers, including non-LUMPIA titles like Anito, Red Roses High, The Ones & Twos, and Lineage. Our enamel pins also surged in popularity this year—especially the Bebot enamel pin set and The Ones & Twos spinning turntable pin.
Then there was LUMPIA CON! Hosted once again by Gaslamp Lumpia Factory, LUMPIA CON delivered three straight nights of pop-ups, exclusives, and mixers—free and open to all, no Comic-Con badge required.
Night One (Thursday): Our first studio collaboration—FORGOTTEN ISLAND Happy Hour! Co-writer/co-director Januel Mercado and producer Mark Swift brought free lithographs from their upcoming DreamWorks feature to sign.
We wrapped NIGHT ONE with SKETCH & SCRATCH, a live sketch-and-music jam hosted by DJ Marlino with artists Brian “beee” Bello, Dean Rullan, and Cesar Cueva.
Night Two: Creators Night, hosted by DJ Mixmaster JBL, spotlighted new comic series debuts from Bobby Rubio (Neighborhood Legend, Float), Doug Marcaida (Lineage, Forged in Fire), and AJ Rafael (Red Roses High).
Night Three: A double-header. SUN CHASER Happy Hour celebrated the new Filipino animated fantasy film with co-creator/head writer Bernard Badion and comedian JR De Guzman, who handed out exclusive signed prints.
After the Bebot: Generation One premiere at SDCC, Apl.de.Ap closed LUMPIA CON with his BEBOT GENERATIONS party—meet-and-greet plus another electric performance with DJ King Koa.
We couldn’t finish this recap without acknowledging the many volunteers and sponsors behind the scenes. First off, our first ever FREE COMIC BOOK giveaway was a dream come true, all made possible by cover artist CESAR CUEVA and our sponsors: MeSseD Comics, Sun Chaser, This Filipino American Life Podcast, FilAm CreatorCon, The City Needs You, SoCal Filipinos, Apl.de.Ap, Doug Marcaida, AJ Rafael, Winston Emano, and Manila International Film Festival.
Holding down LUMPIA CON was producer LISA CHONG, NOEVA MONJE, and JASMINE MANAHAN alongside Gaslamp Lumpia Factory owners DONNA and CRAIG, and their entire staff. Leading the booth and operations is MELANIE GINELSA with volunteers CHESTER PORTE, RJ ABESAMIS, GERARD DEGUZMAN, ARLENE IRUGUIN, RJ IRUGUIN, EDWARD SEBASTIAN, JR., FREDERICK ZAMORA, and LOGAN GINELSA. All captured by the video team: DWIN TACTAY and SHELBY MOSES. THANK YOU!
Thank you to everyone who lined up, cheered, sketched, sang, danced, and shared the LUMPIA love. See you next year!
To see more photos of the event: https://kidhero.es/sdcc26photos
To purchase SDCC exclusives: https://kidhero.es/conventionexclusives
To see a different glimpse of our Comic-Con experience: https://kidhero.es/SDCC26Stories
To read Patricio Ginelsa’s reflections on SDCC 2026: coming soon https://patricioginelsa.substack.com/
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