Favourites gone with the wind

Online character cards for the game Gulong and Wind and Cloud comics flew off the shelves on the first day of the Hong Kong Comic Festival and Game Fair at the Convention and Exhibition Centre yesterday.

Friends Lo Lee-po, who is in her 20s, Ng Siu-fat, 30, and Tom Chow Kai-chung, 19, each bought a set of 30 characters for the online martial arts epic for $500 before the stall sold out half an hour after the opening.

'The cards each represent different characters,' said Mr Chow. 'They all have special moves, special weapons or play a different role in the game. Some of the characters are very rare and difficult to find.'

Meanwhile Yip Kwok-ho, 20, and his girlfriend Lee Sze-man, 18, managed to snatch a copy of a Wind and Cloud comic book that were in high demand.

'It is about two heroes but it is more interesting than other martial arts comics because the heroes have interesting backgrounds,' said Mr Yip. 'One of the heroes for instance, Bou Keng Wan, was orphaned when he was very young but he was later discovered and raised by kung fu masters.'