mababang langit

russians drill a hole into apocalypse. well, maybe.

2012-02-11T07:30:00.000+08:00

so a bunch of russian scientists have drilled into a vast underwater lake that has been sealed under four kilometers of ice for the past 20 million years.

they expect to find forms of life that science knows completely nothing about. so i suppose no one knows what the new germs are going to do to our bodies.

don't these guys read science fiction at all?

tarsiers have ultrasonic superpowers

2012-02-10T13:12:00.000+08:00

The tarsier, a small primate best known for its bulging eyes and quiet demeanor, has a secret: It's actually incredibly loud, particularly if you're a dolphin.

Until recently, this fact was a mystery to humans because the tarsier has an ultrasonic scream, inaudible to human ears.

Texas A&M anthropologist Sharon Gursky-Doyen stumbled across the find when she noticed that when the tarsiers opened their mouths to speak, she wasn't hearing anything. "She had the foresight to get hold of a bat detector, and she was able to get that vocalization on a recording," Ramsier said.

The tarsiers now find themselves in an exclusive club in the animal kingdom. Bats, dolphins and whales are the best-known practitioners of ultrasonic communication, but some cats also use the high-frequency method to communicate with their baby kittens.

via

the BBC tracks down an internet troll

2012-02-09T18:04:00.002+08:00

i admit i got excited, watching the earlier parts of this with a naive hope that the troll might get some kind of comeuppance.

but once the veil of anonymity was lifted, all we found was... an unmasked troll, going about his trollish ways.

via

former slave's 1865 letter to his former owner

2012-02-01T18:33:00.002+08:00

in which the former master was most respectfully pwned.

sound bites won't do it justice, but here's the intro posted by letters of note:

In August of 1865, a Colonel P.H. Anderson of Big Spring, Tennessee, wrote to his former slave, Jourdan Anderson, and requested that he come back to work on his farm. Jourdan — who, since being emancipated, had moved to Ohio, found paid work, and was now supporting his family — responded spectacularly by way of the letter seen below (a letter which, according to newspapers at the time, he dictated).

Rather than quote the numerous highlights in this letter, I'll simply leave you to enjoy it. Do make sure you read to the end.

read the full letter here.

reading in the internet age

2012-01-31T10:44:00.001+08:00

Nielsen's apt description of the online reader: "Users are selfish, lazy, and ruthless." You, my dear user, pluck the low-hanging fruit. When you arrive on a page, you don't actually deign to read it. You scan. If you don't see what you need, you're gone.

And it's not you who has to change. It's me, the writer.

full article here.

via

comics i should be working on:

2012-01-28T01:58:00.000+08:00

1.) school run #5
2.) sino?
3.) 1- pager for free comic book day
4.) short comic for an all-ages indie anthology

comics i am actually working on:

1.)

jejemons have strong minds

2012-01-24T11:13:00.001+08:00

harry potter vs. lord of the rings

2012-01-13T02:17:00.000+08:00

via

"the hobbit", a 1966 animated knockoff that screwed over the tolkiens

2012-01-11T07:50:00.000+08:00

the above is a recently-unearthed, unreleased, 12-minute, um.... animated (?) adaptation of tolkien's the hobbit, produced by bill snyder. it's got an interesting "little golden storybook" look provided by czech illustrator adolf born, and a wacky, totally non-canonical plot c/o writer gene deitch.

it's got a pretty twisted backstory, too, according to deitch:

Why invest money, plus a year-and-a-half of work, when you can make money without all that sweat? Not only had the Tolkien estate lawyers given Snyder the rights for peanuts, but in their ignorance of film terminology, they had left a million-dollar-loop-hole in the contract: It merely stated that in order to hold his option for THE LORD OF THE RINGS, Snyder had to “produce a full-color motion picture version” of THE HOBBIT by June 30th 1966. Please note: It did not say it had to be an animated movie, and it not say how long the film had to be!

so it's basically a cheap knockoff, only with a legit license. thank the valar for peter jackson.

via

kerning: more awkward in the philippines

2012-01-09T18:01:00.000+08:00

hey DOT, i heard you spent P5M on your new ad campaign, and yet you ~~used~~ let BBDO use a frikkin FREE FONT.

cliff chiang's justice league of japan!

2012-01-05T09:49:00.000+08:00

i love cliff chiang's wonder woman, i think it doesn't get nearly enough praise for saving her look after those jim lee/tv pilot travesties.

BUT this post is about chiang's old-school anime-inspired JLA re-designs, which, according to chris arrant, were almost greenlit by DC years ago.

oh, what could have been.

BTW, chiang also did this awesome all-DC, all-girl rock band pinup.

gods, but i love a good fictional character rock band pinup.

featured in FHM philippines!

2012-01-04T18:34:00.001+08:00

this is the january 2012 issue of FHM philippines, and i am totally in it. now there's a sentence i never expected to type out, ever.

and the best part is, the other side of the page i am on is totally safe-for-work and i can show it to my parents after i tear it off!

many, many thanks to jed gregorio and frantz salvador!

(right-click on the image below and select "save as..." to download the hi-res image)

right-click and "save as" to download hi-resolution image

"ilda" and the power of the stock response

2012-01-03T04:35:00.000+08:00

this blog post first showed up on my facebook newsfeed two days ago. i read it, hated it, ignored it. after all, you don't feed the troll.

however, as more people kept re-sharing and it showed up under my "top stories" again and again, i began to wonder why these intelligent, sensible people would share such condescending, inflammatory drivel, much less claim to agree with it.

sometimes when we read something that, on the whole, jives with our own established preconceptions, we stamp our approval on it and say "agree", without bothering to take a closer look at the finer points of the writer's arguments.

in this case, look, we all have our long-standing disappointments with philippine cinema. but do you really, really agree that pinoys are dumb because our films are dumb? because that is ilda's thesis statement. it's right there in the opening paragraph. you market your comics/writing to basically the same audience. do you consider your audience dumb, too?

ilda doesn't seem to understand how movies get made. mainstream pinoy cinema reflects the editorial tastes of the, what, ten? studio bigshots who decide which films get made and how. they've been making basically the same films over and over for 30, 40 years now. to expect golden eggs to come out of lame old ducks is naive. to conclude that golden eggs therefore don't exist is just plain stupid.

"shallow and superficial" is what she calls pinoys (and pinoy films) in her conclusion. like we had a monoply on being shallow and superficial. did she bother to note that 90% of hollywood's output is the same way? did any of her sympathisers bother to read her other blog posts?

"KC Concepcion is not Piolo Pascual’s sunshine"

"Kim Kardashian divorce: still a publicity win!"
"The Chris Lao flood incident: what the MMDA could have done"
"Do Filipinos suffer from narcissistic personality disorder?"

yes, ilda seems quite well-acquanited with shallow and superficial.

people, do not let other people do your thinking for you.

if you are truly behind ilda's statements, hey it's a free country. but if you just got caught up in her obvious, general statements that are very easy to agree with, please take a second look. and i hope you might consider deleting that re-share.

okey ka na rin, ina ko

2012-01-02T09:19:00.000+08:00

so the family and i watched enteng ng ina mo the other night, and you know what? it wasn't that horrible.

while it's true that everything falls apart by the third act, the intial premise was actually quite promising: enteng kabisote, ordinary juan and butingtingero by trade, is growing weary of having to save encantadia, homeland of his fairy wife faye, all the time. he just wants an ordinary life with his family. this yearning, plus the latest magical crisis in encantadia (they happen about once a year, around december), causes a falling-out between man and wife. to drive them even further apart, the obviously-named villain satanna then tails enteng to a drinking session and sneaks a love potion into his drink, causing him to forsake his wife and pursue ai-ai's character, ina montecillo.

now that isn't a bad setup, but sotto is clever enough to know that moviegoers won't be going to the cinema to watch enteng's character resolve his heroic dliemmas. what people really want to see is ai-ai and bossing being funny together; they want to see what antics ai-ai and eugene domingo's characters are going to pull off this time. on this the film delivers, and that's why it's tops at the box office.

and thus the reason for enteng's success is also why the quality of mainstream pinoy cinema won't be going up anytime soon: quality stories and quality film-making just isn't part of the audience's expectations. we want bossing, we want ai-ai. if we can get that, any kind of serviceable plot will do, as long as it showcases our idols doing their stuff onscreen. it's all just dancing bears.

hm. i wanted to write a sort-of apology for enteng ng ina mo but ended up bashing pinoy cinema anyways.

at least i'm not being as much of a troll as this person.

ding.

2012-01-01T01:04:00.001+08:00

happy new year, y'all.

WIPforIT interview!

2011-12-31T12:09:00.002+08:00

i was this month's guest on hub pacheco and teddy pavon's WIPforIT podcast, the one and only podcast show covering the local pinoy indie komiks scene.

we talked about the creation of ang maskot, indie komiks' 'growing pains', manga in malaysia, and my chinese descent (?). also we read out a few of the more entertaining answers to a komiks survey i did several months back (which i haven't properly tabulated yet).

check out the podcast here, and the award-winning webcomic for which it is named here!

2011-12-14T07:43:00.000+08:00

I always think about how unhealthy the life of a comic book artist is, especially when you reach any level of success. You basically spend all day in a room, having fun drawing pictures, and then a lot of your social interaction comes when you go to a convention and people stand in line to tell you you’re a genius. I can’t think of a better way to turn someone into an asshole.

- Brandon Graham

i have a short comic

2011-12-13T03:32:00.003+08:00

coming out in the second issue of the quarterly bathroom companion comics compendium, an indie comics anthology edited by a group of extremely talented and physically attractive people with impeccable taste. if you want to see the bleeding edge of philippine comics, this is where you'll find it.

the launch party is on saturday at sputnik comics in cubao!

trese, kalayaan & filipino heroes' league on GMA news tv!

2011-12-12T13:59:00.001+08:00

THIS VIDEO IS JUST SO AWESOME BECAUSE IT BEGINS WITH three words you never hear the mainstream media say about the pinoy komiks industry: "buhay na buhay."

one thing i don't understand about the video, though, is why the voiceover person sounds like a 12-year old girl and calls everyone "kuya". do they mean to imply that this stuff is for kids?

another thing is why as of writing the video only has 124 views. spread it! spread it for the love of komiks!

naruto fanart by famous mangaka

2011-12-10T07:00:00.000+08:00

turns out masashi kishimoto's manga naruto is turning ten this year, and a bunch of popular mangaka made some tribute pin-ups to celebrate.

from the ones i've seen i like this one by toriyama the best:

but eichiro oda's version kicks ass too:

tite kubo's piece just looks like ichigo cosplaying as naruto...

and this one by hirohiko araki, i guess, is "drag queen naruto."

you can see all the other pictures here.

ang panday 2, ang plagyarista

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000+08:00

is GMA even trying?! seriously.

two years ago, it was this.

in 2011, we have these:

yep, it's the motherlovin' wicked witch of the east.

also: the sand ninjas. still there.

i'm pretty sure GMA films didn't intend it, but those sand ninjas are a perfect representation of their production philosophy at the moment: they keep trying the same old tricks over and over, hoping maybe this time they'll finally score a hit.

EDIT:

since this post is getting so many hits, i decided to add some more of the "borrowing" that people have noticed.

also, if you're familiar with the "marlboro man" theme from way back, you'll probably hear it in the trailer below at around 1:45. i don't know how much swiped music made it into the movie itself. my guess is that people immediately noticed, and that's why the producers had ely buendia rush out that awful theme song. "flavio 'wag kang matakot"? you gotta be kidding me.

ang maskot fan art by carlo clemente

2011-12-08T08:01:00.000+08:00

sweet mother of micron pens just look at this maskot drawing by carlo clemente.

now say something about it, because i can't. i am speechless.

5 things i know about alodia

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000+08:00

1.) her name is alodia, not aloida. her parents wanted her her name to be different from all the aloidas, but not different enough to not be confused with aloida.

2.) she dresses up for a living.

3.) she used to look like this: . now she looks like this:

... makeup.

4.) she used to date luis manzano.

5.) she wakes in the morning fully made-up, and spends the next fifteen minutes immediately after making cute faces at no one in particular.

komikon 2011 reads: crimefighting call center agents by pascual & bernardo

2011-12-07T20:07:00.001+08:00

one thing you should know about this book: very little actual crimefighting takes place in it. second: the fact that the protagonists (sandra, charlie, "double-taking" koontz and "chopped liver" noel) all work at the same call center doesn't really affect the story much. third: it is awesome.

writer noel pascual's sendup of the scream-type horror formula is pitch-perfect in its sardonic glee. it begins with the standard setup: friends on a road trip pick up a gruesome-looking hitchhiker, the hitchhiker turns out to be a psycho killer, he chases them into an abandoned house, they are trapped and must find a way to escape and/or defeat him.

in one of my favorite moments, the heroes pile every available piece of furniture in front the door to make a barricade to keep the killer out. suddenly one of them has a burst of inspiration, reaches into the pile, and locks the doorknob. the book is littered with random,occasionally surreal, comedic gems like this.

a.j. bernardo's art fits the dark, humorous tone to a tee. lots of dramatic perspective shots to accentuate the bursts of action and heighten the comedy, but also some really great sculpting of shapes using light and shadow to remind us of the story's pulp-horror roots. the spectacular finale alone, a two-page spread that is perhaps the most bizarre montage/splash page/plot resolution you will ever see in a local comic this year, is worth the price of admission.

i can't wait for the second issue.

rock and roll and cello wars

2011-12-07T17:59:00.000+08:00

i've never been sure about cellos.

they're like huge, unwieldy violins, and you play one by holding it between your legs and rubbing a stick across it.

but i do admit yo yo ma does some pretty awesome things on the cello, and in the hands of a capable jedi, well...

via

komikon 2011 reads: windmills no.4 by josel nicloas

2011-12-03T14:51:00.001+08:00

josel nicolas' windmills is a multi-volume collection of autobiographical vignettes detailing the life and thoughts of the author's anthropomorphic alter-ego, simply named "bear". this fourth and latest issue, i'm gonna be-ar, opens with a touching farewell at NAIA, setting up a bittersweet romantic separation between bear and his girlfriend mimi that informs the rest of the book.

on the visual side, i'd say nicolas' stuff has never looked better. he's taken to mangastudio like a duck to water, and his excellent use of screentones and varying line widths has given his art a new richness and tonal depth. plus, the digital prints photocopy very well--a crucial factor in making good-looking indie comics.

my favorite bits in the book are the slice-of-life stuff: bear on his daily commute; bear rubbing his smelly feet at the end of a tiring day; bear staring at the stringy potted plants he's placed just under the outdoor faucet for maximum watering laziness; the look on bear's face as he inhales the aroma of that first cup of coffee at work. this newfound emphasis on bear's external (as opposed to his internal) life, plus the romantic angle, gives be-ar a much greater emotional scope and relatability than the previous issues. it's his most accessible issue yet, and i don't mean that as a disparaging remark. it's still art comics, or at least artful comics. the essence of an author's experience as seen through the filter of his craft.

i can't recommend windmills #4 enough. i think it's some of josel's best work so far.

http://thebearhaspants.tumblr.com/

the man on the cover of esquire philippines' "genius issue" is a tycoon.

2011-12-01T13:37:00.001+08:00

why does that make me depressed as hell.

could be worse i guess, could've been a businessman-politician.

wishful thinking: school run tv show dream cast!

2011-11-30T06:44:00.000+08:00

at komikon a couple of weeks ago, my tablemate josel nicolas asked me what i would do if a local tv network offered to turn school run into a series.

my initial reaction was to blank out for several minutes.

and then i asked, "which station?" because frankly i think 7's teleseryes are crap.

so channel 2 it is. "what if...?" hm....

the role of maki would without a doubt go to xyriel manabat.

why? because she is awesome, that's why.

pipoy would be aaron junatas:

makisig morales as kulot:

aaliyah benisano as gwen:

john manalo as robert:

and finally, baron geisler as mang karl.

yes, baron. because there is no way i am hiring this guy.

i hate fungi.

2011-11-29T21:31:00.001+08:00

"Zombie" Ants Found With New Mind-Control Fungi

A stalk of the newfound fungus species Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani, grows out of a "zombie" ant's head in a Brazilian rain forest.

The fungus species can infect an ant, take over its brain, and then kill the insect once it moves to a location ideal for the fungi to grow and spread their spores.

that thing.

growing out of its head.

eaaarrrgh

from national geographic's top ten weirdest life-forms of 2011

alan navarra blogs about maskot and operasyon!

2011-11-28T03:24:00.001+08:00

sez the author of girl trouble and dumot:

Ang Maskot was crisp and clean. A man uses his own frustrations to bring happiness to others, which eventually sets himself free from his own problems. Also: the parts without dialogue are quite magical.

Operasyon was my favorite. The creator makes the statement “mga hayop tayong lahat” very clear in my opinion: a fable to take to heart during these media-saturated and “I-was-left-with-no-other-choice” kinds of times.

his full list of fave komikon 2011 reads is here. check it out!

post-november komikon 2011 komikon post

2011-11-26T11:18:00.001+08:00

photo by katkat munoz

for comics people, there is no high like a convention high. it's such a high that sometimes it takes a week for stuff to sink in and one can actually think about the experience objectively. so, that's my excuse for this late post.

some personal notes:

- record number of indie komiks participants: 42 groups, some 100+ new titles (i failed to get my hands on a catalog so i'm not sure about the exact number)

- sales on an individual level seem to be down compared to last year, judging by the lack of "sold out!" remarks from comics creators, although this could be due to the increased competition and better inventory management on part of the creators.

- my own sales were decent but not as good as last year's.

- realization: if you want to make money as an indie komiks creator, release new stuff. pretty obvious, yeah? my sales during summer komikon (when i had no new releases) were about a third of what they were this time around. this year's best-selling group, meganon comics, debuted two new ashcans and a GN. coincidence? i think not.

- on the other hand, weak back-issue sales suggests that the bulk of komikon sales comes from repeat business, a devoted core fanbase. this is good because it means we have a core fanbase :D but it also indicates that there is room for improvement regarding komikon's ability to attract new customers.

- more about back issue sales: i have a theory. let's call it the "back issue by half" rule. if i release a new comic, say #1, and it sells 100 copies, by the time #2 comes out, #1 will sell about half as well as #2. to put it another way:

convention 2009
issue #1 - sold: 100 copies

convention 2010
issue #2 - sold: 100 copies
issue #1 - sold: 50 copies

convention 2011
issue #3 - sold: 100 copies
issue #2 - sold: 50 copies
issue #1 - sold: 25 copies

and so on. i don't really expect the drop to be linear. it will probably be a hyperbolic slope... you know, because people will occasionally buy a full set. hopefully.

still, that's how i judge my stocking numbers for now. bring 100 copies of the latest, fifty of the second-to-the-latest, and maybe 30-20 of the rest. it would be interesting to compare notes with other indie komiks folks about this.

EDIT: gio paredes posts his own back-issue sales experiences, which are quite different from mine.

november komikon 2011 new indie komiks releases! (constantly updated)

2011-11-19T12:34:00.000+08:00

november komikon 2011 is next week! the list of new indie komiks titles is said to be around 100, which blows my mind. here are a few that i (hastily) grabbed from the indie komiks manila facebook group. enjoy this sampling of what to expect in a few days!

WIP 2 by hub pacheco & teddy pavon

F-HATE #1

UP Syndrome by Edward Jener

B.A.T.A. by Amjie Love

My Love Is A Stapler by Toni Jayne

Buang by Cyrus Romanes

Magusta by Fredirick David

Greywing by Lex Jordan

prologue & weather-weather lang by norby ela

various titles from ice cream indie manga

various titles from inkjinks

curtains for hire by joanah calingo

kanto inc. #3 by calingo, calingo & kilayman

various titles from revel circle

various title s from hyper comics

starstruck (game) by komikasi

patintero #5 & #6 by kai castillo

kulas compilation by freely abrigo

boink! #2 by core studios

juan manga by juan tamad

bruho barbero #1 by omeng estanislao

kubori kikiam presents the melancholy

of edward cordero

by michael david

various titles from i-rawwrr studios

bayan knights book of origins by bayan knights

kalayaan GN vol. 1 by gio paredes

kalayaan #12 by gio paredes

atomic underground special issue #3 by atomic underground

komikero anthology #8 by komikero group

high society by paolo chikiamco & hannah buena

maktan 1521 GN vol.1 by tepai pascual

maktan 1521 #6 by tepai pascual

mark 9 verse 47 #7 by meganon comics

windmills 4 by josel nicloas

Segovia Solutions # 1 by Jerald Uy and Jether Amar

bathala apocalypsis #4 by david hontiveros & ace enriquez

crimefighting call center agent #1 by noel pascual & a.j. bernardo

hellsword by gilbert monsanto

sanduguan #10 by ner pedrina

mukat #3 by mel casipit

team tag team #2 by benj

pasig book 2 chap 1 by taga-ilog

palagdas by jb casacop

big fat ben by gerald asbucan

stories vol.2 by rob cham

drop dead dangerous #2 by chad cabrera & mike banting

game over!!! by omeng estanislao & aileen casis

talaan ng aparisyon by takemaru101

under the couch by tuks oil

hukbong adarna: ang simula by allen geneta

btahala #1 by jon zamar & judd abuniman

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

and that's not all of them!

for a full listing, watch out for the official komikon catalog--

--which will be available at the event.

if i got any info wrong, or if i missed your indie and you'd like me to add it to the list, let me know in the comments.

see you at komikon!

flipgeeks komiks readers' poll! victory!

2011-11-11T13:22:00.001+08:00

flipgeeks.com ran a komiks readers' poll as a mock komikon awards for this year, and i was chosen among the grassroots award winners! joy!

i'll take a mock award over genuine obscurity any day :D

thanks to flipgeeks and everyone who voted!

children of the 80's, our childhoods have been sucked dry

2011-11-07T15:05:00.002+08:00

by ryan pequin

the great game

2011-11-03T15:21:00.000+08:00

it's the usual story.

you hear a lot about a certain series ("greatest thing since tolkien!" "HBO's making a series about it!"), you download the first audiobook, like it (roy dotrice voiced the definitive tyrion lannister, as far as i'm concerned), you buy the paper version at booksale (see above), despair of finding the next three paperbacks, buy them at full price (well, NBS cut-price sale price), exclaim "i've never bought a brand-new hardback in my life and i don't plan on starting now!", download the fifth book in audio again.

--get pissed off that dotrice changed a couple of major characters' voices in the fifth audiobook. get pissed that you'll have to wait a couple of years to find out whether x really died or not, or died and come back to life, or whatever.

you try out the HBO series. you love the casting and the script but feel shortchanged by the breakneck pacing. well, it can't be avoided i guess.

you reflect about how popular literature tends to mirror the direction of the world.

well,

winter is coming.

bawal tumawid.

2011-11-03T15:07:00.002+08:00

rock lee live action flick!

2011-09-28T15:26:00.000+08:00

fanfilm by fight choreography group thousand pounds, based on naruto shipuuden, yadda yadda... for me it's all about the rock!

progress is being made.

2011-09-27T17:30:00.000+08:00

cover for school run #4, currently in the works. not very subtle, is it?

oh, hi.

2011-09-22T19:08:00.000+08:00

it's me again.

here's a teaser for my submission to the second volume of the quarterly bathroom companion comics compendium, coming out in november:

it's my first autobiographical comic, and in the spirit of experimentation that is the essence of QBCCC i tried out a bunch of cartooning techniques i'd never used before. it was a fun little experiment. i hope you guys like it.

we interrupt this hiatus to pat ourselves on the back

2011-05-25T06:38:00.000+08:00

...because clickthecity.com's resident film critic phil dy wrote a glowing review of my all four of my comics, which was posted as a note on sputnik comics' facebook page.

and so for the benefit of anyone not on facebook, i am shamelessly reposting the whole thing here. delicadeza was never one of my strong points.

REVIEW: Komiks ni Macoy
Philbert Dy
on Friday, May 20, 2011 at 11:42pm

OPERASYON, ANG MASKOT, TAAL VOLCANO MONSTER, SCHOOL RUN

Macoy is incredible. There’s just no getting around it.

His ashcan comics are essential reading, each work exhibiting a profound understanding of the form mixed with a strikingly Filipino sensibility. His stuff is deceptively simple, the art laid out in clear black lines, his figures cartoony but economical. The stories aren’t long, but each of them is filled with little details that form a world much larger than one would expect.

But it’s really the versatility that astounds the casual reader. Macoy has three completed works under his belt, each one having a distinctively sensibility.

Operasyon uses funny animals to tell a story of police salvage operation. Rookie policeman Reyes (who happens to be a bunny) is joining his very first operation, and he’s made to face the darkness of his profession. Operasyon is practically a Filipino version of Maus, using the inherent symbolic of animal imagery to explore dark chapters in our national story. In this work, Macoy already exhibits a great skill for creative layouts, and a really great sense for symbolism and character.

Ang Maskot takes a much more personal tack, exploring the psyche of a young man in a dead end job who becomes literally stuck inside his work. The protagonist works as a mascot for a popular fast food chain, and constantly suffers the indignity of being tormented by children. And then one day, his zipper gets stuck and he can’t get out of his costume. Macoy still plays with a sense of darkness, this time in the frustration and despair of someone who isn’t happy with his lot in life. Ang Maskot thrives on youthful angst and energy, before finding poignancy and hope in the promise of a better tomorrow.

Macoy gets silly with Taal Volcano Monster vs. Evil Space Paru-Paro. In the book, it turns out that there’s a monster sleeping inside the Taal Volcano. The noise of the tourists around the area keeps the monster from getting his rest, and he goes on a rampage. Then the evil space paru-paro arrives, and a Godzilla-like battle plays out. It’s undoubtedly silly, but there’s still a lot going on in the book. From funny little digs at the Philippine Air Force to a brilliant monster alarm system, the book revels in small details of Filipino life.

The quality carries over to Macoy’s latest work, School Run. Currently in its third issue, the book tells the story of a post-zombie apocalypse Philippines, focusing on a group of kids whose school bus was waylaid by a zombie horde. It’s the little touches that make the book so special. In it, zombie hordes are treated like typhoons, given names and signal ratings, their existence both feared and simply accepted as just another thing the Filipino has to deal with.

The real appeal of his work is that they all come from a uniquely Filipino point of view. While other artists struggle to mimic foreign comic templates, Macoy’s authorial voice is distinctively Filipino, fully capturing the strange temperament of the country and its struggles and laying it all out on the page. It’s stellar, brilliant stuff, and it’s varied enough that everyone will find something to love. Right now, we are witnessing the genesis of a future legend. With these humble ashcans, Macoy is setting the template for a modern komiks movement.

2011-03-06T07:05:00.000+08:00

brian jacques, 71

2011-02-08T00:43:00.000+08:00

thank you for redwall, mr. jacques.

FIRST LOOK AT GARFIELD IN OFFICIAL SPIDER-MAN COSTUME!!!!!!!

2011-01-14T11:02:00.002+08:00

ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG!!!!!!!!

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!

OHMYGOOOOOOOOD

taal volcano monster in 'crazy metro'!

2010-12-19T02:48:00.000+08:00

ej fiestan's crazy metro is a funny, lushly-illustrated manga webcomic about a bunch of hunky roomies. it also occasionally spins off into crazy mashups, like, say, evangelion vs. taal volcano monster. it's the best cameo "eva"!

'operasyon' on comicspotting!

2010-12-18T14:32:00.000+08:00

komiks veteran, magazine editor and self-described heartthrob kc cordero posted some nice things on his blog about operasyon:

Malikot ang mga anggulo ni Macoy at malinis ang mga execution ng bawat frame. Maging ang characterization ay akma sa mga hayop na ginamit niya sa kuwento gaya ng bihag na si Boy Hito (hito) na nagpakita ng tensyon sa posibleng pagsa-salvage sa kanya, at ang astig na si D’ Boss (kalabaw) na maging ang mga dialogue ay barako ang pagkakabitaw. Wala rin akong masabi sa mga teknikal na aspeto gaya ng balloons at sound effects na ginamit niya sa mga frames na nakatulong nang malaki sa storytelling.

It’s a good read.

read the full review here.

the secret behind facebook

2010-12-15T22:02:00.000+08:00

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read the first two chapters of "ang panday"

2010-12-14T21:23:00.000+08:00

the pinoy superheroes universe blog marked FPJ's sixth death anniversary by featuring the character many of us associate with him the most: ang panday. among the tidbits and video clips presented by aris panganiban is a link to the first two chapters of the 70's komiks series. here's page one:

in these first two chapters, flavio is really just a small-town do-gooder rather than a fantasy world messiah. all he does is beat up a trio of local thugs and tie them to a tree for the constabulary to find. no magic swords, no manananggal nor sand ninjas, no max alvarado. his weapon or choice is a sledgehammer and his catchphrase is "tinutuwid ang matitigas na bakal!"

fourteen chapters later, he's recovering from some mishap at some mansion. still no sword n' sorcery to be seen, but he does engage in some alarmingly freudian tag-team tree-chopping with a man who knows his "secret".

tell me what you REALLY think about my comics

2010-12-11T00:01:00.000+08:00

one thing about having fellow comics-makers as friends: brutally honest criticism is hard to come by. people generally let me know when my comics get it right, but what i did wrong is a little harder to find out. it's the same with my readers: the only comments that have reached me so far are the positive ones. critical remarks, ones that may hurt my feelings but i might also learn from, go unsaid.

so i'm trying out this little experiment: i've set up a formspring account and i want people to post their negative feedback there anonymously. what did you not like about my comics? what can i do better? please let me know. i can take it. really.

here's the link.

on a side note, during the better living through xeroxography event last weekend, someone gave me her e-mail address to add to my newsletter mailing list. i didn't have a mailing list, so now i've started one. you can subscribe to it on the sidebar. i won't sell you viagra or ask for help claiming my nigerian inheritance or anything, just updates about my latest comics.

xavier toy convention

2010-12-10T09:27:00.001+08:00

i'll be there this saturday tagging along with some komikon folks, ~~polluting the minds of the youth~~ selling comics.

they have a d&d event there too. i might check it out... if the kids are willing to let an old fart join.

dungeons n dragons n stuff

2010-12-10T03:53:00.007+08:00

tabletop gaming, specifically D&D-type rpgs, is one of those things i've always wanted to try but never got the chance. my college roommate was a DM but for some reason or other i never did get to sit in on any of his gaming sessions.

so, i just played my final fantasy or online mmorpgs or whatever, learning to be content with these electronic, graphical crutches for the imagination.

and then i see this vid on youtube:

and i am deeply, deeply inggit. what fun!

bestsellers!

2010-12-09T21:52:00.000+08:00

sputnik comics shop recently released its top 5 indie sales lists for all the months of 2010 but december, and i am happy to report that each of my comics made it to at least one of those lists.

the overall champ was louie cordero's nardong tae #1, which topped the charts for four out of eleven months. if this and alamat ng panget didn't keep running out of stock there wouldn't be any other titles at the #1 spot at all. as it is, alamat and my school run each hit #1 thrice. luckily for me, the ranking was based on number of units sold rather than peso sales, because, well, my stuff is cheap.

major props to chez santander and the rest of the sputnik gang for compiling and releasing these lists, on top of all the other ways they've supported indie comics through the years. mabuhay kayo!

sputnik on facebook

MMFF film: senior year

2010-12-09T12:11:00.004+08:00

“SENIOR YEAR” is a refreshing and welcome departure from both the cotton candy romcoms churned out by mainstream cinema regularly as well as from the depressing poverty porn sometimes offered by the indies.

“The film is simple and honest. Like the graduation speech of the valedictorian, the film is not pretentious, nor over-reaching but just sincere in its quiet little space and in its intention and execution."

“Credit goes to Director Jerrold Tarog who also wrote and edited the film. His direction is superb as he has great mastery of his subject with effortless handling of his actors.”

“The script is well structured with praiseworthy attention to characters. Dialogue and characters are very natural.”

“The film captures the essence and vagaries of high school life and gives a taste of what may happen 12 – 14 years later. The screenplay captures the spirit and fun of the senior year as well as the uncertainty and fears that are up ahead in college."

looks promising.

so now i want to watch two MMFF films this year. can't remember the last time that's happened. O.O

oh, it's also worth noting that the film poster is illustrated. when was the last time you saw that?

more about the film

evolution in action... in my yard

2010-12-09T04:47:00.003+08:00

so some lizard in australia has switched, before our very eyes, from laying eggs to bearing live young. big big news.

meanwhile, the neighborhood dogs seem to have lost their turd-burying instincts and leave their business in our yard for all to enjoy.

yeah, darwin with a hand trowel.

the eskimo and the priest

2010-12-08T16:03:00.000+08:00

I read about an Eskimo hunter who asked the local missionary priest, 'If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?' 'No,' said the priest, 'not if you did not know.' 'Then why,' asked the Eskimo earnestly, 'did you tell me?'

- Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, 1974

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merry christmas, sizzle sizzle

2010-12-08T02:48:00.001+08:00

(lyrics NSFW)

i kent hear ryu

2010-12-07T02:00:00.001+08:00

via

my QC comics weekend

2010-12-06T13:59:00.000+08:00

photo by francis quina

photo by adam david

first there was adam david's better living through xeroxography event at ilyong's in cubao. the place was packed with literary-slash-artistic types, with indie komiks represented by michael david, the QBCCC crew, head honchos ria lu and martin jimenez of komikasi, ron tan, hub pacheco, silent sanctum manga, gerilya komiks, paolo sorne and myself. as a "small small press expo" it was a big success, with people buying stuff and crowding tables well into the night. but i think the true strength of the event, and from what i hear adam will be building on this in the future, is its potential as a confluence point for different self-publishers. already that night there were people exchanging production and marketing tips, suppliers, etc. and i think there might be talks and whatnot next time. networking and cross-pollination ftw.

photo by michael david

about halfway though the event, cherry and i snuck out and dropped by the manix abrera/punnx komiks signing a few blocks away at sputnik comics. we only stayed for an hour or so, but we did see a number of people ask manix to autograph his infamous tiger beat-style pinup at the end of punnx #2.

then it was back to ilyong's where we stayed until around midnight, went home, slept. late next morning i went to UP to photocopy a few extra copies of school run #3, and proceeded to the UP-ISSI for the komikon-organized comics bazaar.

since the bazaar was set up on such short notice there weren't as many customers as we would have liked (aside from each other, as usual). but there was ady from indie komplex who dropped 2K buying one of every title there, i think (*applause*). and also there was this lady who asked for every comic available that was appropriate for a ten-year-old. it made joanah calingo, with whom i shared a table, realize that there are very few indie comics made specifically an all-ages audience. which is odd since funny komiks, the most-beloved komiks magazine ever, was a children's mag.


photo by omeng estanislao

anyhoo, around 6pm post-pack-up a bunch of us went to jollibee philcoa to hang out and talk shop.

tan & baldisimo interview on rocket kapre

2010-11-30T09:56:00.000+08:00

rocket kapre's paolo chikiamco sat down with budjette tan and kajo baldisimo to discuss their recent national book awards win, trese fandom, and what it would take for them to quit their dayjobs and make comics full-time:

Do you remember when it was that you first realized that you had a hit on your hands? That this was going to go beyond the convention circuit?

BUDJETTE: I’m not sure of the exact tipping point of Trese. I was getting an inkling of it when I would spot the occasional review online. (Yes, yes, I Google “Trese” once in awhile.) It amazed me that people took the time to write reviews that read like someone’s thesis report. These were very detailed and passionate reviews about the stories. It was also great to get feedback from guys like Gerry Alanguilan and Marco Dimaano about the book early on.

And then, when we released TRESE: MURDER ON BALETE DRIVE, me and Kajo were invited guests at the Mangaholix Con in SMX, where we sold 100+ copies. By that time, we knew that people really liked our stories.

KAJO: Honestly, I knew we had a hit when I first read Budj’s script ‘At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street’. I knew that this would be a story that Budj and I were going to love reading, so making it was pretty easy. [Budj and Kaj] are easy customers, you see. It’s a little different now, but I still try and please those two and hope that many others are just as willing to ride along.

full interview here.

ang maskot gets a nice little mention in there, and so my day is now officially made.

komiks bazaar at UP-ISSI

2010-11-30T08:21:00.000+08:00

there is going to be an indie komiks bazaar at UP this saturday afternoon, featuring:

Joanah Calingo

Alejandro Edoria

Macoy

Silent Sanctum Manga

Kickbackers

Meganon Comics,

Wall Push Productions

Akda comics group

Inkwork Sorcery Studio


click to enlarge

and here's a map to the venue:

click to enlarge

2010-11-30T06:47:00.000+08:00

the kids went to a children's party yesterday, ang brought home at least one inappropriate toy:

and some ironic candy.

michael buntag reviews taal and school run!

2010-11-24T08:54:00.000+08:00

on taal volcano monster vs. evil space paru-paro:

At a modest twenty pages, Taal Volcano Monster isn't so much a story as an extended gag strip. A Mothra stand-in shows-up for no good reason other than that's what happens in the movies. And the requisite knock-down drag-out battle takes place. Both monsters are drawn to look like cuddly plush toys, while the humans are mostly just tiny stick figures. Mass destruction rarely looked so cute.

on school run #1:

They may be kids, but if the comic follows the formula, the cast will get whittled down to just a few of the more resourceful and stronger characters... The first issue isn't particularly graphic by the genre's standards, although the possibility of baby-faced munchkins dying horribly one by one might disturb some readers... The departure from the usual horror movie casting is what's intriguing about the comic. So as perverse as this sounds, I'll be disappointed if no blood is spilled in the future.

full article here.

so that's how googlemaps does it.

2010-11-24T00:22:00.000+08:00

via

december comics events!

2010-11-23T12:16:00.000+08:00

Sputoniku No Koibito!!!

Comics Signing

Adam David + Carljoe Javier + Josel Nicolas

27 November 2010, Saturday

9 pm @ SPUTNIK

Manix Abrera + JP Cuison + Dennis Nierra

Comics Signing
Friday, December 3

8:00pm - 11:00pm

BETTER LIVING THROUGH XEROXOGRAPHY

* A VERY SMALL SMALL PRESS EXPO *

Friday, December 3 at 7:00pm - 3:00am

Ilyong's, Kalantiaw, Cubao
books! komix! zines! shirts! other stuffs!

Thomasian Writers Guild! Aklat Kurimaw! Ink Elephant! Tilde Acuna! Gelo Suarez! Macoy! Papermonster! Cavite Young Writers Association! Mark Angeles! Quarterly Bathroom Companion Comics Compendium! the Youth & Beauty Brigade! Mike David! UP UGAT! UP Writers Club! Heights! High Chair! Gerilya Komix Krew! Kuliti!

Michael David + Rommel Estanislao

Comics Signing
Saturday, December 11

9:00pm - 2:00am next day

*there is probably going to be a komiks bazaar at UP on december 4.
will update this post as things get finalized.

better living through xeroxography: the event (updated)

2010-11-22T12:58:00.001+08:00

poster i made for adam david's celebration of DIY art. the maps were drawn by adam himself. from what i understand the event is going to be a ~~party-slash-christmas sale~~ "very small small press expo". there will be indie comics, books, zines, poetry chapbooks, postcards, shirts, bags and all kinds of stuff made by some very talented folk. i will be there with josel nicolas, mervin malonzo, dj legaspi, apol sta. maria, michael david and anyone else who enjoys free beer and druken karaoke. ~~if you have nothing better to do~~ after you get your manix abrera autograph on december 3, do drop by. you can have my free beer, i'm allergic.

facebook event page

2010-11-22T01:47:00.001+08:00

true story.

two sides of the piracy coin

2010-11-20T00:01:00.002+08:00

colleen doran makes her case against comics piracy:

Here’s hoping the next step in combating the lack of respect for copyright includes an initiative to instill some respect for the people who create content. Real human beings live behind that work.

meanwhile, steve lieber enters the belly of the beast and finds the experience rewarding:

I just participated in a genuinely fascinating discussion, and I think it’s old dog, new tricks time.

so who's right? i think both of them are. digital piracy isn't a black-and-white issue, and we really are living in unprecedented times where the rules are being rewritten and new rules are made up as we go along.

while i applaud efforts like those described in doran's article seeking to keep adsense profits out of pirates' hands, i also agree with lieber that free is here to stay and we need to deal with that fact as well.

here in the philippines, the kind of comics literacy we have that helped give rise to and supports initiatives like komikon and the indie komiks movement wouldn't really be possible without comics scans available online. and yet those same struggling indie artists are the ones most vulnerable to lost profits due to digital piracy and copyright infringement. like i said, it's not a simple topic.

incidentally, that graphic at the top is a sales chart of steve lieber's graphic novel underground, comparing the rise in sales when his work got featured in boingboing and given away for free at 4chan. interesting, ain't it.

batibot returns: sneak peek

2010-11-19T23:34:00.001+08:00

andrew villar posted this video of some new and returning characters set to appear in the new batibot show debuting this month on TV 5, including the replacements for kuya bodjie and ate shena:

my initial reaction is, "way too perky". but then again this hyperstimulated post-blues clues generation might prefer it that way. we'll see.

istikitized!

2010-11-19T11:00:00.000+08:00

from left to right: manix and jess abrera, the artist raymond and his sister jona, michael david and myself.

check out more of raymond logronio's sweet vector toons at his istikitoons facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Istikitoons/230791854091

theory of hipster relativity

2010-11-19T05:44:00.000+08:00

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school run #3 now available at sputnik!

2010-11-18T07:04:00.000+08:00

and will be available at comic odyssey galleria soon!

the french revolution would've been a lot less dreary...

2010-11-17T21:31:00.000+08:00

...if they'd had one of these.

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media coverage

2010-11-17T11:14:00.007+08:00

1.) stanley chi and the front act crew were at last month's PICCA fest doing their thing that they do, which means i can now claim to have officially been on TV... for like three seconds (beware crappy vid quality):

the PICCA bit starts at 4:36, and i make my appearance at around 6:42. there's also a second part with more komikon bites at 6:24 and 12:00, but i'm not in it so w/e.

2.) game! magazine's october issue also acknowledged that i exist...

...in the most economical way possible.

3.) astig TV did a series of interviews featuring us sulyap komiks people, but the video's not embeddable so you'll have to go here to see how awkward and weird and fidgety i am in person.

4.) finally and most recently, poc.net's paolo chikiamco caught the tail-end of our panel interview at komikon last weekend, and posted some video to accompany his excellent komikon asessment.

EDIT:

the latest issue of wow! pinas magazine did a feature on komikon:

see how most of us are wearing black?

jay vs. conan: behind the scenes

2010-11-16T07:17:00.003+08:00

vanity fair excerpts bill carter's book the war for late night:

Finally, Glaser looked across the room to where Conan was sitting and asked him, “What do you want to do?”

His chest muscles were so constricted, Conan wondered briefly if he might be having a heart attack. “What I want to do,” he said, haltingly, his voice rough and raw, “is something that all of you are going to tell me I can’t do.”

He had their full attention now, all eyes pinned to him. “I want to write a statement that says exactly how I feel about it. You guys are going to tell me that I’m giving up all my leverage if I’m supposed to go to another network or something, but I can’t wait. I don’t want to play games here.”

He described how much the show meant to him, the legacy of Carson, the offers he had passed up to get this chance, and how losing it would be crushing—and unfair. Because they were never really given a chance.

The words came freely; he composed them on the spot. But they flowed, syntax perfect, no hesitation between sentences. His voice grew softer, even more strained with emotion when he got to the core of his message: he could not accept a postponement in a nightly habit Americans had participated in and shared for nearly six decades; he would not be an accomplice to the destruction that this idea of NBC’s might inflict on the greatest franchise in television history. If it truly came to this, if NBC would actually force him to decide whether to give up his dream or play a role in undermining a cultural landmark, then maybe it would be better for him to find someplace else to work, someplace that prized the art of late-night television more than NBC now apparently did.

When Conan finished, his group sat silent. Jeff Ross, his own eyes welling up, looked around and saw no dry eyes on the Conan team. Patty Glaser finally broke the silence. “I like it,” she said. She paused, then said definitively, “Let’s do it.”

read the full story here.

assembly-line fiction

2010-11-16T05:40:00.001+08:00

remember james frey, that a million little pieces novelist who duped oprah? he's set up full fathom five, a "fiction factory" composed of young writers trying to create the next twilight. what could possibly be wrong with that? well... a number of things. nymag.com has the dirt.

Frey emphasized that this was collaboration—not my own project—and that he needed writers who will listen to him. He gave as an example a King Arthur adaptation he was working on with another writer. That author had listened to his criticism and rewritten it in a different voice; because the author was receptive, Frey was positive the book would sell, and big. Another project, a Gossip Girl–like series he had worked on with two writers employed at Star magazine, he said had gone south. The writers hadn’t made his requested character changes, so Frey had recently fired them.

He reintroduced the idea that he was modeling his company on Damien Hirst’s art factory, a warehouse in which a reported 120 employees work to create fine art signed by Hirst. He considered Full Fathom Five an improvement on the way traditional book packagers like Alloy work. Generally, a book packager conceives an idea, hires writers to generate the content, and sells the package to a publishing house, much like a film-production company selling a project to a studio. The book packager’s writer will sometimes share in the revenue but usually just take a standard fee, to the tune of $10,000. Frey seemed to think that writers who had a bigger share in the profits would deliver better books.

trese wins national book award!

2010-11-15T12:41:00.004+08:00

huge news for pinoy komiks. but don't take my word for it, here's what the 2009 national book awards committee had to say:

In Trese, Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo has [sic] crafted a testament to the limitless capacity of the Filipino imagination, as well as one of the best Filipino comic books of all time.

yeesss looks like the lit establishment has finally started taking notice.

budjette reacts with a graceful, ovation-worthy acceptance speech, which impressed me so much i'm reposting it in full:

To the National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle, thank you very much for recognizing our work and giving us this award.

To Ruey de Vera, who has shown support to local comics since 1995, writing reviews and interviewing local comic book creators, introducing them to Pinoys through his newspaper articles.

Thanks to Bow, Taps, Arnold, and Mark --the skeleton crew who conjured The World of the Unknown, a radio show about ghosts, aswang, and witches and most especially to Mark who thought of the name Trese.

Thanks to…

My dad, who told me all those stories that start with … There’s aswang outside the window!

My mom, who told me all those stories that ended with “happily ever after”

My brother Brandie, who drew my first horror comic book story and made me want to write more

Ka-Jo, my partner-in-crime, who asked me to do the impossible

Nida, our publisher and willing accomplice

Wella, who stands by my side during those days that seem like nightmares

Let me just take this opportunity to make an appeal to all the publishers in the room, to all the writers and artists in this room, to consider creating one comic book next year, to publish one graphic novel next year. (Although I’m not sure if my publisher will agree with me, that I’m encouraging you to become our competition.)

We once had a golden age of komiks, when supposedly it sold in the hundreds of thousands and reached millions nationwide.

We once had a golden age of komiks when it was the source material of many TV and radio programs -- and movies as well.

But maybe the age of the 10-peso newsprint komiks magasin sold at the bangketa is over.

Maybe this new age of comic books will flourish in the bookstores, sold at the price of a value meal.

I understand that as publishers, you have an editorial line to maintain. So, maybe aswang-hunting kick-ass women are not your thing and maybe gay beauticians swallowing giant magical stones that turn them into superwomen are not your thing-- but please do consider, the next time you plan a book about Rizal, why not tell it as a comic book – he was our country’s very first comic book artist after all.

The next time you do a biography of Ninoy or Cory, why not tell it as a comic book?

When I picked up Dolphy’s autobiography I thought, “This should’ve been told as a comic book!”

The next time you do a cook book about paella – maybe it the instructions can be told using comic book panels.

We once had a golden age of komiks.

I invite you to take the leap – to take a super human leap and bring back that marvelous age, that wondrous age, that fantastic age.

Thank you and good night.

way to go, budjette, kajo and visprint! saludo kami sa inyo!

november komikon 2010 @ starmall

2010-11-14T08:30:00.010+08:00

the starmall trade hall was fit to burst yesterday, with the komikon crowd packed tighter than darna's top (anjanette abayari version).

things were so busy at the sulyap table (thanks for letting us use it komikon crew!) that i didn't get to walk around at all until cherry arrived at around closing time, so i missed a bunch of indies that i really wanted. here's what i did get:
someone left their komikon catalog at my table, if you want it back just let me know.

the sulyap booth... whoever was supposed to sit beside me never came so i got an entire table to myself. we were placed right in front of the entrance. i was the very first indie artist people coming in would ignore.

people who bought a full set of my comics brought home free stuff, like this maskot t-shirt.

julienne and leroy dropped by and asked for sketches. the guy in the middle looks envious if you ask me.

i barely saw any cosplayers, but someone did put together an impromptu "lipad" getup. here he is with omeng estanislao.

the comic book industry is struggling... to fit inside starmall.

temperatures reached near-bahay ng alumni heights, so it was up to gio to save the day. he made several trips to this cooling fan to make sure it was running well. bayani ka, gio!

someone was selling these samurai sword umbrellas for P1,400 each. pricey--but so cool.

first batch of sulyap creators being interviewed onstage by sherry baet-zamar.

second batch. now i can scratch "get up on komikon stage" off my bucket list. (photo by adam david)

i met aj bernardo for the first time... his QBCCC comic kicks so much ass.

this is feliz, who runs the mt. cloud bookshop in baguio. she bought several sets of my stuff. best of luck feliz! i hope we can visit sometime.

meanwhile, this dude (i think his name is euge) was walking around with a bunch of his indie comics, all fresh-printed and unstapled, and he came all the way from cagayan de oro city to invite us to an art/anime/comic convention he was setting up there.

tepai brought cake. caaaaakkeeee

(photo by amai richardson) being busy and selling lots of comics is wonderful, but i missed walking around and socializing with fellow indie peeps. i barely even got to chat with my immediate neighbors gio and the meganon crew. but wow, so much positive feedback from readers about school run and ang maskot, nakakataba talaga ng puso. maraming maraming salamat sa lahat ng dumalo sa komikon! mabuhay kayo!

more photos here

november komikon 2010 releases (constantly updated)

2010-11-13T12:47:00.017+08:00

here's a sampling of the titles scheduled for release at next week's komikon at star mall. this year's komikon boasts its biggest indie komiks tiangge yet, with 34 artists/groups participating!

24 hour comics and beyond by mel casipit

atomic under ground special edition #1 by m3 comics

barangay sesame by dumpling press

bayan knights #5 by bayan knights group

boy bakal #2 by carlo valenzuela

dekada by lyndon gregorio

boink! comics featuring: Andrew Villar (Ambush), Stong Franco (Quipino), Greco Milambiling (Aha Hule), Julius Villanueva (Life in progress) Hazel Manzano (Callwork), Syeri Baet-Zamar (Carpool), Mimi Romauldez (Frog pond), P'Casis, Amos Villar, and Celso Quijano

break out comics by subway productions

komikon comics compilation by mel casipit

cresci prophecies vol. 3 by ika-siyam

digmaang salinhali #8 by jon zamar and judd abinuman

dragon kid #3 by lady storykeeper

drop dead dangerous by chad cabrera and mike banting

earthborne chapter zero by alitaptap comics

force 8 by tomokii

fruitshake by soul synth comics

hyper comics #1 by hyper comics

estrella part 2 of 2 by jeri barrios

gutom by norby ela

hard core by hazel manzano and andrew villar

hero #3 by rommel estanislao

kanto inc. promo by melvin calingo, joanah calingo and kilayman

kapitan tog #2 by freely abrigo

krisis komix: identity krisis by krisis komix

kubori kikiam compilation #3: we heart short shorts by michael david

landas tungong digmaan by jon zamar, et al

lilium by jeneko

marco's delivery service by john carreon

mark verse 9 verse 47 #5 by meganon comics

mark verse 9 verse 47 vol. 1 by meganon comics

maso #1 by ramil ibay

the amazing mega by core studios

mixed delight #1 by camille nolasco

mukat #1 by mel casipit

my falling star girlfriend by henry bustamante

no parking #2 by core studios

patintero #2 by kai castillo

the pacquiao comic by jose gamboa

pag-asa #4 by erico calimlim

the quarterly bathroom companion comics compendium #1 featuring:
- Adam David
- Ammathorn
- Apol Sta. Maria
- Bugsy Garcia
- DJ Legaspi
- Hub Pacheco
- Jim Faustino
- Jobert Cruz
- Josel Nicolas
- Mervin Malonzo
- Norby Ela
- Rex Romano
- Tilde Acuña
- Teddy Pavon

realm of dreams #2 by lady storykeeper

sanduguan #8 by ner perdrina

school run #3 by macoy

sulyap komiks anthology featuring:
Ian Olympia
Mel Casipit
RH Quilantang
Gio Paredes
Rommel Estanislao
Tepai Pascual
macoy
Josel Nicolas

With a foreword by Gerry Alanguilan

talim #1 by omi remalate jr. and rhiver quilantang

the dog days of jack and jill by hee

unos mundos #5 by wan mananita

weng weng comics by ron tan

west side compilation #3 by ariel atienza

windmills 3: bear in mind by josel nicolas

work in progress #1 by hub pacheco and teddy pavon

yo, bo! #3 by norby ela

zombies in manila #4 by scratch comics

whew, and that's not all of them!

if you're going to komikon this saturday, try to get your hands on the first-ever komikon event catalog for more info on even more komikon titles. first 50 entrants get it free!

as for non-komiks attractions, the youth & beauty brigade guys will be selling their books THE EL BIMBO VARIATIONS and THE KOBAYASHI MARU OF LOVE, and tabi po webcomicker mervin malonzo will have prints and possibly shirts up for grabs.

UPDATE: gerry alanguilan has more titles at his own list here.

the art of caroll spinney

2010-11-10T15:22:00.001+08:00

jim henson, frank oz, carol spinney. that's the muppet trinity for me. so i was so glad when AOL news did a feature on the man behind (inside of?) big bird and oscar the grouch, particularly about spinney's little-known art career.

"I started drawing when I was about 6 years old," Spinney told AOL News. "I was in love with the funnies [comic strips]. Back then, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck had their own strips, and you could see them every week in full color. I loved it so much, I drew my own comics."

However, the extremely low pay pushed him away from Disney and toward a Boston television production agency that animated title sequences for commercials and shows.

"I needed a hobby," Spinney said. "So I got into puppetry."

Through his contacts at the production company, Spinney became Mr. Lion on the "Bozo the Clown" show, a stint that lasted nine years and brought him to the annual Puppeteers of America festival in Salt Lake City in 1969 -- a fateful visit where he met Jim Henson.

cell tower disguised as tree

2010-11-09T05:42:00.001+08:00

nice.

via

tunnel people of las vegas

2010-11-06T19:32:00.003+08:00

1,000 people are living in flood tunnels beneath the streets of glitzy las vegas.

the daily mail has words and pictures.

komiks: dead, struggling or what?

2010-11-04T13:58:00.007+08:00

gerry alanguilan and budjette tan recently posted their thoughts on an agence france-presse piece by mynardo macaraig about the undying topic of the dying pinoy komiks industry.

such is the tone of the aforementioned article, entitled "Once-great Philippine comic industry fights for survival":

Philippine comic books have nurtured talent for international TV and animation blockbusters, but the once-mighty industry is fighting to survive as it comes up against the Internet and other new media.

Comic books that dominated the Philippine publishing industry just a couple of decades ago are now largely relegated to photocopied titles sold in a few specialty stores and at conventions.

tan's reaction tends toward the hopeful:

It's just a bit sad that the report didn't even mention the multiple comic book events that have been happening for the past couple of years. I just hope the article also gets the attention of potential publishers, entrepreneurs maybe, people who used to read comics, and might take an interest in making comics.

while alanguilan is characteristically a little more blunt.

There is a NEW Philippine comic book industry, and it has been around since 1993. It’s nothing like the old komiks industry. It’s comic books are nothing like the old comic books... They are no longer produced in the millions like the old days, but the question is: DO THEY HAVE TO BE?

If you love Philippine comics so much, then get off your asses and go to your bookstores, comic book stores and attend comic book conventions so you can buy them.

for myself, i fall somewhere in between. i don't want to overpraise what is essentially a niche market or cottage industry at present, but neither do i buy into macaraig's grossly oversimplified picture of a barren post-komikalyptic landscape.

it's not so much macaraig's lazy conclusions and shallow research that i find... unhelpful. it's that he is writing at a time of slow but steady resurgence and he paints it as a low point. that's a disservice to the likes of paolo fabregas and ner pedrina. hell, that's a slap in the face of komikon and mcc and all the other people actually doing something to bring the new komiks to a wider audience. here they are trying to redefine komiks and the media just can't get over the old.

nor will they, probably, not for a long time yet. seeing that macaraig's piece is about ten years behind, i expect people like him to start noticing today's progress by around 2020.

PICCA 2010

2010-10-29T09:32:00.005+08:00

this is me:

this is me kicking myself for missing the third day of PICCA...

...while my erstwhile table-mates like gio paredes, mel casipit, tepai pascual, maika ezawa, lady storykeeper and the rest of the invited indie komiks people were selling out their comics. grrr. what's more, i missed the pick-up for the comic quest komiks consignments, so, no new outlet for me.

oh well. at least i got to hang out with such cool people. and i have pictures.

mel let me read part of his 300+page anime-inspired fantasy epic mukat.

in a pathetic attempt to stir up some business i offered free caricatures. it wasn't until i added the "no purchase necessary" part that people actually started asking to be drawn.

during day two we exchanged fanart. here's what i got:

reyes/boy ipis by tepai pascual
taal lake monster by mel casipit

and lady storykeeper turns maki into a real girl.

as i am typing this i am staring at a big box of unsold komiks. komikon, you are my only hope.

EDIT:

more pics here!

middle-aged sailor moon

2010-10-20T07:40:00.002+08:00

an ad for sailor moon anime reruns in hong kong, with the characters reimagined as thirtysomethings.

Script:

Summer of 2010.

Mother: [to child] Remember, when attending class to study hard!
Woman: Serena (Usagi Tsukino), I'm giving this back to you.
Mother, now identified as Serena (Sailor Moon): Ami? Rei?
Serena: Moon prism power!
Ami Mizuno: Mercury power!
Rei Hino: Mars power!
All together: Uniform change!
Female announcer: Sailor Moon, premiering this Friday, broadcasting from Monday to Friday, 6 p.m. Let [Hong Kong television station] J2 accompany you on all of your little girl dreams!
Waiter: It's been a long time since I last saw you three; is discounted dim sum alright?

school run #3 delayed

2010-10-20T07:37:00.002+08:00

sorry guys, been busy with other stuff.

i'll release it (and hopefully #4 as well) at komikon next month.

indie komiks at PICCA!

2010-10-15T09:57:00.003+08:00

a group of indie komiks people, myself included, will be at PICCA fest next weekend at SM north.

i don't have the exact lineup, but a booth for "mainstream and indie comics creators" is listed under the trade show page of the official site. we'll be there for three days, friday to sunday. drop by if you can!

PICCA Trade Show
October 22-24
4th floor, CyberZone
SM Annex, SM City North EDSA

carlo caparas is NOT a national artist. as in literally.

2010-10-11T10:38:00.005+08:00

gerry alanguilan reminds us that he never actually received the title:

Hey People, specially you “journalists” who are supposed to do your research, Carlo J. Caparas is NOT a National Artist, at the very least not yet, if he will ever be.

The conferment of the title National Artist for Visual Arts to Mr. Caparas (along with three others), were STOPPED by the Supreme Court last year. The decision to confer the title (or not) is still PENDING. That’s how it stands now.

Mr. Caparas cannot consider himself National Artist, nor should anyone refer to him as one, until that matter is resolved.

so there you go. national artist? no. under investigation for dodgy production contracts? yes.

Carlo J. Caparas’ P1.3-B contract stuns PCSO
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/10/05/10/carlo-j-caparas-p13-b-contract-stuns-pcso

Carlo Caparas Questioned Over 1.3 Billion Budget
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/280712/carlo-caparas-questioned-over-13-billion-budget

hey direk, i got a pitch for ya. it's a reality TV show based on your recent life. the working title is, "ang pangarap kong jail term".

a real-life galleon in manila

2010-10-06T09:53:00.004+08:00

As part of the Día del GaleónFestival, the Philippines will play host to the replica of the 17th Century galleon Andalucia on October 6–9, 2010, at Pier 13 in Manila. The 51-meter-long traveling museum created by Spain’s Nao Victoria Foundation makes use of ancient seafaring techniques with very minimal modern technology and virtually no fuel at its disposal.

At the pier, guests will be treated to festive music provided by school bands. There will also be a waiting area where guests can view an exhibit on the Galleon Trade and participate in creating mural paintings of their impressions. There will also be a creative trade fair selling indigenous arts and crafts.

For booking or any other concerns regarding the galleon, please e-mail diadelgaleon@yahoo.com. The tour is free. Groups of 30 pax and above however will have to register in advance while individual guests need not reserve. No children below 8 years old, and those below 12 must be accompanied by a chaperone.

Amiya Rosalyn Sawadjaan
Día del Galeón Festival Manager
Office of the President – National Commission for Culture and the Arts
633 General Luna St., Intramuros, Manila
Tel. No.: +632 527 2192 local 605; +632 527 2206
Fax No.: +632 525 8656
Mobile: +63918 906 6643

more info here.

2010-10-04T11:58:00.000+08:00

stick it to the (holy) man, carlos celdran

2010-10-02T01:21:00.008+08:00

carlos celdran's biggest mistake was that he didn't bring a friend with a video camera.

the catholic church's biggest mistake is that it unwittingly created a martyr.

can we get some context here? what did the guy do? yell at some priests. what does the church want to do? deny millions of people access to contraceptives and education that, if used properly, will make their lives better in very concrete ways. which is the jailable offense again?

celdran's one-man commando strike protest paid off so well i bet he's considering making it a permanent addition to his walking tour. maybe next time he can dress up as jesus and knock over a few stalls.

media reports of pro-celdran support are greatly exaggerated. have you seen the facebook page? 80% of the commenters there are just happy to have any reason at all to hate on the catholic church.

wouldn't it be fun if noynoy said, "i'll see your excommunication and raise you church taxes."

the last word on justin bieber.

2010-09-29T13:05:00.000+08:00

greatest marvel fan art pinup ever.

2010-09-28T10:48:00.004+08:00

dear marvel,

please make this comic.

thank you.

via

gmanews.tv = webcomics noobs

2010-09-28T05:38:00.002+08:00

so gma's news portal just started its first-ever webcomic, manix abrera's news hardcore. yay, right? mainstream media-supported webcomics. but then you notice that it's been filed under "home > nation > top stories". also it doesn't have its own rss feed for fans to subscribe to. it's like gmanews said, "webcomics, yeah whatevs, just slap that on anywhere." i am disappoint.

porn star on facebook.

2010-09-27T18:48:00.003+08:00

i am not the kind of guy who "likes" a lot of things on facebook.

ang maskot on flipgeeks.com

2010-09-26T12:57:00.003+08:00

mark rosario of planetmarkus.com posted a review of ang maskot on flipgeeks.com:

very witty, hysterical and unexpectedly heartwarming all at the same time. It’s really not surprising why this title has received (and continues to receive) so much positive feedback from both comic fans and creators alike. The story itself is well-crafted plus the artwork is just pure eye candy.

*earclaps*

full article

ursula le guin on books, reading and the publishing inustry

2010-09-11T08:30:00.002+08:00

lots of good stuff here:

Staying awake: Notes on the alleged decline of reading By Ursula K. Le Guin

Once you’ve pressed the on button, the TV goes on, and on, and on, and all you have to do is sit and stare. But reading is active, an act of attention, of absorbed alertness—not all that different from hunting, in fact, or from gathering.

Books are social vectors, but publishers have been slow to see it. They barely even noticed book clubs until Oprah goosed them. But then the stupidity of the contemporary, corporation-owned publishing company is fathomless: they think they can sell books as commodities.

In those departments, beloved by the CEOs, a “good book” means a high gross and a “good writer” is one whose next book can be guaranteed to sell better than the last one. That there are no such writers is of no matter to the corporationeers, who don’t comprehend fiction even if they run their lives by it.

you know filipino comics have been misunderstood, underestimated and basically bollocksed up by corporations in charge of 'em, too. *cough* atlas caparas *cough*

via

what is it, taal monster lookalike day?!

2010-09-10T01:25:00.003+08:00

this morning in my facebook there was a post by julius villanueva about some animated gifs off of the scott pilgrim fighting game:

THEN there was this poster for the jet city comic show in seattle.

and THEN fellow sulyap-er tepai pascual drew this:

okay, so the last one is an actual taal monster. but those other two... i gotta make more original character designs...

hand-painted movie billboards

2010-09-09T16:14:00.004+08:00

remember those?

"The downfall of the old movie theatres also brought the end of companies making hand painted movie billboards. BM Sagmit which is located in Tondo is to my knowledge the only remaining company still making hand painted movie billboards."

Nowadays most billboards are electronically printed on tarpaulin but the old cinemas can hardly afford them. They continue to ask for small hand painted billboards on canvas that are cheaper as after each use a new billboard is painted upon the old one."

more here and here.

animated film to watch out for: rpg metanoia

2010-09-08T10:29:00.009+08:00

i am usually very, very skeptical about (i.e. i hate) "first filipino blank-and-blank movie!" anyone remember ang panday the animated series? what about isko: adventures in animasia? yeah, those went really well didn't they. i can just imagine the boardroom meeting that spawned these ideas: "let's make it reeeaaaally filipino! let's have the hero wear a maglalatik costume! how many tikbalangs and manananggal can we squeeze in, do you think?"

what makes rpg metanoia look so promising to me is that it is forward-looking rather than backward-looking. there's no hint so far of the false nostalgia and out-of-place nationalism that weighs down the earlier films. cg animation? 3D? avatars and rpg's? it's too hip to be true! and in a sense it is. the project was begun in 2004 by local studio thaumatrope, and abs-cbn only came aboard in 2008. so there is at least some chance that this will be legit.

their website's pretty nifty, and of course there's a facebook page.

sulyap: an indie komiks anthology

2010-09-03T19:26:00.003+08:00

sulyap is a collection of short komiks stories published by the same people who bring you the komikon comics conventions. editor jon zamar did a great job of showcasing how diverse the pinoy indie komiks scene is nowadays: you've got manga, angsty autobiographical stuff, spandex-clad superheroes, straight-up cartoon stories, even a bit of parody kaiju and historical fiction. (my taal volcano monster vs. evil space paru-paro is among the works included)

the cover was done by melvin calingo, aka taga-ilog of culture crash fame, and that's his rendition of the taal volcano monster up there. i was so stoked to see it. :D

the book will be released on november 13 at komikon. convention price is P150, and after that it'll sell for P250.

you can get updates via the sulyap facebook page.

more about komikon here.

pacheco & pavon's read comics in public day project

2010-08-30T00:13:00.003+08:00

so last saturday was the first-ever international read comics in public day, and webcomickers teddy pavon and hub pacheco did this thing to celebrate: teddy made a papercraft model of eli, the hero of their work in progress webcomic, and hub took it around the city for a wonderfully geeky photoshoot.

see the rest of the pics here

and read their comic here