thinking back, looking forward

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personal observations about komiks this year:
  • the market is there - after all, it was able to support an unprecedented six major komiks events this year, despite catastrophic floods and whatnot.
  • a nascent komiks convention circuit is forming (komikon, metrocon, m3con)--crossing my fingers that this becomes a permanent thing.
  • broadening tastes - underground hits like alamat ng panget and bearkdowns generated a lot of buzz in '09, hopefully opening doors for more titles outside the established superhero/manga/humor genres.
  • bookstores still the way to go - like it or not, the key to mainstream comics success still lies in nanay socorro's monopolizing hands, whether you're selling a pamphlet (mangaholix) or a graphic novel (trese, el indio, 12, etc.).
  • komiks still don't get enough respect - at least from the mainstream media, judging by the lack of coverage.

some new years' wishes for the local komiks scene:
  • more comics journalism - randy valiente's pinoy komiks rebyu is a great start and leaves me wanting more. sales figures! attendance numbers! interviews and personalities!
  • more regional conventions - (baguiocon? pampangacon?)
  • more new movie/TV tie-ins - andong agimat is the first major film adaptation of a work by the new generation of komiks creators. let's hope more producers looking for fresh ideas follow suit.

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