mababang langit

as a comics fan and someone who makes self-published comics, i've spent the last decade or so watching pinoy komiks redefine itself and struggle to bounce back from the 90's malaise that saw mainstream comics dwindle down to near zero. i've watched the independent komiks scene, led by creators like budjette tan, gerry alanguilan, arnold arre, carlo vergara and the komikon team, make slow, gradual progress toward establishing itself as critically and financially viable. komiks shifted business models, moving from the banketa to the bookstore,  the newfangled comics convention circuit, and the web. and yet, some people still insist that pinoy komiks is "dead." their definition of death varies slightly, but the thought remains the same. the longtime komiks blogger/s who goe/s by the name "aklas-isip" posted a blog titled "WHY THERE IS STILL NO COMICS INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES Part 1" late last october, where he/they stated: "...we...

ok, so let me bite the bullet and get this over with. school run #5 will not be available at tomorrow's komikon. i am sorry. i put off starting for too long, incorrigible crammer that i am. and by the time i started in earnest, dayjob-related stuff magically began to pile up. so i missed my self-appointed deadline for SR #5, i missed 24-hour book day, i chickened out of flipread's 24-hour komixathon, i chickened out of my contribution to the melon pinup anthology, i failed to do my unofficial komikon indies preview... aagh. my apologies to adam and benj and to everyone waiting to see what will happen to maki and the gang. SO, as i type this i am hurrying to finish yet another long-delayed project so i won't be completely empty-handed tomorrow (if i can find a photocopy shop that opens early, that is). it's a collaboration with a pair of young, very young, up-and-coming creators. still 7 or so pages to go!

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 wa...

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 compilati...