101 Kagila-gilalas na Nilalang

Sadyang napakahusay ang pagkakatimpla ng librong ito ni Edgar Calabia Samar. Sigurado akong sa di kalaunan ay magiging sanggunian ito ng mga baguhan at mga magbabalik-tanaw sa mitolohiyang Pilipino. Mula sa mga lamanlupa na katulad ng Tiyanak, hanggang sa mga aswang, halimaw, bayani, anito, diwata at hanggang sa mga bathala na katulad ni Talagbusaw at Mandarangen, nakakatuwa na makilala sila at malaman ng mambabasa ang karagdagang kaalaman tungkol sa "pangontra" sa mga masasamang nilalang, at sa kabilang dako ang kahalagahan naman ng paniniwala sa mga mabuting nilalang. Palaging mayroong aral na mapupulot sa bawat kuwento ng pagsupil sa kasamaan at  kahit kalaban man o kakampi, lahat sila ay kagila-gilalas.

Kahit na kabataang mambabasa ang pinupuntirya nito, tingin ko ay masisiyahan din kahit mga matatandang mambabasa dahil tiyak na maaalala nila ang mga kuwento ng kanilang Lolo at Lola noon. Ako mismo ay nakaalala ng kuwento ng Tatay ko mula sa mga pahina nito. Kahit na siniksik sa isandaan at isa ang bilang ng mga nilalang sa dami ng aklat na pinagsanggunian, nakakatuwang isipin na mas madami pa dito ang aktuwal na bilang nila. Nagkatalo lang sa kanya-kanyang salin(bersyon), bigkas, at baybayin depende sa pinagmulang tribo ng paniniwala.

Sa henerasyong nahumaling at nalasing sa maka-kanlurang mito ni Harry Potter, mas matimbang pa din ito na maisali sa aklatan ng mga kabataan sapagkat hindi basta basta ang pananaliksik na ginawa ng may akda pati na din ang husay ng pagkakaguhit ng mga dibuhista. Kahit papaano ay binuhay nila ang nakalimutang bahagi ng kulturang Pilipino. Saludo ako sa mga ganitong klase ng proyektong pambata.


Genre: Philippine Mythology, Young Adult
Rating: Apat na kwintas na bawang na nakasabit sa bintana

A Book For All Ages

If JRR Tolkien's intention in writing this book is to inspire and entertain his children then I would say he succeeded. The story is fast-paced for a children's novel and can still deliver the thrill of anticipation for the next scenes for an adult reader.

 Looking at Tolkien's trademark style of world-building, it's fascinating to identify how diverse the element of "race" here and I even like this diversity better than the sequel saga War of the Ring (Lord of The Rings I-III). There are of course the race of halflings, dwarves, humans, elves, and goblins (progenitors of orcs). Add to these are the races of trolls, wild wolves (wargs), and avians (ancestral birds that can verbally communicate with men) including their subspecies (ravens, eagles, and thrushes). Not to forget the race of dragons but fortunately for the protagonists, they only need to tackle one member of that race---in the name of Smaug the Magnificent.

 In the upcoming trilogy films by Peter Jackson, I want to see cool characters like the thirteen dwarves, Beorn (the shapeshifter, or perhaps a druid?), Radagast the Brown, the Necromancer, The King of Eagles, the trolls (Tom, Bert, and Bill), the Goblin King, Bard the bowman, Dain the mighty dwarf, Roac the raven, and the thrushes. Of course, the recurrent roles of the major characters in LOTR series are already expected. Tauriel may not be in the book, but for obvious reason I can't wait to see her in the second or perhaps third film.

[Spoiler alert here, don't read further if you haven't read the book]

Zenith point (climax) of the novel belonged to the Battle of the Five Armies up to the unexpected death of a major character, while the nadir point (lowest point) belonged to the unbelievable death of Smaug the Dragon from a single arrow.

The central quest of the book is to recapture stolen treasures from the dragon but I like the author's message here that there exists something that weighs heavier than all the earthly treasures this world can provide, and it's called Peace. Letting go of the Arkenstone to the rightful owner is a very cool gesture by Bilbo. Of course, he got the mithrill, the sting, and the magic ring all saved for future resolution.

And the adventure has just begun.

Genre: Fantasy 
Rating: 4 tobacco-jars

Prepare for Battle!

Kwentillion: Premiere Issue

published by Summit Media

The superb cover art by Chester Ocampo can easily square off with any artist of the adult-oriented Heavy Metal magazine in the US but it's important to emphasize this early that this premiere issue is very much suitable for general patronage now known as the YA generation. The short story by Budjette and KaJo is once again a good work (and another quality young heroine of Trese tradition) while Poso Maximo by Robert Magnuson is highly enjoyable. I can only wonder if the young heir of Datu is directly related to the world of Alexandra Trese but this remains to be verified. High Society by Chikiamco & Buena is a noteworthy read.  Andrew Drilon's The Secret Origin of Spin-Man is a memorable short parody of the superhero genre.

Dimacali & Bumanglag's Sky Gypsies reminded me of the recent clash involving illegal Chinese fishermen and the Philippine Navy in the Scarborough Shoal but this story does not involve anything about territorial disputes and the role between the bully and the harassed is in complete reverse here. Upcoming and current stars in the world of graphic illustration can be helpful especially in knowing their influences.

Philippine Folk Magic compiled by Chikiamco and drawn by Mervin Malonzo is for me, the best feature of the whole magazine and I hope that they continue this feature for the next issues under the category of Myth-troduction. It's a good eye-opener for the uninitiated and a refresher for old followers of Philippine Mythology.

My wish so far is to finally see a good collection of mythology from our brothers in the south---the Mindanao Epic. It may be republished in a book form and not necessarily in a magazine format, as long as it follow the original narrative structure of the oral tradition. I want to read more about Prinsipe Bantugan's fall and how his friends recapture his spirit by outsmarting the Gods of the underworld. I want to see him reborn and kick his foes to oblivion with his magical Kampilan just in the nick of time. I don't mind seeing Tikbalang in a distant galaxy or a Tamawo guarding a forgotten colony ship but what I do mind is the original story. It's easy to reinvent, readapt, or retell a story in the current setting, but the challenge lies in making the mythology relevant to the young generation without sacrificing the original story and the reason why myths are being told  by our grand folks. Philippine Mythology exist to teach the Filipino a lesson, they exist to provide value not to the material, but to the unseen things like justice, honor, brotherhood, and humility.

Skyworld Vol. 2

In the first day, I look into a story and I declared it good. The next day the story swallowed me whole, and it was better.

The flow of this second volume in connection with the first is mesmerizing as a fresh breathe of summer. Downplaying the shitty poetry here, I never imagined that this current cliche of resurrecting the dead old mythologies will take a new breathe of life in this electronic age of FB and Barack Obama.

The creators worked their part in story and art seamlessly and telling it from the Big Bang to the Big Crunch (with apologies to Dr Stephen Hawking) along with historical figures like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio is a work just close to perfection. This graphic novel is not for the young readers though, especially when you encounter [SPOILER WARNING] that scene with the Asuang grabbing Rizal's baby boy straight from Josephine Bracken's womb. If you havent read this, better expect "graphic" scenes in this well-paced graphic novel. The artist just simply loves to decapitate both monsters and men here. The only flaw I see is Makabo's declaration of a fleshless and bloodless God only to be contradicted later about the belief that drinking the blood of the same God would give one powers terrible and unimagined.

As Joseph Campbell states in the chapter opener of his book The Power of Myth (The Journey Inward chapter); "One thing that comes out in myths is that at the bottom of the abyss comes the voice of salvation. The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light." The Skyworld story is a testament to that old idea. You may see it as a story somewhere from a parallel universe, or an imaginary Philippines but the bottom line here is still that ultimate quest for redemption that everyone is tasked to undergo.

Since the first volume, the Skyworld universe is connected with the world of Alexandra Trese and that's the reason why I highly recommend this for Trese fans out there. But apart from Trese, there are more characters joining the fight here. The story flies between history and the present, and this narrative flow is what I seriously like about it. I'm almost tempted to call this Skyworld story an Asuang Apocalypse given the sci fi elements but I better give it to more informed and mature readers to hand that verdict.

My only duty as a reader is to find out if the story is good or bad (from the original collection of 4 chapters or serialized issues in 2009) and my assessment so far is this---it's better.


Genre: Dark Fantasy, Urban Horror, Philippine Mythology
Rating 4.5 bags of rock salt out of 5

David Gemmell's LEGEND

Heroic fantasy has never been this good. This novel currently earns the 4.5/5 (132 reviewers) rating of approval from Amazon and Shelfari readers and 4.18/5 (3580 reviewers) from folks at Goodreads. Originally published in 1984, this first published book of the Drenai series is actually the final story for Druss the Legend. Just like the lead character Paul Atreides in Frank Herbert's DUNE, Druss owns a lot of monicker to his friends and enemies.  In Ventria he is known as Druss the Sender and in Vagria he is known as the Axman. To the Nadir he is Deathwalker while in Lentria he is the Silver Slayer. As a living hero of his land, his reputation as Captain of the Ax precedes him to any place or territory of operation. He is the thinking man's version of Conan and King Leonidas. It is important to know that this hero already accomplished a lot in his adventures and this book---the final story will also be his final adventure.

There is complexity and realism with the story, and the main plot here about defending a fortress from a military siege can easily compete against any memorable siege story like Battle for Helm's Deep or Battle for Minas Tirith from Tolkien's ultra popular Lord of the Rings trilogy. The forces of Dros Delnoch will recieve reinforcements but still the enemies greatly outnumber the defensive ranks. Druss the Legend will need everything to lift the morale of the defense by inspiration and strategy. The Battle for Dros Delnoch lasted for months (3 months at least) and if you're a military historian, this novel might remind you of the 13-day Battle of the Alamo, or more recently World War II's Siege of Leningrad that lasted 872 days.

It is a fantasy given the magical elements of dream visions, mind reading, mystic skirmishes and rituals, the resurrection, but it has also some scientific and real life elements like cancer, poisons, gangrene, military strategy, spies, and war casualties. David Gemmell never overused the fantastic elements and like Tao or the "force" for Jedi Knights, the mystic group of Serbitar believed in the eternal Source. I already stated about Conan and King Leonidas before and additionally I also saw characters resembling King Arthur, Robin Hood, Lady Marian, and King Xerxes including their background stories. The notoriety of Druss' equally legendary ax--the Snaga is also one of the highlights in the novel. The gritty realism of war is the novel's rallying point, you will feel the chill of unexpected decapitations and the anticipation of when will they happen next. Just like GRR Martin's Song of Ice & Fire series, look out for betrayals, assassinations, and coup. A lot of characters and people were involved but its good to see that most of the characters grew up with the story. One of the main characters dying from a disease before the great siege also adds up to realism and shock value.

Gemmell's multi-perspective narrative is also helpful in this novel. There is no black & white in this book. As a common reader who encounters any heroic fantasy or epic fantasy, I assumed that this novel would be all about Druss and what makes him a Legend. But I was completely wrong. The legend here does not belong to one man. The legend belongs to all men and women who served, fought, and died defending the six walls of Dros Delnoch. David Gemmell admits of growing up hearing idealized stories of heroes that never lied, evil never triumphed, and love as always true and it's here in this novel that we would see these undying themes without boredom.

All in all, it was a frikkin good trip. Listed in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, it is highly recommended for lovers of epic and heroic fantasy before they die.


Category: Genre, Epic, Fantasy, Mature Reading
Rating: 4.5 bronze armors out of 5

the truant's manifesto

A Worthy Sequel Fit for the Gods

A big improvement from the first, this sequel is more fun and more thrilling and in my opinion, shares the same magnitude of notching the standard bar higher from its original film like what The Dark Knight Returns did to The Dark Knight. The filmmakers made a gamble and earned a lot from it by concealing the real enemy in the trailers and official previews, unlike most of the amateurish films of late that you can already see the whole story by just watching the previews.

Compared to Clash of the Titans(spoiler alert!), Medusa and the Kraken are just iguana pets for Ares and Kronos here. The enemies are nastier, deadlier, and I like how the CGI effects purposively blended a seamless digital integration for a monstrous and ancient God to realistically spew magma, breathe fire, and belch sulphur. That scene with the Minotaur in the Labyrinth is also great. It helps when you've got the copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology for background check of the Greek Gods and their respective peculiarities. For a short period, there's a feel of deja vu (i.e. Lord of the Rings) when a family of cyclops accompany our heroes in their journey in the mountains. The bird's eye view shot is simply breathtaking.

The choice of quality British actors were also an added bonus. Rosamund Pike as Warrior Queen Andromeda made a good action comeback from Die Another Day years ago. She is still pretty and a damn fine actress. Bill Nighy as Hephaestus is just funny and amazing and hearing him utter his lines still reminds me of his role as the nasty and slimy Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Wrath of the Titans is highly recommended for every father, son, and brother who still believes in honor and knows how and when to fight for it. Seriously, you will enjoy this one without the excessive sugarcoating or nut hugging for some high profile Hollywood feature films this 2012.

'Coz this is simply an action adventure movie fit for the Gods.



memorable quote from the movie:
"Your boy gave you strength, and so did mine..."  Zeus talking to his son Perseus

Rating: 80%
Genre: Fantasy

Prometheus: Sharing the same DNA with the Alien Franchise

In the distant future, two superpowers control Earth and fight each other for all the solar system's natural resources. When one side dispatches a team to a distant planet to "terraform" it for human colonization, the team discovers an indigenous race of bio-mechanical predators.

Ridley Scott, director of 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner,' returns to the genre he helped define. With PROMETHEUS, he creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race. 


Genre: Science Fiction
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace
Release Date: June 8, 2012

 

An Alien prequel to be told in another new and complete series for years to come? Just wait and see. 

With the upcoming batch of high profile and high budgeted movies to be shown this year, I have a gut feeling that this one by Ridley Scott is going to be the Dark Horse to stun them all. I am a huge Ridley Scott fan and I love collecting and studying his films. I bet my archive that this is going to give The Avengers, Hunger Games, Amazing Spiderman, Dark Knight Rises, MiB3, The Hobbit, Bourne Legacy, Skyfall, Battleship, Wrath of the Titans, and even the Expendables 2 a pretty good and impressive fight in the box office and in the chalk board of film critics. I give it a good chance at the second spot head-to-head against the Dark Knight Rises in the overall ranking next only to the sureball and clear winner this year; The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey. 

We've simply got another reason to return to the cinema this year.

Wrath of the Titans Official Trailer

Marilyn Manson's version of Sweet Dreams worked perfectly in this trailer. And Rosamund Pike cast as warrior Queen Andromeda is a bonus.

Caveat Emptor

It was almost a struggle reading halfway through the book. The enthusiasm of reading this one diffused fast from day one up until finishing Gaiman's work. This is supposedly my Halloween read but now it's almost New Year. I needed a lot of reading breaks for this and it took me to finish one non fiction, one short story, a manga, YouTube videos and Skyrim introductory game before finishing the whole anthology. Getting busy with my work also helped and the reversal of roles between what used to be a pleasure reading and a mediocre work came in handy. Thanks to this book, my work became a pleasure and reading, a mediocre chore.

It's important to note that rating this anthology on account of reading only the story written by my favorite author will not give justice to the whole work. So I will share the plot and my views per story and if you hate spoliers, better STOP HERE and check for my overall rating at the bottom.          

Love Hurts (Jim Butcher)
3.5/5
The plot resolved as easily as predicted. But Harry Dresden's postmortem work ala CSI is enough reason here for readers of dark fantasy to look and read more about this mysterious wizard and his world.

The Marrying Maid (Jo Beverly)
2/5
Weakest story for the whole anthology. This one lacks heroism and self-sacrifice. The "prince charming" here is selfish and narcissistic, less medieval and more metrosexual, has no balls at all and I imagined myself breaking his chin and busting his kneecap for good. Forcing a maiden to marry and love you in order to prevent a deathly curse against your clan can never be considered as destiny nor love. It's called extortion.
Jo Beverly should have made her "prince" a better character by searching for another way to solve his own dilemma. There is always an alternative.

Rooftops (Carrie Vaughn)
3/5
The final confrontation between Charlotte, Dorian, and the Unknown Hero is vague. Something not to be taken seriously.

Hurt Me (MLN Hanover)
3.5/5
Reversal of roles between the Ghost and the Prey. The ghost is the one being hunted here. Nice one.

Demon Lover (Cecelia Holland)
2.5/5
The detailed rendezvous between the Incubus and his victim is the only thing that I can remember here. At this point, I'm getting tired of reading about helpless and easy to fool damsels here.

The Wayfarer's Advice (Melinda Snodgrass)
4/5
Sci fi tale that reminds me of a classic story not far from our home planet Earth. This comes up with a good cliffhanger too. A shining light for the whole anthology's bleak universe. So far.

Blue Boots (Robin Hobb)
3/5   
Just as you thought your mind is about to meander within the story, you are content finishing it as it ended happily ever after. A story about the crooner, his love, and her blue boots.

The Thing About Cassandra (Neil Gaiman)
3.5/5
The thing about this one: it's not Neil Gaiman's best short fiction work but it still won the 2011 Locus Award for Best Short Story. The writing is good and the story is a bit unpredictable and sad. Like any memorable Twilight Zone episode, you just take it or leave it as it is.

After the Blood (Marjorie Liu)
4/5
Another good story and a good example on how to write a cross genre fiction (postapocalyptic dark fantasy). In my mind, I can easily draw the main characters' "evolution" as distinct from each other. After reading the story, I thought there is hope for this anthology after all.

You, and You alone (Jacqueline Carey)
3/5
This episodic and spy story reminds me of the historical Alexander the Great, with cloak-and-dagger plot that started unconvential, intriguing in the middle, and ended flat. The writing is good but the story in general is more suitable to a certain group of readers different from my tribe.

His Wolf (Lisa Tuttle)
3/5
At this point, it's becoming obvious. The process of love is incredibly fast and easy in a short fiction work. Good thing here is that the protagonist advocates against traditional belief that wolves are evil and I agree.

Courting Trouble (Linnea Sinclair)
3.5/5
The story started bland but ended better than expected albeit orthodox. One of those rare stories with an ending that you find agreeable. There's a lot of Sci Fi plot details here to nuke your mind but just concentrate with the story and you'll be okay.

The Demon Dancer (Mary Jo Putney)
3.5/5
The pace is good and the writing is simple but effective. Thankfully, there's no annoying emo, nor dim-witted alpha male, nor primadonna character here to hate. And just as you thought you can predict the ending of this one (since the story involves a succubus!) you are dead wrong. In the whole anthology, this story is most adaptable to be told in graphic novel or comic book form.

Under / Above the Water (Tanith Lee)
4/5
There's beauty in this story that is not easy to describe in words. It's always been part of the human subconscious to dream or delude for love to be eternal, transcending space, time, and even sin. Thanks to the author Tanith Lee for reminding us again of this inescapable human nature.

Kaskia (Peter Beagle)
2.5/5
The flow of reading the anthology hit another brick wall this time. For someone who earned the Locus, Mythopoeic, Hugo, and Nebula awards I have to say this is surely not his best. Regrettably an empty story, imagine yourself teaching Korean or Chinese girls the English language in a virtual chatroom and that will become more memorable than Peter Beagle's short story.

Man in the Mirror (Yasmine Galenorn)
3.5/5
Finally a character who knows how to be selfless and knows when to do it at the perfect time. Nice story.

A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (Diana Gabaldon)
3.5/5
Randall Mackenzie is no doubt an experienced fighter of the Royal Air Force tasked to perform a reconnaissance mission over the Nazi camps in Eastern Europe. When his Spitfire malfunctioned while practising his skills in recon maneouvres and operating the camera on board, Randall being able to land with minimal injury felt lucky. But there's one thing that worries him more than seeing his Spitfire in total wreck. He crashed in a different time.
I enjoyed this one, it gave me the feeling that I was actually in the British Airspace taking part in a WWII air-to-air combat or dogfight. Randall is surely a fighter and survivor who never gives up to return to where (and when) he truly belonged---to his family sometime in WWII.

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

For the whole anthology we get an average rating of 3.26 out of 5 rounding it off to 3 out of 5 units. Checking the Book Eater's Scale in the sidebar, it's a Staple Food. Meaning, it's a substantial read but it's not good enough if you're not a fan of any of the 17 authors. 

Though it's still worthy to recall the authors who made this collection alive like Tanith Lee, Melinda Snodgrass, Marjorie Liu, Diana Gabaldon, Jim Butcher, Mary Jo Putney, Neil Gaiman, and Linnea Sinclair. The rest, better luck next time.

The Western style of Romance and its definition of Love as purely an emotional process (and hormonal excess) far from being volitional or spiritual may be appealing to others and dull to some and for me, the latter almost won over the former. The "appeal" survived the "dull" by a hairline.

Don't expect too much if you want to read this book and don't blame me if you think that I didn't warn you enough.

Genre: Cross Genre Fiction
Rating: 3 imaginary girlfriends out of 5 

The Hobbit Part 1 Official Trailer

Finally, here's something to cheer and warm you up in this bleak and rainy Yuletide Season.

Truth be told...Baggins of Bag End!

Alternative Alamat

If you love stories about Philippine Mythology this one looks delicious. Published today by Rocket Kapre Books in digital format, this is an anthology of new and old, known and unknown, fiction and non-fiction work of writers, artists, and historians involved in the fascination and study of our country's diverse mythology.

cover art by Mervin Malonzo for Rocket Kapre Books

CONTENTS:

“Ana’s Little Pawnshop on Makiling St.” by Eliza Victoria 

“Harinuo’s Love Song” by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz 

“The Last Full Show” by Budjette Tan 

“The Alipin’s Tale” by Raymond G. Falgui 

“Keeper of My Sky” by Timothy James Dimacali 

“Conquering Makiling” by Mo Francisco 

“The Sorceress Queen” by Raissa Rivera Falgui 

“Beneath The Acacia” by Celestine Trinidad 

“Offerings to Aman Sinaya” by Andrei Tupaz 

“Balat, Buwan, Ngalan” by David Hontiveros 

“A Door Opens: The Beginning of the Fall of the Ispancialo-in-Hinirang” by Dean Alfar 

Appendix A: A Few Notable Philippine Deities 

Appendix B: Interview with Professor Herminia Meñez Coben 

Appendix C: Interview with Professor Fernando N. Zialcita 

Appendix D: On Researching Philippine Mythology 

Cover and interior artwork by Mervin Malonzo

Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1

Published by Dark Horse Comics

Titled in Japanese as Kozure Okami, Lone Wolf and Cub is a manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima originally published in 1970. Republished in the west by Dark Horse comics, Frank Miller and Lynn Varley paired for the cover art. The series that culminates in the 28th volume  became an influential read as it tells the story of a timeless and epic samurai adventure. This first volume The Assassin's Road gives us a glimpse of the classically themed father-and-son tandem carving a road of revenge in the Japanese Era of the Shogunate while serving as assassins for hire to earn a living.

This first volume is composed of 9 parts. The first part begins in the middle of the story until reaching the final part where it all began. You will see why the two chose to walk the most dangerous and treacherous path to clear the name of an executioner and avenge the demise of a clan. The era of the Tokugawa Shogunate was one of the momentous period in the history of Japanese Monarchy since it was during these times when majority of the order of samurai (Bushi) became renegades (Ronin) due to their lord's eventual demise (Daimyo). The Shogun controled the Daimyo lords with an iron fist, but not for long when some of them resisted. When an executioner failed to perform his duty to kill a Daimyo for the Shogun, he was ordered to sacrifice his life, or be killed. The samurai executioner chose to live, and swore to clear his name and avenge the extinction of his Ogami Clan. His name is Ogami Itto.

But Ogami Itto cannot leave his son alone, given that his wife was already killed with his clan. The young Daigoro must choose to be with his mother's side, or be with his father taking the road to "hell." Daigoro chooses to be with his father. How Ogami Itto allow his son to choose between a sword and a ball is a very memorable scene of the whole book.

page 186, bottom panel

I give the story 4 stars and the illustration 3.5 stars to earn the overall (rounded off) rating of 4 stars out of five. This whole series is actually an inspiration of various forms of visual storytelling since a film adaptation was already made (and remade) in Japan years ago including the Hollywood film Road To Perdition starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, and Daniel Craig. It was arguably Tom Hank's darkest role to date.

page 66

One of the early Japanese film adaptations

Hollywood version starring Tom Hanks & Paul Newman

Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 packs of wolves out of 5

Immortals: Gods & Heroes

Last September 28 was the release date of a movie tie-in graphic novel that showcased a Filipino-born talent in comic book illustration. His name is Rafael Kayanan. Though he's now an American citizen, insiders know there's more to his name than being just a master illustrator using pen and pencils. A master of the Philippine martial art Sayoc Kali, Kayanan was a fight instructor for the movie The Hunted  starring Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro.

This graphic novel by the way spins from the upcoming epic 3D film Immortals by Tarsem Singh to be shown in November 11 this year.

The Lineup:
Writers: Brian Clevinger, F.J. DeSanto, David Gallaher, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, Jock, Ron Marz, Jim McCann, Ben McCool, Jeff Parker and Paul Tobin
Illustrators: Dennis Calero, Kevin Colden, Steve Ellis, Trevor Hairsine, Scott Hampton, Phil Hester, Jock, Rafael Kayanan, Patrick Scherberger and Ben Templesmith
Cover Artist: David Mack

Sample page © Rafael Kayanan

"Spinning from the upcoming epic 3-D film Immortals from visionary director Tarsem Singh (The Fall, The Cell) and starring Mickey Rourke and Henry Cavill comes Immortals: Gods and Heroes, a stunning hardcover featuring ALL-NEW tales of Greek myths as you’ve never seen them before! Featuring incredible untold tales by Brian Clevinger (Atomic Robo), Dennis Calero (X-Men Noir), Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti (Jonah Hex), Jock (Detective Comics, The Losers), Ben McCool (Captain America, Memoir), Ron Marz (Witchblade, Green Lantern), Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night) and more!"

Winter is Coming