SIXTY SIX by Molina & Sta Maria

I was like a fish at the end of a hook when I saw Whilce Portacio's back cover blurb heralding the "polished full package" of this adult Filipino comic book.

I agree with the quality layouts and the well-crafted dialogue but the reason and origin behind the main character's "gift" of  superhuman abilities on his 66th birthday really needs an explanation or at least a clue to be counted as a sound sci fi story. If I try to look at it as an Urban Fantasy, I am inclined to think that Celestino Cabal was just imagining things starting on the eve of his birthday and will probably wake up from the heartbreaking ending of Kabanata 4.

I like the Filipino urban setting that is very realistic. I like Sta Maria's style of illustration as we saw in his previous collaboration work Skyworld. The sidekick here is at least smart and the story in general is emotionally engaging but still it doesn't perfectly feel like a complete one shot, full story-in-one-book as I expected. I thought I was missing some pages before the final scene. I just hope that Kabanata 5 (or more) is out there somewhere, waiting to be told because the story that runs through Kabanata 1-4 needs a resolution.

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Pinoy Superhero
Rating: 3 slices of birthday cake

MPH by Millar & Fegredo

No pun intended but it was really a blast. Fast and yet, remarkably good enough to earn four stars. Ladies and gentlemen, if you're going to read one graphic novel this year, you should read this one by Mark Millar and Duncan Fegredo.

It's a modern day hybrid of Robin Hood, the 2012 film Chronicle, and DC Comics' Flash as we encounter a gang of four in Detroit come to grips with the temporary ability to run faster than the speed of sound. Mark Millar is the mastermind behind Wanted, Kick Ass 1-3, The Secret Service, Jupiter's Legacy, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, Starlight and Chrononauts. We have seen Wanted, Kick Ass 1 & 2, and Kingsman: The Secret Service adapted into feature films. His other works are under development at major film studios. Millar also penned Superman: Red Son at DC Comics while doing Wolverine: Old Man Logan, the Civil War series, and creating The Ultimates at Marvel Comics. Duncan Fegredo on the other hand, pencilled various books for Vertigo-DC like Kid Eternity, Enigma, and Lucifer and also worked for a Hellboy miniseries at Dark Horse Comics.

This is my first read and my first review at Net Galley and I just liked what I just read. Originally published in 5 issues last year, this complete collection will not bore you with its ending. I have one or two questions that need to be answered but with the tight narrative and essential build up to conflicts and altercations being served abruptly like a bullet shot that was never wasted, they overpowered my need to think further of the plausibility and the science behind it. It was never disturbing nor head-scratching as watching the ending of Chris Nolan's Interstellar.  Speaking of films, I'm expecting a film adaptation of this book two to three years from now.

It's that good.

Rating: 4 banks robbed out of 5
Genre: Sci Fi

Tyler Durden Returns

Chuck Palahniuk shares a preview on the return of Tyler Durden via his twitter feed. It will be published by Dark Horse Comics this year. It's been a great year so far for (comic) book nerds.

Some imaginary friends never left...

Tabi Po Isyu 2 ni Mervin Malonzo

Ito ay karugtong ng naunang isyu kung saan ipinakilala ang kasaysayan ni Elias bilang isang aswang (kasama ng kanyang mga kauri) noong panahon ng mga Kastila. Hindi ako nanghinayang sa pagpunta kanina sa AKLATAN (kauna-unahang "All-Filipino Book Fair" sa bansa) sa Bayanihan Center para sa ikalawang isyu na ito dahil sulit hanggang sa huling sentimo. Wala pang hassle sa pagpila sa libreng pirma at kumustahan sa may akda dahil wala naman talagang pila pero tingin ko'y ibang istorya ang magaganap bukas sa Komikon dahil siguradong dadagsain ang book signing nito.

Salamat sa may akda at sa mga tumulong sa kanya para ituloy ang kuwento. Sadyang mahusay ang pagkakagawa. Kung meron man hindi na ako makahintay sa posibleng pagkikita ni Elias kay Ibarra sa mga susunod na isyu.

Kategorya: Horror, Historical Dark Fantasy, Mature Reading, Komiks
Marka: 4.5 tasa ng mainit-init na Salabat

Hunter Mode

NO thanks to the superherohype heads-up, I'm in for a not-so-secret hunt. Again.

The retro look packs a wallop for a pulp/comic fusion. This is better appreciated when you read it on paper and not on a tablet. 

Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes, Merlin, Musashi Miyamoto, and Dracula.

Bring it on!

TRESE 5: Midnight Tribunal

It's really a delight to read this given the same format as the third book (TRESE 3: Mass Murders). Personally, I prefer this "one long story in one book" for TRESE than a "collection of short stories in one book" format. Because this long story arc can easily provide a prolonged anticipation for the climax, and the cliffhanger if needed.

It's also cool to see another Trese sibling working as a professor of Anthropology and Sociology in UP. That one specific shot in the Sunken Garden kicked a fuel blast for my mind to soar, reviewing a lot of recent and ancient memories.  Allusions to Mars Ravelo's mythology of Captain Barbell (and Panday) is a big surprise, and I never saw it coming, especially when knowing the arch-enemy of Alexandra Trese.  

Thanks to this dynamic duo of Budjette and KaJo, the TRESE legend is starting to establish its roots in the Filipino psyche. I hope those who started following the series will be ready for the next book.


Genre: Philippine Urban Fantasy
Rating: 4 cups of black coffee

img source

Sandman 2013

Next year, November 2013 will be the 25th anniversary of the official release of Sandman #1 (November 1988). The maestro creator Neil Gaiman will make it a memorable one by releasing a prelude story in a graphic novel length, sort of a "Sandman Zero." We know the story began in the original series with the Dream King captured in a glass prison. This upcoming issue will show events leading to his capture, and will try to explain why the Dream King (Morpheus) appeared exhausted from a very long journey, apparently dressed for a war (or from a war) in a very far galaxy.

Read the announcement from Vertigo here.

teaser art ©JH Williams III

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

Skyworld Vol. 1

If it took 9 years for the creators Mervin Ignacio and Ian Sta. Maria to finish this book, then it's definitely worth it to wait that long. Even if Philippine Mythology as a theme is the current trend and cliche in the world of Komiks, reading this book still gives the reader a chill like a reunion with a childhood crush. There's a familiar feeling even if the old face has changed into something better or worse.

I scored the two-volume collection in the just concluded Summer Komikon in Bayanihan Center-Pasig City. The book design is good, there's a series of dynamic pages that perfectly blended well with the slightly unorthodox narrative (I'm defining traditional narrative here as purely linear like connecting the dots from point A to point B), and it's all action from early pages to the final scene without sacrificing the flow of the story. The art is superbly Pinoy and heads literally rolled from countless beheadings and decapitations. The scene with the Asuang skewering an ancient God is unforgettable, it's even more brutal than what the Hulk did to Loki in that Avengers movie. Puny God indeed.

As a Filipino reader who knows at heart a rural legend or two, should I expect a certain period in literature in the future when we're all fed up with Aswang, Tikbalang, Engkanto, Duwende, and Bathala? My answer is no. As much as our grandparents never get tired of telling these fantastic stories, we will never get tired of hearing, reinventing, and retelling these mythologies to the next generation according to our own biases and understanding. These are all part of a neverending ritual, a passage of history and culture that will define our race as distinctively Filipino.

Now, on to the next volume!

Genre: Philippine Mythology, Dark Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Urban Horror
Rating: 4 amulets out of 5

A Call for a Reprint of Andong Agimat

This weekend, I just got the news that Gerry will be selling the rare Arnold Arre + Budjette Tan collaboration work BATCH 72 and I can't wait to finally get a copy of the whole set. But what I've been looking for with no luck is a 2006 copy of Arnold Arre's ANG MUNDO NI ANDONG AGIMAT.

Printed or electronic copy will do.
By the way, this short animation below is also an impressive work to behold! Arnold, where art thou?

If You're Fed Up Dealing With the Office Crabs

then you can always escape and take a detour for the Summer Komikon - WAKASAN this Saturday!
Also, watch out for these Indie Artists and their Komiks Tiangge. Summer Komikon 2012 will begin at 10am and will end at 7pm. Venue is the same as last year --Bayanihan Center, Pasig City.

The Legend Ends

Gerry Alanguilan's ELMER

I'm pobably the last person to read this book in a nation that used to love comics in its golden decade of the 80's. Considering that we're now in the digital era of reading stories in a tablet PC or a gadget like Kindle, one doesn't need to look that far in history when evolution of man and science became highly relevant. You might even say evolution is actually, always relevant and certain  whenever a new model of gadget is released, or a new hybrid machine is ready for tune-up, or a new novel is available for download, and so on and so forth. Evolution is always relevant and I couldn't agree more.

This book is about that kind of evolution. What if chickens suddenly acquire the linguistic, psychological, and spiritual aspects of man? That would be crazy, right? Would they fight for equal rights with humans, or special rights like an endangered species? And this is basically the main reason why I would consider this book thought-provoking in the sense that it keeps you thinking on the plausibility: what-ifs and how-woulds along the storyline even after you finished reading it. And as a by-product, it never fails to amuse the reader also. It wont stop you in thinking (with a dose of laughter) about how can a rooster make a woman happy in bed, or what will happen if the avian species Gallus Domesticus overtakes the primate species Homo Sapiens Sapiens in the food chain. That would be a challenging and fun idea to think about. This book is plenty of these kinds of thoughts and it might be the reason why it stood out among the batch of quality stories recognized in 2011 for award nominations in the US, Japan, and Europe. Because the main character here is a chicken.

I only wished that Gerry published Elmer with a colored edition because the beauty of an avian is best represented by colors. A peacock for example, is not complete without its irridescent blue, green, yellow, and brown tiny feather tips, just like a parrot without its ivory feathers and colorful blotches like an amalgam of paint on a canvas. The same with chickens. The main difference between a hen and a rooster is in their size and plumage--the rooster is bigger, and more colorful than the hen.

I wished the book to be more visual since I find it not easy to differentiate a mother chicken to a father rooster with just black and white rendering, as we all know that the human eye has that tendency to look at chickens as chickens and generalize that if something has a beak, a comb, and a plumage its probably a chicken. Once you draw many of them by just varying the comb and wattle without distinctive color or maybe shades of gray, your eyes will just see a group of chicken and there's no clear distinction. You need to look closer at those characters to see who they really is. The point is, I want to see a fighting rooster here deadly and nasty with its blood-red feathers ready to pounce on anyone who stands on its way. That would be a very cool picture.

A fight to death is always nasty, beautiful (and perhaps inhuman) like this one

"Fighting Cocks" oil on canvas by Mario Zampedroni 

Anyway, Gerry himself admitted that he saw some warts in the book and whether its about the grammar or illustration, this still remains part of the overall beauty of the graphic novel. A graphic novel is made by a human hand, not robots. And even robots can make an error too.

Reading this also reminds me of the sentimentality of his first book WASTED especially that letter-from-the-departed panels. And yeah, it feels very much like a Gerry Alanguilan book since it's not complete without the libido and onanism scenes---the reason that it's intended for mature readership. If you've already read his previous works like WASTED and Where Bold Stars Go to Die you know what I'm talking about.

I have been hyping this book by partially reading it in the past but now that I finally saw, dissected, and experienced it from cover to cover, my view is still the same. It's a good and unique book proudly made, in the Philippines. This book deserved to be nominated in the 2011 Eisner Awards.



Genre: Historical Fantasy, Speculative Fiction
Rating: 4 sizzling plates of 'adobong texas sa gata'

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

The 3rd San Pablo Comics Festival

For the young at heart who's proud of being Pinoy and loves Comics.

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

Mervin Malonzo's TABI PO

Philippine Lower Mythology is never complete without the fabled class of monsters that look to humans as their primary diet---the Aswang. As Filipinos, we know them intimately as main representative of evil (along with Maligno, Manananggal, Mangkukulam, Kapre, Tikbalang etc.) special thanks to our parents and grandparents (or yaya for some) in trying to teach us to stick with rules of the house or else, the Aswang will eat us alive. But contrary to popular belief, Aswang is not a local version of Vampire. Aswang belonged to a different man-eating monster class or species. Unlike Vampires who drink human blood to live, Aswangs devour everything to satisfy their hunger. They can also change their human physical form into an animal like a wild boar, a lizard, bat, or a raven to hide from their enemies. I know this 'coz I grew up in a province called Aklan where every Aswang tale is a staple story in the dining table.

Anyway, enough of this mythology background.

Considering the trend in the horror fiction genre today and the past and recent success of Philippine Lower Mythology in the field of comics, what makes this one different and distinct is the main character himself Elias. He's an Aswang. He is the enemy, the Anti Hero.

We commend the author Mervin Malonzo for his "loose" and "easy" penciling and the "light" mixture of colors rendered digitally that gave life to the whole Tabi Po story. The colored images are raw, reminding us readers to focus more on the story. Thankfully, we readers don't need to differentiate blood from shadows like we used to in a black n white comics. The web comic was launched under Flipside Komix during summer last year, originally narrated in Filipino and also translated in English by Adam David available online for free. We can only say good luck to Mervin and we hope to see more of Elias' story soon.

all images © Mervin Malonzo and Flipside Komix

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Philippine Mythology, Mature Reading
Rating: 4 Balete Trees out of 5

Gerry Alanguilan Wins

Gerry hits the Jackpot for winning the Quai des Bulles - Quest France 2011 Best Comic Book of the Year Award. ELMER is proudly, Philippine made. Ihanda na ang kulawo! Bogchi na.

Lucky Bird

"Elmer is the story of a family of chickens struggling to survive in a hostile environment. A true family drama in a world where an entire class of people are ostracized by the dominant class, and where all live in a state of mutual distrust. Both funny and moving, Gerry Alanguilan crafted with candor from beginning to end an inspiring parable that masquerades as chronic delusional story. He originally self-published Elmer between 2006 and 2008 in the Philippines. Elmer is the first Philippine graphic novel translated into French."*

*--loose translation from the Quai des Bulles 2011 blog.
http://gerry.alanguilan.com/archives/3845
http://quaidesbulles2011.blogspot.com/2011/09/la-selection-ouest-france-quai-des_6333.html

The Adventures of Tintin

December 21, 2011. Do not forget the premiere date of this movie event of the year.

As I see it, I can't tolerate significant duality with this event...
Live Action Capture + CGI
Comic Book + Movie
Spielberg + Peter Jackson

What's not to love?

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!"