All Hallowed Out

Silly John took this pic of me in a dorky Viking hat a few weeks back at the toy department of SM Megamall. I don’t really get into the Halloween spirit by being in costume or going to parties--nah, they’re not really my thing--but I like the celebration and seeing everyone in fancy getup, from kids and pets to professional cosplayers and competitive masqueraders. Posh subdivisions in Makati and Alabang are serious about Trick or Treat-ing; they have costumed residents of all ages festively going around for sweets. Haven’t witnessed one up close myself, but I’m told it’s a fun spectacle.

This time of the year, for me, brings back fond memories of sem breaks, watching televised or taped scary movies, and trading spooky stories with friends and family.

Enjoy the holidays and be safe, everyone!

"Candied", Mixed media, Oct. 2000

Was feeling creative a couple of days ago and wrote this chantey of sorts. Make up your own tune.

Halloween Carol

In mist and fog, through doors that creak.
Sunless attics, empty rooms, oh they can make you shriek!
Fear can be anywhere you look:
In a still pond, a quiet street, an awful book.
But brave the unknown, revel in good cheer.
Have fun and fear! Halloween’s here!

In cobwebbed stairs, through dark dead trees.
Strange shadows and sounds that make you freeze!
Phobias can be anything you feel.
Open spaces, creepy crawlies, imagined or real.
But brave the unknown, revel in good cheer!
Have fun and fear! Halloween’s here!

Dress up and be merry, be nice or be scary.
Be god and frighten them with a flood.
Or act undead and crave for blood.
Or be a creature made of swamp mud!
An emotional vamp, a gold-digging tramp.
A politician on a stamp.
A backstabbing friend, oh you can pretend.
That you deserve the boons the heavens sent.
Put on your makeup, ghouls after breakups.
Put on your angel or fairy wings.
Or slinky cloth held up by strings.
And munch on those colored, crunchy things!
Give your dentist work, eat that sugared bread.
Tonight, the line ‘tween heaven and hell, we tread.
Live merry, for one day we’ll be dead!
Oh, be anyone you wish, before the night fades.
Feel the power of the annual masquerade.
Be someone you’re not, play a part once a year
And brave the unknown, revel in good cheer!
So tart up and sneer! Halloween’s here!
Have fun and fear! Halloween’s here!

Monsterrific
“I think there’s a lot of people out there who say we must not have horror in any form, we must not say scary things to children because it will make them evil and disturbed….That offends me deeply, because the world is a scary and horrifying place, and everyone’s going to get old and die, if they’re that lucky. To set children up to think that everything is sunshine and roses is doing them a great disservice. Children need horror because there are things they don’t understand. It helps them to codify it if it’s mythologized, if it’s put in the context of a story, whether the story has a happy ending or not. If it scares them and shows them a little bit of the dark side of the world that is there and will always be, it’s helping them out when they have to face it as adults.”
-- Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Monster Book (2000)

Cosmo Treat
Un-scary stuff. Just wanna thank the nice ladies of Cosmopolitan Magazine for giving LNA a nice review in their October issue. Yay!

Time to Bogey
This accompanied an article about TV and movie bogeybeings I wrote for the paper three years ago.

Komikontaminated

Had a meteor crashed on the UP Bahay ng Alumni last Saturday afternoon, it would’ve wiped out a sizeable chunk of this generation’s local comics-creating community in one fell swoop. Almost every clique was there, from the vast spectrum of indie creators to internationally known artists, as well as hundreds of Pinoy readers and aspirants. Exhibitors offered a variety of products that the generous guests happily (or perhaps in some cases, reluctantly) purchased. It’s safe to assume that it was fun for everyone.

I was able to sell 25 copies of LNA: FA (which was available in seven cover colors!) and 16 copies of LNA: SGRR, so it was especially cool for me. Benedict sold 20 copies of Psigns, and that’s great too, as we were unsure if it would make it to the convention a few days prior. To those who bought, passed by, greeted, and asked for autographs, thank you so much. Thanks to Taga-Ilog, Joseph, Jason, Paolo and Claire, Enrique, Josel, Reno, Allan a.k.a. Tenzil, Jonas (who bought copies for Johnny Danganan), Arnel and Mannie Abeleda, Kensai Zach Yonzon, Russell Tomas (nice to see you, old friend), Vinnie, Ruel and Shiela of Comic Brook (fun talking to you both!), and to those whose names I can’t remember right now, or didn’t ask, thank you for buying and chatting, too!

It was also nice to finally meet Manix Abrera, Luis Katigbak (thanks for taking that picture!), Gabby Lee, Joel Chua, Butch Mapa, Terrence and GOOF. (yeah there’s a dot after), and to see old pals and/or fellow comics junkies Ian, Chris, Arn and Cyn, Jac, Wilson Tortosa, Felix Cua, Ryan Orosco, Marco, El and Camy, Andrew, Gerry, Carl, Dave, Budjette, Annie Alejo, Ric, and from afar, Nil Yu, Gilbert, Jay Anacleto, Lico Reloj and Ed Tadeo. There were those who looked really familiar but I can’t name them. Grabe, star-studded.

Congrats to the organizers for the event and for bringing such an eclectic bunch together. One major gripe though: I hope they switch on the ceiling fans near the exhibit area next time. Hindi naman liliparin yung mga papel namin. Many of us were fanning ourselves and were uncomfortable. The venue was good and spacious; I just don’t see why we had to swelter the whole time when there were four unused electric fans in that area.

Anyway, thanks to Benedict for helping me sell my stuff and the pic above, and for bringing me home. Here’s the old Lakan group a.k.a. Creative Underground, a.k.a. Pot Luck Productions (minus John, who was busy last Saturday, and Budj, who was away, and Marvin, he’s in the US). Thanks for this pic, Gerry!


Update (Oct. 28, Friday): Those who wish to meet and have their books signed by creators David, Carl and Manix, they're in Powerbooks Greenbelt right now til 5 p.m.. It's the official launch of the Penumbra books (Takod, Parman, Craving), and other Visprint titles like Zsazsa Zaturnnah and Kiko Machine will also be available. Go! Now!

Cover Boy

Psigns of the Season ashcan cover (left) by me. Created and written by Benedict and illustrated by Gian a.k.a. GOOF, it's got kid superheroes and a really cool mystery. The unique short story is something that young and old readers can enjoy. It’ll be available at my table later today, Komikon 2005, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., UP Bahay ng Alumni. Only P 30. Drop by, say hi, and please buy our stuff.

Here’s another cover I made, this time for Sky’s e-book series Warm Bodies (he put in the masthead and text over my letter-less drawing). This third volume, “Nostalgia Galore”, compiles over a dozen selected blog entries about, obviously, personal recollections of the decades that were. The file can be downloaded from his blog. Reminisce away.

Five for Filing

1) Palanca Award-winning writer David Hontiveros will be releasing three new horror-dark fantasy novellas during the Komikon. These are Parman (cover by me, image above), Craving (cover by Carl Vergara) and Takod (cover by Wawi Navarroza). The books will be launched officially a week after the comics convention. Will announce the date and venue when everything's confirmed. Parman introduces a different kind of Filipino hero, Uno, a knight in special armor. Check that and the other books out.

2) Met up with science guy Sky briefly last Sunday afternoon at the nearby mall for something work-related. Was expecting him to be pale, scrawny, and kulot. That’s how I imagined he’d look like. He’s not. He’s a little intimidating, actually. But he seems like a nice fellow, heheh.

3) Saw a quick but very touching story about rocker Melissa Etheridge, who recovered from her battle with breast cancer, on ET last night. She’s overjoyed and claims that every day is a chance to live life to the fullest. “I don’t fear the future,” she enthuses. She's also grateful to her loving wife Tammy Lynn Michaels for her unwavering support throughout the ordeal.

4) Saw a South Park episode over Jack TV two nights ago, where Cartman was duped into buying a teenaged guy’s shorn pubic hair. After failing miserably at getting his money back, evil Cartman had the last laugh by… ahh, it’s just too gross to put in detail here, but nevertheless, I was entertained and disgusted at the same time. That rarely happens.

5) Heard Alanis Morissette’s version of Seal’s “Crazy”. Impressive. Ben Folds’ version of The Cure’s “In Between Days”? Mmm... sorry. I don’t like it.

Infinity and Beyond

Sneaking some blog time between sleep and work. Got a few things I should write about before I totally forget. Past week was busy as usual. Just taking a breather.

She’s Damn Talented
Last Friday, I attended Isha Abubakar’s EP launch at the Podium. She performed four new, all-original Tagalog compositions. My favorite among them, the title track “Katakataka”, was melodic and heartwarming, and was a solid team effort between her, the band and her backup singers. She did a bunch of awesome covers while playing the keyboard, including “People are People” and “Life in a Northern Town”. I hope to get a copy of the CD soon; I've yet to check if the stores sell it already. Wish I had a camera (yeah, I should save up for one, I know); I can only say so much about how she looked while playing, channeling all that ethereal energy into her lilting voice and her swift, adroit fingers.

Komikon 2005
That’s next Saturday, folks. Confirmed attendees include, aside from yours truly: Arnold Arre (Mythology Class), Leinil Yu (Wolverine), Gerry Alanguilan (Humanis Rex), Budjette Tan (Kid Zeus and Ate Carol), Elbert Or (Cast), Reno Maniquis (Maskarado), Jonas Diego (A Girl’s Story), Jac Ting Lim (Pilya), Marco Dimaano (KIA), Carlo Vergara (Zsazsa Zaturnnah), David Hontiveros (Parman, Craving, Takod), Manix Abrera (Kiko Machine), the event organizers Artist’s Den, and many others. Please click on the Komikon link in the previous post for more information.

Also, for those curious, no, the LNA: Family Album minicomic isn’t a sequel. It’s a small supplement that complements the comic book. I’m hoping that new readers who pick it up will be enticed to get the previously released book. And that those familiar with that will be interested enough to check out the new, non-sequential gathering of snappy snapshots, which further explore the characters and their world. It was a chance for me to revisit the concept, and the different format allowed me to experiment a bit. That was fun to do.

Infinite Crisis
Wow. First issue’s out. The buildup was great; it was spread across five titles (I only read four, so that’s 24 issues). Spoilers! The sequel to DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths sees a fractured Justice League confronting an alliance of Super-Villains, the insane Spectre, the Meta-hunting Sentinels… I mean, OMACs, bloodthirsty Thanagarian forces… and some unknown, otherworldly threats. Important figures from the first Crisis reappear. Twenty years after that unforgettable epic, this series promises to change the status quo again. It’s also heavily tied into last year’s Identity Crisis, so the repercussions are big. The JLA title is a crucial tie-in, too, as some of the team's founders gather a new group. Infinite Crisis is really dark and bloody, so far, and most importantly, fun. I’m a kid again! Can’t wait for the next ish.
Infinite Crisis # 1 (from Newsarama)

House of M
Again, spoiler-ish. By contrast, Marvel’s current big crossover event is almost at an end. It started really slow, but the penultimate issue (# 7) finally reveals the real machinations behind the new reality. This story was brought about by last year’s controversial and somewhat forced disbanding of the Avengers (the title was revamped into New Avengers). Magneto’s insane and powerful daughter, the reality-bending Scarlet Witch, reshapes the world into one where mutants, primarily the House of Magnus, rule the Earth. Like Infinite Crisis, it’s supposed to forge the universe’s new direction. The cliffhanger in # 7: The almost-Beyonder-like Wanda wishes mutants away. The rumor is, the mutant population will be thinned down to a few hundred. Will they be de-powered? We'll see next month. Incidentally, there have been genocidal efforts that significantly removed mutants before (hundreds were killed during the Morlock Massacre, and millions in Genosha’s Sentinel attack) and there was a storyline where the High Evolutionary neutralized millions of mutants' powers for weeks.

Well, I hope the conclusion doesn’t disappoint. That’s been the problem with the Avengers title recently (it's written by the same scribe). Wanda’s rampage last year was stopped by a non-Avenger, Dr. Strange. The first arc of New Avengers ended with the unexpected intervention of SHIELD. Most recently, the Sentry went on a rampage, and the X-Men's Emma Frost saved the day! What gives? Will the Avengers shine and be the real heroes at all in the Ronin arc?

Shadow of the Cat
One of the most memorable New Mutants issues ever, # 45, from 1986. Powerful and relevant. Kitty Pryde speaks about a new friend, Larry Bodine, who killed himself because bullies threatened to expose him as a mutant. They didn't know that he actually was, until it was too late. Click on the panel below.


Will sleep now. I miss my bed and pillows.

They’re back!

All-new format! The Lexy, Nance & Argus: Family Album minicomic (5 ½” X 8 ½”) is an all-new collectible companion to the well-received Lexy, Nance & Argus: Sex, Gods, Rock & Roll. The 24-page, black and white special collects exclusive spot cartoons (captioned comic illustrations, a la The Far Side and Dennis the Menace newspaper strips) starring the lovable and quirky characters from the hit indie comic book. Only a limited number of copies will be released during the daylong Komikon 2005 event on Oct. 22, at the UP Bahay ng Alumni. Please do check it out. Only P 50 per copy.

Lexy, Nance & Argus: Sex, Gods, Rock & Roll will also be available on that day. Other local creators and publishers will be releasing all-new books at the convention as well.

Magda Lynne of The Nine

Pencil drawing, 1999 I don't remember who she is or what she can do, but she's part of an interstellar organization of some sort.

Mga Liberated

(above) Dra. Margie Holmes was telling me, “Oh! You look different from what I imagined!” or something like that, while I was reaching to shake Dr. Mike Tan’s hand (off-photo).

It was an enlightening book launch for A Different Love, as eloquent speakers Doc Margie, Doc Mike, Professor Eric Manalastas and Malou Marin talked about homosexuality in the country last Saturday at Powerbooks Megamall. I was able to ask a question to the panelists through a piece of paper the organizers passed around: “Are there people devoid of sexuality? For example, old maids or maybe nuns. Is it possible to not feel attraction to anyone?”

Dr. Margie enthusiastically responded, “I’ll answer it. It’s such a good comment. It’s possible to be asexual or, as my husband would say, a non-combatant. Actually, there’s a group that says, ‘you should look at us the way you look at alternative sexual lifestyles.’ At the moment, they’re just not interested in having a passionate relationship with anyone. But they’re happy. It doesn’t mean that they’re sick; it doesn’t mean that they’re passionless. It doesn’t mean that they’re just recovering from a painful relationship. It’s just that they’re interested in other things. It’s probably hard for us to understand, but there are people for whom sex, or sexual happiness, is not that strong a drive.”

Interesting. There were participants and stories galore (Dr. Tan explained the difficulty of not being able to visit his partner directly at the hospital without the signatures and consent of his lover's parents; guest Fr. Robert Reyes revealed that the Pope’s new directive to weed out gay seminarians would remove 75% of the roster, etc.). I was also able to have the book signed by Dr. Margie (one of the few people I actually want an autograph of). Dr. Mike also told me that it wouldn’t have been possible twenty years ago to create a comic book like mine, and it wouldn’t have been as well-received, if it were. So my timing was good. Naks.

Talk About Sex Baby

That last part actually allows me to segue to LNA. I’d like to share, again, that people have been reacting nicely to it. I’ve heard stories through friends and siblings how different people have been affected positively by it, and there are blog entries of persons I’ve yet to meet or talk to that praise, critique and recommend it (thank you!). I continue to get grateful emails from (I assume) a mix of young and old readers who share their feelings about it, how they connected with it and who their favorite characters were. Creating it and publishing the book is a gamble that paid off.

There was one weird reaction to it that made me worry a little, though. A sibling’s friend (okay, I’ll be veiling identities at this point to protect certain people) bought a copy months ago and hid it from the prying eyes of his younger brothers and sisters. Sibling’s friend was shocked when his mom showed him the comic book; she caught his Grade 7 sister reading it. Apparently, angsty Grade 7 kid, fan of The O.C., rummaged through his personal belongings and got curious. The mom confronted sibling’s friend in the company of other 20-something pals, who were giggling the whole time. The horrified mom, a devout member of a Catholic offshoot group that rhymes with Bogus Day… o sige na nga, Opus Dei, said, “I tried to read it but I stopped because it was so SHOCKING!!!” Sibling’s friend and pals went, “There was a warning on the cover, Mom. And we’ve all read it!” Friend’s mom: “What? It was confiscated in this house!!!” And the giggling, I was told, continued.

All I can honestly say about it is, parents, please talk to your kids. Discuss sex eventually. You yourselves know that they’ll be getting information from friends, and discussions at Science or Biology class aren’t enough to answer all their questions. It will be hard, I’m sure, to acknowledge that your children aren’t babies you can cuddle anymore. But please do it to make them aware of the changes that they and their bodies are going through, and to let them know that it’s not an embarrassing thing to talk about. Please don’t go ballistic when you catch them beating off. Or if your strapping young man fancies other strapping young men. Or if your pop culture-loving girl is reading something that isn’t about Jesus or Mary (digression: some Bible stories make me recoil sometimes because of the violence and gore). Puberty is a confusing and difficult enough time as it is. Be realistic, but present them with different options.

Surreal
Looking at my Friendster friends page reminds me of recurring dreams where people I met at different points of my life know each other. It’s weird, having them contained within a list that easily creates bulletpoints of specific periods, both good and bad. The search bar allows me to see old classmates and acquaintances, some of whom aren’t aging gracefully. There are those who’re barely recognizable because they actually look better. Some are starting their own families already. Kewl.

Toysies!
The Marvel Legends Sentinel series arrived Monday. Got Angel (Warren Worthington III) yesterday and Black Panther earlier today. Super-poseably nice.

Monday evening, Glorietta

Thanks to my friends for the new pics, by the way. Wow. This post is long.

Verities

Passed by blue-furred rockstar Ian:

20 random things about me:

1. I’m usually the first (and only) person to report a power failure in our area.
2. I like Christmas trees.
3. I like Halloween.
4. I admire John for yelling at two janitors who were heckling a trannie at the CR.
5. I worry about my health, but I never felt this healthy before.
6. I need a new pair of jeans.
7. I'm still using the old family dictionary, which now has a broken spine and ratty pages.
8. I find comic book sales exciting.
9. I don’t feel deserving of my old Grade 5 Conduct Award.
10. I don’t understand what Bjork is singing about, but she’s very watchable.
11. I have a toy shelf that also houses my (and my brother’s) old, beat-up action figures.
12. Sad episodes of Buffy and Angel are still the most memorable ones for me and Benedict.
13. I’m excited to see Serenity. People've been raving about it.
14. It takes me time to get rid of used-up drawing pens.
15. I think that the moon landing is questionable.
16. I know how heartbreak feels.
17. I call younger people “kids”. Usually in my head.
18. I have faith in the goodness of certain people.
19. A day without listening to my favorite music can be deafening.
20. A friend asked once, "If LNA had live counterparts, who would they look like?" I'd rather have them animated, but let's see. I’d cast the following people as my characters based on their looks alone: Andrew Wolff as Lexy, Karel Marquez as Nance, and Adam David as Argus. I’d like Imago’s Aia to be Nance’s singing voice.

Argus, Lexy and Nance?

Friendlies

September's nearly over! And it's the middle of the week already. Need to reorganize. Got lots of things to do. I'll be attending the Komikon next month, by the way. Will be on full pimp mode by then. Some local comic book creators will be releasing new stuff on that day too, so I'm looking forward to that.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday last week were great. Was able to rest and de-stress. Really cool. Or hot. Yeah, they were.

Also, after over a year of not caring about Friendster, I finally, impulsively joined. I didn't want to be distracted with it, and I thought it might be a tedious chore, but well, I'm there now. It can be an avenue for different things, I guess. Have to dig out those old invitations.

Need to wake up early again for another job a few hours from now.

UPDATE: GAAAHHHH!!!! The friends on my list vanished! All ten of them! I reported it already, and I noticed a fellow new user is having the same problem, but what the hell happened???

UPDATE, AGAIN (Friday noon): Okay, They're back. One of Friendster's weirder hiccups, I suppose. Whew.

Lovely Launches

Check out some new labors of love from really talented people. Support them all, folks!

Arnold Arre’s Mythology Class compilation
Attended Arnold’s cool launch of the remastered, 360-page masterpiece last night. Will finally be able to read it. Congrats to Arnold and Cynthia!

Was able to talk briefly to a bunch of creative people like Elbert, Camy, Jonas, Jac, Ramon, Neva, Robert Magnuson, Ariel Atienza, Karen Kunawicz, Manila Bulletin’s Yonina Chan and Sesame Seed's Ric Gindap (who’s asking if I know people who can share actual accounts of threesomes and orgies for a future issue of Fudge Magazine--interested parties, please send stories or inquiries to him through fudgemag at yahoo dot com!). Benedickie was able to get some piggie sketches, too, and decided to bring me home after my head began to hurt as we left Fully Booked. He also arranged my mixed-up plastic bags of sale comics, some of which he borrowed. Paracetamol seems to be working as I’m typing this.

Margarita Holmes’ A Different Love: Being a Gay Man in the Philippines
Yesterday, Dra. Holmes sent me a copy through her publisher Anvil (thanks po!). It’s an updated version of her well-received book on homosexuality, which, according to her preface, is now “more inclusive”. It’s a collection of her newspaper columns and old and new accounts of letter-senders that talk about the subject in detail. She will have a lecture and panel discussion about gay people in the Philippines with Dr. Mike Tan and Eric Manalastas at Powerbooks Megamall on September 24, 2005, 3 p.m. (I think the revised book might already be available there by that time).

Isha’s second album Katakataka
My friend, recent Palanca Awardee and gifted singer-songwriter Peach (or Pearlsha, or Isha) Abubakar, will be launching her new all-Tagalog album on October 4, 6:30 p.m., at the Podium. I can't wait to listen to this. Her debut album was incredible.

Yay! I’m feeling better.

Grow and Bloom

I need to be in Makati by 9 in the morning. But I can’t sleep just yet. Wasn’t able to finish a thing that I wanted done by midnight. But it’s okay, I suppose. Things that need doing keep piling up and I can’t say no. To myself. My biggest boss. I gotta survive somehow; the 9 to 5 grind isn’t for me. It’d kill me. Been doing things freelance forever.

I have been encouraged to apply for the reporter job a few times before by the people at the paper, but I just can’t be on-call for breaking news. I really respect them, reporters, 9-to-fivers and doctors. Those jobs just need a different kind of discipline. But I really have been doing different things to keep myself sane and creative since I graduated. Doing just one thing will bore me senseless. And I can’t concentrate only on one task at that span of time.

I may complain about losing sleep and needing a vacation, but hey, I love my life right now. I still worry about the smallest things most of the time (yeah, I’m obsessive, I knew that since I was in college), but I gotta keep it together because I’ve no one to depend on but myself. I love it that I’m able to keep my own hours, usually. I’m glad that I’m Jesus-less, too, because that allows me to do other things on Sundays. I really have no concept of weekends; everyday is a regular day for me. That's fractioned between work, play, and whatever else I need to do.

So yes, I feel lucky to able to do the things I’m doing. To be friends with some of the most analytical people around. To be open to learning new things. To be able to express myself in different ways. To be able to enjoy life, the details of which need not be discussed in this blog. To be able to play shrink to myself, because I want to be more aware of me, how I’m changing and growing past gaining a sense of self.

Session’s over, for now. Off to bed.

Hmpf...

“Why do I smile at people who I'd much rather kick in the eye?”
--The Smiths, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”

Nah, I don’t feel like inflicting physical pain on anyone. But the day was just awful that I felt every word of that line. I just felt bummed out overall. Maybe because I’m looking forward to more of the same routines in the next few days. Maybe because I’m reminded of some people I’d rather not think about. My lack of sleep has been contributing to the stress, too.

But I’m a bit better now. There are times when I just want to leave behind my responsibilities and not think about anything or anyone. Maybe one day, I just might. After a few hours transfixed to the monitor, I took a breather from the rote and went out. I actually stayed at the house for a record two days! I just went to a nearby mall. I looked at CDs at the music stores. Was thinking of rewarding myself. But I didn’t feel like spending for that, and I didn’t really see anything I wanted anyway. I still need to save up and pick up some new comics within the week. And the super-thick Mythology Class compilation, too.

Bought myself some indoor slippers. My last pair lasted me a year and a half. Damn, those things are expensive. P 179.75. Also, ate fake meat and flavored tofu. Bought art supplies, had some things photocopied, and went back to work. Listened to some music, talked to friends, and surfed. Discovered a few interesting blogs, too. Maybe I’ll talk about them later. Or not. Eh.

Hmm. I've played Jamie Cullum's calming "All at Sea" a few times now today and just realized that, damn, I need to de-stress on someone's bed. Heh. Whatever.

Moving Forward, Using All My Breath

Inspired by a taggable at Slimwhale’s.

20 years ago…
I was a kid in the ‘80s. Everything felt simple. All I looked forward to were practically the same things I like now. I look at that time with fondness. I was a geeky kid, but I disliked the overachievers. I was getting bored with school, since I was classmates with the same people for three years. Pop culture had an important part in shaping my opinions and hobbies. This was before cable and the internet, so we watched the same things (the occasional American music videos, TODAS, and Newswatch); we listened to the same songs our older siblings adored; we regularly went to the first few McDonald’s outlets. The country’s political situation was chaotic, and as a grade school student, patriotism, love of God, and fortitude were paramount. The cast of political characters back then presented clear, contrasting sides to a conflict, unlike now.

15 years ago…
I was being transformed by a volatile environment filled with healthy competition, inspired people, and stupid peer pressure.

10 years ago…
…is a time I can’t remember clearly, for some reason. Oh, I started drawing a few pages of Dhampyr. But the project was shelved for about a year, and I started to work on it again when I found enough free time.

5 years ago…
Whilce Portacio trained me for a few months, shortly before he and his family left for the US. This was a big deal for me too because it was free. He had an art school at Megamall called Learn. I was never a part of that, but he saw my persistence in doing art samples and decided to teach me important penciling lessons himself.

3 years ago…
Doug Miers of Comics Conspiracy offered me a two-pager, The Cancer Killer. I also began writing comic book reviews for MTV Ink. This was the same time that Sir Louie Camino, then-editor of a popular broadsheet's entertainment section, encouraged me to keep sending him reviews and articles. I began meeting a number of interesting people through my different jobs. The LNA strip in Pulp wrapped up by September of that year, too.

1 year ago…
…it was busy. Very busy.

This year…
…is happening way too quick. Pretty decent, though. More people becoming acquainted with my work through this blog and my comic book.

Yesterday…
… wasn’t too bad. Did things as required.

Last night…
I was a zombie. I only had about two hours sleep.

Tomorrow…
The sun will come out.

Next year…
It’s hard to see. I don’t have precognition or a time machine. It’s unmapped, as far as I’m concerned.

5-10 years from now…
The world will be destroyed by invading aliens in 2012. Resistance is freaking futile.
Taken last week.

Tactile

Feeling quite energized and creative… am harnessing the influx of ideas to my sketchpad/notebook. The muses are kind tonight.

Anyway, just a few things:

Comics lovers!
The Komikon 2005 event is on October 22. I think I’ll be attending it. There’ll be local comics and creators galore. Check out the organizers’ blog for more information.

Frosty
Emma Frost is in everything big this month… aside from Astonishing X-Men, she’s got major appearances in House of M and New Avengers. Writers love her.

Statuesque
Those gorgeous McFarlane toys... I’m not a fan of the gory stuff, or the limited articulation, but the Dragon action figures (and some comics- and movie-related stuff) are just beautiful. I check them out at the toy shops whenever I can. I recently bought the ultra-detailed Mandarin Spawn, which is now cheaper by P 200.

Controversial Billy and Teddy
“…You’re not an Asgardian, you’re a warlock. Plus, you need a name that won’t become a national joke when the press finds out about you and Teddy.”
--Kate to Billy/Asgardian, Young Avengers # 6 (Teddy is their teammate Hulkling)

82 Songstresses

Yep, I’m obsessive. Drew these around the time I was making myself mix tapes (tapes!) inspired by Sarah McLachlan’s all-female Lilith Fair. These are some of the most reference-intensive 11” X 17” drawings I’ve ever done. I had no internet connection then, so I gathered magazines, newspaper photos, album covers, and even VHS tapes containing music videos (which I paused to copy two artists' faces). I feel like doing a new one… someday. Clickety click.

41 Women Who Rock, Sept. 1998 (pen and ink)

41 More Women Who Rock, May 2000 (pen and ink)

Not Mere Words, Too…

“Promises mean everything when you're little, and the world's so big. I just don't understand how you can smile with all those tears in your eyes when you tell me, ‘everything is wonderful now’.”
--Everclear, “Wonderful”

”We got loud guitars and big suspicions, great big guns and small ambitions. And we still argue over who is God.”
--Sheryl Crow, “It’s Hard to Make a Stand”.

“But you like the taste of danger, it shines like sugar on your lips, and you like to stand in the line of fire just to show you can shoot straight from your hip. There must be a thousand things you would die for. I can hardly think of two.”
--Indigo Girls, “Mystery”

“So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table, finding faith and common ground the best that they were able. And just before the meal was served, hands were held and prayers were said, sending hope for peace on earth to all their gods and goddesses.”
--Dar Williams, “The Christians and the Pagans”

“Take the hero's place and the hero's name; manufacture spiels for a stranger's sake. Oh, you bitch for truth and you damn well know you're fake.”
--Imago, “Otherwise”

“Sunset sailing on April skies. Bloodshot fire clouds in her eyes. I can't say what I might believe, but if God made you, he's in love with me.”
--Five for Fighting, “If God Made You”

Nick Manabat (1972-1995)

(Nick's sketch of Maul, above; unfinished Cybernary drawing, below)

He lost a terrible battle with lymphoma ten years ago. He would have been 33 tomorrow, Sept. 2, had he survived.

There are just some people, regardless of their proximity to your life, who challenge you to do better. Nick Manabat was one of those persons for me. The quiet, soft-spoken guy was an artistic genius. And it wasn’t just me that he affected positively. My friends from Lakan, who love comic books, and art in general, immediately knew that he was a gifted yet humble person. His tremendous talent made us aspire to be better artists and thinkers. Whenever I look at his works, they still make me smile. And gasp. Or vice versa.

Thanks for inspiring us, Nick!

Chipper

Gotta write this down while my memory of yesterday is still fresh. It was a busy and tiring day, but overall a nice, productive one.

Talked briefly to adorable Dr. Margie Holmes over the phone by lunchtime. The lady speaks and laughs in a rapid-fire staccato; I can imagine her smiling and nodding her head like she does on TV. She told me, “you’re very talented”, and my comic book was “so deep”. Aww, I blush. Palakpak-tenga naman ako. Hope to meet her in person soon.

My freelance work for a PR firm brought me to Miriam College, where I interviewed a classical pianist, a violinist, and a conductor during a rehearsal for a concert. Interesting bunch, they were. That took a few hours, as they weren’t there at the same time.

Went to Megamall after, where I bought Rice! Volume 4 at a magazine shop. It’s been available for over a year, but I found out only recently that the black-and-white drawings the publisher commissioned four years ago were used. I went by the pseudonym “Nicolai Mercureo” (which was misspelled as "Nicolao"). There are seven adult-oriented drawings in the issue, including the sample art below (yeah, click it), which I cropped accordingly. It's still available, if you're interested. Danton Remoto, Nelz Agustin, and Raymund Isaac also contributed.

Had a belated birthday dinner with my friend, read a few comics, then went home. I’m tired and sleepyyyy…. G'night, all...

Geek Godlings

(Click image to enlarge)

I recently discovered a pair of funny online comic strips about geeks: Scott Kurtz's PVP is about video game magazine employees, while David Willis' Shortpacked (above) is about toy store employees. Really enjoyable stuff.

1993

So we sent ourselves into our secret exiles ten or so years ago and lived chaste and Christ-like for days, because that was expected and the truth should’ve set them free like it did us, pieces and shades of monochromatic guilt slowly peeling as we shed our tears, and we hated, and we laughed, because life was becoming clearer and our feelings and hearts felt real like they never were before, undying and fleshy, squeezable and pained, while we enjoyed the wet weather beneath crumpled sheets.

The stacks of paper beckoned, while Bavarian cream donuts substituted real food, but there was no money to explain, no questions to play tricks, no thanks to daylight savings time that evolved into daily power failures, and so the lights were out and it was a gift that I was there when school was out and politics seemed simpler, and everything was strange, exciting, smiling in the dark, and no words were needed to buy understanding, or joy, since we lived for the moment, exploring worlds in small rooms, creating them with magic tools, like fools with their magic medication that snapped, crackled, popped their brain cells like bright white milk on pancakes with butter, warm and sweet, plunging in deep and too flustered to dwell on the details as they were happening.

The scenes have changed like we have, like sets of interlocking toy bricks connecting other lives with mine, and yours, which creates this weird community, a bigger picture that demands connecting, overlapping photographs, because the lens can only capture so much, and the bigger picture seems to keep expanding, but, but, but, through it all, through the whirling and the chafing, the beautiful faces and the angry fits, there was, there is, that glowing trust, that inside joke, that secret smile, that special code word, that stolen glance, an inner peace, an excellent thought, a wondrous flight, an enduring touch, a pair of souls that met, that recognized each other, that knew how the future works.

Safety Zone

JLA vs. Avengers (click image to enlarge)
Did this a long time ago. Was eagerly waiting for the crossover. Ah, fanboy fan art.

Speak easy
The fun 2BU journalism workshop, where I was one of the speakers weeks back, was featured in the paper yesterday. Online versions of the articles here and here.

There you go
After days of trying to remember the name of the '90s band that sounded like the Fine Young Cannibals, I finally got it: London Beat. Yay. John and I are happy. Not remembering was making our heads hurt.

"I was driving home the morning after with the taste of you still on my tongue..."
--London Beat, "A Better Love"

Happy Birthday Benedict!
Puzzle-solving McPiglet, the guy who can figure out and completely finish a messed-up Rubik's Cube in less than five minutes, is now a year older.

Team Spirit

Some of my favorite fictional super-groups. In no particular order:

The Legion- The teen team supreme. The post-Zero Hour cool-and-cute version lasted for ten years, which for me is mostly good, wholesome fun.
X-Men- There are five incarnations that really appealed to me: the pre-Mutant Massacre team, the Legends team (the Australia-based one), the Blue and Gold squads, and the current Faculty version.
Justice League- Morrison’s Big Guns group, which expanded to 14 active members, was a great lineup. I also enjoy the covert JLElite roster, and the large cast of the Justice League Unlimited show.
The Fellowship of the Ring- A dedicated gathering of different races set off on a quest, and their numbers grew to include human, Ent, and undead armies. Kick ass.
WildCATs-Alan Moore wrote two separate groups (the Earth and Kheran units) and created irreparable tension between the members (Zealot is a bigot! Tao is a madman!).
The Scoobies- Throughout their tenure as protectors of Sunnydale, Buffy’s Scooby Gang was made up of Watchers, good vampires, witches, Slayers-in-waiting, a soldier, and Xander.
Marauders- The toughest foes of the X-Men, in my opinion. Mr. Sinister dispatched this team of merciless mutant assassins to wipe out hundreds of tunnel-dwelling Morlocks, and they did.
The Rebel Alliance- Luke, Leia, Han, Threepio, Artoo, Ben, Chewie, Lando and Yoda, of course.
Thunderbolts- Reformed bad guys whose teammates include power-hungry Baron Zemo and treacherous Moonstone. ‘Nuff said.
Avengers- The Roger Stern lineup, Steve Englehart's West Coast Avengers, and the Kurt Busiek group were the most fun and iconic groupings for me.
CTU- The anti-terrorist organization of 24 is comprised of quick-thinking agents, and the occasional suspicious character.
Gotham Knights- Batman’s shifting team has counted Nightwing, Robin, Oracle, Batgirl, Spoiler, Huntress, Catwoman, Orpheus and Azrael among the city’s masked crimefighters.
Team Angel- Angel’s supernatural protectors are a nice mix of thinkers (Fred, Wes), psychics (Cordy, Doyle, Lorne) and muscle (Gunn, Connor, Illyria).
Runaways- Witty banter and nice balance of powers and personalities. Plus, the concept, heroic kids of supervillains, is being explored cleverly.
The Six- The stars of Villains United are an oddly rostered bunch, but have proven themselves to be a cohesive and efficient strike team.
The Sith- Always two, there are. They manipulated events, a powerful Jedi, and even the Force. They ruled as the Galactic Empire for almost twenty years.

Quick Thinks, Yesterday

Remember, remember, the fifth of November
John kept reminding me to buy the V for Vendetta trade paperback before the movie comes out. I’m lucky that I got it for 20% less off the regular price at Powerbooks yesterday.

The Puzzler
Helped Benedickie answer a crossword puzzle.

Traileriffic
Saw the trailers of Nightwatch, V for Vendetta, and Saw 2. Hope they're good.

Gaywatch
Westlife’s Mark is gay. Young Avengers’ Alan Heinberg too. So are his characters, Asgardian and Hulkling.

Just Can't Shake Your Love

After listening to old Wave-themed cassette tapes while working a few hours ago, I felt like listening to, yeah, Debbie Gibson's first two albums. I looked for my old Tiffany tapes, too, but they weren't in the old, dusty plastic bag anymore. Last time I listened to them, I was in high school. Yikes.

But they sang some fun, melodic teenybopper songs. Debbie wrote and produced her own songs (I still like her "Between the Lines"), while Tiffany was popular for her remake of "I Think We're Alone Now" and some co-written ballads ("All This Time" still feels real to me). The two had a "rivalry" that can be likened to the Britney-Christina thing a few years back, as they were the most prominent teen pop artists of the era.

Anyway, the two disappeared from the pop music scene by the '90s. Debbie pursued a Broadway career; Tiffany, if I remember it right (I saw an E! News report about her), eventually recorded a critically acclaimed "mature" pop album about three years ago. Both posed for Playboy. Here's Debbie's interview for the magazine, and Tiffany's cover.

Children, behave.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Betrayal Bites

I really miss this show. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has perhaps the most diverse, metaphor-rich rogues gallery that any primetime hero has ever encountered. The Slayer has fought and trounced hundreds of supernatural bad guys, but throughout her seven seasons on TV, there were the powerful Big Bads, major players in the scheme of things. Some of them were the toughest villains that Buffy had to face, because they were once her friends, lovers and allies. Spike a.k.a. William the Bloody (above) was once a ruthless vampire who later fell in love with her. He was forced to join her group at first, but later assisted them voluntarily. Magic-addicted Willow (right), meanwhile, snapped after her witch lover, Tara, was killed. The once-timid sorceress went on a mystical rampage to avenge her senseless death. The bloodsucker with a soul, Angel (below), was Buffy's first boyfriend. After having sex with her, a curse removed his soul and transformed him into her terrifying tormentor. There were other turncoats: Faith was poised to be the replacement Slayer, but her insecurities led her to side with Sunnydale's evildoers. Occasional werewolf Oz and vengeance demon Anya were also the Slayer's trusted teammates. They have caused considerable damage, but all of them were ultimately redeemed, some of them willingly sacrificing themselves for the salvation of the world. The show's mythology is rich with these conflicted characters, and its redemption aspect permeated its spinoff series, Angel, as well.

Thank you Buffyworld for the pics.

We Know Them

Got this from Sundial Girl's blog.

Because homophobia is wrong.

I am the girl kicked out of her home because I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian.
I am the prostitute working the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman.
I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights.
We are the parents who buried our daughter long before her time.
I am the man who died alone in the hospital because they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room.
I am the foster child who wakes up with nightmares of being taken away from the two fathers who are the only loving family I have ever had. I wish they could adopt me.
I am one of the lucky ones, I guess. I survived the attack that left me in a coma for three weeks, and in another year I will probably be able to walk again.
I am not one of the lucky ones. I killed myself just weeks before graduating high school. It was simply too much to bear.
We are the couple who had the realtor hang up on us when she found out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for two men.
I am the person who never knows which bathroom I should use if I want to avoid getting the management called on me.
I am the mother who is not allowed to even visit the children I bore, nursed, and raised. The court says I am an unfit mother because I now live with another woman.
I am the domestic-violence survivor who found the support system grow suddenly cold and distant when they found out my abusive partner is also a woman.
I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male.
I am the father who has never hugged his son because I grew up afraid to show affection to other men.
I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that.
I am the man who died when the paramedics stopped treating me as soon as they realized I was transsexual.
I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didn’t have to always deal with society hating me.
I am the man who stopped attending church, not because I don't believe, but because they closed their doors to my kind.
I am the person who has to hide what this world needs most, love.

Repost this if you believe homophobia is wrong.

X Degrees of Separation

It was a busy Sunday, spent alongside friends and co-workers. I’ve been feeling reflective lately. The past couple of days weren’t long enough for all the other things I wanted to do.

I find it unsurprising that I’m a totally different person from the one I was, say, two years ago. I continue to be shaped by disparate people in varying degrees.

I run into some people I’d rather not, and admire others from a distance. There are those who motivate and inspire me on different levels. I enjoy interacting with them whenever possible. There are those I keep reminding myself to be grateful to. But there are a lot of people I don’t feel any emotional attachment to anymore. There are still those who bait me into their spheres, for whatever reason, I no longer care to understand. I just mind my own business; I have my own life to live. The pain of old failures, heartbreaks and insecurities sometimes resurfaces, but I’ve learned a few tricks to numb it.

I enjoy the warmth and electricity of intimacy. I feel free and loved. And very capable of loving.

Ooh, sunrise. And birds chirping.

Rainy Days and Fridays

ArianaPaint program, August 2005. Drawn while I was waiting for a phone call.

People Are People

I feel really tired, but I don’t wanna sleep just yet. I’m simultaneously singing along to Cyndi Lauper’s “I Drove All Night”, and typing. And surfing. And dancing in my head. I wanna do a lot of things before I sleep, actually. Today felt good. Must be the wet, wild weather.

Horoscope.com describes those whose birthdays fall under the Scorpio sign of the Zodiac as “passionate, vibrant, magnetic, perceptive, emotional, sensual, alert, willful, determined, resourceful, purposeful, directed, dominant, ambitious, fearless, committed, and intense.” But they, apparently, can also be “obsessive, extreme, vengeful, jealous, spiteful, unforgiving, a bully, menacing, possessive, arrogant…”

Interesting. Well, I’m a Scorpio. However, I know people born under other signs who can be described by those specific adjectives. I may not believe in astrology and horoscopes, but yeah, I often find them bizarrely entertaining when those words perfectly describe me, or pertain to certain aspects of my life. It’s intriguing that each sign has extreme contrasts. We all have dark sides.

Dream Comic Books

1. Alex Ross should already start creating and writing his own characters. His renditions of Marvel and DC characters still look great, but I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing that he’d eventually move on and create epics using his own creations. He can create a world removed from the Big Two’s visual archetypes. Just look at his Astro City character designs. And the guy has exemplary ideas. It can work. I’ll buy that book.

2-3. Marvel’s New Avengers is a hit, but there are old readers (me included) who are still unimpressed with the title. But the company should cut down on some unnecessary monthlies and cash in on that. Create two new related titles. There are three ongoing X-Men comic books, featuring a team each! The second Avengers team can be called The Mighty Avengers or Avengers West, featuring an LA-based group: Warbird, Thor, Wonder Man, Namorita, Hank Pym, Shroud, Living Lightning and Janie Warlock. The third Avengers title can be called Avengers Beyond or Galactic Avengers, a space-based team composed of Wasp, Moondragon, She-Hulk, Beta Ray Bill, Starfox, Lyja (the Skrull), Nova (Richard Rider), Photon (Monica Rambeau) and Pip the Troll. Think about it: DC has the main JLA, and spinoff teams the Elite and the Superbuddies. And, it really goes without saying, talented creators can make them work. The more, the merrier.

4. More Top Ten by Alan Moore and Gene Ha. I miss them. A different creative team is handling the new mini-series.

Babble and Gab

This was used in the paper two years back. It accompanied my article, "Where have all the late night talk shows gone?". E! Philippines carried David Letterman's show then, while Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno's shows aired over CNBC Asia every weekend. All three shows just vanished. It left a void in my TV-viewing (or -listening, as sometimes I just tune in while working on something) schedule.

But super-geek Conan, my favorite talk show host, is back nightly on ETC since last year, along with unfunny-comic-but-good-host Jay Leno. Thank you, ETC/Solar! I've been watching Conan since '96. Some of the weirdest and funniest sketch characters that I've enjoyed from the show include the Masturbating Bear, If-Life-Gives-You-Lemons-Make-Lemonade Jesus, and Robert Smigel's Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.

Quirky Letterman has yet to resurface. John Stewart's talk show, shown on JackTV, is slowly growing on me, but I can't remember when it's on.

Vice Versa

No, that wasn't lighted. It must've amused my dad to see his son sort of following in his footsteps in the picture. But he kicked the habit years later. When I graduated from high school, I felt like trying it out. I must've smoked, what, about four cigarettes in my life? Students were allowed to smoke outdoors in our college then, and I felt that it was cool during the time. But my friend John prevented me from picking up and forming the habit.

My memory of it is hazy, but I think we were in one of those gazebos outside the school gymnasium just after our P.E. class. I think he wanted to borrow a pen from me, so I proceeded to clasp the contents of one of my bag pockets. Among the things that I took out were some technical pens and other art tools, a box of matches and two cigarettes, if I'm not mistaken.

John scowled at me and, concerned meddler that he is, took the cigarettes and tore them in half. He scolded me and told me about a relative with a respiratory ailment brought about by smoking. He lighted the matchsticks inside the box, threw it to the ground, and it quickly imploded. I just quietly whimpered, because I knew that he was right. Thank you for that timely intervention, John.

In recent years, a friend and a few relatives, some of whom were never active smokers, were diagnosed with lung cancer and related illnesses. Most of them didn't survive.

With many people getting stricken with painful and costly maladies lately, I've been thinking more about my mortality. I do have my vices... nah, nothing illegal, but I need to watch my diet. I need to eat healthier food. I need to exercise more. I wanna avoid the aggravation of reeling in pain and getting broke from some slow terminal disease.

Home

Just feeling ruminative after a day of doing some repetitive chores. Been feeling a little stressed out by some things at home and work... things will get back to normal soon, I hope. Glad to know that people important to me are around to keep me safe and sane. There's nothing like being reassured that those who care about you can calm you amidst the chaos. Their names and faces become mantras that soothe my mind. I feel blessed.

This blog has been helpful to me, too. I started this early this year, partly because I needed a venue where I can freely plug my comic book, and mostly because it was time that I started sharing my thoughts instead of just reading other people's. The universe revolves around me here. Thank you for visiting my humble corner time and again, people.

The Disabled

Pencil drawing, Feb. 1999.

A hero who lost his sight, hearing, legs and hand, the cybernetically enhanced Render continues to prove that he is far from helpless.

Gal Power They kick evildoer butt.

Comic Book Quote:
"It's easy t'moon over a lost love -- t'fantasize over what might have been, secure in the knowledge that it'll never happen -- it makes a great excuse for not facin' the risks an' demands o' reality." -- Logan to Peter Rasputin, Uncanny X-Men # 183 (July 1984)

August and Everything After

Worky
Busy with the usual stuff. Still need to go on a vay-cay, yadda-yadda. I need more sleep.

Sweetness and Light
Watched Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last Sunday. So weird and funny. I actually watched the original version, Willy Wonka, when I was nine or ten on Beta, but I really can’t remember anything about it. Anyway, Johnny Depp is good, as usual, and the new Oompa Loompas look sinister.

Paneled Pronouncements
After being bombarded with over 200 bought and borrowed 30-peso comic books the past month, I have discovered the following truths:
1. Travis Charest has spawned a multitude of clones despite his absence from mainstream comics for over six years.
2. Jessica Jones of Alias was the telepathic perv Purple Man’s sex slave for eight months.
3. Scott Kurtz’s PVP is almost as hilarious as the similarly nerd-themed Foxtrot newspaper strip.
4. Self-contained short stories in Spider-Man’s Tangled Web, Spider-Man Unlimited, and X-Men Unlimited showcase talented newcomers and established indie creators.
5. Ted McKeever’s Spellcheck character (from Tangled Web), a grammar-obsessed freak, is a hilarious dork.
6. New Thunderbolts’ Radioactive Man is a scary, vindictive bastard.
7. After all these years, Chris Claremont still writes Kitty Pryde well.
8. Wolverine is an active member of three X-Men teams and is a New Avenger.
9. Mutant godling Franklin Richards doesn’t baby-talk anymore.
10. Greg Pak (Warlock), Bill Rosemann (Deadline) and Dan Slott (Spider-Man-Human Torch) deserve more writing jobs.
11. A stripper, Ginger, called Green Arrow’s son Connor Hawke a “friend of Madonna”.
12. Whenever the JLA and JSA celebrate Thanksgiving together, a pair of idiot villains will get their asses kicked.
13. Pregnant Sue Dibny and Blue Beetle were alive and kicking in the recent JLA Classified arc.
14. Some comic books are so forgettable, they’re not worth shelling out 30 pesos for.
15. Some comic books are just damn good, they make you feel like an excited kid again.

When Lightning Strikes

Eh, busy week so far. Feeling tired and bleh and looking forward to more work 'til Saturday. Anyway, I'm just gonna share a pair of penciled drawings from four years ago:Storm during her '80s mohawk days. The radical makeover was courtesy of her best friend Yukio.Super-speedster Impulse, before he changed his moniker and costumed identity to Kid Flash.

Not Mere Words

I’ve been meaning to list down some of the most creative lines from a few of my favorite songs. McVie’s nice post about his favorites beat me to it. Here’s mine. Great imagery and stories in these brilliant lyrics, too:

“When I was all messed up and I had opera in my head, your love was a light bulb hanging over my bed.”
--U2, “Ultraviolet”

“For a man aged ninety years, no words to waste on sermons, he'd be pleased to answer short and sincere: ‘Girl there's nonsense in all these heaven measures. It's a heathen creed, so your grandma says. The better to live by... drink it all before it's dry!’”
--10,000 Maniacs, “Everyone a Puzzle Lover”

“Dreams of sights, of sleigh rides in seasons, where feelings not reasons, can make you decide. As leaves pour down, splash autumn on gardens, as colder nights harden their moonlit delights. And I love you.”
--Lightning Seeds, “Pure”

“But now old friends are acting strange. They shake their heads, they say I've changed. Well , something's lost but something's gained in living every day. ‘
--Joni Mitchell, “Both Sides Now”

“Orion's arms are wide enough to hold us both together. Although we're worlds apart, I'd cross the stars for you.”
--Prince and Sheena Easton, “The Arms of Orion”

“I've got money in my pockets. I like the color of my hair. I've got a friend who loves me. Got a house; I've got a car. I've got a good mother, and her voice is what keeps me here.”
--Jann Arden, “Good Mother”

“And I’ve never found a way to say ‘I love you’, but if the chance came by, I would. But way back where I come from, we never mean to bother, we don’t like to make our passions other people’s concern.”
--Dar Williams, “Iowa”

“Give me hope for the children. Give me a worldwide religion. Give me peace in a restless world.”
--Midge Ure, “Dear God”

“Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star? One without a permanent scar? And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?”
--Train, “Drops of Jupiter”

“He wants me, but only part of the time. He wants me, if he can keep me in line.”
--Til Tuesday, “Voices Carry”

“I fall into the water and once more I turn to you. And the crowds were standing, staring, faceless, cutting off my view to you. They start to limply flail their bodies in a twisted mime. And I'm lost inside this tangled web in which I'm lain entwined.”
--Sarah McLachlan, “Vox”

"Come a rumbling, humbling feeling, like things will never, ever be the same. But what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Today I'm strong enough, and anyway, I love the rain."
--Asia, "Days Like These"

“I am not the one who laughs at people's jokes; I just pacify their egos. I am not my house, my car, my songs. They are only stops along my way.”
--Paula Cole, “Me”

Salamat Po, Doktora

Renowned sex therapist and author Dr. Margie Holmes on LNA: "I loved your comic book and have, in fact, started a letter to you telling you about it. Hindi ko mahanap right now, but I want you to know that I think your work is brilliant! And the characters are people you start to care about."

I love you, Dra. Holmes.

It's still available, if you've yet to read it, blog readers. Also, to those who missed owning a copy of Carlo Vergara's National Book Award-nominated One Night in Purgatory, he re-released it in Comic Quest Megamall. Buy now!

Arty Farty

Back in college, one of the few professors who really showed up to teach was Mr. Jimmy Delos Santos, whose Aesthetics and Art Criticism lessons were some of the most memorable ones in my last two years of school. In a nutshell, what I learned from them was, as artists, we basically have the responsibility to always be open to improvement, both in technical and substantial aspects of our craft. The lessons that he imparted mostly focused on the lives and works of influential artists, as well as the progression of several art movements that still influence or delight many of us. As an illustrator himself, he encouraged open-mindedness and originality, and discouraged us from adopting “abstract-abstrakan” (pseudo-abstract art) as a style. This, I still feel, was one of the more important lessons I got from school. We were free to pursue what our minds and hands were itching to do, but at the same time, the professor wanted to instill in us the ability to recognize gimmickry disguised as art. And we were expected not to be complacent in our works ourselves.

I mention this now because among the dozens of cheap comic books I recently bought, there were those that stick out because of bad art and storytelling. Uncanny X-Men # 400, for example, had a few pages drawn by Ashley Wood. He’s obviously inspired by Bill Sienkiewicz style-wise, so one can expect the hazy, scratchy linework that characterizes the pioneer’s work. But what’s disappointing about it was its simplistic and confusing presentation. What happened to Stacy X in one particular page? Why was she screaming? What are those rectangular things near her face? Oh, they’re fingers! Because the dialogue implied that she was captured. But was she tickled into captivity? Poked by those thin, rectangular digits? I really couldn’t tell.

When anatomical and facial structures are stylized beyond recognition like that, it just ruins it for me. I’m not a fan of Scott Kolin’s art either—his faces and figures look way too rushed. And he draws several covers and comic books a month. Go figure.

The comics medium has allowed, and continues to allow, diverse art styles. And there have been a number of artists I loathed years ago, like Salvador Larocca (he was Image-y then) and Carlos Pacheco (his figures looked bloopy a decade ago, for some reason), but I now truly admire them and try to learn from their improvements. I hated Ryan Sook’s work before because he was a bad Mignola clone, but I now respect him because he’s proven he can do so much more in Zatanna. They fill out blank pages with dedication and a sense of artistic identity that make the books they worked on worthy of my money.

Buying all those bargain comics also introduced me to a lot of talented newcomers, or artists who’ve been around but deserving of more attention and projects. I look forward to seeing more of them, and reading more superheroic and non-spandex exploits in the hands of very capable creators whose love for their work and the medium are easily evident. More power to all of them. And may they become better artisans that young hopefuls can look up to.

Sweet

My super-generous and extra-nice editor Pam Pastor invited me to speak at a Journalism workshop for over 40 high school and college students last Friday afternoon. The campus journalist attendees from all over the country were screened and included in a 3-day activity that featured lecturers like Inquirer publisher Isagani Yambot, reviewer Ruey de Vera, creative editor Tim Yap, lifestyle editors Chelo Banal-Formoso and Pam, contributing writer Me, and a few others.

I wish I had a camera; my name was on the classy tarpaulin banner with the rest of that lineup. I also wanted to take pics of the kids, many of whom were enthusiastic about participating in the discussion (well, some of them were bleary-eyed and succumbing to Red Box’s mega-chilly airconditioning). It was an honor and a pleasure to share and discuss with them. Like a man possessed, I talked for about an hour about interviewing people (celebs and non-celebs) and answered their questions as best as I could. They were smart youngsters, and I don’t doubt that I’ll be working with a bunch of them in the future.

To the students and Pam, thanks so much for this cool, cool experience.

Picky pic
Graaarh

The Preservers (Expanded Roster)

Pencil drawing, June 2000.
One of my old super-teams, comprised of sidekicks and young adventurers. Here's another version of the team.

Cool

Stole this pic from Gerry. My friend Amy let out a little shriek, she told me, when she saw this during Ramon de Veyra's slide show for the Gaiman thingy last Monday. Thanks, guys. :)

Tears in TV Heaven

I saw the Angel episode "Shells" again last night over Studio 23 and couldn’t help getting a little teary-eyed as it ended. The last minute was a montage of scenes that focused on Team Angel as they dealt with the death of a dear colleague and friend, Fred (Amy Acker). Her soul was destroyed as her body was inhabited by a resurrected old god, Illyria (also played impressively by Acker). There have been a few memorable scenes from many shows that evoked that same reaction from me, scenes that capture that perfect blend of imagery, words and music. They tugged at my heartstrings then, and are still powerful for me now. Some examples:

1. David Fisher lashes out at a hate crime victim’s funeral (Six Feet Under, “A Private Life"). A Matthew Shepard-esque scenario forces the once-closeted gay man to confront a self-righteous homophobe during the funeral of a young victim.
2. Buffy bids Spike goodbye at the Hellmouth (BtVS, “Chosen”). Seconds before reformed vamp Spike sacrificed himself, Buffy tearfully revealed, “I love you”. Spike replied, smiling: “No you don’t. But thanks for saying it.”
3. Andrew Van de Kamp admits his car accident to his mother (Desperate Housewives, “Anything You Can Do”). One of the most heartbreaking scenes in the series was summed up in one word: “Mama?”
4. Buffy leaves Sunnydale after losing everything (BtVS, “Becoming, Part 2”). She was framed for murder, her mother discovered her secret identity and she was forced to execute an evil lover, so Buffy quit her Slayer duties and left town. Sarah McLachlan’s Full of Grace fit the last few scenes seamlessly.
5. Illyria lies to Wesley (Angel, “Not Fade Away”). Spoiler. During one of the final scenes of the series, Wesley and deceased flame Fred reunite… kind of.
6. Justin gets attacked by a gay-bashing classmate (Queer As Folk (US), Episode 22). After dancing with his boyfriend Brian at the prom, Justin gets beaten to a coma by a baseball bat-wielding bastard.

Dreams and Superpeople

Comics Bargain Junkie
Spent a few hours last Saturday, Sunday, and early today scouring Comic Quest outlets North and Festival for more 30-peso comic books. It’s a good thing the sale ends today, or I’d end up going there again tomorrow. I now have whole runs of spandex-fests like Warlock (by Greg Pak), Invaders, Rawhide Kid and Thor: Godstorm, as well as random issues of New X-Men: Academy X (I like many of these new characters, students mentored by ex-New Mutants Dani Moonstar, Wolfsbane, etc.), JSA, Robin (Spoiler got tortured during War Games!), X-Men Unlimited, Spectre (by DeMatteis), Thanos (guest-starring Galactus!), Strange (by JMS), Spider-Man’s Tangled Web (indie creators do Spidey!), Fantastic Four, JLA: Classified, GLA, Witches, Runaways, and many more. I also bought two PVP issues by Scott Kurtz. Looks interesting.

Dream King in the Mall
Jamie, thank you for offering me your Neil Gaiman event pass… sorry that I really couldn’t fit it in my sched. But I’m confident that I’ll meet and chat with the guy one day. Hope someone else was able to use it.

Talk to the Future
I’ve just been asked by one of my editors to talk to a group of high schoolers about interviewing celebrities later this week. I’m scared… and a little excited. We’ll see how that goes. Will talk about it more when things become sure.

Retrieved Memories

Clockwise: My first grade report card, my high school grad pic, my character Bright Blade (now called the Bladesmith) from 1989, me in prom-wear, a Corey Hart concert ticket, and a Linda Hamilton trading card from Terminator 2.

Vinnie of Comic Quest told me last week that old shop members will be getting special prizes if they present their old membership cards as part of their 20th anniversary celebration. I knew I saw mine some time last year, but I couldn’t exactly tell where I put it. So I rummaged through my ever-trusty wooden cabinet, which had gotten really crowded since I last cleaned it up (well, kind of) a year ago.

All sorts of interesting junk, as well as wonderful, forgotten valuables have gathered there through the years, most of them now smelling of a weird mixture of naphthalene balls and newspaper ink. I took the opportunity to sort out the mess, which triggered the recollection of many interesting memories.

I neatly stacked over three years’ worth of newspapers (ones where my articles appeared in), school memorabilia, and a lot of artwork and other paper clutter in separate plastic bags. I discovered old school retreat letters from people whose names I can’t really give faces to anymore. I found decades-old report cards, a box containing around ten medals won from high school art contests (several of them poster and slogan-making competitions) and a mix of good and horrible college thesis plates. There’s a sense of disconnection when I unearthed old love letters, unsent missives, and personal notes that were seemingly written by an altogether different person (well, in a sense, many of us aren’t the same persons we were even just a few months ago, but I digress). I saw ancient pictures of old lovers, friends, acquaintances, and even Manila Bay (for a worthless college subject), tons of photocopied pages of both published and unreleased Alamat projects, original characters drawn on index cards, tryout pages for American companies that went nowhere, a clipping of a prayer to St. Jude, a ton of action figure blister cards, dozens of food delivery receipts, empty foil packs of fantasy trading cards (remember them?), a Corey Hart (Never Surrendeeeerrr!) concert ticket, two cool paintings by John and other stuff that mean nothing to other people.

Wow. My life is simple and I’m generally a quiet person, but looking at these pieces of evidence from my forgotten and not-too-distant past, I'm reminded that I really experienced an assortment of silent upheavals and victories as a teen and beyond, necessary chaos that still shape me into who and what I am now. Sifting through all that really felt strange in good, funny, and even embarrassing ways.

After over an hour of looking, I found a membership card… a Filbar’s card. But it was okay. I was having fun dissecting my different mindsets with every significant object I encountered. I did find my old CQ card eventually, stuck in an old notebook that was pinned down by a couple of VHS tapes and ratty X-Men comic books. I was member # 040.

Desperate-athon

Mass Wisteria
Ah, I loooove this show. I can identify most with characters Bree (Marcia Cross), Gabrielle (Eva Longoria), and Bree's son Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom). Nice Desperate Housewives site here.

Fantasmagoric Thing
Saw Fantastic Four last Saturday. It was... hmmm... formulaic. Pretty average. Anyway, here's the Human Torch (Chris Evans).
Cheap comics!
Went to CQ North Edsa to deliver copies of LNA last Saturday when I discovered that the shop was having a weekend sale! Yay Vinnie! Benedict and I got a number of old and recent 30-peso superhero books. Wow. What a bargain.

Speaking of superheroes, I ran into Andrew at CQ Mega last Friday and he suggested that I do a spandex-centric story before the year ends. Apparently, he liked the brief Alternaturals sequence in LNA and he wants to see more mainstream action-adventure tales and less social commentaries from the local scene. Just like Benedict. And Vinnie. And Dean. Hmm... we'll see, then.

The Dracqonian Pencil drawing, June 2000
The Dracqonian has been sighted in various Chinatown districts all over the world since the 1970s. The costumed vigilante is rumored to be an ancient dragon of myth trapped in the reanimated body of a slain detective, and is said to relentlessly pursue those who have violently taken the lives of innocents.