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.