My Future Activities

I just posted this on Facebook and Twitter.

"I can see a time when I'll be limiting all my activities to San Pablo City, even comics conventions. That means a revival of the San Pablo Comics Festival. Considering this seriously."

I can delude myself by saying it's to help decongest the traffic in Manila, but it's just me just getting plainly sick of the big city, the pollution, the insane traffic. Mainly it's for self preservation because I want to be where I feel I'm healthiest, and because of mobility problems that make it difficult to travel long distance. A single trip to Manila for one day wipes me out. The last Komikon event was amazing, but I just got too tired by the end of the second day, which actually led to some health consequences that I'm still paying for today.

I will make my final stabs at Komiket and Komikon next year, 2018. But I'm afraid they'll perhaps be the last events in Manila I'll be attending. Perhaps my team can be there to sell my books in 2019 and beyond, but I myself won't be there anymore.

There are currently no comic book related events in San Pablo City, so that most likely means I'll go and have to revive the San Pablo Comics Festival. The first one was held in 2003. A new festival will be the fourth one. With Johnny gone, it will be much harder, but the owners of Tia Maria's Sining at Kultura have agreed to have festivals like this at Roño's Place. It's out of the way, but if the event is held there, it will be much easier for me to manage. This also means the Komikero Artists Group would also need to be revived for additional manpower and support. Well just have to promote it like crazy so people in San Pablo and surrounding areas would be aware that such an event is taking place.

Clearly I have gone beyond simply "considering it seriously".

Bakokak Launches at Komikon 2017

My first new graphic novel in three years, Bakokak, launches at Komikon 2017 this November 11 and 12 at the Bayanihan Center in Pasig! I've written it and artist Kevin Ray Valentino illustrated it. The Komikero Publishing table is located at A49 and A50 (see map below).

All Komikero Publishing material will be sold at those two tables including Bakokak, Elmer, Rodski Patoski: Ang Dalagang Baby, Crest Hut Butt Shop #4, original inked at from Marvel, and official Bakokak merchandise bundles (with Bakokak, pins and shirts) in partnership with Green Turismo. Bakokak artist Kevin Ray Valentino will be at this table to sign your books!

However, I will be located somewhere else (for various reasons that I really can't explain at the moment). I will be sitting, for both days,  at table B72, near the screen. I will not be selling any Komikero books at this table. I will just be on hand to sign your books (and anything else you bring to me).

The Komikero Tables will be open for the entire two days. I will have a more limited schedule. At the B72 table I will be there:

Saturday, November 11

10am-1:00pm

4:00pm-6:00pm

Sunday, November 12

1pm-5:00pm

Thanks very much to Komikon for making this possible. I'm really looking forward to an awesome event! And I'm very much looking to share my newest book with you all!

Unfortunately, I still can't shake hands because of my vulnerable condition. I can get sick very easily, specially in crowded places. I really hope you guys understand and not take offense.

Wasted Online

Because of the massive outage at the original Komikero.com, most options of reading Wasted on mobile have now been discontinued. However, you can still read Wasted for free through a website right on the original Wasted Online Site here.

Unfortunately, the mobi, pdf, cbr and torrent files are now gone. Once I find another hosting site, I will definitely consider uploading these files (including the Special Digital Edition) and other types of files that can be used by currently patronized gadgets.

Right now, this is the only option to read Wasted as it's now once again currently out of print. It will not stay that way for long though. As soon as I've gathered up enough money, I will come up with a 4th printing.

“Sandali ng Katotohanan” by Nestor Redondo

“Sandali ng Katotohanan” (Moment of Truth) is a short story that’s both written and drawn by legendary Filipino komiks creator Nestor Redondo (Rima, Swamp Thing) for Espesyal Komiks #102, September 3, 1956.

“Sandali ng Katotohanan” tells the story of matador Paco Salazar, renowned for his cowardice during bullfights. It isn’t until he gets some encouraging reading of his future from a fortune teller that his fear disappears. The results are rather devastating.

Click for larger images.

Bakit Putol Ang Mga Kamay Ni Venus? Illustrated by Emilio D. Rodriguez

Here’s another short story illustrated by one of the Philippines’ best but relatively unknown komiks illustrators, Emilio “Emil” D. Rodriguez. This is a story of how Venus lost her arms as researched and written by Deo C. Gonzales.

The source material wasn’t that good as some of the edges are missing, but I just couldn’t help but post it because the artwork is just so spectacular. You can click on the images for much larger versions for better viewing.

This story was taken from Espesyal Komiks #177, July 20, 1959.

“Ang Unang Pasko” Illustrated by Emil Rodriguez, Adapted by Angel Ad Santos

Here’s a short story illustrated by one of the greatest unknown Filipino komiks illustrators, Emil Rodriguez. I will be posting more of Emil’s work in the coming weeks, but I’m posting this one now in time for Christmas. Unfortunately, this particular story came from a bound compilation that doesn’t indicate what publication it came from or when it was published. I’m guessing this came out sometime in the early 1960s. Click for larger images.

Axis, Komikon and Other Things

It’s been a very difficult couple of months for me, physically. I caught pneumonia late last month and as I recounted in my last blog entry, it was truly horrible. After I wrote that blog entry I thought it was all over, but much to my dismay, it took far longer to recover than I realized. It became so bad it affected my schedule for inking Axis. Although I still inked more than half of issue #8, I have to thank Jason Paz for stepping in to help, and specially to Leinil Yu, who has been very understanding of my situation and gave me as much room as he could. Leinil tells me that we won’t be working on anything new until January so that comes as a huge relief for me because I truly need the break.

I wasn’t feeling so good the day before Komikon that I seriously considered not going and just let Ilyn and Zara take care of the table. I was still furiously working on Axis at the time and there were still a couple of pages to do. I decided to go anyway because my printer ink ran out and I had to get some from Manila. It turned out to be an incredible Komikon.



My doctor has advised me not to go to crowded places and if I did, I needed to wear a face mask. I didn’t wear a face mask, at least for most of Komikon. I just decided not to shake hands with anybody and just stay at my table and not wander around. I hope I didn’t offend anybody by doing so. It just couldn’t be avoided. I asked my friend Danry Ocampo to wander around for me instead and buy me comics. There were a few new potentially good titles that came out that day that I just had to get. So thanks Danry! I haven’t gotten a chance to read anything much yet except for Manix Abrera’s “14” which was fun and interesting. Oh yeah, JP Palabon’s “Pera” was also hysterical.

My childhood friend Dan Yatco came to Komikon to visit me (dude on the left at the photo above). We’ve been friends since Grade 6 (Grade 7 for him because I’m accelerated hehe). We were also friends and classmates in High School and then again in college. It was me who actually convinced him to take up Architecture because I couldn’t bear to go to a new university by myself. I don’t think he’s particularly interested in comics, but he reads them and goes to these events because of me and that’s really touching. Sometimes there are friends you make for life.

Now I feel much better and I probably will be able to do some bit of work. There is another thing I have to do for Graphic Classics that has also been delayed because of my illness. I can probably start doing that again soon. I’ll most likely take it easy and ease myself in, maybe just a few hours at a time in a day.

Francisco V. Coching Was More than Just An Illustrator

To clarify some misinformation being spread about Francisco V. Coching and his qualifications for being National Artist specially through the column of Nestor Torre, contending that:

“And there are those who oppose Francisco Coching’s selection for visual arts, because they regard him as more of an illustrator than a creative artist.”

I wish to inform these obviously misinformed people (or rather prejudiced elitists?) that Coching was more than just an illustrator. He has in fact, written all of the stories he has illustrated. He was a true auteur who was in full control of every aspect of his stories, presenting a full and unfettered vision of just one man.

More than that, all but a couple of the more than 50 komiks serials he WROTE and ILLUSTRATED were adapted into motion pictures.

Below are screenshots of only a handful of motion pictures based on Coching’s work:

For the better part of a few decades, Coching was one of those movers and shakers of popular Philippine culture. Not only did he helped direct it, he also helped express and immortalize it.

Beyond that, Coching was also one of the most influential artists whose work has inspired most artists who came after him including many of the greats this country has produced: Nestor Redondo, Alfredo Alcala, Alex Niño right down through the generations right down to me, and probably even beyond.

Coching was merely an illustrator? You must simply be out of your mind.

It's May 2014

Because PLDT has been screwy for the past couple of weeks, specially after that crazy April 28 thunderstorm, my Internet has been mostly down. I had wanted to update this blog earlier, but it was just not possible. We’ve been pretty insistent on calling repair early on and PLDT has visited us twice to check things, but this seems to be a problem that they have extreme difficulty solving.

Well, whatever. As long as this interruption of service reflects on our phone bill, I won’t freak out too much. I did freak out early on, but I just got tired of it.

It was Free Comic Book Day last May 3. I never got a chance to talk about it. It’s a special FCBD for me because I was this year’s editor of Comic Odyssey’s free comic book giveaway. I had proposed to have it magazine sized with interviews and comics.

Awesome cover by Elbert Or, right? :)

I was able to bring on board guys like Whilce Portacio, Jay Anacleto, Leinil Yu, and Mark Torres to contribute pinups. But a lot of the actual work was by my team of Andrew Villar and Jon Zamar, who did the nitty gritty of putting together the comics and layout the entire thing. I came up with the interview articles.

I do this because I’ve pretty much committed to FCBD with Comic Odyssey in perpetuity several years ago. It’s when I give back to the best comic book store and comic book shop owner I’ve had the pleasure to visit and meet. Sandy Sansolis of Comic Odyssey is so passionate about comics and sharing comics that I want him to be successful in his business. The more successful he is, the better it is for us comic book fans here in the Philippines.

Komikero Publishing, Print Comics and Surviving the Digital Age

Photo by Comic Odyssey

Last Saturday’s signing at Comic Odyssey went pretty well. All the copies of “Where Bold Stars Go To Die” that the store ordered were all sold out even before I arrived. Admittedly, I arrived a bit late, which is frustrating because I’m never late. Thing was, the van we rented ran into problems and it took a couple of hours to fix.

But anyhow, I’m glad people stayed around to get their books signed, and pick up the first 10 Wasted Box Sets that were finished.

Signing Photo Gallery 1 (Danry Ocampo)

Signing Photo Gallery 2 (Comic Odyssey)

It is the Wasted Box Sets I wish to talk about here. That box set is the ultimate expression of Komikero Publishing’s reason for being, and that is to not only share stories and art, but to give readers an EXPERIENCE. That experience of actually holding a comic book in your hands. An experience that is slowly but surely being eroded by our transition into the digital age. More and more comics are now being downloaded and read on screens. That is now a fact of life. And I for one won’t stand on a pulpit frothing at the mouth railing against it. Everyone else can go digitize their comics and that’s perfectly cool.

My stories, however, will remain in print and some of my work will ONLY be available in print. I feel that touching comic books with your hands, physically flipping the pages and reading is an experience too valuable for us humans to do away with. And that is an experience everyone can still count on with Komikero Publishing for as long as I’m alive.

The other day I saw a comment on Twitter by a fellow pro. I won’t mention him anymore because that isn’t really the point. He said that two page spreads in comics should be abolished because it does’t work with digital. Deep inside my heart I just had to laugh. I didn’t want to argue so I didn’t, but I thought I’d talk about that here.

So because it doesn’t work with digital, it HAS to be abolished? From my point of view, for print to survive, there should be MORE 2 page spreads, because as it turns out, there are strengths in print that digital comics cannot possibly replicate. And one of those are 2 page spreads. And that is true. The magnificence of opening a comic book with a 2 page spread is quite an experience, and it’s one of the things that make comics such a pleasurable reading experience. I remember Alfredo Alcala’s Voltar 2 page spreads… oh man… or how about those glorious Jack Kirby two page spreads in his comic books for Marvel and DC? How about Frank Miller’s 300 where every single damned page is a 2 page spread? Even better… how about those multiple page spreads in Jim Lee’s Wildcats? In Alan Moore’s Promethea? In Frank Miller’s Ronin? Or how about those multiple page drawings by Alex Niño that, put together, form one gigantic panel? Digital can never hope to replicate the experience those kinds of things print comics can do. It’s something print comics can do best, and it’s something that will help keep it alive.

At Komikero Publishing, aside from keeping my comics in print, we also produce specially made box sets in cooperation with my wife’s paper crafting business.

In 2009 we made box sets of my comic book ELMER:

Each box set contains a hand bound hardcover of the comic book, original artwork, photographs and facsimiles, a certificate of authenticity, a CD with videos, all packaged within a special hand made box.

Check out my original post about it:
https://komikerodotcom.blogspot.com/2009/03/elmer-gift-set-batch-1.html

A close up of the hand made hardcover from my wife’s blog:

http://paper-basket.blogspot.com/2009/03/hardbound-elmer.html

It’s our version of an Absolute book or Omnibus, but much more special and lots more extras.

This year, we’re releasing a box set of my comic book WASTED:

This box set contains a hand bound hardcover of the comic book in a slipcase, original artwork, photographs, certificate of authenticity and a handwritten letter. The letter is a real life reproduction of a letter that figures prominently in the story. Each box has one of these.

Check out my wife’s post about the Wasted box sets:
http://paper-basket.blogspot.com/2014/03/wasted-box-sets.html

We do these boxes because as we previously mentioned, we want to share an EXPERIENCE when people read my comic books. It’s something that’s important not only to me, but to my wife as well who has devoted a significant portion of her life creating art from paper.

How in the world can you digitize this? The answer is YOU CAN’T.

However, I’m not completely closed off to the idea of digital comics. My comic book Wasted can be read completely for free online from this website. It can be read in various forms: html, cbr, mobi, pdf… it even has a special digital edition complete with videos from me.

So yeah, it’s best of both worlds.

Limited Collector’s Edition Wasted Box Set

To further raise funds for the printing of “Rodski Patotski: Ang Dalagang Baby”, Komikero Publishing and Paper Basket will be releasing a limited collector’s edition Wasted Box Set!
Each box set will contain a hand crafted Wasted hardcover and slipcase, original Wasted artwork, a hand lettered letter from Eric to Jenny (from issue #8), a booklet of all extra material from the original photocopied Wasted, photographs, and a certificate of authenticity.

Only 20 of these box sets will be made. Each will retail at P2500. If you wish to get a box, please send an email to gerryalanguilan@yahoo.com. First come first served! Because I would need to see who reserved first, I would be able to only receive reservations only through email at that address. I would prefer I hand it to you personally so if you can make it to the Bold Stars signing at Comic Odyssey, Robinson’s Galleria on March 15, the better. I’d rather not ship it because of the delicate nature of the material, but if there’s no choice, I can ship it via courier at an additional P250 for proper packaging and shipping.

Because of the limited nature of the box set, only one box per customer will be accepted.

I have to say that probably only 10 will be finished by March 15. I can go up to Manila again at the end of March for the rest.

Digital Comics and Komikero Publishing

I’ve talked about this before, but it’s worth reiterating. I can definitely see the future of comics as being predominantly digital. It’s inevitable, I think. I’ve had so many offers from local and international companies to digitize my comics stories for distribution on mobile gadgets. I have made my concessions with digital by offering a lot of my work online, mostly for free. Wasted remains free to read online, along with a lot of my other work.

I’m no longer interested in debating the issue. I’ve had my fair share of “discussion” about this in the past. I’ve heard all the arguments and you know what? I throw up my hands and say all the arguments for digital comics are completely valid. You wont find me ranting and railing against it, because that would just be counterproductive. And futile.

But as far as Komikero Publishing is concerned, I will continue to do comics in print, and I will continue to resist translating most of my work into digital.

I know that the goal of any storyteller is to share his stories with as much people as possible, and digital is certainly a big way of doing it. I reach a far greater audience online than I do with print.

But you know, to me it’s more than just sharing stories and art. It’s about sharing an “experience”. That experience of holding a comic book in your hands. I think that it’s an experience that’s valuable and important, and that as human beings, it’s something that we should never lose.

As the world speeds hastily into the digital age, that experience will become even more rare and valuable. I want to be that publisher that gives people that kind of experience. I don’t care if I end up on the losing end of the financial stick. It was never about the money for me.

I don’t need to further explain myself. Those who don’t understand this never will. But those who understand it will understand perfectly. I’m not here to sway anyone to my way of thinking. I’m just laying out my publishing company’s reason for being.

To help fund the printing of “Rodski Patotski: Ang Dalagang Baby“, we’re now accepting pre-orders!

Rodski is being released in FULL COLOR on matte paper, 100 pages, 8″x 8″ dimensions and perfect bound. It will retail for P450. If you wish to reserve your copy now for pick up at Summer Komikon on April 12, you can send your payment to my BPI account. Send me an email at gerryalanguilan at yahoo.com so I can send you the information. If you are not attending Summer Komikon and you would prefer that we ship it to you via courier, you can just add P150 for shipping and handling. We will ship the book in between illustration boards via LBC or Air 21. Send me an email at gerryalanguilan at yahoo.com for further information. Unfortunately, I can only accept orders from the Philippines at the moment. But I will make it available for international orders once the book is out.

Don’t worry that you won’t get your copy. We plan on printing a lot… as in a lot of copies!

To everyone who will help out with the funding of the book by pre-buying it, you have my (and Arnold’s) utmost thanks and appreciation!

The cover above is illustrated and colored by Arnold Arre. Title design is by Cynthia Bauzon-Arre.

Bold Star, Elmer

“Where Bold Stars Go To Die“, a comic book I wrote that my late friend Arlan Esmeña illustrated was finally published in the US via SLG Publishing. If you’re in the US or anywhere outside the Philippines, you can just order it directly from the SLG website here. If you’re in the Philippines, this edition is being sold by Comic Odyssey. It will be available February 26. After February 26, you can just buy it from their stores in Robinson’s Galleria, Fully Booked at the Fort, Greenhills and Robinson’s Malate.

Since this is published by SLG Publishing, I don’t control the stocks of it so I myself don’t have copies to sell. You won’t be able to buy them directly from me. It will be a bit more expensive than the Komikero Publishing edition, which has since been sold out. Content wise, there’s very little difference. The new edition has a new pinup by Harvey Tolibao and an Arlan Esmeña tribute, but that’s it. Format wise, I actually have no idea yet how different it is with regards to printing and paper. I will know only when my complimentary copies arrive.

I will be having a Bold Star book signing at Comic Odyssey, Robinson’s Galleria on March 15. I will also bringing a lot of original artwork with me, plus a surprise release (more details soon). This is to raise funds for the printing of Rodski for Summer Komikon on April 12.

I will most likely reprint Bold Stars through Komikero Publishing later in the year. I’ve written a lot about the book on this blog.

Serge Ewenczyk, my French publisher of ELMER sent me this image:

Now I don’t know what it says, but it seems to be a feature/review of Elmer in a French chicken magazine. He seems to have found this very amusing for some reason.

On Inking, Bold Stars and Rodski

I’ve been inking comics professionally now for like well, since 1995. You would think I’d get tired of it, bit I’m honestly not. Admittedly, there was a time that I quit. This was back in 2005. That was not because I didn’t like to ink anymore, but because I wanted to expand my creativity to other things. In that break I did things like Humanis Rex, Timawa, and most specially ELMER. I’m really proud of Elmer. I still can’t believe I actually did that, and I still can’t believe all the doors that thing opened.

I’m back to inking but now I’ve made an extra effort to continue doing my own stuff. That’s why there’s “Where Bold Stars Go To Die” and there’s “Rodski Patotski: Ang Dalagang Baby”. It’s been very difficult juggling inking and the other things, but I can’t help it now. I just have to do it.

Speaking of “Bold Stars”, it was picked up by SLG Publishing, the same publishing company that published ELMER internationally. It can now be ordered here. If your local comics store ordered this when it was previewed in the Diamond Catalog last October, then your store will most likely have copies.

Arnold Arre continues to send in finished pages of “Rodski”, and he’s blowing my mind with each page. Maaaaaan. I’m really pleased how the art’s turning out. Arnold made a Rodski poster specially for Summer Komikon so be on the look out for that when Komikon starts to promote the event. That will be on April 12 by the way. So save the date! We will be launching the book right there and yes, Arnold will be on hand to sign books.

Both Arnold and Leinil Yu will be special guests at Summer Komikon, and they intend on positioning me right between them at the venue. I think it describes my position in the industry quite well. One foot in independent Filipino comics and another foot in American comics. I think it’s a great place to be in.

Speaking of inking, I rediscovered this piece online:

It’s unsigned, but it’s pencilled by Whilce Portacio and inked by me, sometime in 1998. This was a cover for Darkness, I think, for TOP COW. I still remember exactly the circumstances in which this was inked. The studio in Manila was located somewhere in Horseshoe Drive, QC. At the time I was no longer staying full time at the studio. After training with Whilce since 1995, he had let me go to stay and work from home. I dropped by that day for a visit. Whilce was working on this cover and he asked me to ink it. But I had to work on it at the studio because the deadline was tight. I thought that would be OK. At the time I think Edgar Tadeo was still staying at the studio, as well as Gilbert Monsanto. I didn’t have my tools with me so I went to nearby Cubao to buy a Rotring Technical 0.1. That’s the tool I used to ink most of this cover, plus maybe a quill or brush I must have borrowed from Edgar. I ended up staying overnight.

Rodski Patotski: Ang Dalagang Baby

After almost a year, I finally finished the script to my next book, “Rodski Patotski: Ang Dalagang Baby”! Like a lot of my projects I felt good about, the writing of the story took a long time to do. After a lot of stops and starts, I’ve finally come to the point that I’m very happy with what I’ve written, and I feel good about handing it to the artist, which by extreme luck is none other than superstar artist Arnold Arre.

Arnold is drawing the book as well as coloring it. I’ve written it, and I’ll take care of lettering and laying out the book. Reading it through and looking at the art that Arnold has done so far, not only do I feel good about it, I feel very good about it. Arnold is such an extraordinarily amazing artist. He was able to elevate my story into something very special.

What is “Rodski Patotski??”

It really began when I discovered an old komiks story called “Linda Maligna” illustrated by my father in law, Rudy Florese. Linda is, amusingly enough, the name of his wife, my wife’s mother and my mother in law. I thought it cute that my father in law worked on a story named after his wife. I thought I’d continue the tradition and name my next story after my own wife.

“Rodsky” is a name my wife is known for in school by her classmates and friends, which is short for “Roddielyn”. So I named my character Roddelyn, or “Rodski” for short.

And now what idea or concept do I wrap around that name? I thought I’d make it a tribute to all the classic Pinoy komiks characters. I decided to call it “Rodski Patotski: Ang Dalagang Baby”. As to why she’s called that, I guess I won’t spoil it for you. You would just have to pick up the book when it comes out.

The book is written in a combination of English and Tagalog. It was an experiment I wanted to try out. I wanted to see if I could write it that way, but still make it understandable to a non-Tagalog reader. Hopefully I pulled it off. HOPEFULLY!

A lot of people may be asking…. “What happened to DARNA LIVES?”

That’s a good question. Arnold and I enjoyed creating that short Darna story, but I’m afraid that’s only as far as it would go. I just wanted to show a different direction that such a long standing character can taken and still make it work. A lot of these classic characters come with stories that seem to be afraid to push the boundaries of the character and of the genre. Arnold and I demonstrated that it can be done and still be well received. Hopefully, future Darna writers would pick up on that.

When writing my own stories, I now prefer to just create my own characters and create my own legacy, instead of perpetuating the legacy of other people.

So is “Rodski” any good? I really don’t know. But I feel good about it. Hopefully, people do get to enjoy reading it. It’s written with “all ages” in mind so it can be read by young children and grandparents alike. It’s pretty much a first for me, having written so many “For Mature Readers Only” material.

I can’t wait for this book to be finished and printed and in your hands! We’re targeting Summer Komikon for it, so fingers crossed! The book will have 100 pages and square proportions. It will be square bound, and in full color. Yep! FULL COLOR! Lord knows where I’ll get the money to pay for printing this, but I’ll find a way!

Rogue December Issue Comics Article Rebuttal (UDPATED!)

The December issue of Rogue Magazine carries with it a one page comic strip depicting a short history of Philippine Comics. In it, the writer asserts that Carlo J. Caparas was responsible for the rise of independent comics like my Elmer and Carlo Vergara’s ZsaZsa Zaturnnah.

This is absolutely, any utterly UNTRUE.

Carlo J. Caparas had NOTHING to do with the rise of the Philippine Independent Komiks Industry. NOTHING AT ALL. I don’t know where this writer even got this idea because it is just absolutely RIDICULOUS.

To further validate this, I’ve started to put together, with the help of the many independent komiks creators stretching back to 1993, a comprehensive timeline of significant events and publishing history of the new Pinoy Komiks, where one can see clearly this was all happening without Carlo J. Caparas.

The main purpose of the timeline however, aside from setting the record straight, is to document and archive and to fully cement in history, the accomplishments of modern day Filipino komiks creators.

If you are a Filipino komiks creator who have published comics here in the Philippines from 1993 onward, please send me an email at gerryalanguilan at yahoo dot com with the subject line “Komiks Timeline”. Please include the Title, Date of Publication, Publisher and list of creators.

I will be posting this timeline sometime early December.

Here is the response from Rogue Magazine:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/rogue-magazine/a-letter-from-budjette-tan-on-pinoy-komiks/10151101256362109

I applaud Budjette’s efforts to reach out to Rogue, and while it’s good that we got some kind of response, I feel it’s not good enough. Hopefully, there will be an erratum in the next issue.

“Komiks Is Dead” is a DEAD Issue (UPDATED)

An article I wrote came out in the Philippine Daily Inquirer not too long ago. I will be posting the complete unedited article after my post below. I almost declined writing the article because I was too busy, but I immediately realized the opportunity to talk positively about the state of Philippine comics.

TWENTY YEARS into the life of the Philippine Independent Comics Industry, I would think it would be ridiculous if there were still clueless people around thinking komiks was dead. I mean, really? This is a debate that has raged in various forums, message boards and blogs over the last 10 years, but I think time has proven that it has never really died. That Komiks is very much alive. To me that debate is over. Komiks IS alive. Everyone should really just accept that as a fact, because it IS a fact.

If anyone else wants to waste time and saliva to debate that, well, you can do that on your own because I, and a ton of other folks are MOVING ON. Talk to the fucking wall till you are blue in the face. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who wants to waste time talking about that has got nothing of substance and nothing of importance at all to say to me. And I will not waste a single minute (apart from writing this blog entry) of my precious creative time debating something that is completely and utterly moot. If I did, I’ll just be depriving myself of time in creating MORE COMIC BOOKS.

I think anyone who even says Komiks is dead today is, I’m sure, completely aware of the truth, malamang nangaasar na lang. Or maybe they’re just absolutely ignorant and clueless. Maybe even Bitter Ocampo? Who knows? I really don’t care. They’re now all in my ignore list.

Anyone creating comics, and anyone who is a reader of our comics don’t even have to think about this. Right now we’re just more concerned about creating better comics, and finding more ways to get our comic books into the hands of readers.

So yeah, let’s just not waste anymore time engaging these people guys. It’s just a waste of time. Let’s just do our comics!

As to why I even bother posting about this at all if I say I just want to ignore and say I don’t care… well, I guess just I’m the kind of person who wants these people to know WHY I’m ignoring them. Telling them why they’re being ignored is almost as important as ignoring them. It helps explain my motivations and it prevents them from having any stupid misrepresentations of my silence. I’ve ignored them for years, and to help explain why, this hopefully gives a definite answer.

**********************

Ten Years of KOMIKON

Last October 27. 2012, the eighth Philippine Comics Convention or Komikon was held at the Bayanihan Center in Pasig. EIGHTH you say? You bet! But isn’t Pinoy Komiks dead? Breaking news, son. It never died!

Let me take you back some two decades ago to 1993. The once giant Philippine comics industry was on the wane, with decades old komiks companies closing their doors to publishing comics one by one. But at the same time, something strange was happening. Without any venues to showcase their work, talented young comic book fans started creating their own comic books. They photocopied the pages, stapled them together, and sold the comics themselves. Some even went further by actually going to the printing press and have multiple copies printed. Where did they get the money? Most likely some of them had jobs, some of them probably saved up for it, and some probably borrowed money from their parents. Whatever the case, what resulted was the birth of a unique Filipino independent comics industry driven by young people who created, distributed and sold their own comic books.

Even as early as 1994, comics shows were already beginning to be held starting with a mini convention held at the Robinson’s Galleria where enthusiastic comics creators like Budjette Tan, Arnold Arre, David Hontiveros, Gilbert Monsanto, myself and many more gathered for the first time. It began an explosion of self published comic books of all kinds: Comics 101, Exodus, Wasted, P-Noize, Shadow, Memento Mori, Flashpoint, Archon, Dhahmpyr, Indigo Valley, Scions, Tatooed, Pagan Press, Angel Ace, and so many more.

There were quite a few shows that followed there and at other malls, each event growing bigger than the last. 2003 saw the very first San Pablo City Comics Festival organized by the Komikero Artists Group, which signalled the growth of such events outside of Metro Manila.

Along the way, remarkable self published comic books started to appear including Arnold Arre’s four-issue Mythology Class and Trip To Tagaytay, Carlo Vergara’s Ang Kagila-Gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni ZsaZsa Zaturnna, Volumes 1 and 2., Budjette Tan and Arnold Arre’s Batch 72, and the anthology books Siglo: Freedom and Siglo: Passion.

In 2005, a group of particularly dedicated comic book fans and creators called The Artists’ Den decided to organize the first Komikon and hold it at the University of the Philippines, Bahay ng Alumni. Within a few years, the venue had become too small to accommodate the growing number of comics creators and fans. The event moved several times from Star Mall in Mandaluyong, to the Megatrade Hall in Megamall, and eventually to their current home, the Bayanihan Center in Pasig.

Komikon is now held twice a year, once in the summer called “Summer Komikon”, and the main Komikon held around the end of the year.

That the growth of Komikon and that of the independent comics industry go hand in hand is worth taking time to consider. Most of these creators create, sell and distribute their own comics. With no huge distribution arm at their disposal, they sell their comics at every place they are capable of reaching. They can sell at the various comic book stores across Manila including Comic Odyssey which has always been supportive of local comics, and of course, they take full advantage of the local comic book conventions, wherever and whenever they are held.

Big publishers have noted the success of this growing industry and have taken it upon themselves to select some of the more popular and successful titles and publish them, affording the comic books a larger audience than what they would normally achieve.

Adarna has taken on Arnold Arre’s works and have published After Eden, Visprint has published both Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo’s Trese as well as Carlo Vergara’s collected edition of ZsaZsa Zaturnnah, and National Bookstore has published Skyworld by Mervin Ignacio and Ian Sta, Maria, as well as Elmer, 2nd Edition by yours truly.

With the big publishers getting into the act, it necessitated the a third spinoff convention of the Komikon called the “Indieket”, which emphasizes and showcases the very roots of the independent comics industry, the self published comic book makers who photocopy and print their own comics. That the Komikon has held such a spinoff event shows how they staunchly want to stay true to their roots, but at the same time being open to growth and maturity. While these small groups are still a very big part of the main conventions, I think that it’s only fitting and right that they have a show all their own.

At the Komikon last October, more new and better comic books were released by an even younger generation of creators as the venue struggled to accommodate the sheer number of people in attendance.

Across the country even more comics conventions are being held. There have been conventions held in Baguio, Bikol, Cebu, San Pablo City, Los Baños, and this year sees the very first Iloilo Comics Convention in December. In January next year there’s possibly another one in General Santos City.

Pinoy komiks is dead? You must be crazy!

The 3rd San Pablo City Comics Festival Photos and Video

Waking up Saturday morning and seeing the sun shine all my worries about the day disappeared. Normally, I’m a worrier, but I just let it go. Whatever happens will happen. If it rains, whatever, I’ll just sing. lalala. It did drizzle a bit, but thankfully it was short and in the end, I think we all had a really nice time!



Organizers Jonas Diego and Johnny Danganan organize the chairs.

Komiks Illustrator Jun Lofamia

 The Great Manix Abrera’s fans arrived first!

 Comic Odyssey

 Alexis Ravana, winner of the art contest, Young Adults category.

 My mom at the art exhibit

 Ner Pedrina, Rommel Estanislao, Silent Sanctum, Freely Abrigo

 Mel Casipit, Jon Zamar, Sherry Zamar and Ariel Atienza

 Gio Paredes and the just released Kalayaan TPB!

 Jun Lofamia


 Danny Acuña sketches.

 Architect and Komiks Illustrator Marivi Hilos-Nepomuceno and special guest Pol Medina

 Komiks Veterans Jun Lofamia and Danny Acuña were mobbed!

 My parents

 Marvel superstar artist Carlo Pagulayan and Marivi


 With Pol Medina, Kajo Baldisimo and Carlo judging the art contest.


Acoustic music from local San Pablo talents Walk Me Home.

With much thanks to the Ultimart Shopping Plaza and the San Pablo Chapter of the United Architects of the Philippines for their generous support of the event!

Thanks also to Comic Odyssey, Fun House (Ultimart), Expressions (Ultimart), and Electro Magnetic Tentacle for their generous donations!

More Photos from My Facebook

Komikero Publishing’s Survival Plan in the Digital Age

From September 13 to 14 will be a huge conference in Quezon City on the “Future of the Book” organized by the National Book Development Board (NBDB), Filipinas Heritage Library and the Vibal Foundation. It’s going to be held at the Ayala Techno Hub in Commonwealth Avenue.

I was supposed to be a speaker on DAY 2 where I will discuss how self publishers can survive in the Digital Age. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond my control have forced me to bow out of the conference. It was a difficult decision to make because there were plenty of things I wanted to say, specially in a program that made it seem that going digital was a forgone conclusion. I felt it was an obligation for me to offer a dissenting voice.

Nevertheless, below is the complete transcript of the talk that I would have had.

**********************

Komikero Publishing’s Survival Plan in the Digital Age
by Gerry Alanguilan

I have been self publishing my own comic books for the last 12 years. I started out as many comics people are starting out today….by making multiple photocopies of our work and then sell them ourselves. There are many ways to do this. We can deliver copies to sympathetic stores and comic book stores, sell them at local comics conventions, or sell them via mail.

In recent years I decided to legally establish my own publishing company, the sole purpose of which is to publish work that I wrote and/or drew. Instead of photocopy I went to an actual printing press. My output is sparse, with just one or two comic books a year since 2006. It is by no means something I can exclusively make a living out of, but I can honestly say that through selling the book myself, each publication has been quite profitable in comparison to the money I spend in printing them.

As early as the year 2000, I have been encountering furious discussions on the viability of online comics as a commercial enterprise. Over the years, the discussions have grown to include downloadable comics for reading on portable readers like the Kindle or the iPad. Advocates of digital comics have been quite vocal, I have discovered, and I am very sure there are many of you are here in this audience right now.

I have heard all the arguments. While it’s cool to have an actual copy of a book in your hands to see and smell, such attachments to tangibility is a characteristic that only the increasingly old may have. The younger generation are growing up without actual books so reading online or on a portable gadget won’t be a problem for them. In fact, entire libraries can fit into one of these gadgets giving more space in your house, and in your luggage when you travel. Now this all makes perfect sense, and I’m not here to argue the point.

As a self publisher in this increasingly digital age, how can I possibly survive? I have several answers for this.

Take note that I am speaking only for myself, as publisher and owner of what I consider to be a specialty publishing company, releasing only one or two books a year. What I say may not be applicable to bigger publishers and my experience cannot speak for those that are.

I honestly and truly believe that a third world country like the Philippines won’t be doing away with print books and publications anytime within the next 10 years. Because most of us, if not all of us here in this conference are most likely online, and we are in touch with the biggest and latest news in terms of publishing from abroad, I think we may be getting a skewed notion that all THAT is applicable here in the Philippines as well. Countries like the US or Japan can afford to go digital because majority of their population can afford it. Here in the Philippines, does anyone actually believe that the typical Pedro on the street who can barely make enough money to buy newspapers will be able to buy an iPad or any similar gadget, no matter how less expensive it may be, within the next 10 years, or even 15 years? I seriously doubt it.

Print publications here in the Philippines still has a long way to go yet, I believe. I am 42 years old now. Personally, I doubt that digital will overtake print in this country even within my lifetime. So why would I waste the time I have left in this world chasing after a market that will never be truly widespread until I die? It does not make any business sense.

So as a publisher, I will continue to have my comics printed, and will resist any suggestion to do otherwise.

Of course, I could be wrong. I could be devastatingly wrong. In 15 years, I might be out there, pan handling like a bum in the middle of Quiapo as the executives, students, cops, fortune tellers, florists, evangelists, dried fish vendors and takatak boys blissfully pass by with their iPads and Kindles.

But what is publication but a risk? As publishers, we are ALL taking a risk with the books we publish. As a publisher in the Philippines, to be specific… as a small time specialty Publisher… it is with print comics that I place my bets.

Let us say I was proven completely wrong and the Philippines has indeed gone digital in the near future (if not already) I will nevertheless still continue to have my comic books printed. I will still continue to do it, frustrating the naysayers no end until they scratch their heads and exasperatedly exclaim, “Why don’t you just die?!”

I won’t be doing this out of spite (perhaps partly I will), but only because I love print books. I love making them. And in the future, I really believe a few people will still feel the same way about books as I do.

Indeed, since I, and perhaps a couple of other people will be the only ones left doing it, our work will then become much more valuable. Imagine it. In an almost completely digital world, only a few rare individuals still create their comic books in print. We become a novelty, that’s true, but even among the young generation and the generations that will follow, there will be those who will be looking for the tangible thing. As many things from the old world fade and disappear, I believe the more we as human beings will value them. I’d like to think that I’ll be that TV repairman who still makes housecalls. I’ll be that crotchety old man whose job it is to repair typewriters. I’ll be the old school hippie selling vinyl records. I’ll be that curmudgeonly old shoemaker on the far side of town who will still measure your feet to make you shoes. I’ll be that weirdo who still writes letters by hand and sends them through the post office, no matter how expensive it is. I’ll be that grumpy old man in San Pablo City who draws on paper and prints his comics.

I am, by no means, a complete luddite. I have uploaded a few of my comics online and I have used the Internet considerably to promote my publications. In fact, online promotion has been a major part of my marketing strategy.

WASTED is the title of a comic book that I created from 1994 to 1996. It has gone through several editions in print, the first edition coming out in 1998 through Alamat Comics. In 2000 it was serialized for several months in Pulp Magazine. In 2002, Pulp Magazine published another compiled edition. A few years later, Wasted went out of print. In 2007, I decided to upload Wasted completely online, including a DVD-like commentary for each page at Webcomicsnation.com. It allowed a lot more people to read it, specially those from abroad.

But then, a strange thing happened. I still get letters and emails to this day from people looking for copies of Wasted. I always point out that they can read the entire thing for FREE online. The reaction is almost unanimous and immediate: No, we want to buy the print edition. There is not a comics convention that goes by (and believe it or not, we have something like six or seven of those a year here in the Philippines) that people don’t ask me for a copy of Wasted. The demand has grown so much that I’ve put it in the front burner of my company’s publishing schedule.

My other book ELMER was published through my own Komikero Publishing in 4 issues from 2006 to 2008. The first issue very quicky sold out. And when it did, I digitized it and uploaded it online as both as one HTML file where you can read it in one go, and as a downloadable Comic Book Reader file. FOR FREE. My purpose for doing so was to encourage people to buy the rest of the series in print, and the compiled edition which came out in 2009.

To further entice people to buy the printed comics, I collaborated with my wife’s paper crafting company to create a limited edition ELMER Box Sets which included a hardbound hand crafted copy of Elmer 1-4, photographs, facsimile of some of the objects found in the story, one piece of original artwork, and a certificate of authenticity. These are things that cannot be reproduced digitally, but can be created simply by hand. The minute I made the announcement on my blog about the existence of these box sets, I never had the opportunity to sell them at our local conventions because reservations for it came pouring in through email and quickly sold out.

Inspired by the success of the Elmer Box Sets, I am now currently planning what the WASTED special edition set will contain when I publish a new edition of it next year.

The next book I will publish is entitled “The Marvelous Adventures of the Amazing Doctor Rizal”. To encourage people to buy the print edition, I will be taking another risk and print it in a large format, with a width of 9 and half inches and height of 12 inches. Each copy will be hardcover, full color and printed on matte paper. Unless one has a large vertical monitor, the reader will not be able to fully appreciate the comic book in a digital format.

As a print publisher, I use the latest technologies to promote the work I do that’s available in print. I think it’s the perfect compromise between my personal sensibilities towards print publications, and the undeniable impact that the digital age has brought.

In spite of what I said earlier, I well and truly believe that digital books will and can exist side by side with print books and that both will flourish, and sometimes even complement each other. Not all people are created the same. Not all people will go digital, and not all people will be reading books in print. As we go slowly towards that day, I sincerely believe that technology, as well as us human beings, will find our proper places naturally through evolution and experimentation, and we will find there is a place for everyone, print and digital books alike.