Gerry Alanguilan's Blog, page 17

Comic Book Signing at Sputnik, Cubao, December 10, 2011

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Four indie komiks creators will have a signing this Saturday at Sputnik, Cubao X, Cubao, Quezon City this Saturday, December 10 from 8pm to 12 midnight. Creators include Gio Paredes, who just released his first Kalayaan TPB, Macoy Tang of School Run, Mascot and Operasyon, and the Work-in-Progress duo of Teddy Pavon and Hub Pacheco. Since Teddy and Hub have recently entered serious podcasting, expect a podcast with the creators on their WIP site very soon.

SPUTNIK can be found at the Cubao X or the Cubao Expo, formerly Marikina Shoe Expo, in Cubao, Quezon City.

Download this kmz file, then open it in Google Earth to see exactly where it is.

Nestor Redondo's Bible from Superyor Komiks, 1968

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Long before Nestor Redondo embarked on his tabloid sized adaptation of the Bible for DC comics in 1975, he worked on a much more massive Bible adaptation, published through his own publishing company, Redondo Komiks in 1968. The adaptation was serialized on a one every two week basis, 4-5 pages each installment, on the pages of Superyor Komiks. The run I have in my possession was handed down to me by my father in law, Korak and Tarzan artist Rudy Florese, who was able to photocopy and compile the adaptation. I don't know how long exactly the series ran, but the last installment in this collection is from April 1971, depicting a scene in Exodus where Moses' staff turns into a snake. That's 4 years worth of bi-weekly strips so it's quite a lot.

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For a gallery of art from this collection, click on this public Facebook album.

I apologize for the image quality. As I had mentioned, these were scanned from photocopies, photocopied during a time when photocopying was just coming into use. This is a piece of work, I believe, that needs to be collected and republished into one volume. Komikero Publishing will be willing to scan and restore the pages in this adaptation if we would be able to find (perhaps borrow) the original komiks run so we can scan it. We would certainly devote as much care and attention to it as we did the restoration of Francisco V. Coching's El Indio. We would also endeavor to get in touch with Nestor Redondo's family to acquire permission to do so.

Since this is a Bible adaptation, I believe we won't have a problem finding a suitable publisher for it. If you can help, please do get in touch. You can email us at gerryalanguilan at yahoo dot com.

My Last Talk

Earlier today I was at a university in Lucena giving a talk about my career in comics. I had a really great time. The kids there were great, the faculty and the Quezon Chapter of the United Architects of the Philippines who invited me were very accommodating and hospitable. All in all it was a truly great experience. And that makes it all the sadder for me knowing it was also going to be my last time giving a talk at a school. My experience at Lucena was in no way responsible in my decision. In fact, if all my experiences like my Lucena experience, I wouldn't have made the decision at all. But I've wanted to stop for quite a while now, and for the reasons why I eventually did, please read this.

I'm just glad that my last go at it was a very pleasant one, and I'll come away from it with happy and memorable thoughts.

Here's a tip for those who want someone from the comics industry to give a talk at your school, I strongly suggest you get Harvey Tolibao. Harvey has been making a name for himself as Marvel and now DC artist. It's probably best to contact him through his Facebook page here. I recommend Harvey not only because he's one of the most talented Filipino artist I've met in recent years, but he's also one of the most entertaining talkers. Whenever I'm at an event where Harvey is slated to speak, I know I'll have an awesome time just listening to him relating his stories. He's a very funny, very entertaining storyteller.

That said, it doesn't mean I'm giving up talks altogether. I'm still planning on doing my comics workshop here in San Pablo, which I've now moved to sometime in the summer, and I'll continue to give talks at comics conventions whenever I'm asked to.

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 and his illustration.

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, Freely Abrigo

Mel Casipit, Jon Zamar, Sherry Zamar, Ariel Atienza

Gio Paredes and the just released Kalayaan TPB!

Komiks Veterans Jun Lofamia and Danny Acuña were mobbed!

Jun Lofamia

Danny Acuña sketches.

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

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!

Link coverage as they come.

The 3rd San Pablo Comics Festival, December 3, 2011 (UPDATED!)

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YES! The 3rd San Pablo City Comics Festival is finally happening. You may recall the first festival happened in 2003 at the Mariño Residence along Sampalok Lake. The second one in 2009 at Lion's Club, also along Sampalok Lake.

This year, we're changing venues once again, emphasizing another San Pablo landmark, the Ultimart Shopping Center. Long time residents of San Pablo cherish Ultimart as their very own mall. Recent renovations make it one of the best places for residents to hang out with its new pleasant design, excellent restaurants and shops.

The San Pablo City Comics Festival is presented by KOMIKERO Publishing and JONASDIEGO.COM in cooperation with the KOMIKERO Artist Group and the Graphic Literature Guild (GLG) of UPLB. Well,I guess I'm more of a figurehead than anything else. It's Jonas Diego and his group that's doing most of the legwork in the organization of this event, with me helping out in bits here and there. This festival is made possible by the incredible generosity and support of Ultimart itself, and the United Architects of the Philippines, San Pablo Chapter.

Special Guests include Pugad Baboy creator Pol Medina, Kikomachine creator Manix Abrera and his dad, Jess Abrera, premiere editorial cartoonist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer!

For more information on this event including activities, contests, maps on how to get there, please head on over the official festival site below:

The 3rd San Pablo Comics Festival Website

http://sanpablocomicsfestival.blogspot.com/

Facebook Event Page. Click if you're going! Thanks!

http://www.facebook.com/events/301393093220449/

National Book Store will be sending copies of ELMER 2nd Edition, and it will be sold at the Komikero Publishing table.

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Stalwarts of local comics hold 3rd Comics Festival in Laguna

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/blogs/geekspeak/stalwarts-local-comics-hold-3rd-comics-festival-laguna-155442489.html

Vinyl+Splash Event Raised 125,000 Pesos for the UN World Food Program!

Last Saturday I was at Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street to participate in the Vinyl+Splash, The Ultimate Collectibles and Comics Convention. However, the primary purpose of the event seemed to be a series of auctions of artwork donated by comics, street and vinyl artists to benefit the United Nations World Food program.

At the fifth floor of Fully Booked. The place was, well… FULLY BOOKED!

Marvel and DC artist Harvey Tolibao working on a monster Psylocke drawing using only a ballpoint pen! His piece raised 30,000 pesos!

Comics retail chain store Comic Odyssey owner Sandy Sansolis and Marvel superstar Leinil Francis Yu.

The ELMER illustration I drew at the event. It raised 7,000 pesos at auction!

IDW artist Mark Torres draws up some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Marvel artist Edgar Tadeo draws up a Thor!

Marvel artist Stephen Segovia!

Dynamite artist Heubert Khan Michael!

Marvel artist Mico Suayan!

Legendary artist Tony De Zuniga!

With host RJ Ledesma!

Signing copies of Superior.

Harvey and his completed illustration. WOW!

I went to the event thinking it's going to be a little fun event where I'll get to meet and hang out with friends… it turns out to be much more fun than I expected, and surprisingly, also kind of a big deal as there was an incredibly huge turnout, and our collective artworks raised as much as 125 thousand pesos for the UN World Food Program. I thought that was incredible.

Check out these articles for more coverage of the event:

Red Dot Diva Coverage

Yo! MC: The NextJam! Coverage

The Web Journal of John Ray Coverage

Toysrevil Coverage

Flipgeeks Picture Coverage

Here's a particularly nice video made by Marvene Rom Munda.

vinyl+SPLASH Event (AVP) from Marvene Rom Munda on Vimeo.

With my wife Ilyn enjoying some quiet time outside the venue before we went home.

Shying Away From Giving Talks

As I get old really fast I start to learn some new things about myself. Well, they're not exactly new, but I guess I'm just being more honest with things I really feel, and I'm more open to saying what I really think. I'm starting to really believe that keeping things inside is bad for me, and I feel less inclined to stay quiet just for the sake of maintaining some kind of harmony (which upon reflection is based on someone putting me at a disadvantage and me quietly taking it and steaming inside.) It's not healthy. I think this is one of those times.

Up until recently I've generally accepted invitations to give talks at schools and universities in Manila, but over the last year or so it's become difficult for me to accommodate invitations for various reasons. The main reason is probably this: I had been assessing myself and my skill at giving talks, and after several years of doing it, I really have to be honest with myself and say that I'm not really good at it. I guess I do the job OK enough, but I don't think I'm as effective as I want to be. After every talk, I feel I could have done it better, and I really torment myself about it. I've decided to quit several times, but sometimes it's hard to say no.

I guess the trigger that finally made me realize I don't want to do this anymore was a recent invitation to give a talk at a school in Manila. Now when I'm invited, there are things I wish people would understand.

One, I would be coming from San Pablo City, in Laguna. That's 82 kilometers away, around 2 hours or more of public transportation going to Manila via tricyle, bus, and at Manila perhaps LRT or Taxi, depending on where it is. It would be another 2 hours or more going back.

Two, since I'm coming from San Pablo for an hour or couple of hours talk at a school in Manila, it means I'm actually devoting an entire day including travel time. I will be stopping my work for an entire day, an entire day away from my drawing table. And since I'm in a business where you don't get paid if you don't work, that's an entire day where I won't earn my living.

Three, teaching is work. The professors of these students teach them and they get paid for it. I share my specialized knowledge and expertise to teach students what I know, but I do it for free.

So if you think about it, an invitation means I'm invited to stop working on my comics (which means less income for me), spend my own money to travel via a long bus trip to Manila, where I will work for free.

Now I don't charge at all for talks like this. This is not about the money. I'm just trying to put some kind of perspective here. To make you understand exactly what i'm being asked to do, and what that entails.

So I told the group I don't mind giving a talk. My only request was, I hoped they could give me a ride. I'm not exactly a really young guy anymore, and it's becoming more difficult for me to commute long distances by bus. I think that's only a fair request, in exchange for the things they're asking me to give up and do. A ride from San Pablo to Manila and back. Since this is an exclusive school which I assume are populated with well off students and well off parents, I think it wouldn't be a problem for them to spare someone to come get me do this job for them.

And you know what? They reconsidered their invitation. It seems they no longer want me to give a talk anymore.

Now that just made something snap in my mind. If I had gone along with this, they would thank me and think I'm such a nice guy, but I can't help but feel I had just been taken advantage of. And I think I've come to that point and that age, where I have to draw the line and just say ENOUGH OF THIS. If they come away thinking I'm not so nice, well I don't care what they think, or what anyone thinks. Call this EGO if you want, but if EGO means nobody gets to take advantage of me anymore, then I don't care what you call it.

I've already said yes to one more talk in Lucena, but after that, I will no longer be accepting invitations like this. And for this I truly and honestly apologize. But it can't be helped. I just don't want to do it anymore.

It doesn't mean I don't want to teach, or share my knowledge. It's quite the opposite. If you look at this blog, you will find tons and tons of articles of advice, tips, and how tos on the art of creating comics. You just have to want to read it. It's all here. And if you have any question about anything about the art of comics, you can just send me a message or post something at my Facebook page, and if you ask nicely (and aren't intolerably pushy and demanding), I usually reply and offer my advice. To me that's already teaching, and I do it for free.

Now that said, I wish to give some advice to schools and universities. I don't know where the idea of hiring a specialist for a day to teach your students and don't pay them for it came about. I've been thinking about it, and yeah, there seems to be something inequitable in this equation. You pay your professors to teach your students, and yet when you invite a specialist for a day of special education, you don't pay them, and you don't even offer to give them a ride for their trouble. I suggest you start. The artists won't ask for it because artists are like that. They love to share what they know, and they would readily do it for free, as I have many many times. But for the things they do for you, I think it's worth paying them for the things they can teach your students. Don't wait for them to ask, because they won't. Offer it. And I'm not talking honorarium. It's nice when schools do offer it, but lots of times they don't. Show them you appreciate their service, and the things they're giving up just to share what they know. I think it's only fair.

It's a BIG Weekend for Comics In the Philippines!

It's a huge HUGE Weekend for comics in the Philippines! There will be a three day comics festival dubbed PICCAFEST or the Philippine International Cartoons, Comics and Animation Festival from November 25-27! This is their THIRD annual Festival in a row!

PICCA's Mission:

"To act as a watershed international forum in the Philippines for cartoons, comics and animation.

To promote goodwill and knowledge exchange between comics creators and animators in Asia, the U.S.A and Europe.

To make the Filipino youth aware and proud of the Filipino's strong tradition in comics arts and animation.

To promote global recognition of the Filipino ability in the sphere if comics creation and animation and effect enhancement of and regain the competitive edge of the Filipinos in this particular art and intellectual property creation."

PICCA Official Page

PICCA Facebook Page

Also on November 26 is the VINYL+SPLASH: The Ultimate Collectible and Comic Convention from Fully Booked, Red Nimbus, Vinyl on Vinyl, and Comic Odyssey

This will be held on Saturday, November 26, 2011 at TopShelf, Fifth Floor of Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street

Info at Fully Booked Website

Facebook Events Page

The 3rd San Pablo Comics Festival, December 3, 2011

Click for Super Large Image

YES! The 3rd San Pablo City Comics Festival is finally happening. You may recall the first festival happened in 2003 at the Mariño Residence along Sampalok Lake. The second one in 2009 at Lion's Club, also along Sampalok Lake.

This year, we're changing venues once again, emphasizing another San Pablo landmark, the Ultimart Shopping Center. Long time residents of San Pablo cherish Ultimart as their very own mall. Recent renovations make it one of the best places for residents to hang out with its new pleasant design, excellent restaurants and shops.

The San Pablo City Comics Festival is presented by KOMIKERO Publishing and JONASDIEGO.COM in cooperation with the KOMIKERO Artist Group and the Graphic Literature Guild (GLG) of UPLB. Well,I guess I'm more of a figurehead than anything else. It's Jonas Diego and his group that's doing most of the legwork in the organization of this event, with me helping out in bits here and there. This festival is made possible by the incredible generosity and support of Ultimart itself, and the United Architects of the Philippines, San Pablo Chapter.

Special Guests include Pugad Baboy creator Pol Medina, Kikomachine creator Manix Abrera and his dad, Jess Abrera, premiere editorial cartoonist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer!

For more information on this event including activities, contests, maps on how to get there, please head on over the official festival site below:

The 3rd San Pablo Comics Festival Website

http://sanpablocomicsfestival.blogspot.com/

Facebook Event Page. Click if you're going! Thanks!

http://www.facebook.com/events/301393093220449/

National Book Store will be sending copies of ELMER 2nd Edition, and it will be sold at the Komikero Publishing table.

More updates on this as the event draws near.

At KOMIKON, the 7th Annual Philippine Komiks Convention (UPDATED II!)

The crowd at Komikon yesterday, right on top of this post, just to give you an idea of how crazy it was. I was taken quite by surprise by the sheer amount of people who showed up. Having gone to this thing for years, I have a fair idea of the amount of people who visit. The mornings are usually rather calm, with things picking up after lunch. But the crowd this time around was intense. From the moment the doors opened in the morning up until the event closed at 7pm, it was this crowded. I saw a lot of new faces, which is great!

Click for larger image.

That photo above represents the stash I got from Komikon. And to think I barely had time to leave my table and go around and buy stuff. These are the only things I managed to get, but this is by no means the entire output of the convention. From the looks of it, I probably got only less than 10% of new komiks being offered on the floor. I wish I could have gotten more, but that's how it goes, I guess. It may seem like I'm complaining that I can't break out of my table for long periods of time, but I'm really not. It was great so many came over to buy Elmer and Bold Star and my other stuff for sale, including some original artwork. It was great meeting everyone who came. I just wish I had more opportunity to go and buy stuff. After all, I'm still very much a fan myself.

The Tintin stuff over there are gifts from French journalist Laurent Melikian, who visited the Philippines specifically to attend Komikon. Isn't that amazing?

With Laurent.

Laurent also brought with him the Prix Asie ACBD 2011 Trophy from my French publisher Editions Ca Et La.

Here are more photos from the event.

The calm before the storm.

The line outside.

Tepai Pascual.

Doc Carlo Jose San Juan taking a break from his medical duties to sell his comic book… about a doctor and a talking duck?

Law Student Teddy Pavon cramming for a test before selling the print version of his webcomic Work in Progress.

Johnny Danganan sells comic books that features Johnny Balbona, a character I created based on him.

Melvin and Joanah Tinio Calingo

Komiks veterans Jun Lofamia and Bert Lopez

Komiks veteran Rico Rival

Yes, I brought my work seat to the con. Got a problem with that? :D

Storm and Beast!

With Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah creator Carlo Vergara

On stage with Komikon organizer/host Sherry Baet Zamar

Hey, Baby! With Ariel Atienza, Tony De Zuniga and Lyndon Gregorio

Heubert Khan Michael, Wilson Tortosa and Edgar Tadeo

With Leinil Francis Yu and Edgar.

GMA 7 Video Coverage:

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KOMIKON Coverage Links

Blog Coverage from The Comics Cube

Blog Coverage from NSW Online

Blog Coverage from Inside a Cat's Mind

Plain Random Blog Coverage

Ika-Siyam Blog Coverage

Carina's Words Blog Coverage

Mel Casipit's Blog Coverage

NonSensical Words Blog Coverage Part 1

JB Casacop Blog Coverage

Work in Progress Blog Coverage