2014 was proven to be an exciting year for the local comic industry. As local publishers slowly have their eyes on the potential of comics and the readership for it. One Mantra tried to review some of the local comics out there whether they were published or "indies".
This is a look back at our reviews for 2014 as we list our top 5 recommendations amongst those who deserve to be part of our readings this 2015.
5th: Precinto 13 ~ Calling The Parents Of A Little Girl In A Blue Dress by Budjette Tan and Atan (Alamat Comics)
In anticipation for the release of the 6th book of the Trese series, Budjette Tan gave us a nice appetizer with a Precinto 13 story. This short story deals with a nice lesson aimed much more to parents than their kids. This is a nice snack as we waited for our Christmas gift from the creators of Trese. Those who went to Summer Komikon 2014 were lucky enough to be able to get copies of this nice treat.
4th: Dark Side ~ Book 1 by Ron Mendoza and Erwin Arroza (Black Ink Comics)
One way to catch a Filipino's attention is a nice mystery story. Add some elements of detective work and paranormal activities and you are bound to have an audience listening to you. I guess you're thinking of a black and white Visprint comic book, but I'm actually referring to a book from Black Ink Comics. The Dark Side is a nice deviation to a girl babaylan warrior that Visprint made us accustomed to. In contrast to the babaylan warrior, the cast in this story are three NBI agents who are known as the Shadowcatchers. They are an interesting group as they solve a missing person's case that involves a love affair with a vampire in this book. A little more creative world development from Ron Mendoza could be the start of a following for this series if it was continued to be done excellently.
3rd: School Run ~ Parts 6 & 7 by Macoy
This is a story of a group of students stuck in the middle of the road with zombies and time as their enemy. At first, it already sounds boring since it looks like a typical zombie story. However, School Run differs a bit from the zombie transformation by adding a critical element to it. This is by becoming a zombie if he/she fails to take the anti-zombie medicine regularly. It's just like your daily dose of vitamins. However, its goodbye to your zombie virus controlled free body once you miss a pill. In these 2 latest issues of School Run, it has left a lot of its readers in sadness as one main character is given a head shot while another one is awaiting a similar fate. The simplicity of the illustrations of this series makes it safe to be read by younger kids and at the same time give adults a reason to be hooked to it.
2nd: 12 Silent Comics by Manix Abrera (Visprint)
There's always an assurance that we'll have a good time reading a graphic novel imprinted with a Rak en Rol! Quality sign. An artist that lives up to a challenge, Manix Abrera gives us this comics that doesn't have any dialogues in it. Despite its absence, these 12 stories can still make any reader feel a lot of emotions especially with the last story that could make a tear shed from the eye. This ambitious project of Manix nonetheless lands a good spot on our list.
1st: Zombinoy ~ Issue 1 by Geonard Yleana (Pelikomiks Studios)
Getting tired of the zombie genre? How about holding off that thought of skipping this comic. Even though the zombie apocalypse never ceases to be around in all sorts of medium these days, Zombinoy gives you an enjoyable ride. Have the story to take place in the Philippines. Now, add in the twist that it is in the early days of the zombie apocalypse and it is confined to the Luzon island of the country. Then pitch in the good use of each panels, the well thought dialogues and the great character development. All of those makes this 1st issue of Zombinoy on our top list. The creative team behind this series had remarkably stood up to the challenge of creating a comic with that cinematic feel. Eating with a popcorn in hand while reading this Pelikomiks Studios' comic works fine as you are brought in to a future Manila populated with zombies.
2014 was a good year of making reviews for One Mantra. We look forward to bring more insights on our local comics this 2015.
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