Comics: Nang Mainlove Ako Sa Isang Sakristan

Illustration and Story by: Richard Mercado
Silaw Publishing
(5/5 ★★★★★)

"Two seventeen-year-old boys, Francis and Didoy, get caught kissing at the back of the subdivision chapel. Out of shock, the two boys escape and go on a journey they'll never forget"

The Good:

This is an excellent coming of age story. Francis and Didoy's love story were neatly told along with the struggles experienced by members of the LGBT+ community. The realness of one's dilema of living in an environment wherein your loved ones follows the conservative route really gives a huge stress to an individual was depicted.

There were two great emotional moments portrayed in this book. First is Francis going back home and being welcomed by his mother with open arms saying, "Welcome home anak." It gives the impression that despite everything that has a happened, a mother's love to her child is one of the reasons why she has come to accept whatever her child turned out to be.

The second moment is the pinky promise done by Francis and Didoy. The promise of pure and innocent love in the midst of struggling to know who they are and how to deal with expressing their love in a judgmental world just gives the shivers.

"Now that there's someone who has my back, I will try moving forward, starting with the people whom I love." - Francis

The Bad:

The style of illustration might not get the attention of some who are looking for a hotter depiction of the characters. The weird faces of the characters on some angles on some panels might also give some thumbs down to others.

The Verdict:

Mercado delivers an offensive comic book to strict conservatives due to its title and illustration. But to an open minded individual, this is definitely a simple story of innocent love in a coming of age set-up. A love so pure it will really pierce your heart and make you shed a tear as the conversations about life and love progress.

This is a must buy in those collecting great slice of life stories.

"I thought since he seemed so interested with the sakristan I'd let him join so he would have some friends. I didn't know he was that intrested." - Mrs. Suarez

More of the creator's works can be seen at:

Instagram: @richardmercz

More of Nang Mainlove Ako Sa Isang Sakristan can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Nang Mainlove Ako Sa Isang Sakristan"

Penlab: "Nang Mainlove Ako Sa Isang Sakristan"

Comics: K ~ Issue 1

Story by: James Bernardo
Illustrated by: Brian Balondo
Rated: For Mature Readers
Pelikomiks Studios
(2/5 ★★☆☆☆)

"A serial killer is systematically assassinating politicians, policemen, and government officials. A veteran detective is on a mission to stop this wave of murders before time runs out."

The Good:

The cover was captivating enough for a passerby to take a look for a moment. Rarely will you see a politician, a Philippine politician to be exact due to the barong that was seen worn by the man, as he expresses fear of what could be a murder about to happen.

The plot looks promising. The illustrations also complimented really well with the manner the story was told.

The Bad:

As much as it wants to get the audience be excited for it, this story didn't deliver well for a first issue. The only thing that might get some curious enough to continue reading it is due to the deaths linked to a symbol. A symbol and nothing else.

Another thing that I can't seem to understand is the moment wherein a person from the crowd watching a crime scene tells others to be quiet because someone is "naglalaba" or doing the laundry.

The last thing is the title. Although it's still the first issue, at least we could have gotten a slight idea on why it was called K. K for killer or kill?

For a first issue, it failed to deliver in getting readers to put this series as a must sought out comic during conventions.

The Verdict:

Despite the premise and illustration, K failed to deliver a striking "wow" in order to get readers be interested in this series.

Hope the next issue gets published soon or we might see this series be killed a bit too early.

More of K can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Pelikomiks"

Events: Komiket South 2019

Komiket South is turning 3! It will be the third time Komiket South joins Buku-Buku Kafe at SM Southmall, Las Pinas City once again on May 25-26, 2019. The event will be held during mall hours and the entrance fee is FREE!

Here are some of the things to watch out for:

• Creative Journaling with TC of Inks and Coffee
• Hosted by: Crayola
• When: May 25, 2019 from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Registration Fee: Php. 750
• Sign up here: https://bit.ly/2EwdDlR

• Art Talk & Zine-Making Workshop
• Hosted by: Astrolikha Inc.
• When: May 25, 2019 at 1:00 p.m.
• Registration Fee: Php. 300
• More details here: Click This!

• Meet & Greet the Cast & Crew of ANi (The Harvest)
• When: May 25, 2019

Here is the list of exhibitors

Floor Map of the event

Don't miss out this third year of Komiket South.

More information about Komiket South can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Komiket South 2019"

Comics: Ang Laptop

Story by: Francis "Kong" Martelino
Illustrated by: Chocnut-san
(3/5 ★★★☆☆)

"a young man gets in trouble with the employees of a computer repair shop after asking for a refund."

The Good:

The story resonated how anime has been usually told. Most especially the fight scenes, wherein, a very intense match is being geared up with the use of simple weapons such as a box cutter and a long stapler. It was really funny to see the stats and short description for each item being wielded as a weapon.

The story was told in a way that humor and drama mixed well together that is really entertaining. An example is the setting the battle took place. It appears to be huge where in fact it's just a small store. The illustrator did a wonderful job of telling the script the writer had made.

The Bad:

The cover of this comic isn't that attractive for anyone to easily pick this up. The plot written at the back doesn't help either.

The Verdict:

A comic based on true events is one you might not believe is true for this comic. The story has been adjusted really good by its creators to poke fun at a very alarming news.

This one-shot comic is sure to be a stress reliever as it would remind you of the memories anime has. It is nice to read on your pastime.

More of the writer's works can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "The Hotdog Prince"
Instagram: @kongratss

More of the illustrator's works can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Chocnut-san"
Instagram: @chocnut_san

 

Events: Winners of the Komiket Awards 2019

The Komiket Awards were once again held. Last February Komiket 2019, the winners of the 5th Komiket Awards were announced.

These are the winners for 2019.

Best Writer

Michael Molo

for Darahug #1

Best Illustrator

Ruvel Abril

for Ultimo #2

Best Student Komiks

No Rest for the Gagus

by Zyrus Manue

Best Komiks

Ligaw-Tingin

by Emiliana Kampilan

Geiser Maclang Alamat Award

Acads Zine

by Alain Andrew S. Boquiren & Gioseppe Custodio

Congratulations to all the winners! May other comic book creators find inspiration in them.

Comics: Alak Extra Strong Feelings

Illustration and Story by: A Tango
The CoSmic Book

(1/5 ★☆☆☆☆)

The Good:

This comic has a nice cover. It has a simple but good script coupled with good illustrations.

The Bad:

The size of the paper inside this comic would have been better if it was the same size as its cover. It would have also been better if the comic pages were printed back to back. Not only does it saves paper but it shows the effort and passion of an artist to take the time in arranging the layout. It appears to have been effortlessly sketched then printed and just folded. It's a waste of paper for an 8 paged comic. 

The Verdict:

This simple story of love and alcohol was nice and simple. However, the artist's passion is not clearly that evident in the creation of this comic. It appears to be a lazy output. Even a high school student with good artistic talent and few resources could have easily created this comic, or even better than this one.

More of The CoSmic Book can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "The CoSmic Book"

Comics: I Grew Up, I Guess

Comic Adaptation of the Poem "What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up" by Jamie McGhee
Illustrated by: Chocnut-san
Genre: Slice of Life

(5/5 ★★★★★)

"A comic adaptation of the poem, "What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up" by Jamie McGhee that portrays the realities of being a young professional while chasing an indefinite dream."

The Good:

Let's start first with the cover. Who wouldn't stop to take a look at the beautiful cover of this comic. Aside from the beautiful drawing, the use and blending of colors strikes the eyes for an individual to be drawn towards it. It enhances the cover really well for anyone to pause and take a closer look at it.

The illustrations inside neatly matched the poem made by Jamie McGhee. The illustrations were neat and clean to look at.

The Bad:

I only wish that the entire comic book is colored. It might have been really amazing just by judging the use of colors in the cover.

The Verdict:

The dreams that one had before venturing out into the "real world" was nicely portrayed. The truthful reality of how the current world operates was depicted extremely well.

This comic book adaptation will surely hit the hearts of a lot of readers who back then had big dreams of conquering the world only to be held back by the reality that things work out a bit different than we had imagined it to be.

She can be seen on:

Facebook Page: "Chocnut-san"

Comics: No Label ~ Issue 1

Illustration and Story by: Hayme Pola

(1/5 ★☆☆☆☆)

"Sila ay nagkakilala.
Sila ay nagkausap.
Sila ay nagdesisyong pumunta sa isang art exhibit."

The Good:

The cover depicting an LGBT+ themed story looks promising especially with a title "No Label".

The Bad:

Improvements could still be done with how the illustrations such as the clothes, the character's limbs and even the eye glasses were drawn. The comic "Behind Closed Doors" was a bit better than this.

Story wise, I wish it could have told more. This first issue alone does not raise interest in getting the second issue of what happens when Ian Perez and Euren Reyes went to the art exhibit.

The Verdict:

Improvements should be done on the art and story telling of this LGBT+ slice of life series. The title looks promising but it lacks on the execution.

She can be seen on:

Instagram: @haymepola