Comics: School Run ~ Issue 1

Macoy x Ardie Aquino Edition

Illustration and Story by: Macoy and Ardie Aquino

(4/5 ★★★★☆)

"In post-zombie apocalypse Philippines, life is good! Or at least as good as you can expect in a third-world country with 80's technology and an everpresent zombie plague. But as Maki and her friends will soon discover, just getting to school in the morning can be a real killer.

SCHOOL RUN is a tongue-in-cheek zombie story with everything you look for in the genre: humor, action, social commentary, and the undead munching on kids."

The Good:

After almost a decade, School Run is back as Macoy made a collaboration with Ardie Aquino.

This update is thrilling to see in so many ways. It now comes in color with the dialogues updated from Filipino to English.

The cover has been changed to show a crowd full of zombies with some of the main casts in it. Also within the hoard are the creators so one would find it amusing to try and guess which one are they among the zombies.

The previous panels and script originally drawn by Macoy has been given a new look by Ardie. The details that can be seen at the background of the characters are worth to look at. Knockoff logos of familiar companies and brands can be seen like Food Panda, Angkas, Skull Head, and Meralco. An added bonus was the additional signage stuck on a post promoting Ardie's Home Massage Service beside a Mackoy Plumber post.

The story describes of a post-zombie apocalypse world that occurs in the year 2035. It still gives a fun and fresh look of the Philippines with young children as the main characters.

The Bad:

One of the biggest concern with this post-zombie apocalypse version is the NZP or the anti plague medicine that everyone appears to be taking. The presence of this item, which was also present in the original version, leaves a lot of questions. It insinuates that by forgetting to take this pill will turn you into a zombie aside from the primary means of exposure to a contaminated blood or body fluids. It begs to question if the zombie virus was also airborne. It is also appalling that no new drug has been invented yet in order to increase the interval time for this medication be taken by the general population. The need to take a pill every 4 hours is going to be a tiresome chore because it means setting an alarm so you could wake up from your 6 to 8 hours of sleep just to take this anti plague pill.

The Verdict:

Zombie apocalypse themed stories is still a nice story to dwell on. This updated version is more child friendly in comparison to the original one. This can be seen as the head of one of the characters pop up at the back of the school bus. Looking at it in black and white back then gives a more chilling scenario in comparison to the current multicolored zombies in the series.

Most of the original fans would be pulled back to rediscover the story of Maki. I just hope we can finally see the ending of this series.

More of the creators' works can be seen at:

Ardie Aquino:

Instagram: @chikidoodledoo

Macoy:

Twitter: @komiksnimacoy

Comics: Tarantadong Kalbo ~ Volume 1

Illustration and Story by: Kevin Eric Raymundo

Komiket Inc.

(5/5 ★★★★★)

"Mula sa pagtapal ng repolyo hanggang

paglamon ng dolomite, ito ang koleksyon ng

mga komiks ni Tarantadong Kalbo sa taong 2020,

ang pinakamasagwang taon nating lahat."

The Good:

Tarantadong Kalbo comics is the equivalent of Pugad Baboy comics that currently floods our social media.

The present sociopolitical events of the Philippines can be seen in his comic strips. The plight of the poor during the current pandemic are portrayed on the strips Mahirap and Caramel Matapobre. The COVID-19 pandemic response of the country are seen through the strips Fus Ro Dammit, V.I.P., The Emperor, and Napakasuwerte.

The best strips in this compilation delves on topics such as depression in Ok, Not Ok. and fake news in Inuman Sessions: Fake News.

"Ang hindi mag-luv sa own wika are like parang worse pa sa hayop or stinky isda."

The Bad:

There are several comic strips wherein the context are a bit hard to grasp such as Buksan Ang Kwaderno.

The Verdict:

Joining the ranks of Pugad Baboy, Tarantadong Kalbo can be considered as part of the Filipino comics that has been of relevance to the society. It paints the current situation of an ordinary Filipino in this extraordinary times.

Even the sweetest and saddest stories are presented through the strips Tobleron and Tobleron (2).

"Yan talaga yung pinaka-ayaw ko sa lahat.

Ang mabuhay sa takot."

He can be seen at:

Facebook Page: Tarantadong Kalbo

Twitter: @KevinKalbo

More of Tarantadong Kalbo can be seen at:

Penlab: "Tarantadong Kalbo Book 1 Preview"

  

Comics: Ang Jowa Kong Crosswise ~ Episode 1: Hatid Na Kita!

Illustration and Story by: Tsambolero (Raphael Unta)

(5/5 ★★★★★)

"Ang Jowa Kong Crosswise follows the life and times of Tomas and Leo, who -- for all the world -- look like any other yuppie same-sex couple in their twenties. They, too, fight about all those domestic things long-term couples bicker about. But then again, Tomas and Leo are no ordinary couple, and it's not because they're gay. Tomas is a bloodthirsty, self-segmenting, folkoric creature of the night, while Leo is ... well, just Leo."

The Plot:

Late for work? Grab is still 10 minutes away? It looks like a job for Leo's crosswise partner.

The Good:

The story and art are really loveable to look at. The creator did a great job in this online comic.

The Bad:

The only bad thing is this is only 4 panels long.

The Verdict:

Tsambolero gives us a sweet and hilarious take on an interesting same-sex couple that involves different creatures, wherein their main focus is love. This episode ends with the lower half of Tomas still polishing the floor with a coconut husk.

The artist made an adorable couple in the image of Tomas and Leo where readers will keep on coming back for that 'kilig' feeling.

He can be seen at:

Twitter: @Tsambolero

More of Ang Jowa Kong Crosswise can be seen at:

Penlab: "Ang Jowa Kong Crosswise"

Comics: The Graveyard Shift ~ Issue 1

Illustration and Story by: Chelsea Oleta

(4/5 ★★★★☆)

 "A little magic never hurt anyone."

The Good:

It has a nice cover. The illustrations were clean and neat to look at. Representation of the common skin tone of our people was represented well in this comic.

The Bad:

I know its a cliffhanger, but the last panel was not clear on whether the creature was a werewolf like monster or a lion like beast.

The Verdict:

Mayo, a witch or mangkukulam, is an interesting character. Her story of travel to the United States is one to look forward to. Hoping that the story of Maya the teenage mangkukulam impress us on the next issues.

She can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Oletarts"
Tumblr: Oletarts
Twitter: @oletarts
Instagram: @oletarts

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"

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

Comics: Higante ~ Episode 1: A Monster Grows From the Wasteland

Illustration and Story by: Geonard Yleana
Rated: For Mature Readers

Pelikomiks Studios

(3/5 ★★★☆☆)

(Cover by Sid Santos)

"Two brother scavengers discover

a mysterious and powerful source

of energy.

Now, they're going to teach

society a lesson."

The Good:

The first episode of Higante shows the different ironies that are present in our society. Such as seeing a pile of garbage underneath a "no throwing of garbage" sign. Also piles of junk serves as a playground for kids leading them to compare it to Disneyland.

The Bad:

It is not easy to identify if this story is an origin story for a superhero story or not.

The illustration of the cover didn't do much for it to be an eye-catcher. Mostly the line "from the creators of "Zombinoy"" did it.

The Verdict:

This is another title from Pelikomiks Studios. However, this story didn't make a striking first impression compared to the other titles.

An energy drink, which makes the person who drinks it become a giant, was accidentally ingested by a young scavenger in a city. A place where society is not in an apocalyptic mood, may make the reader wonder as to how the the boys would teach society a lesson. Especially with a giant roaming the city, it may just send out the police enforcers, if they have the capability, to try to neutralize the giant.

"Tires. Drums. Steal cages

Your place is like Disneyland." - Toti

More of Higante can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Higante"

Comics: Crime-Fighting Call Center Agents ~ Issue 1: Psycho Killer On A Bike

Story by: Noel Pascual

Illustrated by: AJ Bernardo

Kowtow Komiks

(4/5 ★★★★☆)

The Plot:

A group of friends; Noel, Sandra, Charlie and Koontz, barely escaped from a psycho killer on a bike. They spent a night on an empty house while they figure out a way to escape.

The Good:

The story is about a group of crazy friends who are just trying to survive a night.

The premise of an impending death from a psycho killer was presented somehow similar to a comedy show. The gang throws a lot of jokes, insights and commentaries on our society. Among the many jokes was regarding a girls' automatic response whenever she fails to make a comeback with a witty joke.

The Bad:

The ending was a complete mystery. As dawn approaches, the psycho killer can be seen lying on the floor with the Bow wowee alcoholic drink mascot hidden behind them.

It was a really mysterious drinking session.

The Verdict:

This strange group of friends battle (or drink off) with the criminal is one heck of a puzzling story. It is really a bizarre and hilarious story that would make one curious as to what the group will be up to next.

More of Crime-Fighting Call Center Agents can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Crime-Fighting Call Center Agents"

Tumblr: Crime-Fighting Call Center Agents

Twitter: @kowtowkomiks

Comics: Antingeros ~ Issue 1: Power Strugle

Story by: James Bernardo

Illustrated by: Geonard Yleana and Carlo Cruz

Rated: For Mature Readers

Pelikomiks Studios

(5/5 ★★★★★)

"What would you do if you possessed amazing powers?

The most common answer is, of course, to save the world.

But power is and has always been a deceptive beast.

Innocent and idealistic at first but when left unchecked, bares its vicious teeth and devours everything.

It is probably why we are so fascinated by it, why we are drawn to it. It's a flickering light in the distance that grows brighter the closer we get. And, it reveals itself as a shining amulet we desire to wear around our necks.

Our history is filled with stories and legends of individuals wielding enchanted relics of power. Some were heroes who defended our freedom and saved lives. Some were not.

Their stories power this one.

This is a story of four childhood friends who all once dreamed of saving the world.

What would they do if they possessed amazing powers?"

The Good:

Opening to a robbery conducted by individuals with super power really beefs up the opening of the story. It provides an insight to one of the probable sources of the anting-anting's powers. The legend of the lightning's fang seems like one of those old stories that everyone in the province knew and we were lucky enough to hear it.

The Bad:

The cover wasn't that appealing. The poor quality, due to photocopying, had lost some of the interesting things that could fascinate a reader such as the small details on the anting-anting.

The Verdict:

Away with post-apocalyptic themed stories. Pelikomiks Studios presents a new series that looks like a superhero story. A group whose super powers came from the anting-anting that they possess.

Antingeros' first issue has a promising start that focuses on a magical amulet. It opens us to a new legend about the gods of thunder and lightning. One could only imagine it to be similar to those young adult a.k.a YA novels that engages the reader to see another aspect of the world that we are living in. Antingeros and the Lightning's Fang might be the title of the book if this was created as a YA novel instead.

More of Antingeros can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Pelikomiks Studios - Zombinoy"

Comics: Beloved Engkantado Horrors ~ Issue 1

Illustration and Story by: Motzie Dapul
Project Bayani Imprint
(3/5 ★★★☆☆)

The Plot:

Rio Anderson, 4th heir to the Salvador clan, and Siglo, a tikbalang formerly controlled by a mad sorcerer, were suddenly attacked by a siyokoy tribe who seeks revenge for all the mahiwaga lives that has been lost brought about by the dark tikbalang. 

The Good:

If a growing romance between a human and a tikbalang isn't enough. We are presented with a same sex relationship scenario through the characters of Rio and Siglo.

This kind of relationship isn't touched by most comic book creators, especially comic book creators who tackle topics about our Philippine mythological creatures. This is definitely a new picture being presented to us.

The Bad:

The title was not quite clear on what we should be expecting. A love story? A scary story? Or a mix of a dark and scary kind of love story?

The illustrations could require some improvements. It was also part of the reason why the title isn't quite clear on what we should expect from the story. If it's really a dark story, I hope the atmosphere will illustrate that on the succeeding issues.

In addition, the illustrations need improvement with regards to Rio and the siyokoys. Rio's hair shading was inconsistent in comparison to Siglo, whose jacket was evidently shown all throughout the scenes. For the siyokoys, their appearance looked closer to a bird tribe rather than a water tribe. What I presume are scales on their torso and shoulders appear to look more like feathers. Their overall design would remind me more of birds rather than creatures with scales.

The Verdict:

This is still an interesting comic. A yaoi version of Trese's Alexandra Trese and Maliksi pairing.

With all the engkanto stories that we currently have, Dapul gives us a different take on our mythological creatures, as they embrace a forbidden love that remains to be a taboo in our society.

 

Comics: Elmer ~ Issue 1

Illustration and Story by: Gerry Alanguilan

Rated: 17+ Only

Genre: Anthropomorphic / Drama / Fantasy

Komikero Publishing
SLG Publishing
(5/5 ★★★★★)

"Elmer is a window into a world where chickens have suddenly acquired the intelligence and consciousness of humans, where they can now consider themselves a race no different than browns, black or whites. Recognizing themselves to be sentient, the inexplicably evolved chickens push to attain rights for themselves as the newest members of the human race.

Elmer tells the story of a family of chickens who lives and struggles to survive in a suddenly complicated and dangerous world." 

The Good:

This 1st issue of Elmer begins with the everyday getting-out-of-bed sickness that most of us have.

We follow Jake Gallo, as he orients us to the current situation of the world after chickens emerged as a new race that is at par with the humans due to their newly acquired intelligence and consciousness.

The plot was wonderful. The dialogues may have been hilarious to read but questions regarding the norms of the society were placed with ease.

I think what was great in this comic was how the illustrations were carried out. Alanguilan is really a gifted artist who skillfully shows to us chickens full of emotions. He doesn't need to add an eyebrow to show anger. The facial features already gives the tone of that character.

There was a great splash page in this issue. The illustration of a rooster and his chick enjoying the sunset over a can of beer was delightful to look at. An enlarged and framed illustration of that scene would be great to hang in the house.

The Bad:
With the removal of the tasty chicken dish that we have been accustomed to, ducks now replaces that scene. However, it really seems fucked up to see a chicken eating a roasted duck on some panels. It seems too much for me to accept that part of reality.

The Verdict:
Humans at par with the chickens? Who would have thought of that kind of reality in an alternate universe. Recognizing them to be at par with our level of intelligence and consciousness seems to be a crazy idea. It would also lead us to kissing goodbye on eating our favorite fried chicken since it would then be considered as a crime of murder and as an act of cannibalism.

This 1st issue of Elmer was an enjoyable read. An alternate world where chickens could possibly be your employer is interesting. Even the idea that a nation would later on elect their first (and definitely not the last) chicken president/prime minister of their country would put all into confusion.

Alanguilan tells us to take a peek to experience this other worldly possibility that after all the fight for equality in terms of religion, race, color and sexual orientation comes the fight for chicken equality.

"Aw, dad... this isn't another one of those "oh, you're LUCKY you didn't have to peck dry corn and uncooked rice off the dirt!" kind of thing is it?" - Jake Gallo

Free Digital Copy:
ComiXology: Elmer #1
KOMIKERO DOT COM: Elmer01.cbr

Comics: Josef Miggy & Yaya Karol ~ Issue 1 (of 4)

Story by: Budjette Tan

Illustrated by: Rysa Antonio and Kajo Baldisimo

Alamat Comics

(5/5 ★★★★★)

The Plot:

A kidnapping happened in front of Josef and Yaya Karol. Gifted with super powers, Josef Miggy a.k.a. Kid Kilowattz and Yaya Karol a.k.a. Dark Cloud, rescues Louie from his abductors. Will they be able to get Louie back? Will they finish all of this and still be in time for Josef's grandmother's birthday?

The Good:

This comic cleared the questions, from Josef Miggy & Yaya Karol ~ Super Secret Adventures, on whether their super powers were real or imaginary.

The illustrations and story still looks great. It maintained that tone that makes this comic to be kid friendly. The best example would be attack moves labeled as Electro Blaster and Sonic Boom Sigaw.

The Bad:

Now that the question on whether or not Josef Miggy and Yaya Karol had super powers were answered. The next question would then be regarding the origin of their powers. Since this is just the first of the four part series, we'll just have to wait on how the creators would tell the origin of their powers.

The Verdict:

A lot of things have been subtly mentioned for the future plot of this mini series as different antagonists and item were mentioned in this 1st issue. Who knows, maybe this story is part of the Trese universe that Tan and Baldisimo had built. Especially since this was marked as an Alamat Comics. A lot of events could happen, such as possible crossovers of characters or the recognition that they too belong to the universe where the guardian of the city wields a Sinag as the choice of weapon and is often protected by two demigods.

Josef Miggy & Yaya Karol's kid friendly story smoothly entered the Alamat universe that is often toned to be very dark.

"If only we had a real magic word to yell this would be easier!

Saying "Ula-Ula-Ula-Pow!" just makes me sound silly!" - Yaya Karol

Comics: Benjo ~ Issue 1: Bilangguan

Illustration and Story by: Edgar Daryll Cumigad

Gray Tones and Inks by: Jose Paolo De Torres

Rated: M / Suggested for Mature Readers

Spanton Productions

(5/5 ★★★★★)

The Plot:

In the future, the Philippines has used the Pag-asa island, the second largest island among the Spratley's group of island, as a place to house prisoners. The Pag-asa island prison was built as a modern day Alcatraz. As prisoners serve their life sentence, human experimentation secretly exists to serve the needs of Ibarratech Company.

The Good:

The story and the illustrations were great. The slicing and shooting scenes in the first few pages were so fantastic that it would make you pause for a moment and think if what you're reading is another post apocalyptic zombie story.

An interesting thing done in between the story was the one page advertisement of the Luna series, also from Spanton Productions. This method of inserting ads in between the story is a first that I had seen among Philippine comics but it is not unusual in the American comics since this is regularly done by DC Comics in their single issues.

The best thing about Benjo #1 is how they had packaged it. The comic was placed inside an orange envelope. This is an interesting way to pack comics purchased from Spanton Productions. It is like saying that we, their readers, will not just enjoy their comics but they will also see to it that the comics we bought from them are cared properly in order to prevent it from having any damages.

The Bad:

Stories of an island prison wherein human experimentation is conducted is no longer a new idea. Thus, the challenge for the creators is on how to twist this so that it deviates from that same formula.

The Verdict:

This is still a captivating comic from Spanton Productions. The comic's cover and packaging will already get a thumbs up from a regular comic reader. This series have the potential to be really great, which was already proven by the illustrations that have the capacity to capture the interest of the readers. The first few pages gives off the vibe of The Walking Dead and Zombinoy due to its art, thus, encouraging you to keep on reading it. The story will be the biggest factor on whether it could keep their readers for the next issues. 

This is not bad as a first issue comic for the Benjo series. I'm really looking forward for the 2nd issue.

"Bilangguan man ay paraiso din sa patakarang maka Diyos at makatao..."

More of Benjo can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Spanton Productions"

http://www.benjokomik.weebly.com

http://www.spantoncomics.blogspot.com

Comics: The Daily Dose ~ Issue 1

Illustrated and Story by: Carma

Bulletpaper Comix
(5/5 ★★★★★)

The Plot:

Dr. Michael D. Aguila (or Dr. Eagle for nurse Julie) is a consultant on infectious diseases, who is on his first day as a medical officer at Odeon Medical Center (OMC). Surrounded by nurses who are certified and authorized to do some of the doctor's job, work does seem easier for the doctors here in this hospital.

The Good:

The illustrations were drawn really great. All those emotions that could be seen in the characters' faces are a treat to the eyes as they help in telling the story.

The story of Dr. Aguila's first day at OMC, is nicely written. It holds a pretty interesting case full of quick facts. A fast and short lecture about the two types of rabies are nicely written and presented in the patient's case.

There's a couple of great inserts in this comic. These are the Word of the Day section and a page dedicated to the definition of the medical terms used in the story. These trivia items are nice and helpful for those who are not in the medical field. The two one-page cases at the end of the story were also great and funny to read.

The Bad:

It will be quite challenging to market this comic to others due to the theme of the story. It might take awhile to get non-health care related comic readers to get hooked on this type of story.

The Verdict:

I must say that this is a great random indie comic pick for me last Komikon 2014. It was the cover of this comic that got my attention into looking for it in the indie komiks tiangge.

As part of the medical profession, it really surpassed my expectations for this comic. I had never expected a nice case to be neatly written out in this type of medium. I guess this is because of the things that I expected from Callous comics were better shown here in The Daily Dose. However, I still think Callous comics has good stories, it just bears a different approach in comparison to this.

Well I'm in for The Daily Dose. I just wished I had been the one to make this so I could have published it in our medical school paper.

"Could it be fate that brought me here?

Must it be my call?"

Comics: The Adventures of Apocalypse Al ~ Issue 1 (Cover Review)

Retailer Exclusive Preview Edition Cover: Sid Kotian and Bill Farmer

Cover A: Sid Kotian and Bill Farmer

Cover B: Ryan Sook

(Preview Edition Cover, Cover A and B)

Story by: J. Michael Straczynski

Illustrated by: Sid Kotian

Color by: Bill Farmer

Rated: M / Mature

Joe's Comics

Image Comics

I included the cover used for the retailer exclusive preview edition of this issue. The only thing that I didn't collect was cover C made by Ryan Sook. That cover is mostly the line art of cover B which was made by the same artist.

The retailer preview and cover A basically have the same illustrations made by the same artists. This cover features Al and a few characters from the 1st issue. It is a simple and a bit ordinary cover for an issue #1 comic.

Cover B, made by Sook, has a little more story in it. It features the destruction of Los Angeles as all sorts of creatures emerge from below the depths of the earth.

I would choose to have the standard cover A for the first issue of Apocalypse Al. The illustrations in cover A surpasses cover B. This is because of the better representation of the comic that deals with the end of the world in a humorous way.

"I love L.A. Beverly Hills on one side, demonic creatures on the other. Sometimes it's hard telling the two apart." - Allison "Al" Carter

More of Apocalypse Al can be seen at:

Joe's Comics: http://www.studiojms.com

Image Comics, Inc.: http://www.imagecomics.com

Comics: Neox ~ Issue 1

Illustration and Story by: Limosinero and Bulda
(1/5 ★☆☆☆☆)

The Plot:

Adloinelra Sector 2 Sub-sector H's peace was disturbed when Darkpause, a robot, used another robot to destroy everything in sight. It is up to Neox and his team of Salvtechs, Arclight and Ran, to stop any further destruction.

The Good:

The cover of this comic is good. The greyscale tones used was pretty nice. The story is well suited for kids.

The Bad:

The illustrations inside the comics might need more tones of greyscale to it.

The characters' history at the last page seemed like a nice idea. However, there is a big difficulty in reading the texts due to it being barely readable.

The Verdict:

This is an interesting comic. Set in a futuristic world. It draws the attention of readers, who are into the sci-fi genre. However, improvements to the illustrations is recommended. Even though the story is simple and a bit easy to understand, some panels looked like it was rushed, unless it was made as such. The illustrations didn't seem to match at least the cover of the comic.

Comics: Mang Jose: Ang Superhero-ng Naniningil! ~ Issue 1

Story by: Gabriel Chee Kee

Pencils by: Ace Enriquez

Inks and Color by: Allan Burdeos with Carina Altomonte-Burdeos

Alamat Comics
(2/5 ★★☆☆☆)

The Plot:

White haired? Old age? These does not stop a superhero from being of service to his fellowmen. All these he does for a price of course.

The Good:

The comedic personality of this old superhero would make us smile as he goes on to fulfill his duty.

The years of waiting for this superhero that comes with a bill from Alamat Comics definitely lands a good spot in our to buy list. The illustrations are well drawn in which we get some bonus pin ups from Ian Sta. Maria and Chito Miranda. That is really awesome to see.

The Bad:

An old aged superhero. A villain with glowing eyes. After Komikon 2014, you might associate these words with a different superhero who is also from Alamat Comics. Having a protagonist and antagonist with the same set of characteristics as the comics Sixty Six makes you wonder of how the story of Mang Jose will keep on getting your attention in terms of the overall story. Having Sixty Six establish itself first, who is currently on its 3rd chapter of the story, Mang Jose needs to be able to create its own path that would not set us looking for more similarities from the other series.

The Verdict:

Mang Jose is an enjoyable superhero who entertains us with his nice comedic lines while in action.

Even though Mang Jose was the first to tease us from Alamat Comics, we might soon loose the hype due to the storyline of Sixty Six who got ahead and is now on its 3rd chapter of the story. The next issue of Mang Jose must be able to maintain to raise the hype for its superhero.

It is still too early to speak of Mang Jose's retirement but his bill must be worth it to continue following him in the next issues.

More of Mang Jose can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Mang Jose"

Comics: Feed ~ No. 1

Story by: Vince Torres

Pencils by: Geonard Yleana

Inks and Grayscale by: Sid Santos

Rated: For Mature Readers

Pelikomiks Studios
(5/5 ★★★★★)

The Plot:

The story is set in Metro Manila. It has been 2 years since the famine has struck. It depopulated the metropolis, made humans turn to their pets for food or trade a cellphone for a clump of burnt rice. Eventually the hunger takes control of the mind, in search of available resources it could feed on. Even if it includes eating fellow humans.

The Good:

The story takes us on a new problem that could arise if we live in a post-apocalyptic world enveloped by famine.

The characters were nicely drawn to be really thin in such a way that it was caused by the great hunger.

The Bad:

It is only the character of the chief that I'm not sure with the illustration. Stereotypically speaking, in normal circumstances he would be the fat boss. However, after 2 years of famine, he still possess a somehow obese to normal looking roundness of shape. It could be due to corruption of food resources but that could be a different issue.

The Verdict:

Pelikomiks Studios really wows us with another post-apocalyptic story. A future surrounded by great hunger is a scary thing to imagine. Most probably because that scenario can become a reality. The team takes us to a new world full of cannibalism which led to the creation of the Anti-Cannibalism Law.

Dig in to Feed. A Cannibal's story from the makers of Zombinoy. If you like your kids with lemon butter sauce, better watch out for the chief. He's a good chef who might turn you into a tasty sisig meal.

More of Feed can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Zombinoy"

Comics: Nailbiter ~ Issue 1: Chapter 1: There Will Be Blood

Story by: Joshua Williamson

Illustrated by: Mike Henderson

Colors by: Adam Guzowski

Rated: M / Mature

Image Comics
(5/5 ★★★★★)

"Buckaroo, Oregon has given birth to sixteen of the vilest

serial killers in the world. An obsessed FBI profiler

investigating the town has suddenly gone missing, and

now an NSA Agent must work with the notorious serial

killer Edward "Nailbiter" Warren to find his friend and

solve the mystery of "Where do serial killers come from?""

The Good:

A town that breeds serial killers is an interesting concept that indeed will capture anyone's attention. Add in that catchy name "Buckaroo Butchers" that the media has called these serial killers. The first issue proudly introduces us to the first and the latest serial killer produced by Buckaroo. They are called as the Book Burner and Nailbiter respectively.

The Bad:

The first issue promises us a lot due to its fascinating plot. The worrisome part here is if this comic can continue in keeping its readers from following this series of serial killers.

The Verdict:

This is worthy to be placed in your monthly pull list. A series that does not only involve a serial killer, but it talks more of the town that gave rise to 16 notorious serial killers. That alone would have sent our thrill seeking instinct up and our bets that this is going to be an awesome series.

Just remember not to bite your or someone else's fingernails.

More of Nailbiter can be seen at:

Image Comics, Inc.: http://www.imagecomics.com

Comics: The Adventures of Apocalypse Al ~ Issue 1

Story by: J. Michael Straczynski

Illustrated by: Sid Kotian

Color by: Bill Farmer

Rated: M / Mature

Joe's Comics

Image Comics
(4/5 ★★★★☆)

(Cover A by Sid Kotian and Bill Farmer)

"I have to move fast, if I hesitate even a second longer, I'll lose focus and be trapped forever in this... this... toilet!" - Allison "Al" Carter

This is another goodie given to us by Joe's Comics in partnership with Image Comics. It centers on Allison "Al" Carter, a private investigator specializing in the end of the world, or more specifically preventing it.

In this 4 part miniseries, it starts with the almost end of the world. This is brought about by summoning the eater of the worlds with the use of the seal of Balthazar. Luckily Al prevented the world from ending too early. A case is later given by Mike Rose, a former investigator, in which the end of the world is at stake. This time it is due to the possession of the book of keys by an individual wanting to open the doorway to hell. As Al encounters a prophet, dreamscape, Mister Abernathy and even Ultimate Darkness, who knew Los Angeles could be any more dangerous as demonic creatures roam Beverly Hills day and night.

Straczynski couldn't possibly resist in giving us stories that involves doorways to hell. As Joe in Ten Grand goes to it and Al in Apocalypse Al tries to prevent it from opening, I'd say this doorway might once again appear in the future stories that Straczynski will write. As for the illustrations of Apocalypse Al, they are well made by the two artists. They really contributed a lot in making Apocalypse Al a funny story that deals with paranormal investigations major in apocalypse.

On the back cover of the comic, I like the idea that the artist had done by having 3 vertical panels at the back of Al. In these panels, Max Rose, the former investigator; Max, the prophet; and Ultimate Darkness were drawn.

The only thing that I just don't get is that Al was seen to be wearing boots before entering dreamscape. However, as she exits it she is seen to be wearing what she calls as sensible shoes.

So far, I am really excited for the future issues of Apocalypse Al. This is a nice deviation from the dark stories backed up with heavy thoughts and feelings that Straczynski gives us in Ten Grand.

"I love L.A. Beverly Hills on one side, demonic creatures on the other. Sometimes it's hard telling the two apart." - Allison "Al" Carter

More of Apocalypse Al can be seen at:

Joe's Comics: http://www.studiojms.com

Image Comics, Inc.: http://www.imagecomics.com