Comics: Time First!

BIC 0034

Illustration and Story by: Kirejan Javier

Black Ink Comics

(4/5 ★★★★☆)

"Time first muna!!!

Ito ang karaniwang sinasabi ng mga Pinoy kapag gusto nilang mag-break habang naglalaro ng mga games. Ito din ang naging title ng Pinoy Manga na tungkol sa tatlong magkakaibigan at ang kanilang everyday gaming experiences. Ang mga jokes nito ay hango mula sa sariling karanasan ng author at mula sa mga popular references at ibang ideya na galing sa internet.

PRESS START"

The Good:

The cover was really a head-turner. Personally, it was the biggest factor that made me buy this comic book from Book Sale. The illustrations were really catchy to the eye. If its intention was to get the attention of gamers, as their primary audience, well it certainly got mine.

There were a lot of nods to different games that were placed here. It also included the different misconceptions and stereotypes thrown to gamers. Such were the illustration of a guy's version of shopping and the stereotypes towards female gamers.

The most truthful thing described would be the 6 gaming logics. Most gamers, if you would observe them closely while they are playing, have these habits.

The Bad:

The explanations for the references made in each topic was good for the first time. However, it becomes annoying after it was explained once again in the succeeding pages.

The Verdict:

Very Entertaining!

This comic strips compilation would make you realize the kind of gamer you are because it speaks from the experiences and passion of a gamer.

Time First! will loosen you up as you wait for that loading bar in your gadget to finish. Anyway, that game would wait for you to finish reading this short but entertaining comic book.

So, put down that console and read this comic book!

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

Facebook: "Kir Oh"

More of Black Ink Comics can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Black Ink"

Twitter: @BlackInkComics

Comics: Tonio Tikbalang ~ Volume 2

BIC0075
Illustration and Story by: Jake Vicente

Black Ink Comics

(5/5 ★★★★★)

"Ano sa tingin mo ang mga

problemang hinaharap ng mga

enkanto na nagpapanggap na

tao at ano ang dahilan kung

bakit nila ito ginagawa?

Sundan ang buhay-estudyante

ni Tonio, na isang batang

tikbalang, sa mundo ng mga

tao kasama ang kanyang

kaibigang kapre na si Kanto.

Isang babae ang nakasalubong

nila sa loob ng paaralan pero

iba ang pakiramdam ni Tonio sa

babaeng ito. Isa rin kaya siyang

enkanto?

Sa dami ng mga tao sa loob

ng paaralan, sino-sino kaya

ang mga enkantong

nagpapanggap lang na tao?"

The Plot:

The second volume of Tonio Tikbalang compiles chapters 4-6. The chapters are titled "Itanong mo sa Barbero", "Girl Next Classroom" and "Urband Legend" for chapters 4, 5 and 6 respectively. Chapters 4 and 5 deals with fun facts on our mythological creatures (kapres and sirenas). But in the end, all three chapters continues its job of giving stories that teaches on obedience and to not believe in a gossip unless it is proven to be true.

  

The Good:

Volume 2 of Tonio Tikbalang has an impressive look as a Filipino manga. The illustrations have improved in comparison to volume 1. Every space was adequately utilized.

Jake Vicente continues his great job in this 2nd volume of Tonio Tikbalang. The stories continue to impart good character to its readers while teaching some fun facts on our kapres and sirenas.

The Bad:

The cover looks more of a draft compared to the art inside. Both the front and back cover could use more of the art style done inside the comic book.

The Verdict:

Tonio Tikbalang's volume 2 shows how a Filipino manga would look like if it is bombarded with our locals (kapres and sirenas).

A few more of this volumes and Jake Vicente would have already given to us his own version of Doraemon stories. Instead of a bullied kid that has a cat, from the future, help him in everyday situations as they learn the basic lessons of life, Tonio Tikbalang differs in such that the Philippine mythological creatures are the ones who teaches us life's lessons on how to be a human who cares and shows respect to everyone.

A must read especially to school aged kids.

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

Facebook Page: "Estranger"

More of Black Ink Comics can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Black Ink Comics"

Twitter: @BlackInkComics

Comics: Stray Ghost

BIC0073
Story by: Diana Lam

Illustrated by: Crisca Jallorina

Black Ink Comics
(3/5 ★★★☆☆)

"Isang matatakutin na bata...

Si Eddy ay isang batang

may kakayahang makakita

ng mga multo. At isa iyong

sumpa para sa kanya. Ngunit

nakilala niya si Rowan, isang

multo na tumulong sa kanya

nang may magtangkang

sumanib sa katawan niya.

Isang madaldal na multo...

Nais ni Rowan na hingan ng tulong

si Eddy kapalit ng pagligtas niya rito.

Ngunit tumanggi si Eddy. Kasabay

n'on ay ang sunod-sunod na suicide

attempt na nagaganap sa eskuwelahan

ni Eddy. At muli ay may gustong sumanib

sa katawan nito."

The Good:

Good story and illustrations are seen in this comic. The artist had done a good job in using each panels in telling the story.

This is an interesting tale of paranormal case, wherein a ghost is willingly, well mostly he's the one who initiates, in the investigation of the case.

The Bad:

This contains the type of layout that I don't like in a comic book.

The Verdict:

This is still a noteworthy comic from Black Ink Comics. The ending of this standalone has given way for the possibility of having another book to continue the story.

Stray Ghost gives us a good paranormal investigation type of story. A nice scare scene is found in one of the panels that involves a trash can. That sure is scary if you'll incorporate that idea with the Japanese movie "The Grudge".

More of Black Ink Comics can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Black Ink Comics"

Twitter: @BlackInkComics

Comics: Earth 0

BIC0061
Story by: Herbs Navasca

Illustrated by: Jana Dhel

Black Ink Comics
(3/5 ★★★☆☆)

"Huwag mong hahayaan na lokohin ka nila.

Mabilis ka nilang papalitan, pilit na babaguhin.

Pero iba ka sa kanila.

Patunayan mo na iba ka.

Kahit gaano pa katagal, maghihintay ako.

Sa isang sulok ng kalawakan hanggang sa dulo ng magpakailanman.

Hindi kita buburahin sa isip ko.

Ang alaala natin ang gabay mo.

R.E.M.

14.644956, 121 003507"

The Plot:

The story takes place on Earth RR51. It centers on Sal, a human who dreams of going to Earth Z90 the newest and largest earth, and Rem, a phased-out model of a home robot who dreams of returning back to Earth 0. In  reaching their dreams, they rely on each other for the most important thing that they could give in helping one another. Trust. For how could you trust a human you just met and a robot whose batteries are dying out.

The Good:

This short story was nicely told and illustrated by Navasca and Dhel. The idea of a future wherein humans have the capability of just constructing another planet is a nice concept. Earth 0 is the one designated to be the original earth. Then we have Earth Z90 as the newest and largest earth. Tourism is planetary as Earth N44 serves as the place where all plants and animals were transferred into while Earth N56 houses replicas of the famous attractions like the pyramids of Egypt. It is a strange concept for a futuristic way of tourism.

The Bad:

The story does not give much disappointments. There's just a funny and weird set-up for the early part of the story that can be seen in two consecutive pages. The words "Later that day" and "Later that night" might work better if lunch time, evening, after 6 hours or something of the sort was used. Nevertheless, these did not hinder much in the story.

In the illustrations there were two things that I noticed. The first one was the depiction of trees in Earth Z90. I just presumed they were trees. But regardless if they were a place like a residential house, it was weirdly drawn. It's like an empty speech balloon that looked really odd, especially the ones beside the castle. The next would be the inconsistency of the drawing of the clothing of Rem as he got back to Earth 0. It appears that Rem is no longer wearing a shirt in comparison to the previous pages.

The Verdict:

Despite some of those minor things that I had seen with the illustrations, I would say that the artist had done a good job in showing to us the story about reaching our dreams. Having faith in one another and fulfilling one's promise will bring us one step closer to those dreams.

More of Black Ink Comics can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Black Ink Comics"

Twitter: @BlackInkComics

Comics: Tonio Tikbalang ~ Volume 1

BIC0069
Illustration and Story by: Jake Vicente

Black Ink Comics
(3/5 ★★★☆☆)

"Naniniwala ka ba sa mga enkanto,

tikbalang, kapre, sirena, duwende,

at iba pang mga lamang-lupa?

Paano kung totoo sila?

Paano kung namumuhay

sila sa ating mundo?

Paano kung ang inaaway at

inaasar natin sa eskuwelahan

ay isa palang enkanto na

nagpapanggap lang na tao?

Ano sa tingin mo ang mga

problemang hinaharap ng mga

enkanto na nagpapanggap na tao

at ano ang dahilan kung bakit

ginagawa nila ito?"

Tonio Tikbalang is a new series from Black Ink Comics. Created by Jake Vicente who is also an artist for Ink Jinks, we are given a story that revolves around the life of the offsprings of supernatural creatures that are part of our Philippine folklore. This volume contains 3 chapters. They are titled; "Hiwaga ng Kasaysayan", "Bigat ng Kamay, Tibay ng Loob" and "May Kaibigan Ka".

The main character of the story is Antonio "Tonio" who is a tikbalang. His bestfriend is Kanto a kapre, whom he usually hangs out with in their school. The other characters are Karissa "Issa" and Alyanna "Anya".

The first story is mainly about history. The pages of life that we should always look back from time to time in order to help us deal with our current problems. Crazy and funny lines were said by the characters in this chapter. It is seen mostly on page 10 wherein Tonio's father explains why tikbalangs should not fall in love with a human.

The second story deals mostly on fighting. It teaches us that fighting is wrong. If anyone challenges us into a duel, one should keep in mind that there is always a more nobler way to deal with it.

The third story is a nice closure for this volume as it shows that every man or creature is always in need of a company. One way to break off one's loneliness is to change your status from being unapproachable and replace it into being a friendly face to others.

This is a nice deviation from Jake Vicente's usually rated OT stories. I can say that despite the humor that has two interpretations on page 10, this could actually be a nice material to teach values to a kid. Each story combined with the nice and light atmosphered illustrations makes this book worth buying. Add in the humor that the creator has written. It gives the right formula if your looking for a nice relaxing story.

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

Facebook Page: "Estranger"

More of Black Ink Comics can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Black Ink Comics"

Twitter: @BlackInkComics

 

Comics: Black Ink Comics' Shortcuts ~ Manga: Some Sweat, Some Love / A Decade of Waiting / The Tree of Happy Leaves

BIC0012

(4/5 ★★★★☆)

The copy that I got was from the first printing so most of my complains would be regarding the layout that was done to this comic book. Because for me it was poorly done due to parts of the texts and illustrations that can't be seen.

This Black Ink Shortcuts contains stories which were drawn in the manga style of art. In this compilation, it features three stories about love which are titled, "Some Sweat, Some Love", "A Decade of Waiting", and "The Tree of Happy Leaves". The cover art features the three stories that are included in this compilation.

Some Sweat, Some Love

Story by: Nald Tabuzo

Illustrated by: Jeff Nice

Black Ink Comics

"It starts when they meet in a gym.

Misty wants to loose weight for Kim.

Adron wants to look brawny for Jigs.

Friendship starts and love happens.

But does physical appearance really matters?"

This is a nice short story. It talks of love that should not be dictated by society. Such as society's opinion of only those who are beautiful should end up together. This story talks of that subject matter. It shows that love should not be contained to the figure of a person. Because love happens to people of all shapes and sizes. We should not be dictated by society on who we should love and force ourselves to change in order to be of a good match to that person. The story was well written, although I found a grammatical error on the short synopsis that was written on the back cover of the book. The illustration was nice that really went along with the story. There's just a funny thing that I noticed on the art on the lower left panel of page 9. In the scene, the screen of the mobile phone shows PJMA 3G. I don't know if a name of that network exists or near to those initials exits. I just found it really funny. The only downside that I could say for this part is the layout that was done which hinder readers to be able to read the texts and see the illustrations more clearly. But in general, the story is a good one.

A Decade of Waiting

Story by: Herbs Navasca

Illustrated by: Enjelia Villanueva

Black Ink Comics

"We live in such a small world.

It is possible that we have crossed paths before...

We just didn't have the chance to truly meet.

But if you had the chance to know me,

I'm sure you'd fall for me."

Among the three stories in this compilation, I would say that this would be my favorite. It talks of the soul mate kind of love. It says that we might have already seen or encounter face to face our soul mate. We just didn't really notice them. But if you can only look back, you might notice that they had been your seatmate in a bus or even the person in front of you in the grocery. As I quote from page 23, "We have seen each other. You just weren't looking." The art was nice and i really liked the cover art, the one that can be seen in the book, was nice. The only downside was the layout that had been done, in which the art and text near the spine of the book can't be seen.

The Tree of Happy Leaves

Story by: Ron Mendoza

Illustrated by: Jayron Zapanta

Black Ink Comics

"Annika loves Eiji dearly.

But Eiji has been forever ignoring her.

Then a dry, golden leaf falls on Annika's head.

Annika knows a thing or two about leaves.

"Finally," she smiles, "I can make Eiji fall for me...""

This is a cute story. It talks of a legend regarding a magical tree that bears golden leaves. It was said that during a full moon, the leaves were said to become magical. You would just take home one of the leaves that would fall. Then by writing the name of your beloved on it, the leaf would wield its power and grant anyone's wish about love. Its one of those stories that you would usually encounter in the movies. The story was nice as well with the illustration that accompanied it. The only downside, which is the same with the other two stories, was the poor layout that had been done.

This compilation holds nice love stories. I don't know if the authors had conspired on one thing but, for the stories "Some Sweat, Some Love" and "The Tree of Happy Leaves", I saw that they had some hunger for lasagna. Maybe they were eating lasagna while they were writing the story, but it was a reappearing object in the course of the two stories. The only downside was the layout that had been done. This prevents us from seeing the rest of the texts and illustrations that are near the spine of the book. Things like that would really take a toll in a reader's likeness of a book, whether it may be a graphic novel, comics or just an ordinary novel book. If it was seen that the layout for printing was not really checked by the one in charge of it before it gets printed, the reader then would sometimes think if he is holding a literature that is of poor quality, even though it was really great. I haven't purchased a new comic from Black Ink Comics for some time but I'm presuming that the next time I get one of those new titles that they are releasing, we could be guaranteed of the improvements it would have due to changes in the layout.

More of Black Ink Comics can be seen at:

Twitter: @BlackInkComics

Facebook Page: "Black Ink Comics"