Comics: Bubblegum & Taffy (Preview)

Illustration and Story by: Jemuel Bernaldez

Studio Salimbal

(3/5 ★★★☆☆)

This 5-pages exclusive sneak peek of Bubblegum & Taffy can be seen at the last pages of Bravos ~ Cebu: Recruitment.

It shows a market place with a butcher busy cutting up some meat. Until a wild dog came and made everyone flee except for the butcher. He then locks up his meat, puts on a head gear and grabs two of his butcher knives to face the creature.

It looks like one of those short funny cartoons that we see on the television.

Overall, this preview was just fine. The illustrations were good. The plot of the story was still a bit confusing. The title alone, didn't give much clues. It will even leave you wondering who is bubblegum and taffy. Could it be that one of them could be the butcher, the creature or the girl on the first page?

We'll just have to wait and see what the story is all about.

More of Studio Salimbal can be seen at:
http://www.salimbalcomics.com

Comics: Bravos ~ Cebu: Recruitment

Story by: Elbert Or

Illustrated by: Cy Vendivil and Jem Bernaldez

Studio Salimbal

(3/5 ★★★☆☆)

"Everyone wants to be a Bravo... except for Lea. She just wants to live a normal life, or rather, help her family get back to living a normal life after a devastating typhoon. But is refusing really an option, especially when the famous hero Pedro Pilandok comes to recruit her personally?"

The Good:

The story focuses on how the Bravos are helpful in our society whenever a natural calamity arises.

In Cebu, we were introduced to Pedro Pilandok and Lea Perrin, whose powers were super speed and the power to project oneself into animals respectively. Lea's power can be compared to Marvel's Professor X due to his ability to control people by entering the mind except that its the birds' mind whom she enters.

The villain, Bigatin, was a bit interesting but seems to have a lower power ranking in comparison to the villain in the Bravos ~ Manila story.

One remarkable idea that was made in this issue was regarding Maharlika High. It's being molded to be like the Philippine Military Academy version for training superheroes. The story ends with the mention of the continuation of the story in a Maharlika High comic.

The Bad:

The most troubling thing with the things introduced to us is mostly Maharlika High. It appears to be another school that aims to train gifted super powered individuals. The same plot of training them in order to fully develop their capabilities and be of use to the society in the future is hinted. The challenge will be on how to make Maharlika High's story be unique to schools such as Hogwarts and Xavier's School to name a few.

The Verdict:

As the Bravos universe expand, this one-shot story which presents how each bravos came to be picked was great. The cliff hanger of having a Maharlika High story looks a bit of a gamble. Depending on how that story would be told could determine the future interest of readers to that story arc.

Overall, the Bravos is still an interesting world created by Studio Salimbal. Elevating the police force of the country to be in the hands of the supers sure does change the landscape for different possibilities with regards to the security and safety in our country.

The preview could be seen at:

Studio Salimbal Comics: Bravos: Cebu

More of Studio Salimbal can be seen at:

http://www.salimbalcomics.com

Comics: Bravos ~ Manila

Story by: Paolo Chikiamco

Illustrated by: Butch Mapa

Letterer: Wilson Dela Fuente

Studio Salimbal

(4/5 ★★★★☆)

"In a word where only the Philippines has superheroes, a young Bravo is thrust into the spotlight when Mega Manila is attacked while the Datus -- the world's most powerful super team -- is away."

The Good:

The cover alone will get one's attention, especially to those who love stories of humans with superpowers. Aside from the great illustration, it's the concept of having dozens of superheroes in this story.

The organization of how superheroes work and the different rankings within that organization was an interesting idea. It also appears that each superhero has a classification which is based on their power.

The initial villain, Bertong Bangungot, that was introduced has a unique power. Hopefully, in the future, we will be introduced to more great villains that the good guys would have to beat up.

The Bad:

The initial fight scene was confusing to follow. It was a bit hard differentiating the two super powered girls in some panels.

The story needs more issues to follow up the last few panels involving the Consejo Supremo and Bertong Bangungot. However, this is a one-shot comic so the continuation of Kit Kamao's character might not be dwelled upon on the future Bravos stories.

The Verdict:

The Bravos story is another interesting world presented to us by Chikiamco. After throwing our local mythological creatures up in space, he repaints our country as the sole country that is able to produce supers.

This one-shot story gives us a possible scenario of what-if our population were mixed with individuals with amazing powers.

But despite a country full of superheroes, we still get to see the same old country that we know. We have the bad guys underneath the good guy image. Experimentation. Secret Plans. And basically the control for power.

The Bravos universe is the next thing to be look out for in komikons.

The preview could be seen at:
Studio Salimbal Comics: Bravos: Manila

Anthology: Kare-Kare Komiks Platter

Illustration and Story by: Andrew Drilon

Studio Salimbal

(3.85/5 ★★★☆☆)

"seasoned with time, marinated in love and slow-roasted in the fires of hell, this culinary smorgasboard has something for everyone."

The Good:

This is an interesting anthology from Studio Salimbal. Most of the stories gave off the vibe that Image Comics has been offering.

The best story would be The Love Eaters. It is a story about Halik and Yakap, a takaw-puso, and their unending journey to satisfy their hunger. Their love story was cut off when a cunning snake made them attack one another.

The Bad:

The I Had A Dream Last Night, You Were In It story was the least favorite of mine among the collection. I just don't get it, what does sacrificing one's life for hunger has got to do with the title of the story? It just doesn't seem to match correctly.

The Verdict:

Kare-Kare Komiks Platter is a nice meal that Drilon has served to us on the table. The art and story resembles works that are usually seen produced by the U.S. comic book publisher, Image Comics. 

Garnishing it up with a beautiful cover, this was a well cooked dish. I'll be getting second servings on Drilon's next platter. Maybe even a third or a fourth if it continues to surprise and satisfy my cravings of a good comic book.

More of Studio Salimbal can be seen at:

http://www.salimbalcomics.com

* Breakdown of Rating:
★☆☆☆☆ -
★★☆☆☆ - I Had A Dream Last Night, You Were In It
★★★☆☆ - Profound Thoughts For The Depths Of My Soul Which Illuminate Painful Universal Truths About The Human Condition
★★★★☆ - International Portal a.k.a. My Ex; Secret Heart
★★★★★ - The Love Eaters; A Love Story