Comics: Sixty Six ~ Chapter 2

Story by: Russel Molina

Illustrated by: Ian Sta. Maria
(5/5 ★★★★★)

"Si Celestino Cabal.

Kabebertdey niya lang.

Mayroon siyang nakuhang regalo

na ngayo'y unti-unti niyang binubuksan.

Sabi nga ng mga matatanda,

huli man daw at magaling,

naihahabol din.

Kaya 'wag kang mag-alala,
tatanda ka rin."

The story continues after Mang Tino saves his wife after nearly being run over by a truck. During this incident, an unimaginable thing happened and he was able to stop the truck with his new found super powers. He tested up to what extent he can now do by lifting up heavy objects such as a cement mixer and playing around with a wrecking iron ball. There were a lot of funny moments here as the main character checked the extent of his new found superhuman powers. One of those was wherein a scene shows Mang Tino throwing a basketball high up into the air up to the extent that it was even seen by two pilots of an airplane. There's also a scene with Soling, the helper in Mang Tino's residence that was referred to as Kurdapya in the 1st chapter of the comic, wherein she narrates a lot of famous lines from Filipino movies. Some historical events in Philippine history was also noted here such as the bombing that took place in Plaza Miranda which could be a reference to the August 21, 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing which killed 9 people and left 100 injured. But I guess despite all of that, the story in the end will be about a 66 year old man with superhuman powers showing his love to his wife that is having bouts of memory loss due to old age. The origin of why a senior citizen had developed superpowers on his 66th birthday would still be a question that we would be looking forward to be answered in the future.

I must say that the art, the story, and even the quality of the paper used was really worth it in deciding to continue on following this comic. The cover art was nice and it showed a scene in this comic wherein Mang Tino tries out flying. The writer and the artist, if you at least know Skyworld, would already have given you an impression that this will come out to be a great series. The elements of superpowers, humor, pinoy culture, and love is evident in the story. It is recommended to get a copy especially since it is available at some local comic book stores such as Comic Odyssey and Filbar's.

More of Sixty Six can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Sixty Six"

They can be contacted at / seen on:

Russel Molina

rusmolina@yahoo.com

Ian Sta. Maria

iamiansm@yahoo.com

iantoy.deviantart.com

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"

Comics: Purifying Element ~ Hunt 1: Dark Lady 1

Illustration and Story by: Jake Vicente

Rated: OT / Older Teen Ages 16 +

Ink Jinks Comics
(4/5 ★★★★☆)

"The streets was never been safe. Cars, buses and trucks hail in the morning. But at night, comes the hunter of the dark, the Aswang.

A creature that feeds on the flesh and sips the blood of it's victims.

Now with the creature wrecking havoc in town, it's up to Sean Razor and Kevin Wolf to stop the creature of darkness."

The strange title caught my attention which eventually led me into buying this comic. Although the cover art might not be that attractive, its title will get the attention and make a reader wonder what the story of this comic might be. Even though the cover art of the comic already gives a hint of the subject matter and what we should be expecting from the story.

The art of the comic is good. However, there are still some things that needs to be improved on such as getting the right proportions for the face of the characters at the different angles being focused. There's also the minor detail of being consistent in drawing the characters that must be carried out all throughout the comic. This is seen through the character of the owner of the bar "Tourniquet". I just noticed that in the lower leftmost panel of page 6, the character is drawn without any facial hair that is contrary to the ones drawn on pages 6 and 7. In the editing of the comic's text, I guess there were minor errors that might have escaped the eyes of the creator. These are seen in the synopsis written at the back cover of the comic, wherein few grammatical errors can be seen.

The story starts and ends with a victim of a creature famous in Filipino folklore due to its habit of eating an individual's internal organs, the Aswang. The story revolves around Kevin and Sean, who are now musicians after leaving their dark history of previously being involved in credit card fraud. After seeing the remains of a man with his guts ripped out of his body, they had an idea of what is happening in the town. They had thought of the creature to be an aswang, in which they say it usually nests in the north but somewhat has found its way into living into town and preying upon its citizens. From there, they conjured up a plan on how they would be able to capture the said creature.

In this first issue, there's just a small detail that I can't grasp. That's if Sean and Kevin are experienced in doing this "Aswang Hunting" or are they going to do it for the first time after seeing the remains of a victim it has preyed upon. In their conversations in a diner, it is a bit vague if they only know the normal whereabouts and biology of an aswang or they also had a first hand experience and dealt with it in the past. In general, this comic looks a bit interesting, I just wonder how the story would go in the next issue.

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

Facebook Page: "Estranger"

www.tyrfryt.deviantart.com

More of Ink Jinks Comics can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Ink Jinks Comics"

www.inkjinks.deviantart.com

Comics: Ten Grand ~ Issue 2 (Cover Review)

Cover A: Ben Templesmith

Cover B: Bill Sienkiewicz

(Cover A on the left, Cover B on the right)

Story by: J. Michael Straczynski

Illustrated by: Ben Templesmith

Rated: M / Mature

Joe's Comics

Image Comics

I finally got the other cover for the 2nd issue of Ten Grand. For the 2nd issue, the two different covers were made by Ben Templesmith and Bill Sienkiewicz. The first cover that I was able to purchase was Cover B, which I had used to make the review for the 2nd issue of this comic. It took several weeks before I finally stumbled upon Cover A.

I'll first go over to the 1st cover. In here, the art looks to have been made mostly by pencil. In here, it showed the scene wherein Joe dies and has been given that precious 5 minutes with his love one, Laura. The artist has indeed managed to capture that scene depicting that precious moment, which is a nice event from this issue to be used as the cover. The only downside for me with this cover is the same concerns that I had with the irregular proportions that the artist did to Laura, which I also mentioned on the review of the 1st issue of this comic. It seems strange for me to see Laura, as drawn by Templesmith, to have large hands, which in this case is seen thru the large right hand. I guess it would have been a bit better if the hands were smaller in size. Just the right size or should I say the norm for a woman at the very least, since that is what I had been picturing since it was said over and over in the 1st issue that Laura was really beautiful.

On the other hand, Cover B's art appears to have been made thru the use of watercolors. In here, the scene is a combination of the three characters of the story. It is composed of the angel, whom Joe simply calls as Angel; Laura who appears to be in heaven; and Joe in which he is seen to be holding a gun.

In comparison among the two, I'd say that I prefer cover A more than cover B. It is because of the scene that it highlights for this issue of the comic. It shows the very root of the story despite a plot which involves angels and demons. It shows the unending and undying love of Joe to Laura, in which it is to be regarded literally in this story.

"Love is the only thing worth dying for. I should know. I've done it plenty of times." - Joe Fitzgerald

More of Ten Grand can be seen at:

Joe's Comics: www.studiojms.com

Image Comics, Inc.: www.imagecomics.com

Events: VISPRINT's October Treat

It has been a while since I last updated this blog. Well with the semestral break that I finally got from medical school, I'll try to post some reviews that I had been delaying. Well enough of that and let's move on to this good news from the publisher of most of the local books that I read and own.

VISPRINT, in celebration of its anniversary, is holding a treat for loyal customers this October 2013. It will be holding two promos for this month which will surely be enjoyed by book lovers. The first is the "Warehouse Sale", which is conducted on all Saturdays of October. In here, books ranging from novels up to comics are on sale for 20-40% off. It really is a treat which could also be used as a way to get some of your Christmas shopping of books for your love ones be finished right away from your Christmas list.

The second treat, which is mostly for those who cannot go to the Warehouse Sale, is their conduction of a "Free Shipping Promo". This is added by having a Php. 100 rebate for every Php. 500 worth of purchases. 

These promos are indeed a nice Halloween treat and an early Christmas gift that Visprint gave to us. Make sure to be able to do your purchases right away since these promos will only occur for the month of October 2013.

More information about VISPRINT can be seen at:
Facebook Page: "VISPRINT"
www.visprintpub.blogspot.com

Events: The 34th Manila International Book Fair

 

It was a crazy day at SM Mall of Asia, Pasig City last Sunday, September 15, 2013. Despite the rainy weather, the grounds were full of vehicles and individuals due to the big events that had took place. The first event is SM Mall of Asia's Big! Big Sale, then there's the UAAP Cheerdance Competition 2013 at SM MOA Arena, and the Best of Anime 2013 at Function Rooms 3 & 4 of the SMX Convention Center. But the event that I'm more interested on during that time was the one that took place on Exhibits 1-4 of the SMX Convention Center which is the 34th Manila International Book Fair.

Crazy weather and traffic it really was on that day.

This 5-day book fair started out last September 11, 2013. It's a book fair that will surely entertain and get the attention of most bookworms. It will also be an attraction to others who are fond of sales since a lot of books being sold there can be bought at discounted prices. Along with these, other events also took place such as story telling for kids, seminars for individuals interested in starting their own book, and even for bloggers. There are also some interesting book launches and book signing that has occurred which geared fans of their respective authors to patiently line up just to get close to them and have their books signed.

While browsing thru the different facebook pages of some publishers that I know, I luckily came across some free entrance tickets to the book fair. Thanks for Anvil Pub. for saving me some money in entering the event. It's really a convenience that most of the publishers, where most of the local books that I got, have posted a line up of the activities that they'll be having at their booths. The three events that caught my attention was the book signing of Manila Noir made by Kajo Baldisimo & Rosario Lucero at the Anvil Pub Booth, the giving away of free comic books at the National Book Store Booth, and the book launch of This is a Crazy Planets Volume 2 by Lourd de Veyra at Summit Media Booth. Among these three, the only thing that I wasn't able to attend was the one done at the National Book Store Booth. As for the book signing at the Anvil Pub. Booth, I only got my book signed by Kajo.

 

Here's a copy of the free passes that I got.

The event at the Summit Media Booth was the one that really made my day at the book fair. As Lourd de Veyra signs a book, Jun Sabayton keeps the line in place and also acts as a barangay tanod as he holds a rattan stick to keep order. All of this he does while entertaining the people in line and the crowd as well. It was also the first time that I had drank an alcoholic beverage at a book signing, as Lourd made it a new policy that any man who comes at the table should have a shot first before his book gets signed. Crazy right? But nonetheless cool and an enjoyable one, although I resisted drinking a little more for it might trigger my cravings to continue drinking upon returning back home. As if things weren't crazy enough, Ramon Bautista sneaked beside the area of the book signing of Summit Media. Well sneak might be the closest word to use since most of the crowd recognized him at once.

Lourd signs my book after I drank some of the beer.

Ramon Bautista promoting his book not published by Summit Media.

Lourd continues his book signing while having his "yosi"

It was a memorable experience that day. Thanks to all of the organizers, not only for Summit Media, but for the organizers of the Manila International Book Fair in general. Events like this are always a treat for us book lovers.

Anthology: Trese: Stories from the Diabolical ~ Volume 1

Story by: Budjette Tan

Illustration by: KaJo Baldisimo

VISPRINT
(5/5 ★★★★★)

 

This is one of the main reasons why I attended Aklatan 2013. It was one of the three books being launched by Visprint Publication. This is a treat that Budjette and KaJo has given to us in anticipation for the release of the 6th book of the Trese series.

Budjette, before starting his signing of the Trese books of fans, said a few words. He mentioned that this book, Trese: Stories from the Diabolical Volume 1, came about after receiving so many requests from the fans of the Trese series. They requested to have the stories that were put up in the website (www.diabolical13.blogspot.com) to be published in print after one story from the said website made its appearance in the Trese 6 Preview comic, which was released last Summer Komikon 2013. The story that was made part of the preview was "The Choir", which was also included in this book. The book contains 5 stories which are titled: "One Last Drink at the Diabolical", "The Usual Spot", "The Last Full Show", "The Choir", and "Coffee Black".

In here KaJo used a different style to illustrate some scenes in the story. As I had come to know, the artist used watercolor this time instead of having the usual sketching that he does for the Trese comics. He also did an interesting thing on the story "Coffee Black" in which the art is comparable to the abstract paintings you would usually see in coffee shops. The stories was written and edited really neatly by Budjette, knowing that there were some minor grammatical and typographical errors that can be seen on the ones uploaded on the website. These side stories, or as some would term them as supplemental stories for the Trese series, especially the story "One Last Drink at the Diabolical", are really nice to be read as they give us a wider perspective of the world of Trese. Since that story is clearly seen to be a prelude to the very first case of the Trese series. The end of that story signaled the beginning of the story "Case 1: At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street". The other stories, even though they are not in direct correlation to any cases of the Trese stories that are published as of now, nevertheless are still equally good. The stories "The Usual Spot" and "Coffee Black" are short stories about love, in which I find the former story to have a more interesting love story. "The Last Full Show", on the other hand, tells of an interesting life being proposed to the elderly. This is by being able to have a moment to see a part of your life which you would like to reminisce before deciding if the experiences he or she had gone thru is already enough or satisfying. On the other hand, "The Choir" is a great Christmas story perfect for the coming Christmas season.

Overall, Budjette and Kajo gave us a treat by releasing this book. It really is a nice goodie while we await the release of the 6th book about the 6th child of the 6th child of Trese in the Winter Komikon 2013

More stories from the diabolical can be seen at:

www.diabolical13.blogspot.com

More of Trese at:

www.tresecomics.com

Facebook Page: "Trese Comics"