Comics: One Beer Too Many

Illustration and Story by: hazardous-bastard

Ink Jinks Comics
(2/5 ★★☆☆☆)

The Plot:

The guys from Ink Jink's Overrated are back. This time, a birthday celebration for Zane is being prepared by his step-brother, Kyle. However, issues on being adopted hinders Zane from celebrating.

The Good:

A lot of improvements was seen in this comic in comparison to Overrated. Mostly these are the illustrations and the speech balloons. The speech balloons can be seen to have been used accordingly. One does not need to try and guess who speaks this line and which line was said first. This is a great improvement in this comics.

The Bad:

Amidst those improvements, the characters were a bit hard to identify. Personally, I just realized that the barista's name was Zane, contrary to what I said in my review of Overrated that his name is Dan. In addition to that, Zane was drawn like David "Dave". Thus, it was a bit confusing determining who is the character. It would have been ideal if an intro page where the characters were introduced was presented first.

The Verdict:

This is a great improvement from the one that is really overrated. The story was simple and nice. However, it lacks a few things that could make us like this comic even further. This could have been brought about by the confusing character names and their role in the story as continued on from Overrated. One Beer Too Many may need a little more improvement to further get more readers to love it.

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

http://www.hazardous-bastard.deviantart.com

http://www.hazardous-bastard.tumblr.com

More of Ink Jinks Comics can be seen at:

http://www.inkjinks.deviantart.com

Facebook Page: "Ink Jinks Comics"

Twitter: @inkjinks

Anthology: Underpass

Summit Media
(4.25/5 ★★★★☆)

"You are invited to take a trip to the other side

and come face to face with your most horrible nightmares,

your deepest secrets, your greatest fears.

Follow the path down to the Underpass"

The Sim

Illustration and Story by: Gerry Alanguilan

"What do you do when you find a cellphone SIM CARD? Do you try to find the owner and try to return it? Do you keep it and use it for yourself? What do you do when you start receiving mysterious messages from the previous owner?"

The Good:

The first story gives the vibe like it can be a story for a horror movie anthology, such as the Shake, Rattle and Roll movies. The illustrations made by Alanguilan takes us back to the early drawings that were seen in Filipino komiks. These illustrations represent of those days wherein komiks were still being sold in the sari-sari stores.

The Bad:

The story bears a common plot. It gives off its slight shares of scares. If you had seen the Japanese movie called One Missed Call you will see the same elements are present except for the time of death.

Judas Kiss

Story by: Budjette Tan and David Hontiveros

Based on the short story by: David Hontiveros

Illustration by: Oliver Pulumbarit

"In a secluded house in the hills of Antipolo, Peter hides a secret. He has murdered his wife and brother and buried them in the garden. Peter is about to discover that the phantoms of his past hold an even more terrible secret."

The Good:

It is a great horror story for this anthology. A story that involves a mango tree and Judas' kiss would give you the chills. It was neatly written by the author.

The Bad:

Layout problems on some pages of this story can be seen. Thus, some of the texts can't be read.

Katumbas

Story by: David Hontiveros

Illustration by: Ian Sta. Maria

"When lost souls and wayward demons wreck havoc in our world, the Goddess of Death sends her immortal warrior to set things right. His name is Kadasig."

The Good:

Great story and illustrations for this short on Kadasig. The world of Kadasig made by Hontiveros was nicely illustrated by Sta. Maria. One of the coolest concept presented to us was Manduyapit. He is the grim reaper for the world of Kadasig. He rides on a cool skull laden jeepney and drives it as a way of fetching souls. Looking beyond these things would reveal his true image of a black hooded cloaked figure in a vessel that sails on a red river.

A nice promotional poster of Skyworld: Testament can be seen on one of the ads on the underpass.

The Bad:

It would have been nice if more information about Masakim, Ibu and Manduyapit were told. However, this is an anthology so that limits it, but it would be great to dwell upon them in the future stories.

The Clinic

Story by: Budjette Tan

Illustration by: Kajo Baldisimo

"Up-and-coming actress Lyn Reyes just found out she's pregnant. This unplanned development will ruin her career, or so says her manager. She agrees to have a very discreet operation at The Venus Clinic, where she discovers the darker side of showbiz."

The Good:

For some who don't know this duo, they are simply the ones responsible for the multi-awarded Trese books that has set a solid foot in the bookstores.

This is a rare treat to see their work in color. The story still persists in the Trese universe. Some references to Case 7 of the series was made pertaining to a dead body in Magna Mall.

Kajo Baldisimo gives us a wonderful two page spread showing a paranormal themed abortion. An abortion made by an aswang was nicely thought of and executed by the creators of this short story.

The Bad:

Trese should have known about this operation in one of her cases. It should have made it in one of her cases, most especially since it deals with an aswang.

The Verdict:

Underpass is one of the early anthologies made in order to get the attention of anyone who loves paranormal stories to explore the local comics.

The scariest story for me is Judas Kiss made by Hontiveros, Tan and Pulumbarit. It gives that creepy feeling of someone may be standing by your door while you sleep or resting on top of a branch while you take a shade from the sun. It draws fear due to the suspense given through expecting a terrifying event bound to happen any moment.

This anthology made up of 4 paranormal stories in comic form are greatly done. It is a nice stepping stone that gives us a view on how our local paranormal themed comics are shaped. Each one is crafted to suit the ride you may be looking for.

* Breakdown of Rating:

★☆☆☆☆ - 

★★☆☆☆ - 

★★★☆☆ - The Sim

★★★★☆ - Judas Kiss

★★★★★ - Katumbas; The Clinic

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: 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"

Novels: Dwellers

Story by: Eliza Victoria

VISPRINT
(3/5 ★★★☆☆)

(Cover by Aldy Aguirre)

"Rule No. 1: You don't kill the body you inhabit.

Rule No. 2: You should never again mention your previous name

Rule No. 3: You don't ever talk about your previous life. Ever.

Two young men with the power to take over another body inhabit the bodies and lives of brothers Jonah and Louis. The takeover leads to a car crash, injuring Jonah's legs and forcing them to stay in the brothers' house for the time being.

The street is quiet. The neighbors aren't nosy. Everything is okay.

They are safe, for now.

Until they find a dead body in the basement."

The Good:

The synopsis will clearly get anyone's attention. An ounce of sorcery. Add in that mystery and crime plus the author that gave us Project 17. It will really lure us into the lives of Louis and Jonah.

These rules regarding the switching of bodies are a great way to capture a reader's attention. Rule No. 4 is hidden and can only be read in the novel.

You would think sorcery, mystery and crime was the only thing that can be read in this novel. Well you're wrong. Eliza makes that surprise of adding a frightening moment in the story. What better way of doing that by having the soul of the dead body haunt the brothers, even though the current owners of the brothers' bodies have no idea of why they have a dead body in the basement.

The Bad:

The sorcery in the whole 3 parts of the novel had left me in deep hunger in trying to know of the past lives of the current Louis and Jonah. I personally would have loved to know a little more on why their bloodline can have such 'tricks' or power. I just can't think of a being that can cast spells by reciting them or by drawing a symbol on a piece of paper. I would love to know more on that part of the character's life.

The ending was a cliffhanger for me. Initially, I thought that it ended with Jonah going into a deep deadly sleep. But after reading the novel again, it seems to me that he could have just have passed out due to exhaustion. He could have not yet taken the pills like Louis so there could have been more to the story.

The Verdict:

It was a great adventure of learning the identity of the body of the brothers that was recently acquired. Even though, this was a story of body snatching and murder, there are a lot more positive points presented by the author. There is this part where the personality of the antagonist changed. Revealing more of the personality and thoughts (if I think I'm right on this one) of the author. The character talked more on the government, corruption, society and the environment. It was thrilling to read a moment of the author's thoughts from one of her characters in the story.

Even at the very end, the story manages to hide from us the true names of the inhabitants of the bodies of the brothers, Louis and Jonah. Dwellers is a nice story that has the right blend of sorcery, crime and horror. The mystery of another stranger's life is interestingly uncovered through clues within their reach.

"Let's say my name is Jonah and he is Louis.

Even here, in this story, I can't make myself tell you our real names." - Jonah

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

http://www.elizavictoria.com

Twitter: @elizawriteshere

Guides: Getting to Komiket in Elements Centris

Going to Elements Centris for Komiket is easy. There are two ways to get there.

(a) by riding a bus that goes along EDSA and get off near the Quezon City Avenue Station. Be prepared for heavy traffic along the way

(b) the fastest way is to ride the MRT and get off at the Quezon City Avenue Station.

Just remember the Quezon City Avenue Station.

From there, just walk those feet out for a few minutes and you'll be in Elements Centris for the Komiket!

Map of Elements Centris and Quezon City Avenue Station

*Just click on the map to view the larger size

More information about Komiket can be seen at:
Facebook Page: "Komiket"