Adapted by: Carljoe Javier
Illustration by: Natasha Ringor
Anino Comics
(2/5 ★★☆☆☆)
"Ang akala ni Janus,
pangkaraniwang laro lang
ang TALA Online.
Sunod-sunod ang pagbabago sa buhay niya
matapos ang kahindik-hindik na pangyayari
sa RPG tournament na sinalihan niya.
Pero nang matuklasan niya
ang tunay na kaugnayan ng larong ito
sa alamat ng Tiyanak ng Tabon,
wala na siyang magawa
kundi ipagpatuloy ang paglalaro!"
The Good:
The cover of the book was wonderful. The layout was also neat. The smooth illustrations of the main story in contrast from the TALA online game was nice to be seen visualized in this book.
The Bad:
The story was poorly adapted from the source material. Several details have been omitted to give space due to the illustrations and restriction of the number of pages. An example was the huge trust that Janus immediately gives to a stranger he has just met online. It was also strange for Renzo to speak about the same experience of almost being taken away by a Tiyanak like creature just like what happened to Janus' father. It was peculiar since Janus never disclosed that information prior to Renzo's recounting of his experience.
The news report was also inconsistent. Initially it was reported that the deaths at the Malakas internet cafe shop was an addition to the total number of deaths of children who died after playing an online game. This is in contrast to Mang Joey's narrative to Janus as he tells him that the deaths that occurred at the Malakas internet cafe shop was not the first case since earlier cases were overshadowed by bigger news reports.
Further improvements to the illustrations are suggested. It would have been better to have 2 different art styles whenever the story focuses on the present and whenever it shifts back to the olden stories regarding the tales of Tiyanak and Tala.
The background also needs refinement. The sharpness of the edge of the corners of the house or the cabinet as an example doesn't quite work to be pleasant to the eyes. Also, the bird's eye view of a character looking up needs to be polished. The eyes of the character was drawn looking to be cross-eyed (exotropia) on page 46.
In some panels, the story and art does not convey the same message. Such is the moment wherein Janus is playing TALA at home while Mang Joey and Renzo faces a Do-ol. The message of Mang Joey from the speech balloon doesn't match with what appears on Janus' cellphone. It also gives a misconception that Mang Joey has telepathy in contrast to cyberkinesis or technopathy that was explained in the novel.
The Verdict:
Janus Silang is a great young adult series created by Edgar Samar. However, this comic book adaptation does not seem to be at par with the novel.
It does not give enough hype for new readers to pick up the source material or the next book in the series if this is the starting book.
It's best to recommend the first novel to the new reader of the series before introducing them to this comic book adaptation.
