Events: Winners of the 34th National Book Awards

The results are out. The National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle (MCC) have announced the winners of the 34th National Book Awards.

These are the winners for the National Book Awards for books published in 2014.

Fiction Novel in English

Dwellers

by Eliza Victoria (Visprint, Inc.)

Fiction Novel in Filipino

Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak ng Tabon

by Edgar Calabia Samar (Adarna House, Inc.)

Fiction Short Stories in English

Wonderlust

by Nikki Alfar (Anvil Publishing Inc.)

Nonfiction in English

Ramon Obusan, Philippine Folkdance and Me

by Kanami Namiki (Anvil Publishing, Inc.)

Essays in English

Cherry Blossoms in the Time of Earthquakes and Tsunami

by Rey Ventura (Ateneo de Manila University Press)

Essays in Filipino

iStatus Nation

by Joselito Delos Reyes (Visprint, Inc.)

Anthology in English

Agam: Filipino Narratives on Uncertainty and Climate Change

edited by Regina Abuyuan (Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities)

Anthology in Filipino

Ang Labingtatlong Pasaway

by Jun Cruz Reyes (Visprint, Inc.)

Literary Criticism/Literary History in English

The Postcolonial Perverse vol. 1

by J. Neil C. Garcia (The University of the Philippines Press)

Literary Criticism/Literary History in Filipino

Talab: Mga Sanaysay sa Wika, Panitikan, at Pagtuturo

by Rebecca T. Añonuevo (Ateneo de Naga University Press)

Poetry in English

Hidden Codex: Fictive Scriptures

by Jose Marte A. Abueg (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House)

Time's Enchantment and Other Reflections

by Marne Kilates (Ateneo de Naga University Press)

Poetry in any Philippine Language except Hiligaynon/Kinaray-a

Kundiman sa Gitna ng Karimlan

by E. San Juan (The University of the Philippine Press)

Poetry in Hiligaynon/Kinaray-a

Tikum Kadlum

by Federico Caballero and Alicia P. Magos (The University of the Philippine Press)

Graphic Literature in English

Rodski Patotski: Ang Dalagang Baby

by Gerry Alanguilan (writer) and Arnold Arre (illustrator) (Meganon Comics Publishing House)

Graphic Literature in Filipino

Tabi Po, Volume 1

by Mervin Malonzo (Visprint, Inc.)

Wordless Graphic Literature

14 (Silent Comics)

by Manix Abrera (Visprint, Inc.)

Translation

Manila Synod of 1582: The Draft of Its Handbook for Confessors

translated by Paul A. Dumol (Ateneo de Manila University Press)

Food

Country Cooking

by Michaela Fenix (Anvil Publishing, Inc.)

Social Sciences

Rido: Clan Feuding and Conflict Management in Mindanao (expanded edition)

edited by Wilfredo Magno Torres III (Ateneo de Manila University Press)

Professions

The Adventures of a PR Girl

by Bettina Rodriguez-Olmedo (Anvil Publishing, Inc.)

Leisure

Buti Pa Ang Roma, May Bagong Papa

by Noreen Capili (Anvil Publishing, Inc.)

Art

Journey of a Thousand Shuttles, The Philippine Weave

by Norma A. Respicio (National Commission for Culture and the Arts)

Science

Birds of Cebu and Bohol Philippines

by Nilo Arribas Jr., Bobby Kintanar, and Raul Benjamin Puentespino (University of San Carlos Press)

History

Sakdalistas' Struggle for Philippine Independence, 1930-1945

by Motoe Terami-Wada (Ateneo de Manila University Press)

Journalism

Vantage Point: The Sixth Estate and Other Discoveries

by Luis Teodoro (The University of the Philippines Press)

Design

Manila Synod of 1582: The Draft of Its Handbook for Confessors

design by Karl Fredrick M. Castro (Ateneo de Manila University Press)

Language Studies

Ambagan 2011: Mga Salita Mula sa Iba't Ibang Wika sa Filipinas

by Michael M. Coroza and Galileo S. Zafra (The University of the Philippines Press)

Publisher of the Year

Visprint, Inc.

Anthology: Lunatic

Created by: Mel Casipit, Kai Castillo, Maika Ezawa, Paolo Herras, JP Palabon, Tepai Pascual, Brent Sabas and Redg Vicenete

Meganon Comics

(3.75/5 ★★★☆☆)

(Cover by Redg Vicente)

"It's a Mad World.

During the full moon, energies are heightened,

releasing five crazy stories from eight deranged

and outright insane comic book creators.

Lunatic is the new normal."

Lunatic is the first anthology created by Meganon Comics. It contains 5 stories.

The Good:

Most stories did a good part of creating a story related to the title of the book. We were given stories that lean on foolishness due to man's desire, curiosity, need for wealth and by having a sense of false integrity.

The best story among the 5 would be Contestant by Ezawa and Casipit. For those who, at one point in time, have been watching our local noontime shows, the darker version of these noontime shows was vividly depicted to be a horrific scene. It's Fear Factor meets Survivor for the elimination rounds of this show! A player needs to go through all those crazy challenges in order to play for the jackpot round. It's one heck of an insanely twisted noontime show that they had let us watch.

The Bad:

The one that didn't do well was the last story, Ghost Parade. It started with a kid disturbed by loud noises which was later on said to be the sound of his own heart beat. The story ended a bit fast so that it just left me raising an eyebrow in confusion as I reached the last page. The conclusion was really confusing if the boy has just died or if he experienced astral travel.

Personally, it was a disappointment reading that story most especially since it served as the closing story of this anthology. The first story did absolutely great to the extent that I was expecting the last one to give the same chilling feeling towards the end of this anthology.

A small detail was also confusing regarding to the title of the 4th story. There's a discrepancy on the last letter of the second word. The chapter mentions it to be Hoodie Fernandes, however, upon checking the first page of that story, one would notice that it is titled as Hoodie Fernandez. This is just a small error that could be seen in this anthology.

The Verdict:

Lunatic is a good anthology that could send chills to your bones.

This first anthology by Meganon Comics has been a nice way to showcase the talents of different comic book creators through the crazy stories in this comic book.

Close that TV. Remove that mask. Loosen up your strings. Lunatic deserves to be read even by sane individuals. Trust me. The gong doesn't need to be played yet.

"Good people can do bad things.

It doesn't make them bad.

It only makes them

good people who do bad things."

More of Meganon Comics can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Meganon Comics"

http://www.meganoncomics.com

* Breakdown of Rating:
★☆☆☆☆ -
★★☆☆☆ - Ghost Parade
★★★☆☆ - Hoodie Fernandes/z
★★★★☆ -
★★★★★ - Umbra, Strings, Contestant

Comics: Anino Comics Komikon 2015 (Preview)

Ang Subersibo

by: Jose Rizal

Adopted by: Adam David

Illustrated by: Mervin Malonzo

(2/5 ★★☆☆☆)

Si Janus Silang at Ang Tiyanak ng Tábon

by: Edgar Calabia Samar

Adopted by: Carljoe Javier

Illustrated by: Natasha Ringor

(5/5 ★★★★★)

In preparation for Komikon 2015, Anino Comics printed out a 6 pages preview of Ang Subersibo and the manga adaptation of Edgar Calabia Samar's Si Janus Silang at Ang Tiyanak ng Tábon. These were given out for free at the October Komiket 2015.

Ang Subersibo is an adaptation of the novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, of Jose Rizal. It was written by Adam David and the illustrations by Mervin Malonzo.

The concept looks promising. However, the first five pages of this preview feels a bit dragging as Rizal introduces us to the story. Then, it left us hanging as we almost got a taste of how close this comic adaptation is to the novels of Rizal. The illustrations were not clear. (Clearly it is just a preview copy after all). But given how awesome Malonzo's illustrations appear on his comic book Tabi Po we could presume that he also did great on this comic.

Si Janus Silang at Ang Tiyanak ng Tábon is a young adult novel written by Edgar Calabia Samar. The manga adaptation of this young adult novel was written by Carl Joe Javier and illustrated by Natasha Ringor. In comparison to the preview of Ang Subersibo, this part has a nicer preview copy. The details of the illustrations are much clearer.

Having personally read the novel from which this manga was adopted from, I could say that the preview was nicely done. Ending on the scene where Janus is suddenly surrounded by dead TALA players would make anyone checking out this teaser wonder as to how the story would go on.

This teaser of Ang Subersibo and the manga adaptation of Si Janus Silang at Ang Tiyanak ng Tábon was a nice surprise from Anino Comics last October Komiket 2015.

The forthcoming Komikon 2015 is sure to be a grand one for Anino Comics as they prepare to release 2 new books. One of these is an adaptation of the famous novels of Rizal while the other one is a manga adaptation of a popular Filipino young adult novel. Anino Comics sure is determined to make their presence known this November 2015.

More information about these two new books from Anino Comics can be seen at:

http://www.adarna.com.ph

Facebook Page: "Anino Comics"

Movie News: Arnold Arre's Mythology Class Is Set For A Movie Adaptation

The release of Halina Filipina last October Komiket 2015 had sent smiles to fans of Arnold Arre's work, for finally a new material is once again presented to us.

However, the excitement does not stop there. The biggest news came from a transcript published by Radio Republic last September 24, 2015 (days before Komiket was held). It was a transcript of an interview with director Jerrold Tarog, director of Heneral Luna [2015].

"What's next, I dunno yet. We're developing Arnold Arre's Mythology Class. Maybe starting on the Luna sequel, Goyong" he said.

News of Arnold Arre's The Mythology Class being crafted into a movie made a lot of komik lovers, especially fans of Arnold Arre and those that have a deep appreciation of the Philippine Mythology, giggle and rejoice. The best part of the transcript was that the director of Heneral Luna, who clearly got the attention of most Filipinos due to his very provocative movie and his defiance to Filipino cliche movie structures, was the one who mentioned of a movie adaptation of The Mythology Class as a future project of his.

Additional information about the director's vision for this movie can be seen on an ABS-CBN News article that states director Jerrold Tarog had already pitched The Mythology Class to the producers. The producers had liked it and the story is now currently being developed.

Jerrold adds, "It will be done in two parts, with the original group of students divided into two since the whole book is rich enough for two films. We also have a couple of actresses in mind for some of the lead roles, but it's way too early to seriously discuss the casting."

This movie will surely be on the watch list of avid comic movie fans and those who have been captivated into following Jerrold Tarog's works after the success of the Heneral Luna biopic. The countdown into meeting Mrs. Enkanta, Nicole and the rest of the class awaits in the hands of director Jerrold Tarog.

Guess it's time you heard it from me: Zach: What’s next for you?Jerrold: What’s next, I dunno yet. We’re developing...

Posted by Arnold Arre on Friday, September 25, 2015

Synopsis of The Mythology Class by Arnold Arre.

"Summoned to a secret gathering one stormy night by the mysterious Mrs. Enkanta, Nicole finds herself free to face with tikbalangs, kapres, and all sorts of engkantos - mythical creatures she had only heard about from her grandfather's stories. Together with new found friends, she embarks on a quest into the realm of myth and folklore where she fights alongside heroes of her childhood against an age-old terror. Follow in their footsteps as their adventure takes them through the familiar streets of Metro Manila and into a world more fascinating than they had ever imagined." 

Events: Experiencing October Komiket 2015

After Asia Pop Comicon in Pasay City and before Komikon 2015 starts on Pasig City, the 1st Filipino Komiks and Art Market sets off for the 2nd time this year in Quezon City. Having missed the Easter Komiket, I traveled going up to the northern end of Metro Manila (I'm a southern Metro Manila resident) in order to pick up some comic pre-orders, buy comics from a random artist (hoping it will surprise me like what Macoy and Andoyman, whose works I fell in love with, thus, they have become part of those tables that are on my to-drop-by list to see if they have any new goodies) and to experience the crowd from this new komiks convention.

I only attended day 1 of the October Komiket (October 3, 2015). This is the 2nd farthest komiks convention that I had gone to, the 1st was Linggo Ng Wika - Komiks Ang Bida.

The first thing that will greet you before going inside Elements Centris was Komet. I must admit, having a character to represent the event, in this case for Komiket which is represented by a blue cat, is not a bad idea. It is just a wild (but not impossible) imagination to have an actual mascot of Komet prowl the area of Komiket in the future. That would really be awesome if that happens.

First on my to do list was to get my pre-ordered Halina Filipina by Arnold Arre. It really feels great that a new work is released once more by Arre. After reading Trip to Tagaytay, The Mythology Class and Martial Law Babies, one would really feel honored to be in front of him. Especially after the news that one of his works will soon be turned into a full length movie.

Speaking of new comics, next on my list was Ardie Aquino's Extra Rice with Extra Tries. Ardie Aquino is a comic book creator who I randomly bought a comic book during comic conventions. However, his works: Ang Roommate Kong Aswang!, SiNiGaNg: Kwento ng Lumbay, and Minsan Gusto Ko Magwala really impressed me. This is the same feeling that I had experienced upon randomly checking out Macoy's Ang Maskot and Andoyman's Palimos Ng Kulangot. I had gotten these 3 comics from Ardie last Indieket 2015. Upon reading his works, I added him on my list of comic creators that I should watch out for any new releases. The simplicity in his drawings and story are the key elements why his works should be read.

Leaving the geek scene for a little bit, an interesting booth that caters for personalized gifts such as bookmarks and bag tags were seen in the Creative Chaos' booth. They have a cool idea of twisting wires and forming it into beautiful small items. Upon interviewing them, I had learned that it was their first time participating in a comics convention. In the future I hope to see them at the other conventions too, most especially events that are related to books such as book fairs. The personalized wire-written bookmarks looks awesome in accompanying a bookworm.

October Komiket sure had a lot of surprises for everyone. That included freebies! Upon entering you'll already get 2 free comics from Your Comic Shop. Then, you could also get a copy of Bookwatch Vol. 19 No. 2 issue from the NBDB (National Book Development Board) booth. The last freebie that I had gotten came from the Anino Comics booth. A preview consisting of 12 pages for both Ang Supersibo and Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak ng Tabon were present to tease us of the two new books bound to be released by Anino Comics during Komikon 2015.

Komiket will surely give a new experience for those who regularly attend Komikon. In comparison to the Komikon crowd, the Komiket crowd has a lot of more younger faces around. Students, still in their respective school uniforms, would be seen checking out various comics that appeal to them. Heck, I even saw a fellow medical student making his way across the crowd. This scene really amazed me. As an avid komiks supporter, this crowd has impressed me a lot, especially with all those young curious (well I guess not all) faces wandering on what is in store for them on events such as this. Events where we rarely see attendees who are still in their teens. An interesting addition would be the attendance of some celebrities to this event.

Indeed Komiket gave off a uniquely different vibe, even though it is basically the same with Komikon. The main difference is the former being held in a smaller venue. Komiket really gave a nice komiks convention in the northern part of Metro Manila. It also serves as a great introduction to the much awaited Komikon this coming November. It would be considered as an alternative by others if time does not permit one from attending the November Komikon 2015.

Komiket can surely keep one surprised as they offer their attendees an experience you'll know that is a trademark of Komiket.

Here are more pictures from the event.

 

"Manix Con"

Manix's version of the Flash

Artwork by Nelz Yumul and Norby Ela

Here are the things that I got from the October Komiket 2015.

Pokemon stickers and Pelikomiks Posters

•  Extra Rice with Extra Tries
• Ardie Aquino
• Crime-Fighting Call Center Agents #4
• Noel Pascual and AJ Bernardo
• Kowtow Komiks
• Crime-Fighting Call Center Agents #5
• Noel Pascual and AJ Bernardo
• Kowtow Komiks
• Eddie Imagination Corporation
• Ardie Aquino Comics
• Higante No.1 (Tagalog Bersyon)
• Geonard Yleana
• Pelikomiks Studios
• Halina Filipina
• Arnold Arre
• Nautilus Comics
• Patay Kung Patay #1
• Alcazaren, Pascual and Bernardo
• Kwanimation Productions