I did some inks here and there for the book and my studio Robo Monkey Pixel Fighters (RMPF) did some of the grayscale (some of Elbert’s students took some of the pages in an effort to meet the deadline). It was certainly an interesting project and a delight to help illuminate J. Torres’s story, especially one such as this that highlight Philippine culture and belief systems and spins it into one entertaining yarn.

I hope that we see more of these kinds of stories in the future.

There have been a lot of kind words online on the book and the illustration. In behalf of RMPF, especially Neil Amiel Cervantes and Katrina Mae Hao who did the grayscaling, we’d like to say thank you by giving you guys out there a sneak peek into how a LOLA page gets produced.

Let’s begin!

It’s bound to be a very interesting discussion and I hope you guys tune in.

I’ll also be talking about the upcoming KOMIKSTRIP: The First UPLB Comic Convention.

If you haven’t done so already, you can also sign up at our official Facebook event page. Click here.

We’d really appreciate it if you can help spread the word but we’d appreciate it even more if you guys can come on over and join us for a day of comic festivities…UPLB style!

The KOMIKSTRIP is presented by the UP BUGKOS and JONASDIEGO.COM in cooperation with the Graphic Literature Guild.

It’s happening on February 13, 2009 Saturday at the New CAS Annex 2 in UPLB, Laguna.

Special guests include Gerry Alanguilan, Manix Abrera, Carlo Vergara, and a whole lot more!

Needless to say, it will be awesome!

Take a trip to the KOMIKSTRIP!

Click here for more information! Click here to sign up at our Facebook event page! ]]> http://jonasdiego.com/theblurb/2010/01/komikstrip-teaser/feed/ http://jonasdiego.com/theblurb/2010/01/the-andong-agimat-blog/ http://jonasdiego.com/theblurb/2010/01/the-andong-agimat-blog/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:20:32 +0000 Jonas Diego http://jonasdiego.com/theblurb/?p=1510 I recently stumbled on the official blog of Andong Agimat in the middle of online research for Philippine related comics.

The blog briefly describes Andong Agimat, the graphic novel, as “inhabited by superheroes without the cultural trappings of American comics. Superheroes steeped in mythology but sharpened by the dirty grey tabloid world. Superheroes that are different and yet familiar. New and yet remembered.”

The description was paraphrased from Prof. Emil Flores‘ foreword from the book.

Ang Mundo ni Andong Agimat is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Filipino comic creator Arnold Arre. It was published by the author under his own Tala Comics Publishing in April 2006.

“In June of 2007, Unitel Productions purchased the film/TV adaptation rights to Arnold Arre’s graphic novel Ang Mundo ni Andong Agimat. Here is where we’ll be chronicling Andong’s journey from bookpaper to the big screen.”

The blog was last updated October 2009 but if there are going to be news about Andong the movie this is going to be one of the first places it’s going to pop up first.

Francisco V. Coching’s masterpiece, El Indio, finally sees print after more than half a century of being out of circulation through the efforts of the Vibal Foundation. Coching’s work was lovingly brought back to life and digitally restored by Gerry Alanguilan and Zara Macandili.

I was fortunate enough to have been provided a copy by the people from Vibal.

El Indio features all new material like the expanded character list, never before seen silent art pages, including a foreword by Francisco’s widow, Filomena N. Coching.

The level of detail lovingly wrought by Coching draws the reader in. The deep Tagalog used in the narrative and dialogue made for some slow reading at the start not being used it myself but served as a device later on to immerse myself in the proper mindset for the period and setting.

Sort of like time travelling.

Gerry Alanguilan, after years of work in digital restoration hopes that this is the beginning of the “recovery of an art form that has too long been left by the wayside.”

El Indio was published with permission from the Francisco V. Coching Foundation. For more information about the book, you can get in touch with the Vibal Foundation at (02) 712-2722 or 712-9156.

The book is now available at leading bookstores.

His new book 12, which bucks the trend of traditional comic book storytelling by foregoing dialogue (Manix dubs it as ‘silent comics’), is now available in all Powerbooks branches with assurances that it will be available as well in all Fully Booked and National Bookstores by the end of November.

You can also catch Manix Abrera at the upcoming San Pablo Comics Festival this coming December 6, 2009 Sunday at the Lion’s Den Clubhouse in San Pablo City, Laguna.

Check out the official blog for more details.

As I was doing research for the review, I found out that Boom Studios produced a graphic novel that tied in to the film. The graphic novel was written by Black Metal’s Rick Spears and the first nine pages illustrated by Jim Mahfood of Clerks fame.

Wikipedia says that two covers were designed; “one for the direct market by Eric Jones (available only in comic specialty stores), and the other by Frank Cho for the mass market”.

The thumbnail image on the left is the one designed by Eric Jones.

Considering that Jennifer’s Body didn’t do so hot at the box office, Megan Fox aside, I wonder how the graphic novel did in terms of sale? Also, I think it would be a great idea to do a further adventures kinda thing this time focusing on Needy’s character in the movie.

KOMIKERO Komiks features comic book stories from the members of the KOMIKERO Artists Group and participating distinguished comic book creators. The Anthology aims to push the envelope of sequential storytelling and explore the online realm as a means of finding a bigger audience for these stories.

With the launch of the website, the Anthology plans to do just that.

The brainchild of Gerry Alanguilan, Johnny Y. Danganan, and Jonas Diego, the KOMIKERO Komiks Anthology features some of the Philippines’ most prolific and well-known comic book creators.

First off is Carlo Vergara’s Reunion, the first 6-page story to be uploaded.

Carlo Vergara of course is the creator of the wildly popular graphic novel Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah and one of the Philippines’ most popular comic book creator.

Check the website out here and read Carlo’s moving story here.

How could I have missed it before!?

They’re both bald, have that tattoo of an arrow pointing down on their respective cue balls, and both have air based powers.

Both come from a different universe, of course (add to the fact the Red Tornado is actually an android) but I’m sure the creative types out there can find a way to make sense of it all. If all else fails, there’s the old reliable standby solution to all continuity conflicts…retcon.