Sunday, February 27, 2005

Jesse Santos


Jesse Santos
Dar Aguila Cover
Pioneer Komiks, 1966

Jesse Santos was popular in the Philippines for illustrating two James Bond like characters DI-13 and Dar Aguila. Jesse was very innovative in his art style by incorporating washes in interior comics pages for the first time in Filipino comics (arguably).

Jesse eventually became popular in the US for illustrating the similar sounding "Dagar" for Gold Key Press.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Silent Dragon



SILENT DRAGON
written by Andy Diggle
pencilled by Leinil Francis Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan

6 issues from Wildstorm/Cliffhanger/DC Comics.

From an interview with Andy Diggle:

"Beginning with "Silent Dragon," Diggle says this book is set in its own universe. "It's set in a future Tokyo where the ancient and modern collide - a crazy melting pot of cyborg Yakuza, holographic ghosts and samurai war droids," Diggle told CBR News. "It's a sci-fi/crime/action/tragedy/love story with really big robots. I wanted to create a universe where I could really let rip with some extreme actions sequences without being constrained by the supposed 'reality' of a book like 'The Losers.' So everything is bigger, crazier, and larger than life. But I was surprised that, once I got into it, the tone ended up being somewhat darker than I had expected. The characters have taken on a life of their own, more so than in anything I've yet written, and there's a kind of haunted, melancholy air that hangs over the lead character for reasons which will become apparent."

Read More here:

BREAKING THE SILENCE; ANDY DIGGLE TALKS SILENT DRAGON, THE LOSERS AND ADAM STRANGE
by Dave Richards
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=4835

Friday, February 18, 2005

HUMANIS REX



HUMANIS REX

Two full color pages monthly on FUDGE Magazine starting with the April issue. Full page ad on the March issue. Hopefully the entire story will be played out in 24 installments throughout the next two years. :)

Monday, February 14, 2005

Buy Lastikman Online!


Buy Lastikman Online!


For our friends abroad, you can get your copies at KabayanCentral.com!
Note! This comic book is written in 80% Tagalog, 20% English.



KabayanCentral.Com
http://www.kabayancentral.com/onlyindphil/lastikman.html

Salamat sa support in advance! he.he. Of course, if you're in the Philippines, just hang on until you see it at your local magazine stand.

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Nestor Malgapo


Nestor Malgapo
Siya...Si URBANO
circa 1978

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Filipino Artists


Filipino Artists


Research continues for the Filipino Comics Art book as I met with some of our best artists for interviews and photo ops.

I recently met with several comics artists inclduding (from left), Steve Gan, Nar deMesa, Noly Zamora, (me!) and Nestor Malgapo.



Steve Gan is known as the artist on the original Panday and illustrated various stories for Marvel including Conan, Tomb of Dracula, Skull the Slayer and Brak the Barbarian.

Nar De Mesa illustrated short stories for Espesyal Komiks, TSS, Darna Komiks, etc, with various writers including Deo Fajardo Jr., Lualhati B. De La Cruz, and Mila Valdez.

Noly Zamora illustrated well known characters like Korak, John Carter of Mars and Vampirella for DC and Warren.

Nestor Malgapo was the creating artist on Mars Ravelo's Flash Bomba, and he drew various successful stories by Ravelo including Wanted: Perfect Mother and Haydee. Nestor illustrated many short horror stories for DC Comics. He is a regular visitor to this site as well!

Thanks to all of them for allowing me to butt in on their meetings, specially Nestor Malgapo for providing some awesome artwork that will do nothing but enrich this site, as well as the upcoming book. Thanks sir!

RA 9266


Republic Act 9266

Architects Law of 2004

RA 9266 or Architects Law of 2004 was passed last year and as of yesterday, it has fully taken effect here in my hometown of San Pablo City, Laguna.

Being a licensed architect and a member of our national architects' organization, the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), it has significance to me and may well affect my professional life from this time on.

One of the bigger points of this law is that Architects can no longer design and sign Structural Plans for the construction of buildings.

To simplify things, if you wish to have a house or building constructed, you would require a set of plans known as "Working Drawings" which would give directions to a contractor how to build your house according to your approved specifications.

The Working Drawings are divided into several sections, the first being the "Architectural Plans" where the orgainzation, the layout and the aesthetic design of the outside and the inside of the building are specified. The second section is the Engineering Plans which is further subdivided into "Structural Plans", "Electrical Plans", "Plumbing Plans" and so on, plans that ensure that your house doesn't fall down and they work properly.

Before this law, Architects were authorized to design Structural Plans for one to 4 story structures. With this law, this job now solely belongs to the Structural Engineer.

However, it now becomes the sole job of the Architect to prepare and sign Architectural Plans. Engineers can no longer provide Architectural plans and sign them as they have done so for decades before this.

Additionally, Architects cannot sign Architectural Plans that they did not design, or at least had a hand in supervising the design.

This would now curtail the practice of draftsmen in designing Architectural plans and having either Engineers or Architects sign them afterward.

So if you are resident of San Pablo City at least, and wish to have a house constructed, you would be needing an Architect and an Engineer to do to it. You can't have just one. There is a lot of paperwork to get this law going in your respective hometowns and as far as I know, only Davao and San Pablo City have successfully implemented this law fully with Palawan and other areas following soon. Hopefully this law will be fully implemented nationwide before long.

It will be very difficult time for both Architects and Engineers in the next few years as this law settles in. A lot of Engineers are understandably upset, but the point of all this is to put into order and into their proper places our respective professions.

We Architects are not out to rob Engineers of their jobs because to be honest, providing Architectural Plans wasn't really their job to do in the first place. They do not have the proper educational background in Architectural history, theory, aesthetics and planning (environmental, social, functional) necessary to properly design a living and working environment for human habitation. It was *our* job to do because we are the ones who studied for it and are eminently qualified to do it. This is a job that has been taken away *from us* by Engineers here in the Philippines for decades. With this law, the work of both Architect and Engineer now becomes equally essential and clients cannot do without the other. This law actually ensures both Architect and Engineer work for any particular project.

What this means for me is that San Pablo would be needing more Architects to accommodate the influx of projects coming our way. With only 35 active members in our local chapter, I may need to return to architecture at some point.

After coming into comics back in 1992, I slowly got myself out of architecture, although I remained active in our local chapter. I designed my last house in 1995 and never looked back.

My interest in architecture has been revived in the last couple of years and I remembered how exhilarating it was coming out with designs for all sorts of things. So if and when I do come back, I'm not doing it without any interest invested in it.

For now, comics is still my priority, and I intend on fulfilling all my current obligations. After that who knows? I may well change my priorities and put comics second. I can't say now. I'll be able to tell by the end of this year.

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

For Justin Qutami


For Justin Qutami


...who wrote an email to me asking for tips on comics art. I sent you a reply, but I got this message.

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----

(reason: 554 delivery error: dd Message undeliverable. Your email address is not listed in the Address Book o...global.net --

Sorry dude. There's no other way for me to reach you anymore except here. Maybe think about getting a Yahoo address so I can send emails directly to you.

Monday, February 07, 2005

Philippine Komiks on Stamps


Philippine Komiks On Stamps!


I just found out that the Philippine Post Office released stamps on Philippine Komiks last November. I saw a set being sold at Ebay and grabbed a scan of it from there.



Featured art includes Gilbert Monsanto's cover to Darna #3 , Francisco Reyes' Kulafu, Nestor Redondo's Darna, Francico Coching's Lapu-Lapu, and Federico Javinal and Coching's El Vibora.

As far as I know, they were released only recently so it is highly likely you can still grab a set of this at your local post office.

Astig, Gilbert! You're on a stamp...and in such prestigious company at that. Congrats!

DOUG MIERS


Doug Miers

I just learned that Doug Miers, my friend and writer on Ochlocrat, passed away last January 31. One said he died of a heart attack but another said he died of a brain aneurysm. But it doesn't really matter, he's gone and really for a while there I really didn't know what to say.

I never met Doug personally, but even I'm surprised at how much his death has affected me.


We had recently been corresponding just a couple of weeks before he died about my contribution for Prophecy Anthology Vol. 2.

I shall remain forever grateful to Doug for giving me my breaks in the industry. He was the one who took the risk on getting me as a penciller on Ochlocrat, when up to that time I was known mainly as an inker. I was honored by his invitation, specially since it quickly became clear to me how much he loved this character. And man, I gave that book my all. I didn't want to disappoint Doug, not after the trust he had placed in me.

We two went through quite a bit to get Ocholocrat out there, but he was patient with me, being both firm and gently encouraging. A much better collaborator I can never ask for.

Doug was also instrumental in getting me my very first writing gig in America via the Prophecy Anthology. We were talking about future collaborations, specially more Ochlocrat stories. I'm sad that it will never come to pass, but I'm grateful that Doug and I met, for my life has surely been different (in a bad way) if we hadn't.

Wherever you are, man, thanks for everything!!

Sunday, February 06, 2005

My New Comics


My New Comics




Just out is DC Superheroes #10, published by PSI-COM Publishing, the only licensed publisher in the Philippines to reprint recent comics from DC Comics. This issue includes issue #10 of Superman: Birthright written by Mark Waid, pencilled by Leinil Francis Yu, inked by me, and colored by Dave McCaig.

It also includes the first issue of "Pain of the Gods" from JLA. I read this story and wow, I wasn't expecting what I read there. Very very nice story. Of course, this issue also continues Batman: HUSH.

It's available at all National Book Store Outlets, Powerbooks, Bibliarch, magazine stands, etc.



Just hot from the press is Graphic Classics: O Henry published by EUREKA Productions in Wisconsin, USA. I adapted a short O Henry story called "The Furnished Room" in 10 pages, pencilled, inked and greytoned. I can't believe the other guys my work gets to share space in: Rick Geary, Lisa K. Weber, Mark A. Nelson etc.

For more info on this book, go here:

Graphic Classics: O Henry Information Page