KOMIKON: The First Philippine Comics Convention
(Press Release courtesy of Azrael Coladilla)
Comic books or Komiks in the local parlance enjoyed the special status as "the national past time" during its golden age spanning the 70s to the early 80s. The local industry Illustrators gained superstar status giving them the opportunity to break into the international scene and cemented the tradition of producing world class comic book talents. The local scene on the other hand has crossed over into other entertainment mediums bringing classic comicbook characters such as Darna, Dyesebel, and Panday to the silverscreen and other titles as television series or radio drama.
For the past six years there have been numerous conventions on anime, gaming and comics. Since that time the comic industry in our country breathed life again. Many have published, lived and failed, but never lost hope. Here's the event that aims to bring together a great company of artists and celebrate this great art form called KOMIKS!
KOMIKON 2005 will be held at the UP Diliman's Bahay ng Alumni on October 22, 2005.
It will showcase the creations of Filipino artists from various genres and themes and give tribute to the creators and their creations. The 1st Philippine Komiks Convention aims to bring together different comic book artists/groups and publishers in a venue where they could present their talents, works and services to the public. Most importantly, it aims to give a break to aspiring comic artists. It would like to provide the venue for different art groups and different generations of artists for a free exchange of ideas. Hopefully it would lead to a transcending of stereotypes and broaden the scope of comics – from local to international to cross-cultural, sequential to strips, amateur to professional and traditional publication to independent comics publishing. This event will give people the awareness of the exciting state of contemporary Philippine comics industry.
Contests like the Independent Comic Book Contest, On the Spot Comic Strip Making and the Original Character Making Contest hopes to bring out the next generation of Comic Book creators to the fore front. Our Special Guests, comic book superstars from the past and present, both coming from the local and international fields will be available for questions and will be present to provide insights about the industry through their experiences. Various fun-filled activities will also be provided by our exhibitors through their respective booths.
Taking the cue from the film industry that regularly take time to award meritorious films and give accolades to their worthy creators, the Komikon Committee will open the nominations for the planned annual Komikon Awards in this event for the following year. The Komikon Awards will give the opportunity for readers, creators, publishers and retailers to nominate and vote for the best in the industry, both local and international. The Awards will not be typical; it will follow the non-traditional MTV way of giving awards, with categories such as Best Line, Best Action Scene, Best Romantic Scene, etc. The awards aim to encourage solidarity within the industry to produce quality local books and promote wider readership in the market.
This event is organized by The Artists' Den and UP Graphic Arts in Literature (GRAIL).
The UP GRAIL is a non-sectarian, non-partisan and non-political literary organization that aims to promote graphic literature as a serious literary form. The group believes that certain "comic books" or "graphic novels" can be considered as serious literary forms and that these are reflections of the society's social, political and cultural context. Their aim is to initiate and actively participate in all activities that would involve the promotion of graphic literature as a serious literary form.
The Artists' Den, on the other hand, has a long-term commitment to help art groups grow, to promote goodwill among fellow Comic Creators and support different works and activities among appreciative audiences. The organization had been witness to the ups and downs of the comic industry as members themselves are mixed up in it. The group has actively participated in the past conventions and now would like to have a convention that focuses on comics alone.
For more information and latest event developments visit http://www.komikon.blogspot.com/
Download our Event info and Sponsorship/exhibitors package
http://www.geocities.com/jeazrael/komikon_sponsorship_package.doc
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The Philippine Comics Art Museum will have a minor sponsor's booth in the Komikon, and will have an accompanying booth for the Komikero Artists's Group.
I'll be showcasing various original artwork and prints by Alfredo Alcala, Nestor Redondo, Francisco V. Coching, Rudy Florese, Sonny Trinidad, Emil Rodriquez, Ruben Yandoc, Larry Alcala, Fred Carrillo, Elpidio Torres, Alex Niño, Hal Santiago, Tony Velasquez, as well as those by modern Philipine artists like Leinil Francis Yu, Whilce Portacio, Rafael Kayanan, Lan Medina, myself and lots more!
Take a sneak peak into remastered pages for the upcoming re-release and compilation of Francisco V. Coching's EL INDIO, as well as sample art for the upcoming Masters of Philippine Comics Art book.
Have a chance to view and browse komiks published in the Philippines from the 40's up the the 70's including issues of Liwayway, Pilipino Komiks, Hiwaga Komiks, Tagalog Klasiks, Pioneer, Holiday, Aliwan, Pinoy Komiks, Pinoy Klasiks, Sinderela, Extra, etc. from the 1940's up the 1970's.
More announcement about this event in the coming weeks.
