I'm Back...:)

Back Online!

And not a moment too soon as a couple of editors are ready to break down my door. Sorry for the delay and all, I'll make it up the rest of this week.

Thanks for all the helpful messages I received on this blog and email with regards to getting my computer up and running! Regardless of what I think of technology, ang galing talaga ng Internet! It has helped me solve a lot of problems I would have otherwise have had difficulty dealing with had I been completely offline.

May konting problems pa rin, pero they're minor and I should be able to resolve this matter completely by next week. Whew!

Next week I'll start a kind of overview of the work I've so far done, starting with all the stuff I ever inked. I've been looking over them and wow, I've inked a LOT of comics in the past 10 years. I think it would be fun (for me at least) to revisit them one by one, starting with Harriers for Entity way back in 1995.

Till next week then.

Fatal System Error

Fatal Systerm Error

I've been noticing something wrong with the computer for sometime now. Once or twice a system message appeared telling me that my computer has just recovered from a near-fatal error. It worried me a bit. I just did the usual error checks and virus scans and forgot all about it.

Well, the computer made sure I didn't forget this time around when I started last night and it seemed to take a little TOO long to start. A blue screen appeared which said, "Ha! Sucker! You're SCREWED now!". Well, it didn't say that exactly, but it just might as well have. "Fatal System Error". My God. It's the first time it's happened to me. And it couldn't have come at the worst time. I'm desperately trying to finish an issue of Silent Dragon for which I'm already a bit late, and then there's the deadlines for Humanis Rex and Johnny Balbona waiting in the wings. I can't even afford to freak out, which I might have done had this happened 5 years ago when I might have handled this problem with a little less experience.

The best thing for me to do at the moment would be to buy a new hard disc install an OS in it and start fresh. Ilyn is going to Manila tomorrow and I've asked her to buy me one. I'll turn the old disc into a slave and hope to GOD that I can still salvage the files in it. The only thing of significance in my main disc is my website, and a host of scanned vintage artworks. All my work files on Silent Dragon, Humanis Rex and Johnny Balbona, and the entire 170 scanned pages of EL INDIO are on a 2nd slave disc which I'm relatively sure I can still salvage.

It's just too bad that I'm so dependent on the computer now for my work, because under any other circumstances, I would have been better off without it, just like I was when I lost my cellphone. When I lost my phone I sort of felt liberated. I still do. It's such a great feeling of freedom that I can't fully explain. I hope I can say the same with the computer, but I can't. I have to face the reality that the computer is now an essential tool in my work, and I'd be grossly disadvantaged without it.

It is unfortunate that we need to buy expensive things to do things we need to do in this age. Technology is fine, it's great! I just can't help but think I was probably born a little too late.

You can still email me at my old addresses, but right now, it's probably best to email me for the meantime at my yahoo address which is gerryalanguilan at yahoo.com. I hope to have the computer up and running again tomorrow evening. For now it's me and the neighborhood Internet cafe.

Alfredo Alcala Update

Alfredo P. Alcala
Battle of Midway
Redondo Komix #17
December 17, 1963

Alfredo Alcala's fascination with World War 2 naval warfare inspired him to write and draw many spectacular adaptations the greatest sea battles of that time. They are remarkable in their accurate eye for detail and lush rendering.

Alfredo's profile on the site has undergone a massive update with lots more art, and expanded biography. Click Here.

Lemos, Gernale, Gonzales, Sarile

Buddy Gernale
Regalo ng Maton
Redondo Komix #17, December 17, 1963
Craf Publications

Here are some artists I have not yet featured on the site. There are only a few of many other talented artists to work on Philippine comics who are virtually unknown today. I myself have no background information on these artists, except for probably Paquito E. Gonzales, whose son got in touch with me not too long ago. Does anyone have info on the others? I'll be most grateful. Thanks! I'll be featuring Gonzales, as well as these other artists again in the future.


Paquito E. Gonzales
Buklod na Pagmamahal
Hiwaga Komiks #351, July 30, 1965
C. Reyes Publishing Corporation


Carlos V. Lemos
Kuko ng Lawin
Espesyal Komiks #150, July 7, 1958
Ace Publications


Bert R. Sarile
Mad House: Kaming Tanga, Irog
Tagalog Klasiks #453, May 27, 1968
Pilipino Komiks, Inc.

Silent Dragon #1

Silent Dragon #1!


Silent Dragon #1
Written by Andy Diggle
Pencilled by Leinil Francis Yu
Inked by Gerry Alanguilan
Colored by Dave Stewart
Lettered by Jared K. Fletcher
Edited by Ben Abernathy
Cover pencilled and colored by Leinil Yu, Silent Dragon created by Diggle and Yu
Wildstorm Productions

I just received my copies of Silent Dragon #1. It should be out in stores next week. Silent Dragon is the first thing I worked on after inking Superman: Birthright last year. It's coming out of Wildstorm's Signature Series, and is written by acclaimed writer of Losers, Adam Strange and Swamp Thing, Andy Diggle. And it's colored by Eisner award winning colorist Dave Stewart. And of course, I'm working again with Leinil Francis Yu, who have been turning out an awesome page after awesome page. I mean, just check out a sample of interior art he did below.



Below is an uncolored detail from one of the interior pages of this issue.



I've been inking for many years, more than 10 years now, I think. And although there were times when I was a bit unhappy with my work, I gotta say I'm extremely happy at how this book turned out.

Covers. Santana, Redondo, Florese

Lastikman Cover
Aliwan #56, December 7, 1964
Illustrated by Mar Santana
Graphic Arts Service, Inc.


Palos Cover
Palos Komiks #1, January 27, 1969
Illustrated by Nestor Redondo
ARES Publications
*Thanks to Erwin Cruz for this cover!


Bobot The Robot
Tagalog Klasiks #409, September 16, 1966
Illustrated by Rudy Florese

Pagsulat ng Komiks Ni Mario S. Cabling

May Sining, Tagumpay at Salapi sa
Pagsulat ng Komiks
ni Mario S. Cabling
Art, Success and Money in Writing Comics by Mario S. Cabling
Published by National Book Store, 1972

I don't remember when I came across this book. I think my dad must have bought it in one of his many forays in Recto in search for bargain books. Indeed, this book was bought for only one peso.

Written in Tagalog, this book describes in sufficient detail essential aspects of komiks in the Philippines, circa 1970, from it's definition, characteristics, history, to its effect on Philippine society. It breaks down the fundamental parts of a comic book, the kind of stories that can be told, and interestingly enough, how they can be told, as determined by a "comics code" called the Golden Code of APEPCOM (Association of Philippine Editors, Publishers of Comics and Magazines).

History would bear out that the enforcement and adherence to the code is moderate at best, but at that particular time in the early years of Martial Law, adherence was practically mandatory.

The book describes the different kinds of panel layouts can be made on a page, as can be directed by the writer, indication of the ascendance of the writer over the artist, a characteristic of Philippine comics that persists to this day. As an example, Carlo Caparas, Mars Ravelo, Pablo S. Gomez are the names you hear when their characters Panday, Darna and Lastikman, and Kampanerang Kuba are referred to, but no mention at all of the artists who created those characters along with them. Steven Gan, artist on Panday, told me in an interview that he was largely resp0nsible for the look of the Panday character including other cast, clothing, weapons and other visual elements. That would make him practically a co-creator, and should benefit from any and all usage of that character in comics and other media. Fixing this oversight is one of the goals this site will try to accomplish.

Back to book, it also goes on in good detail how to properly write a script with the proper format, draft a proposal, provides a list of publishers and their addresses, and even offers tips on how to negotiate for a proper rate.

It's an interesting document that gives a peek into how comics were created at a particular time (and certain things are still applicable today), but an update is sorely needed, not only for writers but for artists as well.

Dell Barras

Dell Barras
Rocketeer Illustration
The Rocketeer Story Book
Published by Walt Disney Pictures, 1991
The Rocketeer created by Dave Stevens

Dell Barras began his career in comics in the Philippines illustrating various stories like "DARNA and the Black Widow" and "Asawa ng Sailor" for Bulaklak and other local companies. Romeo Tanghal introduced Dell to DC Comics editors which began a long career in comics and animation in the US. He has worked as inker and artist on various titles for Marvel and DC including New Mutants, Champions, Defenders, Micronauts, Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Spiderman, Hulk, Conan and various comics for Neal Adams' Continuity Comics.

I saw Dell's work for the first time on the pages of New Mutants where he inked Keith Pollard for one issue. I was a huge fan of Chris Claremont's New Mutants, and it was a run that I still find to be very good and quite underrated. I immediately noticed how familar the art seemed to be although I've never seen Dell's linework before. The line art seemed to have a softness and grace that I didn't see in most of the comics I was reading at the time.

It would be many years later when I would learn that Dell was actually Filipino, and the familiarity I felt with his work suddenly made sense. This fact was pointed out to me by Whilce, who had met Dell previously.

Dell is currently working as a designer, animator, and storyboard artist for films, television and the Internet, and is based in Van Nuys, California.

A frequent visitor to Komikero.com, Dell has been helpful in getting me in touch with many other Filipino Komiks illustrators and providing information and artwork that greatly enrich this site.

You can visit Dell's official site, where you can see more of his art below:

THE ART OF DELL BARRAS
http://www.media-blastoff.net/

Mauro Malang Santos

Mauro Malang Santos
Woman in Red, 1997

Mauro Malang Santos, more popularly known as simply "Malang" is one of the Philippines' most prominent painters. At 77 years old, Malang is still active and still painting. His works have been considered to "celebrate the Philippine landscape, it's people and their traditions with rapturous, fiesta colors."

Malang began his career as a cartoonist, writing and drawing "Kosme The Cop, Retired". He, along with other cartoonists including Larry Alcala, established the "Bughouse" in 1955, a gallery specializing in cartoons.

The strip below comes from Bituin Komiks #22, published in June 30, 1950 by F. J. Quiogue Publication for which he also served as assistant editor.


*


Another Filipino painter who has roots in comics include National Artist Vicente S. Manansala, who contributed artwork to what may be considered a "comic book" adaptation of Philippine History in "Philippine Saga: A Pictorial History of the Archipelago Since Time Began", written by Prof. H. Otley Beyer and Prof. Jaime C. De Veyra, serialized in The Evening News in 1947.

More on Vicente Manansala later....

For All The Right Reasons

For All The Right Reasons

I get some pretty interesting emails from time to time. A lot of the emails I get are from aspiring artists looking for advice and/or critique, or they just wanted to write me after realizing, with much surprise, that I actually exist as a real live human being. I try my very best to reply, and although at times I have promised to critique their art, sometimes work and other committments cause me to simply forget, or lose time to take care of it. I'm a forgetful person, and many times I'm concerend that I offend those people whom I have previously met and I've forgotten their names.

Emails I try my best to answer, and for the most part, I get to respond to most of them. Sometimes I don't get to reply at all. The reasons are many. Some emails I set aside, planning on replying later as they require a lot of thought and time to compose a response to, but sometimes I just forget once I get caught up in other things.

Other emails I find just too pushy. If they don't get a reply within 12 hours they start to jump on you, and send identical emails one after the other, thinking that perhaps I didn't get it the first time around. That makes me less and less inclined to reply.

Some emails demand rather than request for help in their thesis research or other school work. These emails lack courtesy or consideration and they are written with a haughtiness that believes the world owes them something. Most of the time I do reply, but I'm not helpful at all.

When people meet me sometimes I'm asked to sketch. Actually, I love to sketch for anyone who asks for it, but it's embarassing, because I'm not someone like Arnold Arre who can whip up an awesome looking drawing in a few seconds. I tend to take my time... and it takes a long time to do a drawing I'm happy with. Some people have the impression that we can draw everything from memory.

At the Neil Gaiman autograph signing at Greenhills, someone asked me to draw Rogue from the Paul Smith era. I welcomed the request, but to be honest, the request frightened me. One, I have a hard time drawing girls quickly. Two, I have a hard time drawing in public, and three, I can't recall from memory what Rogue's costume was like during Paul Smith's tenure on the X-men. The guy told the story of how he approached Leinil one time and asked him to draw Wonder Woman and Leinil couldn't because he can't recall what Wonder Woman looks like.

It may seem surprising, but comics artist generally can't draw every character from memory. Even for seasoned professionals, research is very important, and you can bet that nearly all artists do a certain amount of research before he starts drawing. Unless an artist has worked specifically on a title for several months, he won't be able to recall with any accuracy what any given character on that book looks like, except for maybe someone like George Perez, who has practically drawn EVERYONE at some point or the other.

But anyway, I ended up drawing Wolverine, but I'm afraid I didn't do a good job of it. My pen ran out of ink and well, it was a mess. I apologized to the guy and I said I'd just do a Rogue for him which I will do here at home. I think I have promised drawings to a couple of other people, and I'm thinking I really should start writing these down so I won't forget.

Back to the emails.... many of those I do get from aspiring artists are just amazing. They share their art with me and sometimes I just go wow! If an artist approaches me with art that I feel has that potential to make it, I try to recommend them to people who could give them jobs. And I'm glad to say that some of these artists are actually working in comics now. I guess it all comes down to attitude. These artists have a healthy attitude towards creativity, they're willing to learn and improve, and they have a distinct love for art and comics.

Sometimes, other aspring artists approach with me on the pretext of asking for advice, but in their hearts, what they really want is praise. But don't we all? Praise for a job well done is much deserved, but to ask me for advice and critique, don't expect me to give you anything else other than advice and critique. I'll give you praise if I think your work warrants it.

I'm terribly frank and straightforward about my advice, and when the mood strikes I can get pretty detailed and verbose. Somtimes it takes more 2 hours just to write up a long critique of several pages of art. But this is done with no other intent but to point out to the aspiring artist just what he needs to work on. And if I get longwinded it only means I care that this artist does a better job and I know, from looking at his work, that he can do better.

I'm never counterproductive nor am I dismissive. I try to be as helpful as I can, but in the process, I can be brutally honest. Such honesty I think, is something that is probably not expected or even wanted, and more often than not, I don't hear from them again.

Out of 5 people who approach me to critique their work, only 1 out of 5 ever respond, even if it is to just say thanks. The other four, possibly frustrated that they didn't get praise from me, probably went somewhere else looking for it. Well, good luck. But I have to say you won't get better once you feel that you can't do better.

Like my wife says, "fried chicken". A little ego is good and even needed, but too much of it is counterproductive.

Once in a while I come across people who try and enter comics for all the wrong reasons. One guy emailed me telling me that he's envious that a lot of people were approaching us to have our autographs on their comics, and that people were mobbing us during these signings. Others email me wanting to be artists in comics because they know they'll be earning lots of money and get to hang out with girls. Which is wow... it's hard to find the right words to say just how wrong that is.

In many cases, when people enter comics with these objectives in mind, they really don't get to last long because they realize sooner or later just how hard the job is. And yes, it is a hard job. It's a time consuming job, requiring a lot of sacrifice and commitment. Believe it or not, when people see me outside for signings or when I'm walking around in malls, those are probably just a few of the times when I'm not at home chained to my desk and working.

You have to love the art. You have to love doing comics and continuously find ways to improve yourself. Being a pro doesn't exempt you from criticism. Your education as an artist doesn't stop. I got critiques forWasted, for Crest Hut, for Birthright, for Lastikman, for Humanis Rex. I accept them all because I know accepting it can result in nothing else but better work in the future.

This is why I'm always saddened and disappointed when I meet fellow professionals who came into the job for all the wrong reasons. I've met artists who openly admit they do it for the money. Their art is good, but you can see how they can still improve. I guess I can't blame anyone who only wants to make a living for themselves. And doing comics is an honest living. Nothing can be really wrong with that.

But once in a while I come across people who are so arrogant in their mediocrity that I just shake my head and wonder how they were able to get that job and have a following. Take this guy for instance, who has been working for some time. To be honest, he isn't a very good artist. His writing has its moments once in a while, but he hasn't shown he can improve as an artist in the many years he has been working. Under ordinary circumstances, this is an opinion that I'd rather keep to myself, but in order to demonstrate what I want to say in this post, a real and true example needs to be shown. I don't need to say who he is, for it is simply proof that such persons do exist that I wish to demonstrate.

I have been seeing his work for a couple of years and although I don't enjoy his work and I think his art is seriously flawed, I'm content to just appreciate other things more worthy of attention. But in an Internet mailing list few years ago, he announced that he will be part of a seminar that proposes to teach how comics are drawn. And my stomach turned.

How can he even think of teaching young artists to draw, when he is the one in serious need of an art education himself? Again, it's an opinion I wanted to keep to myself, but much to my surprise, someone actually replied with another message expressing in words what I had been thinking. I quote the message, with the name of the artist edited out.

Is xxxxxx the guy who draws xxxxxxxx? I applaud his efforts .... but his artwork is very amateurish....... I don't think xxxxxxx is in a position to teach me or anyone on how to draw comic art. He needs an art workshop as much as I do.

And the artist freaked out. Thankfully enough, I saved the message and I'm posting it below unedited, except for his name.

Let's put it this way: if an amateur like me can release 3 successful
books, go national, get visited by Atenean chicks for interviews,
receive free unlimited internet time just for doing what I do, and
hordes of readers pestering me for a fourth book,

why can't you?

There are better comic artists out there who can't profit from their
work and gain recognition. Therefore, there's more to comic creation
than the art. Now isn't that something worth learning about?

There's more to comics creation than art? What? Atenean chicks? Free Internet? Fan adulation? I can't say anything much more because he pretty much hangs himself by what he has said.

But I do concede that there are many artists out there who are good, but can't get the same attention. That much is true. But to promote mediocrity because for some strange damned reason it sells, and propose to perpetuate such mediocrity and the philosophy behind it by *teaching* it, is something I cannot let pass. It is why I'm posting this here.

I certainly hope no young artist learns from his example, but there is a deep sinking fear that some may well do. I just hope that there would be more young artists out there who care wholeheartedly about the craft, artists who believe that uplifting the medium is much more important than the money and the adulation, artists who are willing to push the creative envelope and explore avenues in art other artists haven't gone before.

And if I can offer an advice to anyone willing to listen, just do your best. Just do your best. Draw the hell out of that page, and draw it like it's the last page you will ever draw, knowing that it may well be your last chance to show just what you can do. Just do your best. Listen to criticism. Take it. Accept it. LOVE what you do. And if your work is good, you know, money and all that shit will follow whether you realize it or not.