Wanna Make Comics?

The suggestion I’m about to give only applies for the local comic scene here in the Philippines, and not anywhere else.

Alright, for all you budding comics enthusiasts out there, if you want to make your own comics, you’ll probably like (or not) this suggestion.

Centralbooks is a company  that prints out independent  books authored by various Professors and Instructors.  But it’s not just law books that they get to print,  they also specialize on printing picturebooks too. Curious on a certain idea, I get to call CB some  weeks ago, inquiring if their services also included  the printing of comicbooks other than the usual stuff.  I’m pleased that they affirmed me about  my inquiry.

So CB print comics as well. But for how much?  Nothing in their website suggests a package for printing out comics, so this is, as what the nice person from CB told me: comics is a special case, and CB can print out comic books amounting to only  50 copies on a budget of less than 8,000 Php.  This means that each book is priced around 145 Php.  Your comic will be printed in high quality stock book paper, colored cover, and the number of pages will be around 50.  You only have to submit them a PDF copy of your comic in a cd. When selling your comic, you just have to raise the cost a little, like 190 or 200 Php each.

Not bad huh? So if you are planning to do a one-shot graphic novel, this is probably the way to go.  However, if you are the kind of author who wants to push the envelope in terms of storytelling – i.e. put nudity,  expletives, and adult situations along with the fantasy or science fiction stories much like the American underground comic or the European mags like Metal Hurlant, Centralbooks will never print it.  This kinda suck because me and some of my buddies want to try to do a kind of a local “Heavy Metal”, but there is a ridiculous law made by some sanctimonious pinheads which says authors cannot put anything in their books that may harm a minor, even if you placed a mature rating on the book. 

In this day and age, nothing – no entertainment medium is cohered just for children.  This law is kinda ironic to me because  some local bookstores and comic shops sell Heavy Metal magazines. And let’s not forget about FHM which is sold EVERYWHERE.  I guess there are still some people who still brand the comicbook as mere children’s reading material.  Geez, if nudity in comics is obscene, what about Manet and Renoir? I know they’re painters, but comic is also a visual medium much like painting, or film, or even video.

I don’t blame CB, they are just want stay out of trouble from potential retards who might want  to crucify them if they step out of line, but at least they told me that it’s okay for them print out “sexy”, and not out- and-out nude. So if you create a comic which probably at the level of Gen13 or Dangergirl, that’ll be fine.

So that’s it! The only thing you have to do now is to raise the dough, slap the copyright on that baby and sell it on the next Komikon convention.  I hope my suggestion here helps.

Off the Air

Coming November 30, local radio fm station, K-Lite 103.5 will be closing down in order to be reformatted.  This is too bad cos I like the music they were playing on the air, and I love the DJs here.  They are all classy, and sometimes, goofy!  I always tune in to DJ Hilary and Janice’s time at 12 noon when they play new wave music on their 80s Reloaded show.  I’m gonna miss that, plus Totally Mental and all the other shows.

Here is an MTV the DJs whipp up themselves and uploaded on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XCK2RQVWH8

It has been more than 5 years that I have listening to K-Lite, way back when Jessica Zafra had her show called Twisted on a Sunday with Carl.  Now that its closing it down, all I can say to the wonderful people, and especially the DJs of this station, a big Thank You for giving me and others a wonderful listening experience. It has been a blast, I hope you guys will still be around.

There are no “goodbyes”, just “see you later.”

Going down the other road

I’m going to a different career path which has nothing to do with art, drawing or comics. I’ll expect that some people who I know, or knows me but not personally, may probably think my decision is ludicrous. But I really don’t care.

I don’t know where this one will take me, but I think it’ll sure will be quite lucrative.  I just have to trust my gut feeling over this.

Stealing Ideas

Way back during the time  when Whilce Portacio visited Manila, and that  the American comics industry was at it’s peak some years  ago, a lot of Filipino creators  thought that it would be possible to create some homegrown Filipino characters in local comics to jumpstart the industry.  Some are made, but never got the comic past the first or second issue. And others just quit before they began.

I was also one of these guys. I used to make Filipino heroes on my own, set in a timeline at a not-too-distant-future.  I did some with the names like Sinag, Gatilyo, Lanzeta and another character I failed to  give a name due to the politically correctness of his Muslim heritage. (it was really hard to figure out a good name for him.) I also made even a mentor for these guys, called Janus Oberon.  These ideas never got to second base. Why? Because of some people aren’t committed to it. Because they might have found some bigger fish to fry. 

Another reason was that I quit on the idea.  I found it to be too silly, and I realise that I made a Filipino clone version of the X-Men.  No different from my contemporaries at that time.  However, I did came up with a terrific origin for Janus and his arch-nemesis, Kaos, since they were both alien. Kaos landed on the Philippines during the time the Spanish were taking over and was hailed as a god by the natives. While Janus landed in Spain and was taken cared for by Franciscan monks. They got in a little dispute which one of Janus’ Franciscan friends were killed by the people under Kaos’ rule.

Too bad I didn’t have time to create a graphic novel or a complete story about it yet, but I if I got some $bling$, I guess I can pull it off in the future. But sometimes I feel like I don’t think the idea will still sell.  I’m the guy who thinks an Igorot donned in his native trappings will not pass up being a superhero.  It’s too exotic.  But its a good thing my characters are donned with costumes similar that to the X-Men in comics, and I made Sinag to be a looker, a kinda “Jean Grey”- Filipino mestiza  version.  Still I’m quite unsure if an idea like this will really sell out there.

Now the last thing I’m worried about is that, were any people out there have stolen or coincidentally made characters similar to mine??  I really wish I hope not, because that will be just a big blow to me, like as if somebody killed my kid. (I’m not married though.) Probably I post some of those old sketches or make new ones on a Deviant Art page to copyright or secure the existence of my ideas.  Probably that’s the fasting thing to do right now before formally collect all the art and copy for the Philippine Library. 

But if somebody else has beaten me to it, I just wish he trips over and cracks his skull on the pavement before making a page out of it.

Subscriptions WILL Improve the Local Comics Biz (and other solutions that might Improve it)

First of all, a big apology for anyone who have read my last entry.  It’s just that I feel during that time I wrote it, was that I thought there is no other solution on how to make comics a little bit more profitable here in my country.  I still, really want to make my own book, but after talking to a printer a week ago, the quote he gave me was still a bit pricy.  I don’t know if anyone out there can afford a 160 peso graphic novel of about 50 pages, colored and printed in good heavy stock book paper with a colored glossy cover.

If you know any, gimme a call, or yet… email me.

Someone I know who has seen my previous entry, and told me that I shouldn’t have not been too cynical and give the industry a chance.  Soon enough I realize that he was right.  Well, except that I still stand on my grounds that local artists should not ignore the tools and trade of storytelling, anatomy and layout, in all their titles, whatever the kind of style being used either manga or western art.  Also that I still stand on the grounds that Manila is still the ONLY venue to sell local comics, for now, and not anywhere else.

Perfect Examples

Here are some examples of comic titles that I think (again, in my own galling opinion) would be able to revive back the Industry back to its feet :  Nautilus’ Jamie Bautista and Elbert Or’s Cast, Mango Comics’ Mango Jam, and the newcomer, Neo Comics. 

Anyway, the examples I mentioned shows clearly that good stories, plus good art will result in good sales.  And the use of manga in these  comics is timely, because that is what sells now. And of course, I know Jamie and Elbert’s comic because I drew them a
back-up story in issue 9, under a pseudonym. You can still buy issue 9
in National Bookstore and in ComicQuest. Shameless plugging!

But if you are going to ask me; “but what about that thing you mention before that comics here in the Philippines will not work because the readership is too small?”

Yes, I know and I still stand on that ground because the ratio of readership versus  the number of titles out there are – theoretically – one to two.  And the standard allowance of a typical high school student could not sustain his craving to buy the favorite titles he wants.

The solution for this problem is subscription. With the subscription system, comic buyers may able to buy titles and issues they have missed out.  This means, they can have the chance the earn the dough first and buy the titles later.  Nautilus, Mango Comics, and NeoComics are now doing this to entice more readers for their books.  And if this continues, there is a possibility that sponsors will be able to buy ad space in their titles.  The result: more money for its creators.

Another solution would be – and this is a longshot – the idea of exporting the comic books to other countries.  It is about time that we do this in order to increase the readership of the industry.  Cast have been read in the United States, and there are good reviews about the three issues that are bought over there.  With that comic’s success, I think that it’s high time that we sell comics overseas.  However, as I have mentioned  that this will be a longshot, because we need the government’s help in this one.  And you know that politics is a dirty game. But if the government (or any other sponsor) is willing to help us bring our comics to new markets, then readership will definitely improve.

The last solution that I would suggest is an open forum, a venue in which creators will just drop by and sell their comics to anyone who goes there.  Sort of like the way artists during the time of Picasso who make and sell art along the sidewalks and cafes of Paris.  It will be like Komikon, only that it’s running all year long.  Updates of new creators and comics can be posted on the internet for example, or posters hanging on public bulletin boards telling people to visit the forum.

Years ago, we used to have something like this in the form of Club Dredd. But you and I know that it closed down.

There you go, some solutions coming from me, but bear in mind that these suggestions are theoretical. Yet, I do think that these ideas are sound, but it’s up to you to prove my theories does work.  Probably there is much to lose here, and yet, if you keep the faith, maybe the wave will ride your way.

Until next time.

Komikon

I haven’t set foot on any Komikon Convention in the past.  I was never interested. Because I think that it’s probably the idea that if you have an indie or a book to sell, you are “required” to show up at Komikon in order to sell it to people.  I don’t have anything, so why show up?  I don’t even have the money, or have the interest to check out or buy any comicbook from other people.  There is no title around which catches my fancy, and I already have seen some of them over the counter at ComicQuest.

I dunno, probably I’m still fixated on the standards that comics SHOULD be drawn the way my favorite artists drew back some fifteen years ago.  I’m still a fan of Campbell, Hughes, Dodson and their ilk. Lately, everything is all manga…. I don’t say that it’s bad…..but not the kind of manga I want.

Don’t get sore about what I’m about to say here, in my opinion, I don’t think there is a comics industry at the moment.  For me, the Komikon is more like a gathering of comic enthusiasts other than the former. I mean, do you really make more than ten thousand pesos for just selling comics locally? And I mean LOCALLY as in “only here in the Philippines and not somewhere else.” If this would be a hobby then I would understand, because as an industry will be unlikely.  The market is too damn small.

Then again, I should have went there just to check out who are still buying comics and what demographic are they in.  Actually I have an idea in mind who are really buying courtesy of my previous 2005 survey at ComicQuest, but it never hurts to check again.  Maybe in the next Komikon, I’ll probably create a survey and check out if the “industry” is really growing or not.

Or probably…..I won’t show up anyway.

The Animation Seminar

Last August 17, me and a friend visited a seminar held in Lasalle Greenhills. The speaker was Ronnie Del Carmen, a storyboard artist from Pixar, who visited the country to talk about the how and the whys in order to succeed in the animation industry. Mister Del Carmen showed us footages, from his visits to Japan to research on how the animation industry (anime and manga) affects people there, and why does an industry like that was so big in that country.

But it was his animatic storyboards from finding Nemo is what makes the content of his seminar talk gets deep and interesting. He pointed out that an authentic and well told story, and executed nicely will make an animation feature successful. To be frank, I already knew beforehand what he was talking about. A good story is always the basis for a successful animation, or comic, or whatever medium you think of.

From his examples from Finding Nemo and his Japanese visits, the message that Ronnie gave was clear; that if we (the Philippine animation industry) are going to be successful, then we should think from the examples from what Pixar, and what the Japanese animation industry showed us. For example; Ronnie said that Japanese animation before wasn’t cool. But NOW, the story was different, anime and manga are EVERYWHERE these days. And it created a kind of subculture like cosplays for example. And why? Because of the content of these stories which is the reason why people wanted to live in them.

It’s like this; Japanese characters are more human, and the world they’re in are closer to reality which makes them even more BELIEVABLE, thus makes the viewer or reader to relate to them. To give you an example, take Gundam for instance. In this anime series, characters grow in a sense that they’re opinions and points of view changes during the run of the series. Gundam characters can also die, and unlike their American counterparts, they don’t ride into the sunset with a happy ending. The war in Gundam left the hero broken, and he grew from that. An American superhero character on the other hand, will always continue fighting.

There was once a wise man who said that a soldier who is constantly exposed to war, he will breed contempt from them. This is why probably Kira Yamato from Gundam Seed Destiny became a changed man, more on pacifism than war.

With that in mind, it also made me wonder the differences between Japanese and American cultures. It seems like American animation thinks that war is beautiful. To give you an example; G.I. Joe the Movie showed us that all characters from the movie came back alive from their war with the terrorist group, Cobra. While in Japanese animation, death is a fact of life, and war is ugly. This is why some Japanese animes’ are so violent, because as a pacifist country, they have to show war as it is. Showing war without people getting killed is hypocrisy.

Try watching Graveyard of the Firelies and you’ll know what I mean. Another point that Fredrick Schodt pointed out in his book; Manga, Manga, is that American characters fight for freedom, while Japanese characters such as Kira Yamato and Tetsuwan Atomu (Astroboy) will always try to fight for peaceful resolutions in a conflict.

It seems my observation so far about American animation and comics were quite unfair, but bear in mind, I was talking about the culture back during the Sixties and Seventies. Superman was done by Filmation Studio before, and his powers back then are equal that of a god. But that was ages ago, nowadays the American animation industry are learning a lot from the East. Superman’s powers are limited, and he has to wear a spacesuit when going out to outer space. I love the Justice League and JL Unlimited animation series for it shows the superheroes’ human side, and of course they now have imperfections unlike before. Wonder Woman fights for peace in Kaznia along with Hawk and Dove, which is quite a far cry from the image that Wonder Woman portrayed during the 40s, leading the charge to war with American soldiers following right behind her. It is a far cry indeed, and I do so love the changes.

Next time: more on Ronnie Del Carmen, and the Philippine animation industry. See ya!

Now this is a drag…

I found out that my Kerio Firewall was the culprit for not signing me into my email accounts. Now this is perplexing, cos that means whenever I activate my accounts, I can’t surf anywhere at the same time. So not to be infected, I have to check first my accounts, after that business, close my accounts and activate the firewall afterwards. That sux!

Yahoo mail is still buggy.

I checked my email accounts today. It seems Gmail is working now but still as slow as ever. Yahoo account, however still keeps me bouncing back repeatedly to the sign-in page, even though I’m in the correct URL address. My brother told me to take it easy cos probably they were just updating. Probably, but I wish they give people like me a notice before they do that. If there was an important message for me sent by someone from the other end, I find it exasperating waiting a whole day to retrieve it. I rather like their service the way they were than adding more features to it.

This Damn Obssession

I better stop looking at my feed stats in wordpress. I’m getting this ridiculous obssession on checking out how many people are coming into my blog, when in the first place, I made a blog put my thoughts on anything in it. I don’t have to impress other people, I just made it for the heck of it.

Probably this obssession started when I found out that only half of the people are reading my posts unlike the usual. Whether I offended these people somewhere in my comments, whoever you guys are, I apologise for whatever I said. But on the other hand, I said what I said nonetheless. I don’t compromise my thoughts. Yeah its my fault that I said it and it will stick in your head. Sorry about that, but I also don’t believe in censorship and I don’t believe in communism. Free speech, right?