Before and After: Komikero Anthology #1 Online Edition cover

You may have seen the "before" drawing in a previous post. Since Jonas had already posted the "after" version in his website, I thought it best to put the two side-by-side.

(Click on the image to enlarge.)

Mission: Aborted

This eight-page piece was supposed to be part of a printed anthology, but that anthology never saw the light. So I'm presenting the story here. I hope you like it.

As is customary with these things, copyright belongs to me. And you are certainly welcome to repost one or two pages in your own parcels of web real estate, with a link to this post. If you repost all eight pages, however, you are open to people calling you strange names.

(click on each image to enlarge; then click on the browser "Back" button to go back to this post.)

A Winning Trio

1) See three of the best! Tanyag showcases three enthralling Palanca Award-winning one-acts on August 28 (7pm), 29 (3pm), and 30 (3pm), at the PhilamLife Theater along United Nations Avenue, Manila. Chris Martinez' Our Lady of Arlegui, J. Dennia Teodosio's Baka Sakali, and Floy Quintos' Ang Kalungkutan Ng Mga Reyna present some of the myriad facets of Filipino life in ways fantastic, humorous, tragic and insightful.

2) Aching to shoot pics like the pros? Basic Photography: Understanding Exposure is a three-part seminar to be led by veteran photographer Edwin Celestino. Take better pictures with your D-SLR or adjustable digicam by participating in online lectures and field work. The online seminars (or webinars) will be held on Tuesday, September 22 and Thursday, September 24, both at 8:00pm. The field session will take place on Saturday, September 26, 5:00 pm at the Manila Baywalk. For more information on fees and how to register, visit the Facebook page.

3) In memory of Tita Cory. The NBDB Book Club and the Lopez Memorial Museum and Library pay tribute to the Mother of Philippine Democracy through a lecture/discussion on the book Cory: An Intimate Portrait, edited by Margie Penson-Juico and published by Anvil Publishing. It will be held on Saturday, September 5, 2009, at 2:00pm at the Lopez Memorial Museum and Library, Benpres Building, Meralco Ave. cor. Exhange Road. Ms. Margie Juico, the book’s editor and Pres. Aquino’s former Appointments Secretary, will be joining the discussion. Admission is free.

Kalabanin ang Twitter

Read the first installment of Zoorla and Juniffer's adventures, "Kalabanin ang Google at Facebook."

Sa isang coffee shop malapit sa isang I.T. research facility sa Silicon Valley, nagsu-Sudoku si Programmer Juniffer. Enter si Programmer Zoorla.

Programmer Zoorla
'Day, natanggap mo na ba ang initial hit reports ng Chorvah search engine mo?

Programmer Juniffer
Oo, pero 'di pa kumakagat. Hinahanda pa ng taga-Marketing ang mga releases para sa CNet, Wired, Techcrunch, at kung anu-ano pa diyan... antagal nga nila.

Programmer Zoorla
Baka tinatayming pa nila...'di ba't kalalabas lang ng Ate Bing ng Microsoft? Nasubukan mo na?

Programmer Juniffer
Oo... at isa siyang Bing There, Done That. Mananalo pa rin ang Chorvah natin...

Programmer Zoorla
Well, dear, meron na rin akong ginawa na siguradong panalo din. Isang microblogging website na makikipagbanggaan sa Twitter.

Programmer Juniffer
Uy, gusto ko ang Twitter! Kahit wala siyang ginagawa, gusto ko siya.

Programmer Zoorla
Pero, huwag ka... itong bagong website ko ay nag-uumpisa nang kumain sa market share ng Twitter na 'yan! (fires on his laptop and goes online)

Programmer Juniffer
Ay... ah... Tweetams?

Programmer Zoorla
Koraks and stones!! Tweetams is the newest and most advanced microblogging website.

Programmer Juniffer
Eh papaano seseryosohin ang Tweetams mo, eh, para ka lang nagpapa-kyut?

Programmer Zoorla
Darling, ano ba ang ginagawa ng karamihan sa Twitter?

Programmer Junnifer
Ah...Nagpapakyut?

Programmer Zoorla
Koraks and boulders!! Huwag na nating lokohin ang sarili natin na kesyo nagma-microblogging tayo para iligtas ang mundo sa global warming, 'noh?! Nagpapakyut ka lang naman, e di harap-harapan na ang pagpapakyut. At anong microblogging site ang bagay sa mga chronic na nagpapakyut? Tweetams.

(pause)

Programmer Juniffer
Darling, hindi pa rin ako solve diyan. Andami nang artista't pulitiko na nagti-Twitter.

Programmer Zoorla
Tignan mo 'to... (types on the laptop, plus click-click).

Programmer Juniffer
(reads) Ay! Totoo ba itech? Lady Ga-gah, may account??

Programmer Zoorla
Ayaw mong maniwala? Basahin mo.

Programmer Juniffer
(reads) "Hello po! Sobrang tenkyu sa mga nag-attend ng concert ko diyan sa Pilipinas! Sana po nagustuhan ninyo ang mga kanta't sayaw ko, at sana huwag kayong maniwala sa mga tsismis na nagsasabing lalaki ako. Siguro nakita na ninyo sa pagbubuka-bukaka ko na isa akong 100% bilat. Mabuhay po kayo, at magpakagaga pa rin kayo, mga hayup!!"

Punyeta naman, Zoorla. Anong Lady Ga-gah? Eh si Lady Aligaga 'to, eh. Nag-Tatagalog ang pota.

Programmer Zoorla
Iyan ang isang feature ng Tweetams. May automatic translation feature. Kung ano ang sinulat ng tao, ay kaagad na sinasalin ng Tweetams ayon sa IP address ng user. Pero... may isa pang mas magandang feature... kapag nag-twet ka na...

Programmer Juniffer
Twet?

Programmer Zoorla
Oo, kase nakuha na ng Twitter ang "tweet," 'di ba? Kaya sa Tweetams, ikaw ay nagte-twet.

Programmer Juniffer
Ang baho naman ng twet, ate. Parang may diarrhea-action na nagaganap.

Programmer Zoorla
Mabaho, 'ka mo? Eh, kung "wet"? Wet na lang. Mag-wet ka diyan. Magpakyut ka diyan sa pagwe-wet mo.

Programmer Juniffer
Darling... 'wag na twet. Tweetams na lang. Mag-Tweetams ka sa Tweetams website. O, ayan ha, may contribution na ako.

Programmer Zoorla
Ay, salamat sa contribution mo! Hindi na kasi umaandar ang utak ko.

Programmer Juniffer
Ay...darling... look, oh. Nag-user search ako sa Tweetams mo at nandito na rin ang crush mong si Bonjobi!!

Programmer Zoorla
Ay, bilis! Buksan mo ang page niya!! Anong twet...este, pa-tweetams niya?

Programmer Juniffer
Ah... patay... Darling... wala akong kinalaman dito, ha?

Programmer Zoorla
(reads) "Miss na kita, mahal kong Juniffer."

Zaturnnah in Color!!!

I've always wondered how the Zaturnnah story would look in color. Knowing, however, that a color book would be next to impossible (not to mention expensive), I've always drawn my work with a black-and-white mindset. Anyway, two fine souls gave the coloring a shot.

The image on the left was colored by TornElf and the one on the right was by samboyy, both of whom are on DeviantArt. Click here and here to get a full page view. (When you get to the DeviantArt page, click on the image to enlarge it.) Thanks to these fine artists for taking the time. Thanks, too, to Joel Chua.

Controversies updated

1) ABS-CBN issues statement about Willie Revillame's actions on Wowowee. We shouldn't be surprised. One of these days, someone should compile a Top 10 list of Wowowee controversies.

2) The family of Mars Ravelo reacts to the National Artist brouhaha. May major intriga na ang comics industry. If anything, at least napapansin nanaman ang industriya.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

A new plant has been found in the Philippines. This new plant, which is capable of trapping and eating rats, was discovered in 2007 by a British-led team. The team decided to name the plant Nepenthes attenboroughii, after the wildlife broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. See the picture through the Telegraph website, and wonder why they didn't call it Nepenthes filipinensi instead. (Or, they could've used the names of the Christian missionaries who reported the plant's existence. Give credit where credit is due.)

Addedum 8/19/09: Apparently, there is already a Nepenthes philippinensis, also endemic to Palawan.

Events: Theater, the Arts, and E-mail Marketing

1) Enjoy a Show! Tanghalang Pilipino's 23rd season opens with Savyon Liebrecht's Apples from the Desert (Mga Mansanas ng Disyerto), a generation-gap comedy about a young woman who seeks to liberate herself from the strictures of her traditional parents. Translated by Liza Magtoto and directed by Tess Jamias, the play runs from August 7 to September 14 at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino. Tickets available at Ticketworld, or through the CCP box office.

2) Shedding Light. Eloi Hernandez hosts a forum entitled NAA, NAA, Paano Ka Ginawa? A Public Forum on the National Artist Award, to be held on Tuesday, August 25, 2:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon, at the College of Mass Communication (CMC) Auditorium, Plaridel Hall, UP Diliman. Speakers include, Atty. Teodoro Te, Prof. Eufracio Abaya, PhD, Prof. Bien Lumbera, PhD, and Prof. Roland Tolentino, PhD.

3) Learn Online Marketing! ProFora Professional Linkage Webinars hosts an online seminar (or webinar) on e-mail marketing. Web Marketing expert Janette Toral will go through the steps in developing e-mail marketing campaigns that can support database building and sales conversion needs. The webinar will be held on Monday, August 24, 2009, 10:00am - 12:00pm. Fee is P500.00. To learn more, as well as register for this online event, click here. If you're new to online seminars, visit the ProFora website for an overview.

Quickie Sketchie

A pose study, with the objective of depicting shape and volume in body forms, particularly the gluteals. Original in pencil. Colored in Photoshop.

News Roundup: Fil-Am wins against Guess co-founder

• The statement, "Back at' ya!" took a profitable meaning when Filipino-American Elizabeth Tagle won an anti-defamation case against Guess co-founder Georges Marciano. Tagle, along with five former Guess employees which Marciano had previously fired, had been sued for embezzlement. Tagle walked away from the courtroom $74 million dollars richer. Read the Northwest Asian Weekly news report.

• Last August 4, the American Psychological Association adopted a resolution that reparative therapies that purport to "cure" homosexuality do not work, and advised practitioners not to lead patients into believing otherwise. This is after over four decades of peer-reviewed studies. Read the Washington Post report.

• Speaking of homosexuality, Harry Potter star Danielle Radcliffe recently donated a huge sum to The Trevor Project, a homosexual support group for young people. Radcliffe calls homophobes "disgusting and stupid." Read the report at The Hindu.

• In local entertainment, looks like our "Jukebox Queen" (and currently "Bus Queen") Claire dela Fuente will appear in Michael Bolton's Christmas album. Details at the Philippine Entertainment Portal.

• Plus... X-Men and Superman Returns director Bryan Singer will soon add another geeky movie to his portfolio--Battlestar Galactica. The report on Yahoo! News.
  

Cry Wolf... Time to Worry?

I dropped by the Metro Comic-Con last Saturday for a little go-see. Despite the Megatrade Hall being a bit too spacious, the event appeared well-attended, though I didn't stay too long. After so many years of not having any major project to promote, I felt a bit like a fish out of water.

In between chatting with Wilson Tortosa, Syeri Baet, Lyndon Gregorio and Johnny Danganan, saying hello to Budjette Tan and Gilbert Monsanto, and taking pics with Gio Paredes and Gener Pedrina, I picked up a few comics here and there. While I do enjoy reading the works of my fellows, there comes the occasional tinge of quiet envy, like I've been lax at this whole comics-making thing while the others religiously keep the pages coming. I do have that six-pager in the first Komikero Komiks anthology, and I'm submitting an eight-pager for its third issue. There's also another Graphic Classics assignment due in a few months...

But I neeeeed to get a big, fat book out. It's like a delicious curse with a bittersweet aftertaste.

Over a year has passed since I cried "Wolf!" by releasing 14 pages of the Zaturnnah sequel. Weeks ago, I said that I was shelving the project, primarily due to mental block. I've been so fickle about this project that I wanted to hit my head against a brick wall for being so seesaw-ish about this story. Apparently, what I've been going through is something many-a-writer has experienced. I told myself, "Carlo, stop! Move away. You need a fresh perspective." And I did remove myself, even though I felt like I failed somewhere.

After some time of not touching the Zaturnnah sequel, I'm at it again. Thanks, in part, to the five-plus hours of listening to elementary Spanish MP3s. Going through the language lessons somehow flicked a switch in my brain. A few days later, which was quite recently, I was giving the writing pad another wave of scribbling, charting a fresh outline for the sequel. And last night, I managed to type up a full eight chapters, scene by scene, from beginning to end, of perhaps the most complex story I've done to date.

The next challenge, of course, is the remaining 70% of actual script that I have to write, followed by that great epic journey known as illustrating pages. Dear Lord, let this be done!! I don't want to cry "Wolf!" again!

G.I. Joke?

• The G.I. Joe movie sucked like anything. Pffft! Seemed like it didn't know what it wanted to be. On one end we got Storm Shadow stabbing and slicing at people, then on the other end we got cheeseball romantic interludes between Ripcord and Scarlett. The climactic CG-stuffed underwater scenewasn't as pulse-pounding as the CG-stuffed Paris chase scene. and their take on the Baroness...well...not the one I remember from the cartoon... One-third into the movie, I was entertaining urges to bolt from the theater. Good thing Channing Tatum was in it. He was the main reason I wanted to watch the movie, and eventually became the reason why I stayed in my seat.

• The online petition to sanction Wowowee host Willie Revillame has topped 32,000 signatures as of this writing, and the vitriol just keeps spewing. Question is: to where does this online petition go? Wowowee director Johnny Manahan recently spoke with the Philippine Entertainment Portal to air his side of the issue, saying "Willie should not have blown up on air. He should not have given in to his emotions which put him out of control, leaving him wide open for mistakes." The article ends with Manahan declaring support for the controversial television host. That article so far has generated over 2,200 comments. (How I'd love to get 2,200 for anything I've written.)
  

• Again with the National Artist issue: Will there ever be a National Artist for Comics? Will writing for comics be considered Literature in the eyes of the Filipino literati? If Nonoy Marcelo of Ikabod Bubwit, or Pol Medina, Jr. of Pugad Baboy fame were in the running, what category would they qualify for, given that they both write and illustrate their works?
  

Shoutouts

• Long live the memory of Corazon Aquino. It's too bad that she did not stay with us long enough to see the Philippines reach the height of greatness. Over 20 years after EDSA, we are still a damaged society. Let her story, that of a simple housewife who decided to bear the weight of a nation, remind as all that true change starts with the individual.
  

• Carlo J. Caparas ought to say, "Thanks, but no thanks." Caparas can be credited with significant contributions to Philippine pop culture, but not the visual arts, and the artistic merits of his film work are highly debatable. If any comics personality should be given the title National Artist, it should be those who have established the trademark "Filipino komiks art style," a style which eventually gave these thespians recognition abroad. For film, we have a lot to choose from--Dolphy, Gloria Romero, Mike de Leon, etc.
  

• Another person who ought to say, "Thanks, but no thanks," would be Lani Mercado, who was recently appointed into the Board of Directors of San Miguel Corporation. The dramatic actress is one of five government-appointed board members, as the Philippine government apparently owns a 27% stake in SMC. Her father-in-law, Senator Ramon Revilla Sr. submitted Mercado's name to Malacañang for consideration two years ago, and only told her after the fact. According to a report by the Philippine Entertainment Portal, the salary of an SMC board member would amount to P2.7 million a year.
  

• Madonna will release her new greatest hits compilation "Celebration" in late-September, and you can listen to one of the three new songs on PopSugar.com. (As it is, the song doesn't break any new ground. Has the reinvention ended?) Meanwhile, Whitney Houston teams up again with hitmaker-producer Clive Davis on her comeback album "I Look To You," which will be unleashed on August 31st.