The Carver's House

I will admit that I haven't bought pamphlet comics in a very long time, though I try to keep myself updated on the general goings-on in the American comics industry, particularly what's been happening with the Big Two. I've been reading some of the new X-Men titles as well. Lately, I've been reading some blogposts about the sorry state of the comics industry, how it has failed to attract new buyers, how prices have become prohibitive, how the number of "good titles" have decreased, how film and television adaptations have not substantially improved comics sales, and how "big events" have begun to lose their novelty because of their regularity. Sadly, it seems that the same mistakes are being made. (I recently heard that special effects covers were being considered for a comeback. Did that push through?) One development that had been seen as a way to boost comics sales is the production of film adaptations, with the perceptio...

Despite the post's title, there are really no sure-fire ways to boost the sales of your comics. There are, however, principles that govern this, and today's comics creator would need to be familiar with these principles and work on them. To me, it's basically hinged on two factors: Your Work and your Platform. And from these two factors, we look into Quality and Scope. Quality of Work: It Has To Be Good When we look at quality, we look at the level of excellence it contains. In my previous blog posts, I've emphasized the importance of a quality story in terms of both writing and art, but there's more to that. When we look at quality, we're also looking at how writing and art help each other in achieving a satisfying reader experience. We also ask if the writing and art are "meant" to work together. Looking at Japanese manga as an example: while there is a particular style that's inherent in manga art, there are many permutations. A horror mang...

[Note: The recent Push Comics Forward initiative launched by BOOM! Comics reminded me of this piece I wrote on January 18, 2013. Though the text below was originally written to talk about the Philippine comics industry, I figured it's also relevant to the current conversation about comics industries in other parts of the globe. -- 01/30/2015) Where there's smoke, there's fire. Over the past decade or so, many comic conventions have been organized around the country, attracting thousands of comics fans and featuring prominent creators and artists. These events have been covered in tri-media and seem to be helping the industry elevate itself in the public consciousness. The question is, has the industry elevated itself high enough? There may be fire, but is the fire big enough for people to take notice? We could use the analogy of a burning house. If there's one burning house, the people surrounding that house would be alarmed, but that's as far as it would go. ...

One of the few projects I've been working on and off on is a graphic novel workshop. I even had an alpha test session last year with six volunteers. The workshop primarily focused on story development and story structure, topics that I dived into while putting together the story of the Zaturnnah sequel. While it was a successful session, there's a lot to work out to make it better-structured and more practical. There are a few comics writing references, but most of them just skim the surface. The other comics how-to books spend more pages on the art and visual storytelling. Understandably so, because comics is a visual medium after all. However, without a sound knowledge in story development, that part that comes before scriptwriting and visual interpretation, aspiring comics writers may find themselves building derivative stories, or another version of a comics story/novel/movie they've encountered before. Stories are like signatures. They are personal expressions of...

With 2009 about to close, I hope 2010 and beyond will see more major Pinoy graphic novels being published. This year had the compiled El Indio (Francisco Coching), the compiled Elmer (Gerry Alanguilan), 12 (Manix Abrera), Underpass (Summit Media), Trese: Mass Murders (Budjette Tan and Ka-Jo Baldisimo), Where Bold Stars Go To Die (Alanguilan and Arlanzandro Esmeña), etc. etc. etc. Compared to previous years, a lot of major comics work. If the publishers of the above are all members of the National Book Development Board, next year's National Book Awards race will prove interesting. It took a bit over ten years for Pinoy graphic novels to get this far, beginning with Arnold Arre's groundbreaking work on The Mythology Class . Now that book publishers are beginning to dip both feet in the graphic novel medium, it's high time for all you aspiring graphic novelists to pick your brains, hunker over those keyboards and drawing pads, and churn out material. My personal definit...

If there was one thing I learned while working for Real Living that I'm applying in comics is the idea of character in setting--that a place has a life of its own. That setting contributes significantly to the story experience by inviting a reader to immerse him or herself into the new world. If I had taken up architecture in UP during my college days, I'd think that my sense for setting would've then been developed. Setting has always been an important element when I make comics, ever since I started with Flashpoint in 1993, but a lot of it has been on the surface. I didn't study it extensively back then--as long as I gave my settings enough detail, it should be fine. But now, I'm more conscious of history, of design, of detail, of styling, of culture, just through my magazine work. Add to that my conversations with friends who were into interior decor and production design, and I consider myself forever changed as a comics creator. Whenever I'd go to Manila ...

5 Tips on Drawing More “Realistic” Characters (Even If Your Style Isn’t) Whatever the art style, comics artists have as much responsibility as comics writers in bringing characters to life. While 90s-style "Image" poses in every panel still works, stories will benefit further if artists add a greater level of realism to characters, particularly in how these characters act and react in a story. When characters exhibit more individuality in a story, they look more involved and become distinct to readers. Following are some tips to help comics artists achieve this. 1. Get acquainted. If you know a person by heart, you’ll not only know how he or she may react in a given situation, but also determine the quality of the reaction. Two prim and proper schoolgirls will still have clear personality distinctions between them. Once you’ve determined the physical appearance of a character, think about how the character sits or walks, talks or shouts. Good comics scripts would explicitly d...

Get Your Graphic Novel Published! Thanks to Budj for the info. Adarna House , which released Arnold Arre 's After Eden and the Mythology Class compilation, is currently looking for story proposals for its next graphic novel under the Anino Comics imprint. Proposals should include: 1. Project brief Title Story genre, List of the creators to be involved in the project Estimated number of pages 2. One page story synopsis 3. Sample pages, character studies Stories may be in Filipino or in English. Compilations of previous published material are also welcome. Submissions may be sent to Adarna House, Room 201, JGS Building, 30 Scout Tuason St., Quezon City, or e-mailed at pdg@adarna.com. ph. Deadline for story proposals is November 30, 2007. For questions, email Jordan Santos at rjordanpsantos@ yahoo.com Go na! Now na!

First up, congratulations to Oliver Pulumbarit for finally releasing his fringe sex-pop graphic novel Lexy Nance and Argus (LNA). The book is slowly getting attention and positive feedback. Way to go, Oliver! You may have encountered Oliver through the numerous pop culture articles he’s written for the Philippine Daily Inquirer , but he’s always wanted to show the world that he can be a bad-ass grafictionist as well. And his LNA is definitely bad-ass of the coolest kind. (I’ve only read the original version serialized in Pulp magazine; I have yet to read through the new material in the compilation.) Mind you, LNA is definitely the kind of book you wouldn’t want the young’uns to savor. It makes One Night In Purgatory look like a Cartoon Network feature. I mean…erect penises?! Threesomes? Generous servings of skin and sweat? Its racy visuals, however, serve to complement Oliver’s in-your-face writing, deliciously revealing his takes on the complex realm of alternative sexuality...