The Carver's House

There's a nip in the air today, and a drizzle. It's been drizzling all day, in fact, somewhat unusual this time of year. But I'm still going to the mall, pay a utility bill, get some dog food, and maybe catch a Metro Manila Film Festival entry. This year's festival has the following films in its line-up: Aurora  by Yam Laranas (Horror, Thriller, Suspense) Fantastica by Barry Gonzales (Fantasy, Comedy) The Girl in the Orange Dress by Jay Abello (Romance, Comedy) Jack Em Popoy: The Puliscredibles by Mike Tuviera (Action, Thriller, Comedy) Mary, Marry Me   by RC delos Reyes (Romance, Comedy) One Great Love by Eric Quizon (Romance, Drama) Otlum by Joven Tan (Horror, Comedy) Rainbow's Sunset by Joel Lamangan (Family Drama) Note that five of them are comedies and three of them are classified under romance. I won't say yet what I'm going to watch. For many years, the attacks aimed at the MMFF have been consistently vitriolic, particularly fro...

In January 2017, I posted a note on Facebook where I talked about quitting comics. That post got a lot of exposure, more than what any of my posts usually get. With that kind of response, one would think that there's still hope. However, close to two years later, yesterday, I posted this on Facebook . Unless a miracle happens, I'll be stopping after Zaturnnah sa Maynila. Making comics has been an interesting roller coaster ride, with its highest of highs and lowest of lows. Thanks to everyone who supported me every step of the way. May you be blessed always.. Note that I'm still wishing that a miracle would happen, though miracles tend to be, well, rare. I've wrestled with this over the past two years to the point of depression. Yes, that's how much making comics, a twenty-plus-year relationship, meant to me. When I would be that close to throwing in the towel, something surprising would happen, a sort of sign that would prop me up into trying again. Just t...

It's been more than six months since I posted. I blame the time-sucking black hole that is social media. :-) Here are some of the highlights from last year: 1) "I Heart Davao," the 40-episode television series aired on GMA 7. I was given the opportunity to write a number of episodes for that show, but I insisted that I could only do ten. My primary reason was that I had never written for television before, so I didn't want to dive headfirst into unfamiliar territory. Our headwriter was Chris Martinez, and the writing team had me, Dwein Baltazar, and Eljay Castro Deldoc. Our director was Marlon Rivera. I wouldn't consider my experience as representative of what really goes on in television writing in the Philippines, but it was an eye-opener. I never imagined that I'd be able to write more than two hours worth of script (five episodes) in two weeks. It was thrilling, to say the least, seeing how the script was brought to life in the finished product. ...

There are a lot of people who want to make comics, or have tried to make comics but end up frustrated. I certainly struggled some when I started out, and it's no secret that there have been bumps on the road now and then. I'm just curious to find out from you: What aspects of making stories and comics do you find yourself struggling with? If you write your questions in the comments section, I'll see if I could answer it. Game?

For the 2017 digital edition, I changed the cover. Back in 2001, when social media wasn't a thing yet, I self-published my first comic book called "One Night In Purgatory." It's a simple story about a gay guy and a straight guy--best friends--who spend a night talking about a turning point in their friendship. That 56-page story earned me my first book award citation, a finalist slot for a Manila Critics Circle National Book Award. I wasn't able to earn back my investment, but it gave me a taste of going about the whole comic-making biz on my own. Now, 16 years after I first released it, I converted "One Night in Purgatory" to digital format. If you want to have a copy (in either PDF or CBR format), you can get it for the ridiculously low price of Php60, or less that $1.30. You can get it through Gumroad . No registration necessary. All they need is your email address and payment information. Once you've made payment, you will receive an em...

I wrote this post as a note on Facebook. Surprisingly, it was shared 160 times as of this writing. I'm copy-pasting the text here. - - - - - - Let me begin with a story. Yesterday, I met with the organizers of Komikon, and during that meeting we talked about the challenges that local comic book makers are currently facing. Suffice to say, there's a lot. Later that day, I was in a coffee shop and ran into a couple of dear friends I haven't seen in a long time. During our conversation, one friend talked about a medical procedure he had gone through, a procedure that cost him quite a bit of money. After we parted, I began to wonder what would happen if I suddenly had an emergency and I needed a significant amount of money. Money that I didn't have. And when you reach a certain age without a retirement fund, without a backup when something goes wrong, things become very scary. This is the reason why I thought of quitting comics. Sure, I've had great succes...

Thanks for dropping by! If you're interested in getting your own giclée print of the Zaturnnah artwork that appears on one of the October covers of Esquire Philippines, please read the information provided below. A giclée print (zhee-clay) is a fancy term for an image printed on archival paper using one of those huge top-of-the-line inkjet printers that most of us can't afford. Those who specialize in making these prints will tell you that the color quality is supposed to last for decades. Professional artists and photographers turn to making giclée prints to sell and share their work. The "Zsazsa Zaturnnah: Cover Girl" print will be exclusively produced by Giclee Manila. For the  Zaturnnah "Cover Girl" print , there will be four sizes. Size A:  18.5" x 27"  Price: Php 3,000 Size B:  15" x 22"  Price: Php 2,250 Size C:  12.5" x 18.5"  Price: Php 1,800 Size D:  10" x 15"  Price Php 1,450 ...