Angelic Layers



As I've often talked about here on the blog, my next BIG comics project is The Last Angel Ace Story, which will be my farewell/finale/big event for my first lady in comics, Angel Ace. It's going to be action-packed with comedy, drama, adventure, BIG reveals and BIG battles aplenty. Things are still jumbling about in my head and not everything is in their proper slots yet, and not everything is set in stone but I've got things ready to answer some questions that readers may have.

Will it REALLY be the LAST Angel Ace story? Come on...

In a perfect world, I would be able to afford to come out with an Angel Ace issue every three months or so. If I was, I'd have gone through the whole motions of a series, building up the character and sideplots which would have resulted in a big payoff with the endgame and finale. But I have to recognize that economically, the expenditures for a comic, especially an Angel Ace comic, are not realistically something I can continue to do indefinitely.
I have to be decisive. I have to be economic. So a lot will have to be left to short flashbacks, referencing and dialogue. What I hope to do with TLAAS will be to present a great story inside two covers which communicates this character, Angel Ace, across both to old and new readers. It's a tall order for one book, but I believe it can be done. After this story is done, I can walk away from Angel Ace with no regrets, having been able to tell her story fully. Whether there will be other tales to tell afterwards remains to be seen.

Okay, so what will it be about?

Angel has always been running. Running from her past and just trying to be normal. But the problem is, she isn't normal. She's something that has a purpose, and that purpose is something that will come to haunt her and even explode in her face. Destiny will force Angel to finally face up to who she really is and to face the enemy she's always known was there waiting for her. That final big battle, her secrets revealed and the resolution of her destiny is what the Last Angel Ace Story is about.

So what do we have to look forward to? Big setpieces? Events?

We FINALLY find out what the BIG PLOT behind the entire Angel Ace series is all about- with GMI (Gallowglass Mass Industries Corporation), with series' villain Mondebaine Gallowglass, and so on. There will be BIG, shocking reveals about at least one character's true identity or role. The bad guy finally shows off his powers and his big plot. More sexy SIVA assassin action. Angel kicking butt. And of course, world chaos, despair, the finale and a heartbreaking sacrifice. OUCH!

Will someone (of importance) die?

Yes.

Will Kai/Agent K be in this?

Yes, Kai will be returning to settle some scores as well as stand by her friend.

Will Koko the dog be revealed as THE IMPERIOUS LEADER behind the whole plot?!

No.

How will it all end?

With a goodbye kiss.



The Last Angel Ace Story is set for a 2006 release. Somehow, someway.

Smooth Landing

Me and my brother Jun went after midnight to the airport to pick up Jeremy. Luckily, despite some peculiarly tight traffic and drizzling rain, we found Jeremy (or Jeremy found us) almost instantly the moment I stepped out of the car. It's the first time for Jer to travel abroad on his own, so it's an exciting time for him. It's also cool to finally be able to talk to him face to face after all this time just communicating via the occasional tagboard line or email.

As always, his enthusiasm for stuff is infectious and inspiring, so I hope to get hyped for stuff and doing things very soon. I'm really pumped now for tomorrow's Triple Book Launch. We'll see what happens next. Heh.

Mabuhay!

My cousin and comics compatriot from the US, Jeremy, will be arriving tonight. In preparation, The Sanctum's been converted from an individual's den to a 2-bed chamber. Slightly cramped, but it actually turned out nicely. I don't think we'll be spending too much time cooped up in the house aside from bed and the occasional videogame session though... time's best spent outside, checking out the malls and tiangges, visiting folks and just having a good time.
First on the agenda will most probably be the Triple Book Launch at Fully Booked Greenhills with Project HERO, Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 1 and, of course, Siglo: Passion, which Jeremy contributed art for. This occasion will without a doubt be a highlight of the stay for Jer, so we'll try to make the most of this Fully Booked Saturday.

Movie Talk

Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong hits theaters next week, though I really can't say I'm too hot about the 3 hour length. Early word in reviews has it that Jackson kind of treated KK with the same eye for detail and depth as LOTR, which is really not necessary given that most of the characters aren't that important aside from Ann Darrow (played by Naomi Watts) and Kong itself (motion-captured by Andy Serkis). Still, the action and effects are supposed to be awesome and worth the watch once you get past the plodding opening. We'll see about this.

A new Mummy film is supposedly on the drawing board. How many times can Imhotep come back??! Fear not, apparently the next and third Mummy film will have a totally new linen-wrapped villain all the way from China! The new Mummy will be a former Chinese Emperor out to resurrect his dead army (turned into terra-cotta warriors) for world conquest. Apparently the third film will also have parts for Brendan Frasier and Rachel Wiesz once more, but their participation is yet to be confirmed.

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe looks cool, and it is the film I am excited to see this December. I'm really not expecting the same depth or feel as LOTR, but with WETA behind the effects, you know this is going to be a dazzler.

An early teaser trailer for X3 is online! SPOILERS WARNING

It seems that Jean Grey (Famke Jannsen) is back from the dead, though the entire film doesn't seem to be necessarily about the Pheonix or Dark Pheonix saga. Overall, it seems the theme is about a 'Last Stand', perhaps between the X-men and the Brotherhood, or mutants against humans. Magneto (Ian McKellen) is back as the villain, with a large group of new recruits for his latest plot. Also confirmed in the movie are Prof. Xavier (Patrick Stewart), veteran X-men Storm (Halle Berry), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Rogue (Anna Paquin), as well as Mystique (Rebecca Romjin-Stamos). Other mutants in the spotlight include Colossus, Shadowcat, Iceman and more. The teaser trailer also shows for the first time X-men Beast (Kelsea Grammar) and Angel. From the look of the trailer there seems to be a LOT of action... we'll see how the post-Bryan Singer X-men film does when it hits theaters in May 2006.

Hah! I'm talking as if I'm going to have lots of time to spare to watch movies... looks like I'm gonna be busy for most of the month. Oh well. Let's see what we can squeeze in.

Project: HERO


Coming on December 10!

Here's the final cover art for Project: Hero! No, it's not a comic book with tagalog-dubbed anime. It's a collaboration of our group with the aim of bringing back the no-angst, all-fun FUN of classic, black-and-white superheroes. No hidden agendas, no personal rhetoric, no grit and social relevance other than just the profound sense of wonder and the belief that good will always triumph over evil... with the right costume and some nifty super powers!

Project HERO includes stories and art from Dean Alfar, Nikki Alfar, Vin Simbulan, Elbert Or, Andrew Drilon, Jason Banico, Ner Perdrina, Jaime Bautista and yours truly. The book was put together and edited by Elbert and Andrew, with cover art pencils by myself and colors by Jaime. The stories range from the adventures of teenage cosmic guardian Kid Continuum by Vin and Andrew, to the debut story of my own Egyptian-Japanese demi-goddess superheroine Samuraisis, to the time-spanning adventures of Dean's Craft Century. There's something for everyone in this 68-page monster, so join us at the launch of Saturday, December 10, 2005 at Fully Booked in Greenhills. Coincidentally, it will also be the launch of Siglo: Passion and Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 1, so bibliophiles and comic aficionados should save up for buying stuff this weekend.

Take up your capes and GO! Later, everyone!