State of Flux

I downloaded and watched a featurette on the upcoming Aeon Flux movie starring Oscar winner Charlize Theron (Yeah, that's the ticket... after winning the Academy Award, go for a cartoon adaptation!). The short piece shows some footage of Miss Theron still in the un-sexy black outfit doing various jumps and stunts. Yeah, she has the hair down but come on... there could have been a way to show off more skin without having to resort to the original cartoon's g-string and little scraps. But then again, stars have always been able to swing non-nudity clauses or alter designs based on their preferences. Take Jessica Alba in Sin City... she should have been nude in her dancing scene. Oh well. Anyway, Aeon Flux is still looking TV movie-ish, but I'll probably check it out, fan that I am of the old Peter Cheung Liquid Television series. Or maybe I'll be better off watching the AVI episodes I got from Buddha Boy. Whatever.

Long Weekend

YAY! Yeah, it's an appeal to our apathy of the current horrible state of affairs in our country, but darn... holidays are great. Now I can look forward to finishing Killer 7 over the break (easily one of the slickest mind-fuck games I've had the pleasure to experience... DARN the story's cool), watch some anime, rest and recharge as well as start work on some comic projects. Thank God it's Friday.

Sex, Lies and Videogames

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas from Rockstar Games has had it's share of controversy- of course, you'd expect that from the latest installment of a game series that puts you in control of a gangsta brother out to carve out an empire for himself in any bloody way he can. Well, aside from the ability to gun down civilians and car-jack anything on wheels in the streets, you can apparently woo ladies and have sexual intercourse in a hidden minigame.

The whole hullaballoo (love that word) started with the PC version of GTASA, apparently through a mod called Hot Coffee. In the regular version, all you'd get for hitching up with a girlfriend in the game was an invitation for some coffee, and then having imagination fill in the blanks afterwards. In the Hot Coffee mod, PC players are shown a full-on interactive sex scene, where they interact by pressing buttons in specific rhythm to get your girl into orgasm. Sorta like Dance Dance Revolution, except with no dancing and all sex.

The discovery of this hidden minigame of course caused a big stir among parents and politicians, as GTASA is a commonly-available game on both the PC and PS2. Rockstar then denied having the game in, alleging that the Hot Coffee mod was something put in the game by malicious hackers. But after some research, gaming site Gamespot revealed that the sex minigame was already IN the game even before any hacking- in fact, it even exists in the PS2 version (reachable only by hours of play and the use of special codes and a Gameshark peripheral).

Well, anyway, the game's now been given a new rating of Adults Only, and controversy in gaming rages on. Oh well. Hey... maybe there's a sex minigame in Final Fantasy VII too... I mean... getting close to Aeris has to yield more than just a crummy date on a carnival ride, right? Heh... just kidding.

Going Mexican


And these are just appetizers.

I am often told by my blogmates and friends to put up a food blog, since I seem to have a knack for posting about good eats. Well, I would love to blog more about the cool restos and meals I experience, but the fact is, I haven’t been able to go to new eateries lately- often, we just go to the tried-and-tested favorite haunts, as opposed to striking out to new territory and trying some new place. Anyway, I’ll try my best to post more about good eating, without having to put up a Starving Raving Mad blog.

Anyway, it was an out-of-the-ordinary event that actually got me and some friends at the office to dine at a new place. A day or two prior, the same group had to go through some torture of the eating kind- we had to endure going without dinner at the proper time while passing through Timog Ave- which is basically overflowing with cool restaurants. I actually saw it as a literal nightmare- seeing great places to eat pass and your starving self not able to do a single thing about it. Sigh.

So it was that earlier this week the group again came from a meeting which flowed into lunch. On our way back to the office, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal. But as we drove through Jupiter Avenue, we couldn’t seem to find any viable place to dine in. So it was perhaps an act of fate that we found ourselves selecting the Three Amigos Mexican restaurant for a meal.

Now, none of us had eaten here before, and really, I shouldn’t actually want to eat there since we did have a Mexican eatery at the office building (the more fast-foody Mexicali). But go in we did, and at first we thought we hit a bad one. The place was empty of any other customers, probably because the place specializes more in dinner or evening business. Anyway, we were welcomed in and got a nice spot near the window. As our eyes got accustomed to the light, I saw that it was a nice place- really well-furnished and actually quite posh, in a cozy Mexican-type way. Whatever that means.

Well, any doubts we had were quashed when the appetizers plate arrived, brimming with quesadillas, mini-tacos, nachos, flautas (cheese-filled rolls) and taco pizzas, with salsa and hot sauces on the side.

For me, how good a Mexican resto is rests on the basics- the nachos and tortillas. In that, Three Amigos simply delivered, and then some. We found our taste buds pleased by the hot salsa, the savoury meat and the crunchy but not too brittle or too hard taco shells and tortillas. When the set meals we ordered individually came, we were even more pleased by large portions and tasty helpings. Yum!


Tacos, cheese, beans, salsa and more. Oh, my!

So if you’ve got a Mexican craving and pass by Jupiter in Makati, don’t hesitate the visit the hombres over at The Three Amigos. Great stuff. And hot!

Seven in One Blow


Killer game for the PS2.

I’ve got my hands on one of my most-anticipated games here in the golden years of the PS2, the wildly artistic, unusual and mature post-modern action-adventure shooter, Killer 7. I fell in love with this game after seeing the wild character designs, read about the complex, twisted storyline and the mature, artistic presentation. Well, it’s been quite a wait but I have it and I’ve already gotten my hands bloody in the first hour or so. There’s still quite a bit of killing to do but I guess I can write about this unique game.
The first thing you’ll notice about Killer 7 is the graphic presentation- it has a cel-shaded look which may lead you to believe it’s an earlier-generation game, but this visual style goes a long way in giving the game it’s own mood and comic book style-feel (something like a colored Sin City). The second thing will be the control scheme and gameplay.
Basically put, Killer 7 can be considered an ‘on-rails shooter’. This means you don’t have full, unfettered control of your onscreen character. After you start a mission and gain control of your assassin, you either press a button or a directional to make him/her move forward. Pressing down will turn your character around. When you reach places where there are branching paths- to various rooms or to talk to certain characters, you choose the option you want with the left or right directionals.
Combat, which takes more than half of the game, is in first-person mode. Your primary enemies are the weird, walking mutated time bombs known as Heaven Smiles. Invisible at first, their presence can be sensed by their eerie laughter. Once Smiles are known to be in the area, a presson the R trigger puts you in first-person combat mode- a tap on the L trigger scans the area, showing the Smiles before you. From then on, it’s a matter of you bringing down these monsters with your character’s firearm before they reach you and explode.

Variation is attained through your characters’ different weapons, speed, special moves and attacks, and the different types of Heaven Smiles. Like zombies in Resident Evil, Smiles can take quite a few hits before reaching you, so if you want to bring them down instantly you’re going to have to aim for their weak spots (signified by a yellow glow on their bodies). Killing Heaven Smiles gains you blood (ew) which you can use to either cure your injuries or transmute into serum which can be used to ‘level up’ your assassins’ abilities and powers.

And that’s pretty much the gameplay. Oh, and there are the occasional puzzles that come your way, from incredibly simple ‘light the candles in the order of which they are numbered’ to some more esoteric stuff in the vein of Resident Evil (well, they’re both Capcom games anyway). And you’ll need to pick up and use some crucial items every now and then.

If this sounds boring and repetitive, perhaps Killer 7 may not be the game for you. Granted, there’s not much more than what I just wrote but there will be many, including me, who will most probably be driven to finish this odd game to the bitter, bloody end. And that’s because of the story and the eye candy.

Killer 7 is set in a world on the verge of peace- airline travel has been outlawed, nuclear weapons have been disarmed. But in the midst of this flawed utopia-in-the-making comes a new threat. The Heaven Smiles appear and start spreading death and destruction. With the police and armed forces powerless, the governments of the world turn to an unusual source of aid- the seemingly unstoppable, omniscient and implacable force of assassins known as the Smith Syndicate, AKA The Killer 7.

What makes the Killer 7 so odd is that they aren’t a gang of simple mercenaries. From all appearances, the group is actually composed of just one person- Harman Smith, a 60-year old man confined to the use of a wheelchair. The rest of the seven-man (well, six men and one woman) syndicate seem to be the different sides Harman’s psyche. In short, Harman’s a schizo but he also has the ability to materialize his various personalities into physical form.
They’re a varied lot- Garcian is ‘The Cleaner’ and is the group’s front man- the only member of the group who actually meets and interacts with other people, and with Harman himself. His main role is that of body retrieval- should any of the other Killers die, it’s his duty to move in, grab the corpse (which strangely enough appears as a brown paper bag) and resurrect them. Should Garcian die though, it’s game over. Next up is Dan Smith, also known as “The Hellion”. He’s a loose cannon- a truly cold-blooded killer who is pretty well-balanced and deadly with his rapid-fire revolver. Coyote Smith was a former thief and his special ability is unlocking things and super-high leaping ability. Con Smith, a youngster who’s perennially wearing a helmet and headphones, can run at mach speeds. Kevin Smith can’t write comic books, but the silent albino is the fastest attacker with his deadly knives (since he doesn’t reload). Then there’s Mask de Smith, the big bruiser in the luchadore mask who can take out obstacles (and Smiles) with his twin grenade launchers. And last but not least, there’s Kaede, a lovely young woman and the only female playable character. Never mind that she carries around a huge pistol equipped with a sniper scope, wears a blood-spattered white dress or runs around everywhere barefoot. What makes her truly odd is her special barrier-breaking power- activated by slitting her wrists and showering the whole area in her own blood. Ouch.


Kaede loves the smell of blood in the morning.

Since you are able to switch between these seven (once you unlock them) during gameplay, part of the challenge is telling which of the Seven you should need in order to solve a situation, whether it’s finding a way around or through an obstacle, or to defeat a particular enemy or boss.

With all this, the cream on the top of Killer 7 is the twisted, mature plot. From the simple goal of defeating the Heaven Smiles, the player is taken on a truly twisted and twisting tale involving cloning, body-snatching and high-level conspiracy. It which will probably mystify, baffle and confuse. But it’s also sure to intrigue and keep players glued to the screen- thanks to awesome anime cinematics that the game has an abundance of.
Is this all real? Or is it all taking place in Harman’s mind? Who are the Killer 7, really? Why the odd TV interface? What is the link between the Syndicate and the Heaven Smiles? Who is Kun Lan? Is there a way to get Kaede in a bikini?
I don’t have any illusions that I can make heads or tails ot the story, at least the first time- but we’ll see.

Of course, it has to be said that Killer 7 is rated mature, and this is for a reason. There is violence (the bloody headshot kind), sex and mature situations aplenty. Not for kids, really… but perfect for the mature gamer. Well, for the mature, open-minded gamer. Not everyone will like this game, but for those willing to look beyond the odd mechanics and the wild story, this is a gem and perhaps one of the last great games for the ol’ PS2. Sony’s blue box is going out with a bang, ain’t it?

Ninja Flick


Ninja on Ice!

I finally got to watch a new anime! Yay! Anyway, it's Naruto the Movie, the first theatrical release of this wildly popular Ninja-themed anime. I can't really consider myself a Naruto fan, though I have to say I do like the series. I don't find myself collecting the loads of paraphernalia now available (like ninja headbands, shuriken keychains and whatnot), but I do own a VCD set of over 100 episodes of the show. However, I haven't gone past episode 20 yet- just hadn't had the time or the mood to watch. Oh well. Story of my life.

Anyhoo, luckily anime movies are generally placed in a limbo place when it comes in relation to the running series- which means that movies are either totally separate entities from the TV show continuity, or can be placed anywhere. In Naruto the Movie, we have the core characters onstage: fearless never-say-die Naruto, cool-headed Sasuke, winsome Sakura and their teacher Kakashi. As the story goes, Naruto and his team are assigned to escort a star actress named Yukie as she goes on location to the isolated Snow Country in order to shoot the final scenes of her latest film. Naruto is of course totally infatuated with the star, who turns out to be far different from her onscreen persona. In short, she's a bit of a bitch and a brat. But what can a ninja do but carry out their mission? But as they enter the frozen wastes of the ever-cold Snow Country, they soon find themselves locked in a struggle between rebels and the evil ruler, Dotou. Soon it's jutsu versus jutsu as Naruto and pals strive to save the Ice Princess and her country!

Naruto the Movie is a surprisingly watchable feature. The story is pretty simple, and a bit predictable of course, but it's nicely executed thanks to really lovely and colorful visuals, nice animation and some pretty awesome ninja magic action. I'm really more of a hands-on person- I prefer fighting hand to hand instead of with giant magical beasts and super energy blasts, but the special attacks and jutsus were so well-animated here, I was having a ball.

In the end, what makes this pretty cool is seeing the characters kick butt, and have Underdog Naruto eventually get his just desserts at the end of the movie. At about an hour and a half, this movie doesn't wear out it's welcome, with a good amount of action, some drama and a few laughs. Naruto fans of course have eaten this up, but anyone who wants a good action anime movie can do a lot worse than watch this ninja flick. Get it at your local anime dealers in the Metro.

Of Saving, Bangus, Taxis and Go Go Yubari

I usually go through payday cycles pretty comfortably, single guy that I am… eat meals pretty much anytime, pretty much anywhere non-five star. Splurge on comics or any odd thing or toy that piques my interest, take taxi cabs to work in the morning, the works. But when unusual purchases hit, it jars me. So it was that I had just spent a bundle on my PC, right after I splurged on quite a few DVDs and comics at the Blood Bank. Suddenly I had an uncomfortably small amount of resources compared to time till next payday. No problem, I thought. I still had more than enough to get through.

I made plans. No more cab rides to work. Comic purchases limited to bare essential titles. Meals to economical and dinners eaten at home if possible. Tightening belts was the order of the day. I had done this before, in order to get K.I.A. moving, albeit to a lesser degree. It seemed to work for the first few days.

Then, in the middle of the week, I got an email from a local anime shop that they got a copy of Azumi 2, the samurai/ninja sword-slashing sequel starring Aya Ueto and featuring Chiaki ‘Go Go’ Kuriyama. Hey… something to get next payday.

Of course, I couldn’t wait till pay day.

That same afternoon, I got off work relatively early so I did what my desires told me to. I got into a cab and made my way to Greenhills.

Of course, it was in rush hour traffic from Makati to San Juan, which took about an hour and about 120 pesos. I raced against the light, knowing that the shop closed at about seven-ish. But I was confident I’d make it. My cab got into Greenhills just after seven.

Goddamn shop was closed.

GYAH. Disappointed and angry that I wasted the cab ride, I just wanted to go home and save the day with rest. But then, I was hungry, so I decided to eat out. Somewhere economical and delicious. My hunger led me to Bangus, a new resto in one of the many new mini-malls in the GH area. I ordered sizzling bangus (milkfish) fillet, rice and a drink. Good meal. But it cost almost three hundred pesos.

ARGH!!! Economical!!! Must… save… money… must…

Aaah. What the heck. Defeated, I hailed ANOTHER cab (another hundred off there) to get me home.

And so it was that during my time of scrimping and saving, I spent an extra day’s worth of money for pretty much nothing.

Oh well, in the end, the meal was good and you really shouldn’t regret food. And anyway, payday finally came and I reached it with some cash left over. Things didn’t work out totally as I planned, but they worked out anyway. Sometimes you just have to let things flow, let things go, let stress off and just live a little. Or, you can just avoid situations like what I just related to you and be better off. Your pick. Heh.

Inhuman Torture

Well, actually, I went to see a dentist today.

I have had a toothache which grew from a negligible spot to a radiating source of excruciating, gum-irradiating torment night after night for the past week or so. Since my cash flow was kinda dead, I had to endure till I was back in the black before I could have my teeth looked at- apparently my darn medical card doesn't have dental in mind. FEH.

Anyway, I had my teeth cleaned and the main problem area capped with a temporary cover... but I will probably have to come back for a root canal in the near future. Guh.

I can't tell you how terrifying it is... the scraping of drills on teeth, the horrid smell of burnt bone, the sensation of probing metal going dangerously near sensitive nerves... it sends shivers up my spine whenever I think of it. Anyway, it's not unbearable but it's also not something I am looking forward to. But then, the pain has subsided, thankfully enough. Now it's just a matter of taking the problem out completely when I can. Sigh.

My kingdom for some adamantium choppers.

Political Storm Signal No. 3

Didn't go to work today since the admin called the day off on account of political rallies at Makati. Ayala Avenue's closed off and rallyists will be all over the place.

Still, some jobs don't care whether or not there's a work day. Have some stuff to write and send out within the day. Still, I'm glad to avoid heavy traffic and spending any more of my mostly-depleted cash. I'll be staying home and doing some writing, some reading and a bit of fooling around with the PC and the TV. We'll see.

Deadly Dress

Just saw a CSI New York episode where a bride-to-be dies on her wedding day from mysterious causes. An interesting case, but I saw the solution a mile away. Nah, I’m no sleuth… I just watch Discovery Channel a lot.
It is eventually revealed that the young victim succumbed to chemical poisoning from formaldehyde in the lining of her wedding dress, which was apparently taken off from a corpse by an unscrupulous mortician.
This “deadly dress” story is actually an urban legend, which was shown on one of my fave shows on Discovery Channel, Urban Legends Revealed: Not-so-true Stories.
Anyway, from what I remember, the story wasn’t really true and formaldehyde traces on clothing shouldn’t really be lethal enough to kill… though on the CSI episode you’d think there was a biological weapon on the clothing. It’s cool to be able to see the connection between shows… but then I always think that the CSI shows originated from Discovery Channel’s forensic detective shows that went on long before Grissom, Horatio and Taylor ever showed up. Ah, those were the real CSI shows. But then, none of the detectives were babes like Sara Sidle or Calleigh Duquesne, so whatever. Heh.

Dead Tired

I just spent the whole of Sunday at a TV shoot, from early in the AM to just past midnight, Monday morning. Needless to say, I'm tired as heck (though not tired enough to not blog... heh). The whole day was spent watching and waiting as the Production Crew worked their trade, setting cameras and equipment in place to capture shots in various angles, as a chosen model tried her best to bring a storyboard to life. It was an outdoor shoot, so we prayed for sunlight (especially since recent days have been sodden with rain)... and our prayers seem to have worked too well, since it was positively sweltering and I had to keep my liquid up or risk getting sunstroke. Really, I was guzzling glass after glass of cold drinks all day and I only went to the toilet to pee ONCE. Darn.

Anyway, the worst part was of course standing and standing and standing around and waiting and just getting tired waiting for your sweat to dry and just imagining the pleasures of a cold shower and a soft bed. Well, I'm taking the day off today and enjoying these things... even for a while as work will still intrude for a bit. But only after I get enough sleep, dammit.

Ah. You gotta love this bizness. Heh.

Sword Raving Mad

Is Soul Calibur III going to KICK ARSE or what? Not only will it feature a totally out-of-this-world Character Creation mode, but according to the latest video released by the official site, SCIII's Story Mode is set to blow every other fighting game's namby-pamby excuse for this primary gameplay mode.

According to the Soul Calibur III developers, SCIII's Tale of Souls mode will be unique to each character. Each fighter will have a story that he or she will play through, and the mode will have them going through not only through the usual duels but interactive cinematics where they will be able to either make friends or enemies out of various supporting characters. There will also be paths to choose, so you can create your own tale and follow your warrior's adventures one way or the other. This non-linear, interactive and story-intensive way of doing the Story Mode is revolutionary considering that every other fighter so far basically just has a line of fights broken up by short, non-interactive cinemas as staple fare.

Darn. It's official... Soul Calibur III is the PS2's last, greatest fighting game. Let's hope every other fighter from now on follows its bloody magnificent trail. The slashing starts later in 2005, exclusively for the PS2.

No Man's Land


Cowboys and Demons.

WOOHOO!!! Got a copy of the awesome No Man's Land from Seven Seas, by the uber-artist and K.I.A. alumnus Jennyson Rosero. Better yet, I got it free! Thanks, Jen! The art of course is DAMN awesome, as always, with Jen's incredibly clean and precise lines bringing this supernatural western to life. My one single gripe is that there are about as many babes in the book as there is water in a desert. You have to keep practicing on drawing women, Jen, or you may get your babe-drawing skills dulled. Draw Kai every now or then, okay? Heheh.

No Man's Land is available now in good comic book shops in the Metro (or you can ask for it at Comic Quest). The book is written by Jason De Angelis and drawn by, of course, Jennyson Rosero. Check it out for some awesome western manga action.

My Hero!

It's a bit early, but here's my idea for our group's upcoming comics endeavor, Project: Hero (tentative title).

SAMURAI SIS

When young archaeological buff Sissy Sobek accidentally breaks a mystical seal, she unleashes a horrible force from antiquity into the world. But soon after, she finds herself possessed of the powers of the Warrior Goddess Samuraisis, patron of love and war (eh?)! But can this fledgeling goddess, even with powers over Sky, Earth and Sea, have any chance against the Horror of Ra Men Ho Tep, the Japanese Mummy?!

Mixed-up mayhem, action and comics fun and archaeological absurdity ensue! See it in the pages of Project: Hero, later this year. Heh.

Country Angst

A funny, albeit very true e-mail was forwarded to me today by a co-worker. It was a letter of disgust by some person named Jawbreaker who describes himself as an average worker and taxpayer who just doesn't want to pay taxes anymore. The title of the e-mail is "Walang Kwenta ang Pilipinas" or "The Philippines is worthless", and he goes on to cite the recent ills of corrupt politicians and the economic crisis that is plaguing the country. But that's not all. He also goes on to berate elements of society that don't pay taxes- including the 'masa', NPA rebels and insurgents and so on. It's true, actually- why do politicos always cite 'the Masa' as the most vital part of society, when tax-paying people and the ordinary Juan are the ones who are keeping this drowning nation afloat through their hard-earned pay? The letter is very angry and fiery, and sad to say, I agree with every single word.
It's sad, but if I was the one to write that angry letter, it would be entitled not 'The Philippines is worthless', but instead 'The Filipino is worthless'. We're a crappy race that does horrible things to our own country and people. And the worst part is, the silent majority who just want to live well and let live can't do shit about it since we're too busy working and tired at the end of the day to protest or go rebel or make a commotion in the news.

At least, not yet. We'll see what happens when the boiling point is ultimately reached.

Anyway, DAMN it to heck that my Vanishing Ray isn't working. DAMN.

Fourplay

Yep, despite my saying that I wasn’t going to watch The Fantastic Four, I found myself getting a ticket and heading into the theater. Perhaps it was just that I had some time and I was in Gateway Mall, which is a pretty neat place to watch movies. So, instead of watching War of the Worlds again, I instead chose to watch the latest Marvel Comics movie.

And guess what? I actually had fun.

Surprisingly better than I thought and easy to get into, the FF movie generally follows the same route as the original, with quite a few liberties. Anyway, the performances were okay. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffud) was kinda sorta ‘just there’, though the character gets cooler and better towards the end of the movie. Jessica Alba gives in a decent performance, and is hot as always (which never hurts), and while she seems to young to play the wife of Reed Richards, she is younger and single in this outing. Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm AKA The Human Torch is pretty much spot on, as is Michael Chiklis’ The Thing.

Julian McMahon’s Doom is suave and cold, starting off as seemingly good but revealing evil underneath- kinda like his own Cole Turner from Charmed. Yeah, turning him into a corporate mogul who turns into a cross between Colossus and Electro is pretty iffy, as are the circumstances around his rise to power (why the ‘Norman Osborn’ template again?). But he’s a pretty good villain and if they make a sequel, I hope he comes back as Doom with all the Latverian trimmings (and he will, judging from the ending).

The CG and effects are pretty cool, and better than in the trailers. Most of the action is in the latter half and end of the movie, but thankfully the pace is quick for the most part. All in all, this wasn’t a painful watch at all- in fact, I enjoyed it and even had a chuckle or two, thanks in most part to a very receptive audience which was laughing at all the slapstick antics of a clumsy Thing and a prank-happy Torch.

How good is Fantastic Four? Surprisingly, I rate it just as good as the debut X-men and Spiderman films. Better than X-men United, but not as good as Spiderman 2. FAR better than Hulk, Daredevil, Elektra and The Punisher. Sadly, Elastigirl is cooler and slicker than Reed Richards though.

All in all, surprisingly good and not a waste of time to see in a good theater. Grab three friends and watch it in theaters now for some good-natured, easy-to-watch superhero fun.

The Last Angel Ace Story



It may come as a shock to some of my readers and longtime Angel fans, but yes, this is the theme, if not the actual title, of the next Angel Ace issue and the next comic book/graphic novel I will be producing. Given how long it may take to conceptualize, write, draw and fund a big project (take a look at K.I.A.), expect this to appear sometime next year.

Angel Ace was my first real comic- my first original character that I actually flew with (pun intended) and the one that earned me readers who await each issue and installment with unfailing fervor. Would that there were more of them.

The truth is, each comic I release is a big undertaking, and financially exhausting. It is my passion, and I will definitely continue to work and create comics indefinitely, but I have to say that a continuing, sustained title like Angel Ace is far too difficult to carry out in the way that it should. That is, having to put out many, many episodes or issues, side stories and what not and slowly build up to the epic endgame and the Mother of All Confrontations waiting at the end. I see the road from Angel Ace Next, the latest issue, to the Finale taking oh, at least 12 or so issues.

Even if I were to put out an issue of Angel Ace twice a year (which I cannot), it would take six years. A more realistic run of an issue a year would see us finally having Angel’s final destiny coming after 12 years of waiting.

Now, while as much as I’d love to see myself still doing indie comics 12 years from now, I think that this is just not going to happen.

And so, I would like to say that I am going to give the finale a little bit earlier.

Yes, it will be a bit rushing it since after the first story arc, we only had a interlude issue before the endgame issue… but then, I guess it is fitting that Angel Ace Next is indeed a bit of a rest issue. It all comes with the one that’s coming after.

But, longtime readers, do not fret. This is not just any issue. To say it now, I will be handling this project all by my lonesome. I'll be drawing it myself, every panel and cover. This thing has to be done by myself and myself alone.

The Last Angel Ace Story will be big. It will have a mammoth page count, perhaps even more than K.I.A.. It will be a self-contained book, so new readers can actually pick it up and read it and have a complete story. For longtime fans, it will flash back to all the previous releases, fill in the gaps between the issues, and have sufficient build-up to the inevitable reveal of THE BIG PLOT and the final battle between Angela Gale and her nemesis, Mondebaine Gallowglass.

It will reveal stuff like- who IS Angel really, where did she come from, why she has her powers, who GMI and Baine really are, the link between them and the SIVA and the details of Angel’s life before the first book (Lone Wolf and Cherub), the first story arc and the last book to the finale. We’re filling in all the holes.

And awaiting the end is a big resolve- the Big Bad taking their plans to fruition, and the heroes taking up their guts for their stand. There will be action, there will be big explosions and fighting, Kai gets back at Seta and we’ll finally see Baine do evil stuff.

And someone very important will die. (and no, villains don't count, and no, it won't be Kai with her regeneration powers).

At the end of all this, I hope that the point of Angel’s existence will finally be revealed and her destiny fulfilled.

It was not an easy decision to make, but I think the readers and the characters have been waiting far too long. This story has to be told, and it will. After this, I can walk away from Angel and be happy in the knowledge that I did not leave her life incomplete (compressed, maybe, but at least not untold).

But will it be truly the last time we see Angel? We’ll just have to see.

Next year. Promise.

Thank you, Captain Obvious

Sometime last week, I was with Vin on a weeknight at Comic Quest. We had dinner, talked about this and that, and then at the stroke of nine-something, Vin got ready to shut down the shop.
As always, I got my stuff and looked about as Vin closed all but the back-room light in the store. He did his orasyons, paid homage to the frog diety and gathered up the receipts and stuff he was taking home. We exited the half-closed entrance and I stood back beside some guy who was browsing the stiore window as Vin pulled down the metal grate cover. Vin took out his two mammoth padlocks and clicked them into place, sealing shut the Blood Bank for the night.

At which point, the guy standing next to us asked, “Closed na kayo?” (“Are you closed?”)

All together now… Ngeh.

Okay, Vin, being the shopkeep and the guy being a potential customer, politely answered ‘Yes…’

If I was to answer though, I may have responded more along the lines of…

“Noooo… We’re just going for a coffee break for the night. If you want anything, please wait here and we’ll be back to service you in an hour or two…”

Heh.

Upgrade

The ol’ PC died over the weekend, forcing me to scramble and replace the most vital innards of the beige box. Now, while I do have the spiffy Powerbook, there are certain things that a PC can give that a Mac cannot- at least, not inexpensively. So, to retain my stuff for video capture and conversion to mobile media, as well as the use of a scanner and other irreplaceable functions, I had to spend quite a bit. I got the full bit- a new Pentium 4 chipset motherboard, with a new power supply and memory to match.
Perhaps after I get my cash flow going well again, I’ll get a new CD drive and perhaps a DVD-burner and some other stuff.

Anyway, my PC’s now more or less on track with the times and has a new lease on life… I wish I could say the same for my budget though. From now on until next pay day I’m going to have to watch the spending and resist any splurges and unnecessary expenditures. Darn.

Well, on the good side, If I make it to next payday without begging for a loan, it will be cool and maybe a sign that I’ll be able to save more. And another cool thing is that I’m ready for Age of Empires III if and when it arrives. Heh.

Alter Egos

Last night, we talked about our latest comic project as a group. The theme will be about 'Superheroes'. Despite this probably being a cheap photocopy or risograph comic, it will be pretty big at about 70 or so pages (given all the contributions of the various members). I'm hoping that the stories and art will be good enough that we can pitch it to a publisher to do it justice and print it nicely. A sort of Siglo: Super Powers? Well, we'll see what happens when the art and stories come piling in. Hopefully, we'll see the book by late this year or early next year. I've got quite a bit of time, but this early I should start thinking of my future superheroine (yes, I'm gonna go with a sexy babe), her origin, powers and nemesis. Heh. This should be fun.