I'm in Newtype!


The DOAX girls take a nap after a hard game of... pillowfighting?

WOOHOO! A fanart I made for Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball has made it into the fan art pages of this month's Newtype USA magazine! Woohoo! My fifteen minutes of fame. Heh. Anyway, my artwork, Pillowfight Aftermath, is also on the homepage of Team Ninja, the development team that handles the Dead or Alive franchise in Japan. Nice! If you can't get a copy of March's Newtype USA, you can still find a hi-res version of the artwork here.

Thundercats, WHOA!

I’m sure a lot of us here remember the cartoon Thundercats. The first and most popular of Rankin/Bass’s animal-themed superteam cartoons (Silverhawks, Tigersharks), The Thundercats is all about the adventures of the titular group of cat-themed characters. Refugees from the doomed planet of Thundera, the Cats (and later their rivals, mutants from planet Plundarr) are stranded on Third Earth (which may be a past or future earth). There, they must survive, preserve their code (Truth! Justice! Loyalty!) and protect new friends and allies from enemies such as the Plundarr mutants and the evil undead sorcerer, Mumm-Ra.
As in a sort of mold or template, the Cats of course include a young, main hero (Lion-O); a strongman (Panthro), a tactician (Tygra), a hot babe (Cheetara), and two kids (Wilykat and Wilykit). Oh, and don’t forget Snarf, the comedy relief mascot. Since most of the episodes (of which there are about 130 all in all in the 4 seasons of Thundercats) generally focus on young Lord Lion-O (the other cats usually only support him or appear at the end as backup when the Sword of Omens calls them), you don’t get to know the supporting cats too well.
In fact, often the villains get the meatier lines and parts; we actually know more about the Plundarr mutants and evil Mumm-Ra than the cats. As for the other denizens of Third Earth, from the amazon Warrior Maidens to the mascot-ish Berbils, they are little more than caricatures and archetypes.
Well, you can’t really ask for too much depth in a cartoon like Thundercats, I guess. The series delivers in cool action, lots of laser-blasting and totally bloodless fighting. And of course, LOTS of leaps in logic.
Why can’t the Cats just eradicate the THREE Plundarr mutants when any one of them could probably take down the flea-bitten scum? Is the samurai Hachiman really the ONLY human male on Third Earth? If so, how do the all-female Warrior Maidens breed? Why is Snarf given so much screen time when there are other, cooler Thundercats?! Is there anything the ubiquitous Thundertank CAN'T do? Isn't it strange that Tygra rhymes with lycra?
Another thing that strikes me from Thundercats is the voice acting; MANY characters, especially the females, sound WEIRD (the young and beautiful Willa the Warrior Maiden sounds like an old granny). Well, the reason for this is that in the ENTIRE series, all the characters are voiced by only EIGHT voice actors. ALL the mature females are acted by one woman, so naturally she had to give them weird, distinct voices. Talk about twisting your tongue.
Anyway, despite all this and more, I LOVE Thundercats. It had style. It had grace. It was sexy and furry at the same time. It had a GREAT anime-style opening animation (well, all the Rankin/Bass animal series had great intros). I'd give a lot to have DVDs of the episodes. Mmmm.
It’s great that Cartoon Network is re-airing episodes of Thundercats everyday after midnight, so I have my retro-cartoon fix. Also supporting the Thunderan resurgence are recent releases of Thundercats comics, from Wildstorm (Transformers). While I didn’t really find the initial releases exceptional, the recently-released Thundercats Return has piqued my interest. This 5-issue miniseries has a darker tone than the usual storyline. Apparently, Lion-O got trapped and exiled from the planet, disappearing for several years. When he finally escaped, he finds his home, New Thundera, ravaged and conquered by Mumm-Ra! With all of his friends and allies either dead, captured and enslaved, Lion-O must fight to undo the evil that has transpired in his absence.
With cool art and the fresh direction, this title has me intrigued. I guess I’ll this and see where it goes. Anyway, seeing a grown-up (and HOT!) Wilykit is worth the cover price. Heh.

The Matrix, Samurai-style!

MY GOSH.
The second Animatrix episode, Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Program, is now online and available for free downloading and viewing. Program focuses on a young rebel fighter as she battles her way through a Feudal Japanese-themed combat training program. Among digital bamboo groves and palace rooftops, she must choose between her lover or the human race. Featuring incredible fighting sequences and the awesome, stylized art of Studio Madhouse (Ninja Scroll), this is one action-packed episode you cannot afford to miss!
The Animatrix anime collection will be released on DVD and video in June, right after and around the showing of the Matrix sequels. Can't wait!

Download Animatrix: Program here.

Immacolata Pages Preview part 2!

I'm on a roll! I have finished the final two pages of the next Immacolata update. In one, we see for the first time the nuno named Penduko, one of Imma's engkanto allies. In the next, we see our heroine once again... taking a dirt nap. Uh-oh. Anyway, I was also able to ink FOUR more pages, which is set for the third update. Suffice to say, we're getting into the action part, and the fun's just beginning. Anyway, enjoy the preview. Hi-res pages will be coming to the Hinirang website soon.

Immacolata Pages Preview!

Here are four of the possibly 6 new Immacolata pages coming in the next update at Hinirang.com. I will be submitting them for uploading later this week. Enjoy!

OUCH!

I woke up with a BAD pain down there at my waist, making walking quite an excruciating and slow process. It hurt so bad I decided to stay home and rest, and take some pain relievers. Good thing that I was able to get in some coloring, managing to finish and letter four Immacolata pages for the Hinirang website. I'll finish two more pages or so before submitting it for uploading. Will have to be better and go to work tomorrow. Can't afford to miss out too many days. Sigh. Now, gotta rest again... OUCH!!!

Saturday Group

I left before noon today to go to a production house where I attended an offline-edit of our new TV commercial. 'Offline' means a kind of preview version of our spot; no effects, rough edit, quickie music... offline. It could have taken from a couple of hours to... a lot more. Luckily, it didn't take the whole day away from me. In return, I was able to enjoy a free Sukhothai-catered lunch with thai rice (which came with shrimp, pork and delectably sour green mango strips... YUM!), thai beef steak, a noodle dish and thai shrimp soup. Afterwards there was leche flan and Cathedral gelatin for dessert, which I had in more than adequate portions. Heh. Of course, eventually we had to get inside the studio and see the edits. They were for the most part well-done, and it meant that we didn't have to stay the whole day and night for it. I took the production house service car to Greenhills, and I was free.
I ranged around the usual haunts, and disappointingly there was little in the way of new anime stuff for me. No Gatekeepers 21 2nd DVD, no new Rahxephon, no Inu Yasha movie 2. Arrgh. On the gaming side though I picked up quite a lot; The Disaster-Survival game Disaster Report, the new Biohazard: Gun Survivor game and the RPGs Dragon Quarter and Galerians: Ash. No Xenosaga yet, or any new Xbox games (Outlaw Volleyball is still several months away, but Tao Feng should be out later this month). I looked around for DVDs and picked up the quirky retro sci-fi movie-in-the-making film, CQ. Lots of cool extras, and the film looks both sexy and funny.

Anyway, I headed for Comic Quest and soon after arriving showed off the new pencilled pages of Angel Ace to Mike, as well as the inked new Immacolata pages. I had brought the whole kit and kaboodle along with the intention of drawing pages if I was forced to stay at the production house. Well, since I was at the shop now and had already expended my funds on doo-dads, I sat down and started drawing. I was actually able to do at least three new Angel pages. As I was sketching the panels, a customer walked over to the counter and took a look at the somewhat rough pencils. He then asked, 'Is that Angel Ace?'
I said yes, of course, and I found out to my pleasant surprise that the guy was an Angel Ace fan. Mike and I told him to bring his copies when he dropped by the store next, so I could sign them. He was quite pleased to learn that a new Angel Ace issue was in development, and was even musing that he would be telling his friends that he actually saw the Angel Ace artist drawing a page in front of him. Aww, shucks. That made my day. Heh.
Later, the rest of the gang arrived and we made plans. Since most of the other people already ate, the hungry souls (me, Gig and Mike) had the power of choice. We eventually decided on going to nearby Podium, and dining at Nina's (formerly known as 'N'). I had eaten a couple of hash browns from Potato Corner earlier, so I settled with a Caesar's Salad and some empanaditas. As I waited for my food, I drew on the large white paper placemat some drawings of my new Immacolata character/villainess, Del Sol Camorra. Jason and I talked about her as we waited for our orders, and while we ate.
The Camorra family, a powerful and wealthy clan in Hinirang, is composed of the father (Don Roberto), the adopted son (Gilberto) and the daughter, Adele Solera (Del Sol). Each is a powerful and dangerous individual. Don Roberto's primary power is the ability to bestow/cast curses (which alludes to his family name, Camorra, which may be read as Ka Mura; Mura being the Filipino word for 'curse') and affect reality. As his blood daughter, Del got some of this ability, though it has manifested in the girl's ability to animate and create constructs and puppets/golems. She has her own workshop in their hacienda where she creates these automatons, which she calls manica (a play on 'magical-mechanical', and the filipino word for doll, or manika).
Given their sinister powers, the Camorra are feared and respected, and use their powers and resources to get their way. They run a fleet of ships that transport goods, farms and mines. Off the record they also sell arms, support evil creatures and slavers and burn down forests; the latter being the primary reason that puts them into conflict with Immacolata. The first Immacolata story arc will pit Imma against this sinister clan, and serve as an introduction to the illustrated world of Hinirang.

After the meal at Nina, we headed down to UCC Coffee and spent the next couple of hours nursing drinks and talking about stuff from sex techniques and exercises to what a writer should and shouldn't write. What a spectrum of topics! Someone should film this and turn it into a short film. When we finally got up to go, I was able to hitch with Cams and Jason and Flim.
What a day. I am tired. Want to just vegetate tomorrow at home, draw some more pages, enjoy some Vanilla Coke and watch my one Kim Possible episode for the week. Ah, simple pleasures. They will be mine.

Vanilla Coke

In a direct contrast to last Saturday when everyone was present and only Mike and I were absent, everyone was out elsewhere leaving us in the shop. We eventually decided not to go out and just have some food for takeout (Tropical Hut hamburgers) and get some eats for home from a shop along Katipunan. Well, both of us found cans of Vanilla Coke which we scooped up en masse like we were stocking up a bomb shelter. I tried one, and it tastes nice... the vanilla comes out quite distinctly as an aftertaste, reminding me of cream soda. Really nice, subtle flavor. Ah.
Anyway, it's Saturday but DAMN, once again, work intrudes. I have to go to see the edited version of the TV commercial we shot just before noon. Depending on how good the edit is, I may have to stay there for a couple of hours or more. My Greenhills foray may be compromised if my luck turns bad. DAAAAAAMMMMNN. There is no justice...

Anyway, I should be able to join the Saturday nightout. I will try to bring along pages to show, both from Angel Ace and Immacolata. I hope the guys are in a good talking mood. Miss the pleasure.

Talk is cheap. Write.

I’ve said some pretty strong stuff on the recent Mars Ravelo’s Darna release, generally that I was disappointed that it didn’t do anything new. So, just WHAT constitutes new, or updated to me? Am I just ranting and blowing off words but not having anything to give constructively? Well, far be it for me to be like a crappy expat I once met who could do nothing but shoot down things without giving things back. If I had the reins and the moolah... How would I have done Darna? Here’s my take.

If I could, I’d draw Darna myself, perhaps though slightly more serious than the style I use in my own comic, Angel Ace. Not too manga-ish, but it would be recognizable as my style. I want expressive faces, facial expressions and impishness.
Now, who would our protagonist be? How would the story open? What would be the enemy she’d face?
First of all, my Narda wouldn’t be uber-gorgeous. At least, not right away. She’ll be reasonably attractive, but understated. She’s more brains than looks, punctuated by her conservative attire. She wouldn’t stand out from her barkada of pretty girls. In fact, I would go to great lengths to have her best friend be a GORGEOUS Krush ng Bayan girl, who other people would think is actually Darna out of costume. Narda’s smart, she’s not very sociable and a bit of a loner; but this conceals a good heart that is always looking out for her more frivolous friends, and someone who has some funny quirks; perhaps she loves reading comics. Perhaps she likes sappy ballads. She’s a romantic and a dreamer. There’s a guy who likes her, but on a curve note, he seems to be fixated on finding out who Darna is, and Narda is the LAST person he would suspect. He'd try to help out and generally be like a sidekick (perhaps like a more helpful Ron Stoppable to Darna's Kim). Oh, and I’d name the guy Ding. Heh.
Anyway, Narda inherited the magical stone from her grandma. She was told the secret when she became a young woman at 13, and ever since she has been using the power to avert crisis and catastrophe, stopping supernatural menaces and threats to the people. In between all that, she has to go through college and live in a dorm with some ecclectic characters; her whistlebait best friend, a hippie girl and perhaps a goth girl. Kinda like MTV’s Real World. Heh.
The enemy I guess should be Valentina, or a descendant of the original. Valentina may be the daughter or offspring/clone of the earlier villain defeated by Narda’s grandmother. The rivalry lives on.
Anyway, Valentina will have her organization (Cobra!!!) or cult that follows her and worships her as a goddess. Have faceless snake-themed minions, and of course an elite cabal of higher-ups to directly serve the Big V. Their goal is world domination of course.
Since political, entertainment and religious quarters have already been used as a vehicle for the snaky villainess, let’s try something different.
How about Cyberspace?
Recently, a wave of powerful and deadly viruses called snakes (more powerful than worms) are infesting hard drives, and manifesting a hypnotic screensaver that is causing youths to perpetrate crimes in Valentina’s name. Who is doing this? Where is the Snake coming from? Is Valentina really behind it?
Aside from having a younger incarnation of Valentina, she will have her followers protect her hacker ally and search for Darna.
Fighting should be dynamic, taking cues from manga (get from the best). There should be hard hitting battles and fights, instead of one-panel punches and splash pages. Darna will have strength, flight and fighting skill, plus probably the power to heal or repel evil. She should be aware of her enemy, and vice-versa… this is a war of wits as well as fists.
The stakes get higher as the crimes of the mesmerized youths begin to escalate. Narda will have to find out how to trace the source, eventually perhaps trying to infiltrate the Snake cult. Will she be able to do so without falling herself under Valentina’s spell? In the end it will be Narda’s personality, her grounded self, which will allow her to resist, and that’s why SHE’S Darna in the first place.
But what if her friends get involved as well? The climax or a major battle will be a rave where Valentina herself will manifest from the screens (Shades of Sadako) and incite a wave of violence throughout the city… unless Darna somehow manages to save the day.

Rough, top-of-mind, spur of the moment. That’s how I’d do Darna. Is it necessarily better than the released comic? Maybe, maybe not. Just wanted to show that I can give out as well as I give in. Or something like that. Whatever. Moving on...

Where there's smoke there's...

Thanks to a surprisingly light load (relatively), I was able to slip out of the office early. On the way to Megamall I decided to stop at EDSA Shangri-La to check out some VCDs. As I was browsing, Camille texted me with some alarming news; There was a fire at the mall. Apparently, people were scampering away from the building, and she and Jason were already out of the area. I called Mike at Comic Quest to see how he was doing in the 'inferno'. Predictably, it was business as usual, so I decided to brave Ground Zero and get my weekly bloodletting.
Well, apart from some hurried walkers here and there, Megamall seemed all's well despite the so-called fire. As I crossed over from building B to A, I began to see closed shops and darkened floors above me. Yep, something happened, yet I did not know what. I got to the store and chatted with Mike and got to tell some tasteless fire jokes. Anyway, I picked up the latest Previews, Elektra and a Wizard Anime Insider mag. Afterwards, I went over to The Podium to have dinner with Carl, Jason and Cams.
We stayed at Thai In a Box, and I had a really tasty Thai T-bone Steak with Mixed Fried Rice. Yum. Over the spicy food we talked about stuff, including recent stuff like the Darna comic, Carl's progress with Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah and the recently-released Hinirang article in Computerworld Philippines magazine.
After dinner, we walked around the mall, stopping by at Best Sellers (the mini-National Bookstore at Podium), the Beauty Bar for Cams, a toy and games shop and Data Blitz.

Later, we piled into Cam's car and headed off. I got dropped off at my usual place, and the night was done. Later I would find out from the news that the whole commotion at Megamall was due to a fire in the Singing Cooks and Waiters restaurant at the 4th Floor. It took firemen an hour to get things under control, but in the meantime surrounding shops closed down. Despite this though, it was pretty much business as usual as even the cinemas remained open. At least, no one got killed or even hurt in this little incident, which is all that matters.

Elektra Lives! (Some Spoilers Ahead)

Twentieth Century Fox has announced that there will be a pseudo-sequel to the recently-released Marvel Comics movie adaptation, Daredevil. However, this new film will focus not on the titular blind superhero. Rather, it will be all about the sexy, formidable and deadly Elektra, whose life and adventures will continue despite having gotten herself KILLED at the end of the movie.
In the comics, Elektra Natchios, the daughter of Greek tycoon Nicolas Natchios and the girlfriend of Matt Murdock AKA Daredevil, is killed in battle with the assassin Bullseye. She is later resurrected by the ninja cult known as The Hand, and turned into a killing machine. These events will most likely be the material to be used for the future Elektra movie. Actress Jennifer Garner will reprise her role in this new film.
The Elektra movie is set to begin script development immediately. Also, a proper sequel to the Daredevil film is also in the works.
All I can say is... They'd better get the costume right THIS time.

Shooting Day 2

Yesterday I attended the second and last shooting day of our new TV commercial. As the day before I had to go all the way to the boondocks of Rizal. For the most part all I had to do was sit around, watch TV monitors, wait for shots to be set, eat catered meals and get sunburned. On the way home though it was kinda nice to just look at the very pastoral scenery of Antipolo City. Despite being a 'city', Antipolo has a very rural feel, in the size of the buildings and shops and the smallness of everything. It's very quaint, especially when you consider large parts of the place are still uninhabited stretches of mountain road, unlit by lampposts. There are though a large number of resorts, motels and restaurants/grills which are islands of light in the darkness due to the copious amounts of pinlights that decorate their premises like it was Christmas. Heh.
Anyway, I got back home pooped again. Good thing today's another 'normal' day. Back to the salt mines at work, not in the boondocks. Got a lot to catch up on. Gotta remember to keep taking those vitamins...

Shooting Day

Today, I got up in the morning when I should have been sleeping till noon. I had to go to a shoot for a TV commercial we had done at the office. Well, that pretty much means I have to stand or sit around as our production crew set up a shot, wait for adequate sunlight to pop out of the clouds, and shoot. Unlike some other shoots, this was an on-location shoot that had us all packing to got to the literal boondocks in Rizal. There the work commenced at what I learned was a quarry. With goats, ducks, turkeys, pigeons (How John Woo!) and curious barrio folk watching, the production crew, cast, agency and client did their things to finish the commercial as soon as humanly possible. Of course, that pretty much means the WHOLE day.
Well, I really didn't have to do anything save stare at a monitor, nod and mumble approvingly and wait for the next free meal, or grab a drink from the ice box. That's the good thing about TV shoots; since we're clients, the production house crew treat us like kings. Well, like VIPs, anyway. To an extent. The bad thing was, I was pretty much trapped there when I would have much preferred just getting shut-eye at home to catch up on my comics, DVDs and sidelines. No such luck. Oh well.
Anyway, the shoot involved some stunts, so we had paramedics on standby (who looked like SWAT for some reason), stuntmen and of course, attractive talents. In particular I'd probably remember our female talent, who seemed to be hyper the whole time; pretty amusing. Generally, everything went smoothly, though by the time we called it a wrap it was about 6 PM.

I arrived home a couple of hours later; I had the service car drop me at home. No more strength or appetite to go out. I just plopped into bed and turned my brain off as I watched The Blair Witch Project on cable (still creepy after all this time, but diluted. Now THAT is a shoot I would be sure to beg off of...). Another thing I caught on cable was Fist of God (I think), a Samo Hung Hong Kong movie that was, once upon a time, supposed to be the live-action Tekken movie. The story is, Namco disapproved of the project and one lawsuit later, everything Tekken-ish was taken out (though two of the heroes still resemble Jin and Hwoarang from the game). What is left is a far-out futuristic tale of evil super-powered dictators, mutant monsters, deadly toxic gases and of course, lots of bad CG. Oh well. Samo got screwed by Namco, but at least the game makers got their desserts with that HORRID Tekken anime. Heh.

Anyway, tomorrow we shoot again. Then it will be back to the office. And normal desk work. I should enjoy these outings whenever I can. Too tired to do so most of the time though.

Got Darna Redux (Spoilers inside)



I spent the after work hours with Mike at Comic Quest, and we talked about stuff. One of the things we discussed was the recent Darna release. I have to admit, while I really would like them to succeed and meant everything I said in the earlier post, even this latest and probably greatest interpretation of the Darna character has its glaring flaws. After reading and re-reading the issue, I have to give some more in-depth comments.

For one, the script, while having no grammatical errors or anything that made me laugh for a wrong reason, was pretty unspectacular. It broke no new ground, explored no new avenues or plots twists for the character. Almost everything in the story is expected and pretty much 'been there, done that', from an opening sequence of a terrorist attack and Darna's entrance and subsequent pummelling of the baddies, to the eventual cliffhanger ending with a familiar villain making an appearance. Generally there's a lack of any feeling of tension or dramatic pacing/timing; there's a scene of carnage which is supposed to communicate terror or something sinister, but all I can recall is an overly-sexy mayor fainting.
In terms of the art, I'm all for fan service but I think the art went overboard with Narda and her friends' wardrobes. No wonder they got targetted by some rich kid maniacs for kidnapping. Anyway, said-abduction was apparently just a way of flashing back to Darna's origin, which I am told is the original version (though I do not recall earlier Darna incarnations appearing). Anyway, Ryan Orosco's and Gilbert Monsanto's work is clean and well done, but again, like the writing, surprisingly unspectacular. Expressions are vacant and lack personality and character. Overall, sexy but we've seen it before, but better, in comics like Fathom and Witchblade. A little more dynamic panelling, action scenes and angles could have done wonders. As it is, the fight scenes are through-the-motion ordinary; a kick here, a punch there. Nothing special.
Also, IMO they should have used the art for their cool poster (one of which apparently got stolen from Comic Quest today) for the cover, to evoke a 'new' feel and the coming of the new take for the heroine. The present cover image is adequate, but doesn't blow me away as it should. It just doesn't. Oh well.

For me though, I am most disappointed with the fact that this newest Darna once again fails to give me a humanized, unique, personable character in Darna/Narda. Who is Darna? Who is Narda? We don't see any personality in her, nothing to latch onto or like. Once again, she's just an archetype. If that's really the way it is, then so be it. But I had wanted to see something new. Oh well. That's why I prefer manga in my comics, and in how I DO my comics.

Mars Ravelo's Darna is an okay novelty purchase for fans of the character or just for those feeling nostalgic. The art is indeed nice and the colors will no doubt impress those who aren't too sophisticated or picky. However, I don't know if masa readers can stomach a 120-peso purchase for a 32-page comic that isn't 'sulit' in my opinion since it's not a finished story. I wish Mango Comics all the luck and despite all my gripes, I hope that Darna finishes it's whole 3-issue run.
Colored pages, sexy but empty art, plain story and bland writing. Is this the best Darna can be? All I need is to look at Carlo Vergara's Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah to see that this doesn't necessarily have to be so.

Mars Ravelo's Darna # 1 is available now at Comic Quest and leading comic and bookstores, Php120.00, full color, 32 pages.

There is no justice.

It's a non-working holiday tomorrow in commemoration of the People Power Revolution, yet I will be WORKING. We have a shoot for a TV commercial which will have us working for the day. Thankfully, we will probably be packing up before nightfall, though I will probably go home immediately so I can work on some pages. ARGH. BAH. Graggle-snaggle frumble-grumble...

New Immacolata stuff

I've finally finished inking the new pages of the Immacolata update. I'll try to color them within this week. Anyway, here's a peek at some of the new characters; Del Sol Camorra, some augmented Taoso hunting-beasts and Del's maniacal Manica. Hopefully we'll be seeing them all in full color on the Hinirang site soon.


Del Sol Camorra wants to play with Immacolata.


Cursed into even beastlier form, the Taoso want a second stab at Imma.


The Manica are magical/mechanical constructs that follow Del's every whim.

Odds and Ends

Yesterday we didn't have our usual Saturday Night Out (which so amazed my mom when she came home to find me in my room), so I just had my Greenhills foray and went straight home after. I was able to experience some odds and ends.

Combat Mission
For one thing, I was able to watch the new(?) reality-TV gameshow Combat Mission, on Studio 26. The game's host is Rudythe scrappy old navy seal who endeared himself to millions in the first Survivor. Well, apparently Mark Burnett (the producer of the Survivor shows and various others) was so impressed with Rudy, he made him the host of this military-themed game show. How can I describe it? Live Counterstrike. The show's contestants are all male and of more-or-less high fitness quality. There are two teams that embark on combat missions that may either be training exercises or actual battles which involve them accomplishing an objective with shadowy enemy soldiers providing opposition. Of course, they use only blank ammo but kills are easily registered when they happen, and as per the rules anyone 'killed' has to sprawl to the ground. It seems pretty difficult; one team totally lost control and got several guys killed before they were extracted. The second team was able to accomplish their mission without a scratch, but were ambushed on their way back, losing all but one man. Ouch.
Anyway, like Survivor, losing teams have to vote out a man at the end of the show (in this case, it's 'discharged'), though for a limited time they get to replace that loss with a fresh man they choose via dossiers. After a while though, losses will be permanent and a team will have to deal with going undermanned.
It was a pretty hammy show, and Rudy talks like a robot, but it looks fun. I got the impression though that the show's appeal is limited, and the contestants are ALL men (and apparently from law enforcement or military backgrounds). Not a show I'd make a point to watch.

Black and Bruised for PS2
I was able to get a copy of the new PS2 boxing game Black and Bruised. It uses 3-D graphics with cel-shading, resulting in very cartoony, over the top characters. The gameplay is suitably unrealistic, with power-ups like super punches and speed boosts mixing it up with combos. I don't usually like boxing games, but this one roped me in with fun character designs (my favorite is the geisha/martial artist, Maiagaru), a funny story mode and pretty smooth animation. You can read my full review of the game here.

Pages... More pages...
Continued drawing pages for the Immacolata update, and it should be done this week. Was able to pencil a couple more Angel Ace pages too.

Kim Possible
Ah. Got to watch a new episode of my favorite spy teen. A pretty cool episode where Kim has to go on a mission with her twin brothers. Best of all, Drakken and my fave Shego are in it too. I really love the anime/Hong Kong martial arts movie influence this cartoon has in the way Kim and Shego move and fight. I REALLY REALLY REALLY want a DVD or VCDs of this series. I like it that much. Someday...

Last Action Hero
Got to catch this classic stinker on AXN. It's an old Arnold Schwarzenegger film about movies coming to life, and with a fantasy story like that it should be great. But for some reason, it isn't. An uneven script which is too serious for it's own good a lot of the time, humor that falls FLAT all the time, an uncharismatic kid sidekick, bad execution and bad dialogue consign this as the movie that started Ah-nuld's fall from power. But guess what? Gandalf/Magneto is in it! Yep, I only realized last night Ian McKellen appears near the end as Death from The Seventh Seal. Funny.

Well that's that for now. Later then.

Got Darna?


The first copy sold at Comic Quest Megamall.

I lucked out this night. Kensai Yonzon and the Darna crew came to Comic Quest delivering fresh, brand-new copies of Mars Ravelo's Darna. I bought the FIRST copy at Comic Quest Megamall, and perhaps all of Metro Manila. Heh. Anyway, the story is by Boboy Yonzon, pencils by Ryan Orosco and inks by Gilbert Monsanto.

SPOILER WARNING!

In the tradition of most debut issues, Darna #1 begins with a dangerous situation for our heroine to make her entrance and kick some criminal scums' butts. Later, there's some sticky situations with kidnappers, and piles of corpses apparently left by an attack by giant snakes (Hint, hint). We get to see Darna's origin, and the comic ends with a familiar face making an appearance.
Mars Ravelo's Darna #1 (of 3) is a decent entry into the characters' mythos, far better than previous attempts by other local publishers to resurrect the character. The initial issue is fairly well-written, with some touches of humor. The art is excellent, though I have to say that it could have been much better in terms of panelling and pacing; some pages, like the snake victim massacre, could have been portrayed more chillingly; and the fight scenes could have done with more dynamic moves.
Aside from that though, there is little to complain about the comic's look as this new Darna is a LOT curvier and sexier than before (along with several other ladies in the issue). Fan service aside though, the issue looks slick and impressive. with bright colors and effects.
Depending on the debut issue's success, Darna could possibly be making a flight to international shores. With that, I wish them all the success in the hope that this ushers in yet another Golden Age of local comics. I'm looking forward to the next issue, next month. Congratulations, Kensai and Mango Comics!

Mars Ravelo's Darna is now available at all Comic Quest branches, and other leading comic and bookstores, 32 pages (full color) at Php120.00. Get your copy now!


Hey, Marc! She's got a nice costume. I want a costume like that too! Heehee...

READ Or DIE



No, I am not telling you that my blog is necessary for your continued survival (though that would be flattering to hear). Read Or Die is the title of one of my favorite recent anime that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone wanting unusual action animation.
Yomiko Readman is a mousy, shy and unsophisticated young woman who perpetually hides her looks (and she IS quite attractive) behind thick glasses. She works as a librarian and a substitute teacher, and as you may expect, lives and breathes books. She lives in an apartment building all by herself surrounded by TONS of books. And with the exception of the bare minimum needed for living allowances, all her pay goes to acquiring even more books.
But Yomiko isn't just some solitary bookworm. The fact is, Ms. Readman is a super-powered secret agent often contracted by the British government's ultra-secret Royal Library to undertake dangerous missions that often involve world security. Her code name: The Paper (Or, 'Da Peh-Pah', as the Japanese voice talents say it). Can't see how a librarian can be a kick-ass super agent? Watch ROD.

Based on a manga, the animated Read or Die OVA (Original Video Animation- direct to home video release) consists of 3 episodes of about 30 or so minutes each. They basically tell of Yomiko's adventures against the mysterious I-Jin, or 'Great Men'; resurrected geniuses from history who have been bound to service by an evil, unknown power for nefarious ends. The Paper is teamed up with a slinky and sexy femme fatale named Miss Deep (can you guess her power?) and a commando named Drake to take out the I-Jin and stop their plans.
ROD features wonderfully vibrant animation, colors and character designs which once again prove how unusual and twisted anime can get. Where else can you find a bespectacled librarian and a leather-clad vixen fighting a glider-riding Otto Lilienthal (the historical inventor of the glider) over New York? This aerial battle in the first episode gets my vote for the BEST action sequence in an anime, ever.

Aside from the action and animation, ROD just has to have the coolest intro/opening theme music ever. It's got a retro feel that just exudes a James Bond-superspy feel that you just have to hear once to get into. Total COOLNESS.
Of course, ROD is hardly perfect; the biggest flaw for me being how the 2nd and 3rd episodes pale in comparison to the Uber-perfect first. Also, it can get pretty melodramatic and cheesy, but that's besides the point. This short series is truly a gem of anime, and is right up there with classics like Ninja Scroll.
So the next time you find yourself in an anime shop, ask for Read Or Die. It's to DIE for. Heh.

Pooped

Yesterday I stayed at home for a family affair which I won't take up much here since even I got bored. Anyway, the better part was that in the meantime I was able to do stuff on the side which I had been putting off for a while. Well, I tried, at least. I started inking the new Immacolata pages, and I succeeded for the most part. I also had to start some pencil sketches on some other projects, and try to do some new panels for the next Angel Ace issue.
I have to say though that I don't seem to have the stamina I had before. My eyes always feel heavy, I can't stay up too late and recently have been prone to just lying down and wasting my time away snoozing. I am intending to start taking multivitamins to supplement my health and endurance. I really, really, really need the extra hours after work and play to continue doing the stuff I have on hold. Darn. If this keep up, I'm going to get left behind. Can't let that happen.

D' Original flying Filipino superheroine returns!


She's coming!

Care of Mango Comics, the greatest Filipino comic (and movie) super-character is making a comeback. Mars' Ravelo's Darna is set to return to the local comics scene in a big way via a three-issue limited series with art by artists like Ryan Orosco and Lan Medina. The Darna Golden Anniversary Edition Comic Book Launch will be at Eastwood City Central Plaza on February 28, 2003 at 7pm. We'll try to attend the hooplah that's sure to happen on that night of comics, music and fun.

Bloody but Happy

Yet again, the bloodletting ritual took place at Comic Quest today. I took home a stash of stuff, including the latest issue of Blade of the Immortal, the first issue of CSI: Crime Scene Investigations, Newtype-USA March and finally (and this got me LOTS of shocked looks from several people) the Tokyo Pop cinemanga graphic novel of Kim Possible.

Blade is a gritty, bloody and mature samurai-action fantasy by manga-ka Hiroaki Samura, featuring an unkillable hero fighting with a young girl to avenge her slain parents. CSI is the comics adaptation of the top-rated detective/drama TV series by director Jerry Bruckheimer; art looks cool and the story looks like it captures the graphic and mature nature of the source material. The latest Newtype comes with a nice DVD of the first episode of the english-dubbed Rahxephon, which is cool. Finally, the Kim Possible Graphic Novel adapts the episodes 'Bueno Nacho' and 'Tick-Tick-Tick', both of which feature really cool action and the hot bad girl, Shego. Is it just me or do hot bad chicks always wear green? Heh.
Ah. Nice stuff. But weak now from loss of blood. Must rest...

X2 2nd Trailer now online!!!

MY GOSH! The sequel to X-men, or X2, is looking better and better with every new snippet doled out to us by Fox. The latest trailer features TONS more stuff that hasn't been seen before. There's lots more interaction between the X-men and their former rivals, Magneto and Mystique; more scenes involving the X-kids (Xavier students), notably Iceman, Pyro and Shadowcat... and a first look at COLOSSUS! WOOHOO! Ahem. There's more too; kick-ass fight scenes, more Deathstrike (they finally gave Kelly Hu's character her comic book name) scenes, Nightcrawler(He speaks! He TELEPORTS!!!), and even former wallflower Jean Grey gets to have a totally wild scene towards the end.
X2 continues the adventures of the mutant superheroes known as the X-men. This time, they must contend with a direct assault that may force them to work with those they once fought as enemies. This mutant extravaganza will hit theatres this May.

To see the X-cellent 2nd trailer, click here.

Different Strokes...

Read some wildly varied reactions/reviews to the new Daredevil movie from a couple of my friends and blogmates, Jason and Dean. Reading them you'd probably never think we actually get along really well together, would you? Heh...

Daredevil Review (Some Spoilers Ahead)


Man without Fear. But not without Flaws.

Despite getting held up longer at the office than I intended, I was able to make it to Megamall for the premiere showing of the latest Marvel Comics' movie adaptation, Daredevil. The movie stars Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell and Michael Clarke Duncan. Daredevil is the story of Matt Murdock (Affleck), the son of an aging boxer who gets stricken blind by an accidental burst of radioactive material. While the tragedy left him sightless, it also enhanced his other senses, particularly his sense of hearing and smell. Eventually, young Matt learns to hone his physical skills to become an acrobatic whiz and a high-flying martial artist. But of course, in the tradition of these vigilante superhero types, even more adversity strikes as Matt's father, on the return road to success as a boxer, is murdered by gangsters because he refused to throw a fight. After this traumatic event, young Matt Murdock swears to continue fighting against the scum that makes life hell in the place called Hell's Kitchen. He becomes, in effect, a guardian devil. Daredevil, the man without fear.
This first movie about the blind superhero shows us the origin, as well as the popular story threads and characters that made the comic famous; The Kingpin (Duncan), a massive crimelord who controls things from secret; Bullseye (Farrell), a hitman with an almost unnerring ability to kill with throwing weapons, and Elektra Natchios (Garner), a Greek beauty and martial artist who captures Matt Murdock's heart (Love at first Smell?). The movie basically mashes a lot of stuff which spans throughout many issues in the comic book series into an hour and a half, and it results in a mixed bag that viewers may love or hate depending on how much they love the source material.
I have to say that I was never a big Daredevil fan. I mean, I never really like these lone vigilante-types. DD, at his heart, is Batman. Or Spiderman. What sets him apart? Well, he's blind for one. He's a lawyer (with a tendency for pro bono cases and the tendency to be a bad sport since he takes out those he can't convict. Heh) by day and crimefighter by night. DD is without a doubt the darkest Marvel Comics' movie yet (if you discount that old, old horrible Punisher movie with Dolph Lundgren), and perhaps as well the grittiest. Despite having a face like Ben Affleck, Matt Murdock is blind and has to struggle to keep his practice (good thing he has good ol' Foggy Nelson, who is played quite excellently by actor Jon Favreau) since he takes the leaner, straight and narrow road of innocent clients. He has to sleep in a sense-deprivation chamber at night to block out the noises of the world (thanks to his super senses), and he has to constantly wrestle with the morality of being a vigilante AND being a good Catholic (he goes to confession regularly). DD also has quite a surprising amount of blood and violence that's a lot nastier than past Marvel titles, in particular scenes where Daredevil lets a small-time criminal die, and a ton of scenes of people getting impaled by stuff thrown by Bullseye.
Despite all the heavy drama and violence, DD still tries hard to throw in stuff like a love story (between Murdock and Elektra), which is made pretty silly by a totally over-the-top foreplay/martial arts duel in PLAIN SIGHT that would be more at home in The Matrix or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon than here. Well, Affleck and Garner do have chemistry onscreen, and I think that despite the short time and lean development period, the love angle kinda worked. Still pretty silly though.
And back to the over-the-top martial arts. It's got the expected wirework and CG combos, which makes for some slick stunts and fighting sequences, though a bit too MTV-ish in editing too many times. Suffice to say you will have to accept that many people in the movie will start flying around sans Green Destiny swords. If you get past that, you will be fine. All in all though, there was really no fight in the whole film that 'did' it for me; everything was short and truncated and didn't have the feel of a Darth Maul fight... kinda like Spider Man and X-men, I guess. None of the Marvel films, despite being solid entries and moneymakers, actually had good climaxes. Oh well.
Anyway, I kinda liked the way the story was presented. I liked the performances of Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock, Garner as Elektra and in particular, Colin Farrell as the maniacal Bullseye- actually, he stole the show. Heh. I liked the gritty atmosphere and texture of the film, which was pretty uniform throughout. Loved the way the 'radar sight' was done. Cool.
I did NOT like the uneven fighting and trippy editing. I did not like the hurriedness of the plot (a result of the mashing of various plots and characters), and the revelation at the end by an overconfident enemy (Daredevil isn't too much of a detective in this one). I did NOT like Elektra's costume (BRING BACK THE RED OUTFIT, DAMMIT!!!!). And I did not get the sudden morality at the end (kill the small fish, and not the big Fisk?). Weird.

In all, Daredevil is a dark, heavy adaptation of the blind superhero saga which captures the atmosphere of the setting and character, but falters a bit on some execution issues. I know several fans who either hated it or just were disappointed. I did not have much ties to it, but I found it... okay. Not bad, and I am actually looking forward to a sequel. And Elektra's red outfit.

Vampire Hunter V

Sometime next year, we'll be treated to Van Helsing, a monster-hunting action-fest starring Hugh Jackman as the titular hero. I've seen images posted on Aint It Cool News, and Van Helsing looks straight out of the Yoshitaka Amano anime, Vampire Hunter D. The enemies include the Wolfman, Frankenstein's Monster and a very batty Dracula. Apparently, in all his incarnations, this is probably the first time Van Helsing has been portrayed as a bad-ass action hero. We'll have to wait till May 2004 before we can see this though. Hugh Jackman will of course be appearing in X2, or X-Men 2 this coming May.

Simply Extraordinary!

Yet another comic makes it to the big screen with the film adaptation of the somewhat obscure title The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The titular group is an unusual alliance of various literary heroes which include Allan Quatermain, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jeckyll/Mr. Hyde, Mina Murray (Harker), Tom Sawyer and Captain Nemo. For the good of the world (in particular, Merry ol' England), the LXG battles deadly villains with their legendary powers and abilities. The cast features Sean Connery as Quatermain. So far, the production values look incredible, with amazing special effects and oh, so cool touches onscreen. This one looks... well... extraordinary.

View the first trailer of LXG here.

I'm BAAAAAAAACK....

Sorry I wasn't able to blog yesterday... the tourist center where the internet place was located was just too far away and my feet hurt from the stoopid slippers I bought (in contrast, the Mojo sandals were great, and I used them exclusively for the rest of my stay). Anyway, the second day was mostly spent as free time; we never did get to follow the itinerary, so I took the time to walk around, buy souvenirs and pasalubong for home. I also splurged a bit, eating at a Mexican-themed eatery called Manana (didn't think the Taco meal I tried was worth the P300 price though). I bought several brightly-colored sarongs, bead necklaces and bracelets, and some thatched little bags. After that, I headed back for the hotel. My office group met and we spent about an hour discussing what we would share with the rest of the department, after which we chilled at Jonah's, which pretty much became our default place of drinks, meals and gatherings. Thankfully, I was able to slip in several swimming sessions, wading and splashing around along the shore. This is what Boracay is all about. At least for me. Heh.
Early evening saw our entire group finally meeting and finishing the work we set out to do. After that, we were FREE! We freshened up and then en masse congregated at The Talipapa, which was sort of the island swap-meet/wet market/cheap prices area. We settled in a restaurant called Honey Bee and dined on sea food and other native viands as a treat from our boss (although I have to say the kinilaw was inferior to the dish I had at Mikay's). Afterwards, we scattered to the four winds. After getting a beautiful bead-rosary as a gift, I headed back to my hotel room since I felt dead-tired. The rest of the night I spend watching cable; in particular, a channel called 'Z' which seemed to show exclusively wrestling shows (Japanese and WWE) and kinky phone sex ads in Chinese. MY KIND OF CHANNEL! There was even a Japanese pageant/model search show which seemed to specialize in upskirt and kinky sex stuff. I will miss Z. Sigh.
Anyway, the next day we basically had all the time to ourselves as we waited for the ferry to come and pick us up. At about 2PM, we were headed for Caticlan, and at 3:30 or so we were flying towards Manila. An officemate gave us a ride all the way to Quezon City, where I had dinner with a friend and then... I was HOME!

No more white sand. No more lovely waters to wade in. No more native souvenirs. No more sweet breezes and nice beach scenery.

But I have my room back. Nice, lighted room with all my stuff. My computer with the good Internet connection. Games and anime (unfortunately now one week delayed since I missed my Greenhills foray yesterday). Water that lets soap sud. Fresh clothes. WOOHOO!

And of course... work tomorrow. Oh well.

I am back home. Back to working at the office. Back to working on Angel Ace and Hinirang and other stuff. Back to romping around with my friends. Back to blogging. And boy am I glad.

Greetings from the Beach!

Hello from Boracay! Well, as luck would have it, the local tourist center has an adequate Internet center where I can surf and blog. So here is my first day on Boracay and confirmation that I am really a cyber-addict. Sigh.
Anyway, I got up at about four in the morning after having about two hours of actual shut-eye. A taxi which we contracted would be arriving at about five to take me to the Manila Domestic Airport. On the dot, the cab came and I was off after saying goodbye to my parents and locking up the sanctum. The drive was pretty fast since it was abysmally early; no traffic at all. I arrived at the airport at about five-thirty, paying the cab fee and giving the driver a tip that made him thank me for his Valentine's Day expenses. Heh.
Once the group was all together, we readied for the flight. We were flying on SEAIR, or Asian Spirit, I think. Since it was a domestic flight, the plane we were taking was a small plane with 2 propeller-driven engines. The interior was spartan, and there weren't even any stewardesses; the only crew was the pilot and copilot. We were all hyped to go until we realized little by little that the plane was refusing to start. Apparently, the left engine (which was right outside my window; I was seated at the front, right behind the pilot) wouldn't ignite; and after about ten minutes the pilot taxied to the back part of the airport where we were herded into another (and older) plane. The explanation was that the engine's battery was dead. Oh-kay...
Anyway, the back-up plane started up fine and we were off. The thing about planes... I always feel that the darn thing is really exerting itself to take off. You know that feeling that you're lifting up and you feel like you could just drop at any second... but thankfully, we didn't. Soon, after the ear-popping climb we were cruising towards our destination: Caticlan in Aklan province, where we would take a ferry ride to Boracay. The flight took about an hour, and all I can say is that during the last fifteen minutes or so my right ear hurt terribly. Argh.
After touching down on Caticlan's small airport, we got on a coaster for a three-minute drive to the beach where our bangka-ferry awaited. We piled in, donned makeshift lifejackets and waited as the men pulled and forced the ferry out to sea. The boat ride took about 20 minutes, which I enjoyed since the day was cloudy, the salty sea spray was cool and the scenery was magnificent. The last time I saw Boracay was several years ago, and the feeling of arrival still makes me calm.
Our group would be staying at the Pearl of the Pacific Hotel, which is odd to me since the last time I was here I didn't remember big structures or buildings (or maybe I just didn't walk around too much). There are loads of small but lovely buildings, resorts and even a place called D' Mall which is the island's version of a shopping center. Cool, in a beach sort of way. Anyway, as I said before, this wasn't a vacation so after arrival we met up and discussed SHOP talk. Advertising and all that jazz. The most I can say about it is that it didn't last too long, and we soon had free time after a nice lunch at a place called Jonah's (which serves killer shakes! The best on the island, they say).
I slept for a while and came out during the sunset; some of the guys and gals were playing beach volleyball, which made me remember DOAX. Heh. Actually, my gamer genes were piqued as I looked about and saw traces of the PC game Beach Life AKA Spring Break and other little details. Sigh. Well, I was able to get in some wading and floating in the cool waters of the beach, and watched the sun go down and the lights slowly twinkle along the various shops, restaurants and resorts along the coast. Beautiful. Things like this make me glad I came. Despite the sand. I hate sand... ahem...
Me and several of the guys passed eating at a posh bar to go and look for more economic surroundings. We found a small eatery called Mikay's where we pooled our money and got a nice native dinner of Bistik Tagalog, Kilawing Blue Marlin (DELICIOUS and SPICY!) and some barbecue. After the nice meal, I went off and walked along the length of the beach, and eventually found myself in the Tourist Center (which is probably at the opposite end of the island from my Hotel!). And then, I blogged.

Tomorrow promises another round of sessions for talking and hopefully more chances for me to get souvenirs for the gang, and a sarong for my mom. And maybe the odd knick-knack. Who knows what I can find? Anyway, I'm having a great time.

Still, it doesn't excuse the fact that there's no TechTV on our cable... and no Disney Channel. I WANT MY KIM POSSIBLE AND EXTENDED PLAY FIX!!!

Heh. Later then.

Off to the Beach!



Tomorrow morning, I leave for the sunny shores of Boracay, a world-reknowned beach paradise located in the Western Visayas region of the country. I've been lucky enough to see the white sands of the place twice before; now I am going to spend my Valentine's weekend there. However, it won't be a vacation; it's a work thing, called an 'Away Day'. This will probably mean some seminars, talks and rah-rah sessions designed to make us work doubly harder when we come back to hum-drum Manila. Heh.

I am not a traveller by nature. I have spent too much money, effort and time to make my sanctum comfortable and filled to overflowing with things that give me pleasure and interest. So I only leave it grudgingly. But I can't say I am not a bit excited going to Boracay. I actually went out early after work to get myself a brand-new pair of Mojo-type sandals and new slippers (since my old slippers are far too raggedy to show outside of my room) to use on my trip and beyond. I went to Megamall and went along with Mike to buy groceries; mostly snacks to bring along for the trip.
Aside from clothing, personal effects and snacks, I am bringing along a load of paper, a sketchpad and my own drawing implements. Who knows... maybe I might get inspired. Or it may pass the time. But will I really be drawing comics when I could be running along a beach or swimming in crystal clear waters..? Aside from that I am also bringing along a brand new copy of Protoculture Addicts and an issue of Newtype USA (both anime mags) for reading. Wow. I am armed. I wonder if the hotel has cable? Maybe I can get Extended Play and Kim Possible there... Argh...

Anyway, unless there is a good internet cafe there, or if the hotel I am staying at has a decent business center, I might not be able to update until I come back on Sunday. Till next blog, then. Later!


Yay! Marc's taking us to Boracay. Let's do a swimsuit special! Heehee...


Mmm. Sand between my toes. Nice.


Two words. No GAMES. This sucks.

Early Bird gets packing early.

Before I finally left the office, I made up my mind to eat my much-delayed dinner at Wendy's along Kamias Avenue in Quezon City. I could almost taste the Wendy's spaghetti on my lips when the bus I was riding overshot my destination. Rather than stopping at a Nowhere Zone and having to walk some dark length of highway, I got down at SM North EDSA. From there, I took a taxi to Philcoa, near my alma mater, University of the Philippines Diliman. I went into McDonald's, only to find out they only had fried chicken, spaghetti and apple pies left in their menu. Oh well. I finally settled on Gotoking, and had myself a pretty heavy meal with Tapsilog, (marinated deep-fried beef, garlic fried rice and egg), arroz caldo (chicken rice porridge) and puto (rice cakes). How's that for going Pinoy? Oh well, actually I was quite satisfied by the meal but I found the food pretty bland (I guess they were short on MSG since it was kinda late).
I had the impression that the whole of Katipunan Ave (a university area) is pretty dead these days; there were hardly any, if any, restaurants open. It was all DEAD. Particularly at the junction between Aurora and Katipunan, there are NO eateries, the one lone convenience store closed down, and even the new Jollibee doesn't seem to be doing that well. Maybe the area is just unlucky.

I arrived home a bit later and soon after started packing for my trip on Friday for Boracay. I piled up several shirts, shorts and underwear, a towel and some more knick-knacks. I tend to overpack, but I think that's not necessarily a bad thing. Later today I will have to see to getting myself a cheap pair of sandals or sneakers I can use to slosh around with. I don't think I should bother with sunscreen... probably won't be spending that much time idly walking around in the sun. As I said before, it's an office thang, not a vacation.
I switch on the TV on HBO and see Colin Farell on TV as Jesse James in the film American Outlaws. With luck, when I get back to Manila I'll be able to see him taking another role, this time as a Marvel Comics villain, in the new movie Daredevil. Cool. Heh.

A Late Dinner

Still at the office. I will probably be able to get out in a while, to have a somewhat-delayed supper. Yet again, Chowking beckons since it is the only place open at this time in Cubao. Or maybe I should just buy some instant snack at a convenience store for later?
All this overtime has sapped away time from drawing pages, and this will most probably delay my Immacolata update; I still plan to finish it and have it submitted to Hinirang sometime next week though. I will just add a couple more pages to make up for the delay. Heh.
The day after tomorrow, I will make for the beaches of Boracay with my whole department from the office. It won't be a vacation (DARRNNN!!!), but rather an office thing. Which pretty much sucks since it is going to eat away my whole weekend. No TechTV. No games. No anime. No DVDs. No comics. No Kim Possible. No malling. AAAAHHH!!!

Nothing but sand. I hate sand. It's course. And rough. Gets everywhere.

Thinking like this can move one to the Dark Side...

DVD Picks

On my way home I was able to snatch up some choice new discs. One is an anime; Sakura Taisen OAV3: Kanzaki Sumire Intai Kinen ('Retirement Commemoration'). The other is X-Men 1.5, a somewhat enhanced version of the Marvel Comics movie adaptation which will see a sequel later this year.
The Sakura Taisen or Sakura Wars series is all about the adventures of a group of opera actresses/secret mecha pilots who battle demonic threats to a steampunk Tokyo. Though the rest of the world probably only knows the Sega games and the anime about the series, the actual Sakura Taisen franchise extends far more- into TV series, live concerts, radio/CD operas and drama shows, manga and stories. The series apparently ends with the retirement of Sumire Kanzaki, one of the principal members of the Opera Troupe. The Intai Kinen OAV adapts this curtain fall to the series.
To commemorate her exit from the stage, her teammates and friends hold a special performance. It's a very emotional episode which will be more character-based (as most of the Sakura Wars anime tend to be), and I wonder if I will be touched by it. I have seen a lot of Sakura Taisen anime, and consider myself a fan of the franchise (I DO own a DVD of one of the Sakura Wars live concerts...). Despite this, I know that I have only scratched the surface of the series relative to any Japanese otaku. It is a fine addition to my collection though (which consists of the TV series, the movie, and the first two OAVs).
The X-Men 1.5 DVD is a two-disc set which includes the movie with deleted scenes and commentary by director Brian Singer. The second disc holds a lot of extras, featurettes and Making Of snippets. Predictably, there are sneak peeks at X2, the sequel to X-Men, and a Daredevil trailer. It's a nice set and should tide me over until X2 hits theaters in May. Daredevil should be here by the time I come back from Boracay next week.
Cool stuff. Now if only I can find time to actually watch these things... Argh...

Taxi Talk, Security Guard Libido and a Neat Surprise on my Way Home

After leaving the office, I was easily able to get a cab (lucky for me, they wait around outside our building during late hours) for my way home. The taxi I got was one of those cars equipped with a CB radio, so I felt pretty safe. I sat back and relaxed as I listened to the taxi drivers' garble. One driver (not mine) was commenting about how he had to refuse someone a ride since he wanted to go to an especially remote location.

"Tell him we're all looking after our own safety these days. Times are tough and there are lots of Iraqis out there (translated from tagalog)." said the Taxi Dispatcher.

The conversation between the driver and dispatcher went on for a bit, even reaching a point where they were talking about how they could handle would-be attackers or hold-up men, as long as they were alone or didn't have a gun. Hmm. Unpleasant stuff. Well, the CB died after a while, and the sounds of the radio came up to the fore.
The radio was on an AM station, where a DJ named Doctor Love was talking with a caller who worked as a security guard. Apparently, the guy had a live-in partner, but had a new love interest in a twenty-year old girl. The new love was apparently from Cebu, and was out of touch with her parents. The guy said he was 'conflicted' on which one he loved more. For his part, the DJ firmly told the guy to try and NOT wreck the twenty year-old's future by getting her pregnant or something.

How that radio story ended, I do not know since I got down shortly after. I disembarked from the taxi near the still under construction MRT, and to my surprise, I heard the sound of a train coming down the tunnel! I looked and yes, there it was...
An MRT car!
I guess that what I saw was the first or so new MRT car being delivered finally on site on the tracks. The new MRT is probably many months away from total completion, but seeing an actual train present and running on the tracks was a good sign. This new MRT line would be my ride home often when it is finally finished someday. Cool.

Anyway, that's that. My ride home was pretty interesting so I just had to note it down. Tomorrow's another day, and will hopefully bring more odd rides. Later then.

Good Burger

It's almost 11PM and I'm still at the office. At the very least though I got to eat a free (albeit late) dinner from Good Burger, which delivers in Makati. They of course specialize in burgers and, unlike their namesake in the Nickelodeon comedy skit, they serve really good burgers. There's a wide variety of toppings and extras to go with your chicken patty (they serve only chicken meat patties though), and the burgers come in GOOD, BETTER and BEST variants (I guess that translates to size). I got a sticky concoction called a Bacon Mozarella Melt burger, and it tasted divine to this hungry copywriter. Oh well. I hate to eat and run, but it's almost midnight and I have to run. Run home that is. Signing off then.

So Bad it's Good: On Deadly Ground.

Early this morning I caught the first thirty minutes or so of On Deadly Ground with Steven Seagal. I know Seagal got to do some pretty horrid movies during his stint as the ponytailed action man, but this one stands out like a bad... um... ponytail. It's all about a demolitions expert named Forrest (Seagal) who works for an oil magnate named Jennings (Michael Caine, who plays a cartoon here). He was called in to check out some incidents and malfunctions at Aegis-1, an oil rig in Alaska owned by Jennings. But soon after he arrives, he finds out that his employer has some pretty nasty plans to take over the whole region's oil resources, and he doesn't care if he destroys the environment in the process. Bad luck for him though, as Forrest turns out to be a bad-ass, dark dream turned reality-in the flesh former special forces something. Soon, Seagal's armed himself with his convenient weapons cache, allied with the local Eskimos and ready to shut down Jennings and Aegis-1 for the greater good of Mother Nature.
The funny thing about this quite violent and bloody rampage-fest for Seagal is that it's actually a very preachy environmental message. That is, if you can catch the casually-mouthed infobits and facts from Seagal in between his single-handed extermination of Jennings' army of hired thugs, mercenaries, oil workers and accounting staff (yep).
The film makes Seagal's character not only look or feel bad-ass, it has to actually make the bad guys orate minutes-long monologues saying how terrifying Seagal's character is. The fighting scenes though are inferior to fights from his better films, such as Under Siege, and border on the ridiculous. In one scene, Taft pretty much saunters into a darkened area swarming with camouflaged, hidden and dodging enemies and takes them all out without breaking a sweat. In another scene, a mercenary leader who acts like a prudent, wily veteran gets the drop on Seagal... only to waste his time blabbing his mouth and getting stupidly in range for a predictable gun swipe.
Yep, it's a cartoon, with some of the preachiest and incredibly violent peace-lessons I have seen in a movie; watch Seagal bitch-slap an obnoxious oil worker to a gibbering, bloody mess, swearing to be a better man. You just have to see it to believe it. Heh. And then there's the ending... where Seagal does a long speech on the environment and how we have to take back our world from destruction by the corporations. WOOHOO!!!
I have to say, despite being SOOOOO bad, if there's nothing on, it's better to just watch On Deadly Ground than turn off the TV. Almost makes trash like Exit Wounds and Half Past Dead look good. Almost.

Immacolata Update



I will be submitting an update for the Hinirang webcomic Immacolata: The Fury of Hinirang, later this week. When last we saw Imma, she had just blown up an entire kuta (fortress) of beast men all by her lonesome. Unfortunately, she got knocked out in the process and was last seen sinking to her apparent death in dark waters. Of course, she'll probably survive... but will she be in any shape to take on the owners of the fort she just destroyed? Especially when the said landlords are the infamous and powerful Camorra family! The first of the comic's villains- unica hija Adele Solera Perfecta Coronades Camorra- makes her debut. She's young and pretty... pretty maniacal, and has a penchant for dark magic, puppetry and sharp objects. I'm sure you'll all love this bratty little senorita. Heh. Look for an update on the Hinirang website soon.

Heroes for the Text Generation

The Textmen are here! This superhero team/manga-style comic was created by Dynatica's Jason Banico (Baylans) with art by Armand Canlas (Armored Troopers), story written by Nikki Alfar and Filipino translations by Dean Alfar (Kestrelstudios). It's all about super-powered youths wielding incredible powers through their cellphones, and nefarious villains who are out to conquer the world through text! If it sounds like a blast, try it out! Textmen #1 is available in full color at a bargain price of P60.00 and should be available at National Bookstore, Powerbooks, Filbar's and Comic Quest. So what are you waiting for? Start texting your friends about it now!

A Devil of a Good Time

Today I parlayed my Greenhills foray to judging a Daredevil On-The-Spot Drawing contest sponsored by a radio station, 89.1 WAVE. I was there with Mike, Carl, Jason and Cams. Unfortunately, Carl had to leave early, so it was left to Jason, me and Mike. There were nine contestants, the youngest being 7 years old, and the oldest being 29. Yes, it was a gross difference in age and expertise in art (unless the kids were somehow art geniuses), but we were able to convince Mike and the event organizers to award the young 'uns special prizes. Anyway, after about 45 minutes we went around and decided on the winners. They were hardly professional artworks, but we were quite satisfied in deciding on clear winners. The prizes included cash and some gift certificates, and a lots of gift packs. Afterwards, the WAVE people treated us to dinner at Max's Restaurant. I enjoyed a chicken dinner with extra orders of rolls and butter. Mmmm. My only complaint is that the chicken wasn't crispy like the old Max Fried Chicken restaurant did; but then again, these days the 'House that Fried Chicken Built' has changed quite a bit. Oh well, still a nice meal.
We met Dean and Gig later at UCC Coffee, having a nice chat with the Alfars telling us about their travails in Hong Kong and stuff like weird Chinese medicines and foods. We called for the bill after midnight, and went home. Mike and I went over to the sanctum where he finally saw DOAX and sampled Panzer Dragoon Orta. Tomorrow I will have to make up for my Greenhills trip... I fear for the cosmos if I should fail to do so...

GGGYYYYYAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

I wanted to scream this out loud today as I spent over THREE HOURS sitting in a bus on the way to work. The traffic today from my house in Marikina to Cubao was thicker, more viscous and unmoving than Rugby rubber cement. A couple of times I really just wanted to quit and go home, but duty called. Luckily I actually was able to make it to a presentation just in time. Oh well. Looks like I have to finish some stuff before the work this week ends, but I am glad this cycle is pretty much over. Been a short but paradoxically LONG week.

Late to Dinner, Early to Bed

Today was a long, hard day. I spent most of the day writing radio commercials and thinking up creative ideas to sell very mundane items and promotions. My eyes and head hurt but I stayed into the night to finish stuff. When I finally was on my way home, I realized how hungry I was. On the bus, images of fried chicken floated in my mind. I thought of the safe choice for such a meal in Cubao- Jollibee. There were two branches of Jollibee, but for some reason I opted to have a meal at Chowking.
Chowking is the country's Chinese fast food place. The menu is odd, and whenever I eat there I get the general mood of mismatching in the selection. There are rice meals, pseudo-Pinoy-slash Chinese meals and other odds and ends. They don't normally have congee, or rice porridge; what they have to pass for it STINKS. Their dimsum are all bland, cheap, charbroiled imitations; edible crumpled origami dumplings which have no taste. BLAH. Despite this, what I can say is that they serve the food piping-hot since they cook only when ordered to.
Anyway, I ordered fried chicken, which is really a food that is hard to get wrong. As far as I know, the crispiness of fast food is achievable only by special, industrial-strength ovens (I learned that from a client in advertising), and cannot normally be done in home kitchens. Anyway, the chicken was good but not Chickenjoy-great; and the side dish I ordered with it- wanton soup- was just wrong. Bad choices, I guess, but it went with the mismatching atmosphere of the place.
After the unspectacular but filling dinner I walked over to Aurora Boulevard to catch a ride home. It's pretty irritating though to see a bus, with lots of empty seats, to be just pulling away while you're hopelessly too far away to catch up. Happens a lot to me. Heh. Anyway, I got on another bus and soon was home.
Finally, the week's over again. I only worked for a little over half the week, but I am dead tired. Need rest to recharge. Don't think I even have the strength to watch the DOA girls lounge by the poolside. Sigh. What's on TV... ah, a classic stinker: Steven Seagal's On Deadly Ground. Wonderful. To bed then.

The Animatrix in online!

The first animated short based on the world of The Matrix is now online and available for free download at www.theanimatrix.com. The first online episode, The Second Renaissance Part 1, is directed by Mahiro Maeda of Blue Submarine No. 6 fame. This first Matrix anime delves into the Zion archives and reveals for the first time the beginnings of the war between Man and Machines which started the whole Matrix nightmare. It's a hard-hitting feature, and pulls no punches for graphic violence several times during the show; pretty mature stuff.
It's all well and good, but what I am actually waiting for is Final Flight of the Osiris, the Square-produced CG feature that stars a hottie named Jue, which takes place apparently some time after the first Matrix movie. It also has a 'training room/dojo' sequence between Jue and her mentor which supplies skin and sex appeal where the original scene with Neo and Morpheus did not (gladly). Heh.
The Matrix anime episodes will fill in the months leading up to Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. All will eventually make it onto The Animatrix dvd, which will be released on June 3. Mmm. Nice birthday present for me. Heh.

Reactivated

Today I finally got out of my term of captivity and returned to active service. I went back to the office in a cloud of Job Orders and pending requirements. Ah, life. Anyway, I was able tor fulfill the most urgent stuff with little problem. I was actually able to get out of the office just a little past six to try and catch up to a Hinirang interview being conducted by a local magazine. On the way to Megamall, I saw a sight that amused me; a bus with a TV inside was playing an anime. I saw it from another bus, and I strained to see what the series/feature being shown was. I eventually saw it was an episode of the sci-fi gender war series, Vandread. I doubt that the bus had cable, so it was probably a tape... wow. That bus has class to show anime. Heh.
I arrived to catch the tail end of the interview, which looked like it went well. However, now I am pressured to move faster with updates and pages for the Immacolata online comic. Aeeei. Oh, well. I work best under pressure.
Oh right... along after the interview and a nice after-dinner chat at Country Waffles with the Hinirang gang, I took home a stash of loot from the weekly bloodletting at Comic Quest; the latest issues of Official Xbox Magazine (with their review of DOAX; they gave it an 8.4/10), Mystic and Xin. I also got the latest Electronic Gaming Monthly and a copy of the new PS2 action game sequel, Devil May Cry 2. The crowning piece of the lot is the 2nd DVD of the Ghost In The Shell TV series. Should make sure to get a taste of it all before I go off to the sunny beaches next week.
Yep, and when I mean beaches, I don't mean having an overdose of playtime with DOAX... I actually AM going to a real beach next week. I am going on a company outing to Boracay with my whole department over the Valentine weekend, so expect SRM to go dormant from February 14 to the 16th... that is, unless I find a good internet cafe on the island.
That's for next week though. The rest of this week looks to be busy both on and off work. Ah, 'tis good to be back in the loop again. I think.

Kim Possible EXISTS!


Buffy meets Bond in Kim Possible.

YES! Thanks to another day of being downed by a stomach flu, I was finally able to watch an episode of Kim Possible, the hit Disney spy girl series. I've been missing the joy of seeing this action-packed series for so long, I almost thought it didn't really exist... well, I'm a believer now!
I really enjoyed the animation, the snappy dialogue and the cool martial-artsy action. Everything was perfect, even down to the character of Kim herself, whom I found really likeable. I actually prefer KP more than the blatantly anime-ish Totally Spies, which I find more heavy-handed. The only trouble is, now I KNOW what I am missing every day. ARGH. Oh well, I guess I will just have to make sure I catch episodes on the weekend for my Kim fix... There just has to be a DVD or VCD of this series somewhere...

Cartoons of my Youth


Music-loving teen cyborg heroine Megan AKA Rock-One from The Bionic Six captured many a youth's heart in the 80s.

Speaking of cartoons, I remember years ago my favorite cartoons on TV. They weren't anime either... these were all from Hanna Barbera, Ruby Spears, Filmation and Rankin Bass. I liked mostly adventure cartoons, with human characters rather than humanized animals and creatures. I remember the many Superfriends cartoons, based on the DC Comics' characters. My personal favorite was the Challenge of the Superfriends, which pitted the Justice League against the Legion of Doom. This was really an excellent series with lots of action and the cool DC heroes fighting it out with their nemesis archvillains. Where else would you see obscure villains like Solomon Grundy, Bizarro, Giganta and Captain Cold animated? The best episode just has to be the one where the heroes all get 'killed' when the Legion of Doom finds a special crystal that contains all their weaknesses. It had a pretty funny and overly-simple resolution (they were all robots!), but the drama of seeing Batman's headstone in the cemetery just made this one a classic. Heh.
The other Superfriends' cartoons were also cool; There were the episodes with Zan and Jana (and their space monkey, Gleek), and the one with Marvin, Wendy and their 'wonder dog'. The Exxor twins' episodes were always against real villains and aliens, while the human sidekicks' adventures were always against some benign genius-turned rogue, and always seemed to involve some real-life principle or scientific phenomenon (like the White Dwarf or the Jetstream). Cool stuff all around.
Then there were the rarer cartoons, like adventures from Filmation that were actually GOOD! There was Super Seven, Web Woman and Super Stretch and Micro Woman, all of which had excellent adventures and character designs. And who could forget The Adventures of John Blackstar? The Power Sword and the Star Sword (put together to form... the POWER STAR! Genius!!!). Heh. These were the best of afternoon/morning cartoon fare. Simply classic.
Later series I came to love were of course GI Joe and Transformers. Briefly the excellently-animated and very anime-like Bionic Six ruled my world (Spiky-haired sprite Rock-One was the crush of all my classmates). Then came Visionaries and Inhumanoids, which were all the more memorable due to their catchy spells/poems and the fact that they were translated into tagalog. HAAHAHAHHAAA!!! Oh my. So many good cartoons.
These days, I can't identify with most of the stuff on the tube. It's mostly anime now, dubbed in tagalog, or some few exceptions and stuff on the Disney Channel. I kinda feel sorry for kids today for missing the coolness of Saturday Fun Machine (a whole morning of cartoons! Can you imagine?!), but if you don't know it, you won't miss it. I'd pay a lot for DVDs or tapes of all these classic cartoons of my youth... and actually I will be soon. A Challenge of the Superfriends DVD is available for order, and I jumped for a copy. Perhaps in a couple of months, the Superfriends and the Legion of Doom will battle it out on my TV once again. Sigh. Makes me feel all tingly. Heh.

Sick like a Dog

I stayed at home today, experiencing a weird stomach bug early this morning. For a while I had to work like mad over text and e-mail to fix up some office work that required my attention. Thankfully everything was under control (I hope) after lunch. Anyway, I took the time to just lie down. Couldn't draw crap, so I just watched TV and the odd DVD. Funny thing... I once again missed seeing the much-talked about Kim Possible on the Disney Channel. I've missed it almost every week, and now I am doubting this series actually exists. Heh. I hope a DVD or VCDs of this spy cartoon eventually show up somewhere. Anyway, for dinner I was planning to have something delivered, but for some reason I could not- I was pretty much tired of Shakey's and the number for the nearby branch of Jollibee was nowhere to be found. Plus, the Domino's number was unresponsive. Oh well, at least I guess I was able to save money by making do with canned sausages and some Campbell's soup.
I hope to get back to work again tomorrow. Being forced to stay indoors sucks, no matter what anyone thinks. Later then.

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Review


A vacation with the ladies of Dead or Alive? Count me in!

Anyone who has been reading my blog will probably know that I am a humongous fan of the Dead or Alive fighting game series, so it should come with no surprise that I have been waiting for the bizarre, sexy spin-off ever since it was first announced last year. Much of the fame (and infamy) of the DOA series stems from it’s cast of lovely lady fighters, and of course their bouncy breast action. So it was only natural for a game that exclusively stars the DOA babes to appear. The odd thing is that DOAX is not a fighting game, but a volleyball game. Scratch that- it’s a volleyball sim/dating sim /RPG/girlwatching game… something that I think has NEVER appeared before in the history of gaming. Leave it to the DOA series to start a trend, eh?
The story behind DOAX is pretty far out; Zack, one of the male DOA fighters, breaks the bank at a casino after Dead or Alive 3. He uses his newfound wealth to buy himself an island paradise, naming the place Zack Island. He then presumptuously declares it the setting for the next DOA fighting tournament. Invitations are sent out and soon, the competitors start arriving. Two things become apparent; one, only the women were invited, and two, there isn’t any tournament at all. So now, the beautiful ladies of DOA are stuck on a remote island paradise with Zack obviously watching them pleasurably from the sidelines. So, what do the girls do? They start wearing their sexiest swimsuits and get down to having some serious RnR, of course! Soon, heated matches of beach volleyball begin, with Zack supplying tons of cash for the winners. Teams start coming together between the normally-hostile rivals, and a new round of battles- this time on the volleyball courts- begin.

The funny thing is, while the game may be called DOA Volleyball, the actual sport element isn’t the only thing you can do in the game. In fact, the bulk of what will occupy players (at least in the main single-player Go To Zack Island mode) will be seeing their chosen DOA girl through her two week vacation, making friends among the other DOA girls, shopping for new bikinis, accessories and other items at the island stores for herself or for others, gambling at the casino and generally playing virtual swimsuit model for the player.
Adding color to the relationships is that several of the girls hate each others' guts, and are more used to striking each others' faces than volleyballs. The relationship-management game, where you try to overcome the girls’ natural hostility to each other, is quite compelling and entertaining, though it is really just a glorified “match an item to the correct girl” kind of thing. However, the presentation is nicely done, with well-acted voice samples (in Japanese with English subtitles) communicating the girls’ personalities quite excellently.
And you will have to master the relationship game since only a strong, closely-bonded team will perform well on the volleyball court. You only have direct control over your chosen main character, while your partner is CPU controlled. If your partner isn’t at her happiest, she will be prone to letting balls pass her by without nary a care. To remedy this, you will have to continually give her presents such as her favorite dessert, swimsuits and accessories in her favorite colors and so forth. Talk about high maintenace.
Anyway, DOAX’s volleyball engine is simple enough to pick up and play, but is fast, fun and addictive. It really helps that the animation and physics are quite good, with reactions to the ball and the various spikes, digs and dives looking quite excellent. Ambient animations like the girls’ adjusting their bikinis or limbering up before and after a match add to the game’s visual charm.

Of course, visual charm is what this game is all about. Frequently you will be given chances to just observe (okay, ogle would be the better word) the DOA girls as they lounge around the poolside, practice their martial arts, exercise or just plain hang around Zack Island’s venues. During these exquisitely-animated sequences, you have extensive control over the camera, so you can look over the girls’ physiques more… um… intimately. As testament to Team Ninja’s mastery of the female form, DOAX’s character models are some of the most gorgeous yet seen in videogames. Fans of eye candy, this game may give you diabetes.
For all this, DOAX is really just harmless, juvenile fun; more Baywatch and Swimsuit Illustrated in videogame form rather than anything else. There is no real nudity or sex; just tons of cheesecake, fan service and innuendo which, thanks to outstanding graphics, production values and addictive gameplay, lets the game retain class where other titles just devolve into crass. In particular, fans of the series get to see their favorite videogame vixens interact in a wholly new and different genre, giving welcome depth to some well-known but enigmatic characters.
Any flaws? The volleyball engine may be too simplistic for hardcore sports enthusiasts, along with the lack of alternate play modes, tournaments or even four-player modes. The animations of the girls, while many, may get repetitive eventually, with only changes in swimwear to add something new (though there are literally hundreds of bikinis to unlock). The soundtrack, which is a cheesy mix of Pop and Reggae, may have you squealing… good thing you can substitute your own CD music thanks to the Xbox CD ripper option.

So what do we have in the end? A simple, easy-to-play but solid volleyball game with gorgeous character models. A collection game with literally hundreds of alternate swimsuits, accessories and items to unlock. An oddly compelling relationship-dating sim game that will bring to mind ‘Temptation Island’ crossed with Victoria Secret. And of course, there are some gambling minigames to squander your hard-earned cash to round things off nicely.
Perhaps DOA Xtreme Beach Vacation or DOA Xtreme Babe Voyeurism would be more apt for this game. As a whole though, DOAX is an entertaining, inexplicably addictive bit of relaxing, juvenile fun that Xbox owners will want to take a peek at.
And it’s probably the sexiest and cheapest beach vacation with gorgeous babes you’ll ever find. Heh.


Mmmm I feel sooo relaxed... if only I could get rid of that nagging feeling that I'm being watched...

The Carver's House now open for business.

Speaking of new blogs, my good friend and compatriot in the comics field, Carl Vergara, finally has a blog! Check out The Carver's House for a look into the life and mind of a very talented artist and multi-faceted personality. Go, Carl!

Wow! I have a blog!

Heh. Checked Blogger.com's homepage and saw STARK RAVING MAD on the list of recently-published blogs. Wow. Haven't I been doing this thing since September last year? Wow. Holy Backlog, Batman... Heh.

The Weekender Report

After a long week of work, I thankfully sank into the bliss of a restful weekend. Friday night I had dinner with the Mike, Dean, Gig and Carl at a restaurant named Basilique near Pearl Drive. Mike’s been recommending that place forever but we’ve always resisted going there… until tonight. We were all apparently quite tired so we just went along without resistance. That was a mistake, of course, since the food turned out to be not special and exceptionally expensive. I ordered something called Chicken Nikolai; basically fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy which cost about two hundred pesos. I would have been better off buying a two-piece chicken meal at KFC. BAH.
The next day I spent most of the daylight hours hard playing my new Xbox acquisition, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. I’ll post my review on this sexy sports/dating sim/girlwatching videogame very soon. Was it worth all the wait and posts here on the blog? Well, suffice to say that when I finally realized I had to go out, it was already six in the evening. I had to forego my weekly trek to Greenhills and go straight to Megamall. There, we idled away our time as we waited for the store to close so we could meet up with Dean and Gig later. Along with us was Noel ‘Flim’ Lim who had a bit of déjà vu since he and Mike went out a lot years ago. After closing Comic Quest, we decided on having dinner at North Park. We had our usual orders: salted fish fried rice, spareribs, garlic squid and of course, my favorite ‘gwailo’ food, sweet and sour pork. Heh. Along with the good food came good conversation and lots of laughs as Dean regaled us with his experiences and travails as an artist dealing with ‘artistes’.
We eventually transplanted to Country Waffles and stayed there until the staff pretty much threw us out at 2 AM. Apparently, the no longer operate 24 hours. Hard times. Oh well.
Today, I finally went out to Greenhills and came back with some picks: DVDs of Shaolin Soccer, Femme Fatale (the questionable thriller starring Rebecca Romjin-Stamos and Antonio Banderas) and Simone (the Al Pacino-starrer about a virtual actress). Lastly, I was able to get a copy of the new Xbox shooter, Panzer Dragoon Orta, which looks great. I almost got a copy of Jet Li’s Hero, but not quite. The film’s showing this week, so maybe I’ll catch it with Mike and Dean at the theaters before getting a home copy.

That’s that. I should end the day by trying to draw some more art and pages for several comic projects, then finish it all up by trying to write my DOAX review. The weekend’s over once again and I hit the salt mines early tomorrow. Ah, life. Nothing like it. Heh.