Big Spender

These days I've been going around and buying stuff like crazy. At the end of the day I always seem to come home with a big plastic bag full of stuff, and perhaps at least two-thirds of the things I get I don't usually appreciate until much later. I've accumulated a ton of magazines, comics DVDs and anime VCDs that I haven't even begun to get into yet. Last week it was comics. This week, I'm back to VCDs and DVDs. I even dabbled in spending my money online at eBay.
Gosh, you'd think I was a millionaire or something... but then, to be fair the stuff I spend on individually aren't much. And they're really stuff I like and will like once I actually get to look at them a second time or so.

I guess it all hails back to my childhood. (cue weird flashback special effects...)

I was a quiet, nice kid. Really. I didn't really make a fuss. Never really cried unless I fell down from at least one story, and I always made do with what I had. So it was only when my parents began to notice my shoes had holes or my pencil was pretty much ground down to the eraser, they'd ask if I needed new stuff.
We weren't poor, really. We were always well-fed, lived in nice houses in nice neighborhoods. We were well-to-do... but it was impressed on me that we weren't rich. I didn't think that I could ask my mom to buy me a toy unless it was my birthday or Christmas. So usually I'd just stare and long for stuff in silence.

It of course lasted into my school years. I'd see my classmates bring their Transformers toys to school and turn green with envy. I had action figures, yes, but never the 'In' toys at the time. So, I would just stare and long. I pined for a Starscream... or any of those cool Decepticon planes. I'd pine for Go Bots, G.I. Joes... anything.
In High School, I lusted particularly for a book-bound Crisis On Infinite Earths collection (Yes, sacrilege), and eventually bought it from my classmate to the sum of three hundred pesos. It doesn't seem like a big sum now, but to a kid who didn't have any source of money except baon, it was HUGE. To get it, I borrowed money from my sister and brother. In the end though, when my mom found out I had made a 'loan', she ORDERED that we NEVER do it again until we had paying jobs. I didn't have to pay back the loan, and we didn't speak of it at all after. As for the Crisis comics, I think my brother lent it to someone who never returned it. Oh well.

And so, today.
I've got a paying job, which pretty much lets me spend every now and then. I don't have a family yet, nor do I pay rent. Of my on-hand cash, I use about .0000000001 for clothes. Which leaves MOST of my money for stuff that I want. ANYTHING. It's so cool.
But it's not like I'd just walk into any store and start buying out all the Transformer toys in sight. My heart today loves comics, anime, games and comics, anime, games. Throw in the odd doo-dad or shirt or cellphone or DVD and you've got me.
It's a very dangerous thing to be an impulse buyer like me, but I think it's pretty healthy. I don't gamble, or smoke, or drink (alcohol), so whatever I get is direct into eye candy, mind-fucks and instant gratification. Which complements in keeping me my minimally-stressed, usually cool and calm, always optimistic (though often tired) and MAD self.

Can money buy me happiness? Yep, I have to say it does. Little bits, which taken in doses is quite nice. But of course, people to share these things with every now and then make the circle complete.

And now I have to go off and see if there are any new thingamajigs and thingamabobs to splurge my cash on around...

K.I.A. does Kill Bill


Agent K takes on the Demonic 88.

Here's the latest artwork for K.I.A. submitted in. It's by Michael Seludo, one of the artists behind the cool indie comic Atomic Underground, which won Best Independent Comic in the first C3Con. His inspiration is of course the Kill Bill Volume 1 finale in the House of Blue Leaves. Darn cool.
As February comes in, more and more pinups from our K.I.A. Hit List should be coming in. Can't wait to see them all. WOOHOO!!!

SX in the City


Drool...

It's the latest mobile phone out there now. Looking even chunkier and wider than the recently-released Nokia 6600, the Siemens SX1 comes with tons of features, including an MP3 Player, integrated camera and camcorder, full messaging and connectivity, games and Heaven knows what else. The unconventional design finds most of the buttons on the sides, instead of just in the center; that's what those segmented plates are there for, and NOT because the SX1 was forged by the smiths of Gondor. Heh.
Anyway, this little monster comes at the wonderfully reachable price of about 30K. GAH! Well, it surely doesn't have as many cool pop polyphonics as any Nokia model, but the MP3 Player is cool, as well as having a gaggle of other nice features. Something to consider if you're hankering for a new phone but not going for the PDA-combo P8 or P900.

The EVIL Doll


I... am... here...

Here's a look at a Doll Fie, a super-detailed, anatomically-correct and expensive collectible plaything from Japan. It's basically a little Bishonen figure that comes with real clothing and shoes, accessories, realistic hair and liquidy-glass eyes. CREEPY!!! My officemate Joey has been obsessing about getting a doll like this for weeks, and then incredibly she WINS one in a Lottery. The doll was shipped from Japan to here, and arrived in a big box.

I can feel the thing watching... I know it's EVIL and it wants to take over. I am pretty sure at night the thing crawls out of its box, goes out and buys crispy wantons from the Mini Stop...

EVIL Doll!!! EVIL!!!



GGYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!







Evil Doll is now in control...

ANIMAX

The first 24-hour anime channel is now on the air. English-dubbed children's fare and fun programs in the daytime, while english-subtitled shows with more mature content will air at primetime to late night. And when I mean mature, I mean mature. You have to hand it to the channel that it doesn't censor much, it seems. Stuff like underwear being thrown around in Great Teacher Onizuka is retained, as well as some slightly risque moments in the otherwise-sweet and comedic Chobits. The lineup is pretty diverse, with cool stuff for me like Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex and the buddy-prettyboy action show, Getbackers. And it looks like the lineup will improve as this channel gets more into it's groove.
WOW. Anime ALL the time. Who'd ever thought this was possible? YEEEEBBAAAAA!!!

The 'E' in Ebay stands for...

... EVIL!!!

This whirlpool of merchandise, temptation and odds and ends has finally sunken it's claws into me. I made some tries during the week for some items. Lost a couple of them, won a couple. DAMN it's fun. And expensive. Gotta control myself. Or I might end up buying something really stupid. But DAMN it's fun...

Work

I've just gotten off a three-day long trek of work. This wouldn't be half bad if it weren't for the fact that two of those three days included the weekend. I spend Saturday and Sunday at the office, working on ads, writing copy, guzzling down countless cans of coke, eating convenience-store fare and writing more copy.
I missed of course the usual trek to Greenhills, so any new anime, dvd or game will have to wait till later this week. I missed the recently-concluded New Worlds 2 Sci-Fi Convention at Rockwell, where Carl, Budjette, Gerry, David Hontiveros and others joined Ringers, Trekkies, X-philes, Slayers gamers and what have you. I would have gone and sold copies of Angel Ace Next if I could have. Would have wanted to see the events. I would have wanted to see the cosplayers- apparently among the crowds of jedi and Matrix wannabees there were some gems, such as a six-foot tall Sauron, the Matrix APU from the C3Con and a girl dressed as Maya from the Anito PC game (whose skimpy outfit won her first place).
Would have wanted to have just sat down and chatted with the Komikero crew, sold a few copies of Angel Ace Next and whatever.
Oh well. Tired. Got stuff to do. Cover art to finish. Pages to start. An anthology to keep moving. And yes, ads to be thought up. It's a living.

Phlogged In

I've got a Phlog!

Which is a Photo-Log on the Web. I can now post photos there from my handy-dandy cameraphone. Stuff that I wouldn't post here in the blog. Just odds and ends. And maybe the odd celebrity or UFO sighting. Ghost pics. Whatever. Satisfying the inner voyeur in each of us. Heh.

Visit the MAD Phlogger!

Nothing there yet, I guess. But there will be. Soon.

Okay, back to work...

Weekend Warriors

I'm at the office right now, the same way that I was at the office yesterday. Work spilled into the weekend and it looks like that I won't even be able to take a break immediately after the hullaballoo is done. Hopefully after all this madness is over, I can take a couple of days off later this week. Or I will go nuts. MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!

Kill Bill Redux


Go-Go fever all over again.

This night we trooped down to Podium to watch Kill Bill Volume 1 on the big screen. As I expected, the whole gang loved the bloody fourth Tarantino film. I've had a VCD-quality bootleg for months now, but nothing beats seeing this samurai-yakuza-revenge-exploitation-anime-kungfu-opus unfold on the big screen. Nothing reeks of coolness in this movie more than O-ren Ishii's and her posse's entrance into the House of Blue Leaves, slow-mo. And of course, no character in this movie is cooler and damn finer than Chiaki Kuriyama's psychotic schoolgirl, Go Go Yubari.

Gonna get the action figures when they come out. Gonna get the DVD. Might get the soundtrack. I'll be looking forward to Volume 2. I really wonder how they're gonna top this one though...

Hit List Complete

It's over. The list of art and story contributors for K.I.A. is filled up. We've got a wonderful, ecclectic mix of art styles, ranging from manga-influenced styles to indie bents to all-Pinoy art goodness in our buffet of a book. More than ten stories full of action, suspense, intrigue, martial arts, death-defying feats and a bikini-clad heroine who just won't quit. The scripts are cool, the artists are marvelous, and we're shooting for a pocket-sized release that's heavy on the content.

Just like Agent K herself, the K.I.A. anthology will be small but pack a KILLER kick. That is, if everything goes according to plan.

The preparations are done. Now, it's time to start doing the pages. GO, GO, GO!!!

HUSH

Just brought home the two-volume compilation of Batman: Hush, and I have to say I am blown away, speechless at the marvelous art before me. DAAAAMN. Jim Lee's art is simply breathtaking here, in probably one of the most impressive depictions of Gotham City and the cast of heroes and villains within. The story is probably a doozy, as well, and I plan on savouring this 12-chapter masterpiece soon. A thing of beauty.
Also got the first three issues of Aspen, which continues the adventures of Michael Turner's surfer babe heroine from Fathom. It's got babes in skimpy swimsuits and aqua-armor, weird sea beasties, water, water and more water. Cool. Makes me really look forward to seeing Turner's run on Superman/Batman later this year.

Comic Talk

I've been on a comic-buying spree lately. Just picked up the latest issue of Fallen Angel, the first issue of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and my staple anime mag, Protoculture Addicts.



Fallen Angel really isn't something I'd normally think to pick up, but I guess I'm really a sucker for babe books, and FA's dark heroine is one sexy and dangerous femme fatale (And I love them bad).
Lee aka The Fallen Angel is a mysterious, hooded and cloaked female vigilante/enforcer/bounty hunter in the crime-infested, seedy city of Bete Noir. For reasons yet unknown, she's got superhuman strength and toughness (a hard guy in an early issue likened hitting her to 'punching concrete') and amazing gymnastic ability, letting her prowl the rooftops of the city on her mostly-bare feet like a cat. Oh, and she apparently has some lethal psychic powers which can apparently let her turn people inside-out. Hint: Don't get her mad. The art, by David Lopez (pencils) and Fernando Blanco is consistent and matches the mature and gritty storyline perfectly. Aside from Blade of the Immortal and Street Fighter, this is one of the few titles I really make a point to get every month.

Haven't gotten into Kiss Kiss Bang Bang yet; all I know is that it's about retro spy action, and it's got sexy babes and Adolf Hitler.

I haven't yet gotten deep into these new acquisitions, but I'm gonna get myself the collected editions of Batman: Hush and Michael Turner's Aspen tomorrow. Lots of comic goodness to imbibe, absorb and put to good use, percolating in the gray matter. Aaah.

Gaming Picks

Got a copy of the Hyper Street Fighter Collection PS2 game. It's an interesting collage disc which brings together the original Street Fighter II and all it's variants- Champion and Turbo/Hyper Editions, as well as the Super Street Fighter II games that introduced the beret-wearing, leotard-clad Cammy, among others. Interestingly enough, you can play versions of the various fighters against their personas from other SF2 games. As far as I can tell, it just shows off the progression of the character sprites and art most of all.
A surprise treat in store in the disc is the entire Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie anime, which you can view in the Gallery Section. Unfortunately for those wanting to see Chun Li's gratuitous shower scene, it's been edited discreetly. Heh.
A nice momento for hardcore Street Fighter fans. For me though, I'd ask for Street Fighter 4. Or at least another Street Fighter 3 game. I want my Ibuki back in action! Argh. Makes me glad I own a Dreamcast.

Some other recent game picks; Biohazard: Outbreak for PS2 is an online game that lets players take the role of various individuals trapped in a zombie-infested city. Choose a security guard and you can fight unarmed better. The waitress can carry more stuff. The doctor can heal people. The reporter is usually ignored by zombies (Eh?) and so on. There's actually an offline game, but it's really meant to be played with flesh-and-blood people.

Kunoichi is the sequel to last year's hit ninja action game, Shinobi. This time, instead of a macho ninja, players control a sexy, long-legged female shadow warrior named Hibana. Once again, evil forces threaten the populace, so our heroine must traverse various urban environments, fight hordes of weird creatures and take on mammoth hardware to reach her goal. Like before, killing groups of enemies in chains will lead to a cool and pretty bloody end animation. Kunoichi will be renamed Nightshade in the US, and is far more playable (read: easier) than it's prequel.

I'm still waiting of course for Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive Online for Xbox, both of which are due for release in Japan this first quarter. I'll be scoping out the dvd shelves this weekend for some new picks to slip into the appropriate slots. Later then.

Mangamania


The latest issue of Questor Extreme is now available.

I just picked up the latest issue of Questor Extreme Mangamania. Checked out the stories, and here are my thoughts.
Free Spirits (Written by Benedict Bartolome, art by Vincent Bernales), the shoujo-romance tale with supernatural flavor, continues with this episode finally revealing information about those two ghosts who have been appearing to two of the visiting teens. As before, the art is clean but a little bit more 'libog', or oomph could have helped. There was a scene in it where the gardener and the cook seemed to be harassing the poor, shy maid and it kinda looked... wrong. Oh well. Still feel this story has way too many characters and the fact that most of them look the same doesn't help. Aaah... just not my type. Heh.
Cante Ista (Story by David Hontiveros, art by Peter Edric Go) once again mystifies me with even MORE pages of full prose. I guess the story just was too long to tell in panels so they just went and made this comic a pseudo novel. Again, I just can't get into this one, with Native American gobbledy-goo, werebears, ancient evil and... two guys kissing. Not for me. Still, the art's the best in the bunch.
Sidesweepers (Story by Bebert Lacuna, art by Roland Amago) yet again continues with the confusing layouts and washed-out art, a rather aimless non-story, a cast of characters that after seven issues I STILL can't remember any of, and a plot that STILL doesn't make any sense. Moving on...

Finally, Camp Big Five (Story by Benedict Bartolome, art by Franklin Quano) reveals the identities of the Secret Alliance that seem to be the villains of the story. These include a wheelchair-bound woman named Tatiana Karlova, a grim-faced human general named Laers Kraeg (probably joined to avenge the death of his girlfriend, Shmi), a Boazanian kid named Louis (DUKE LOUIS JEAGER IV!!!) who's a whiz with mutation machines and cloning, and of course... Mark Gordon (NOOO!!!), former Volt Team member and pilot of the Voltez Bomber.
The motivation and goals of this group is, of course, mostly anti-Boazanian, though they don't seem to have any qualms against killing the odd human who gets in their way. Karlova seems to be the one in charge; Kraeg is simple muscle, Jeager is the tech-head while Mark is a traitorous mole, striking at the Volt Team from the inside.

Not bad, but I would have wished that leading up to this latest issue we could have had more meat and depth to these baddies. I mean, the original cast of villains in Voltez-V were a colorful, interesting lot. Prince Zardoz had the charisma and the arrogant air of command. Zandra was the fawning but lethal mistress of beast fighters. Zul was the ill-favored, scheming and poisonous henchman (part Gollum, part Wormtongue... what a mix), while Draco provided brute force (and DAMN he was strong- remember how he threw around Jamie the superninja?). Compared to them, these new villains pale in comparison, which is understandable. But I wish more effort and thought had been put into their creation.
For example, General Kraeg, who first appears to glower at a spying Jamie Robinson, does nothing but look grim and dour and then run off with his tail between his legs when Steve drives in. It would have been cool perhaps to have him personally get the drop on Jamie during that time- perhaps he was a comrade of Jamie's late father and is a master ninja himself. The new mutant boazanian soldiers are also just given a passing and inadequate disclaimer that 'they're stronger than before'. Just a little bit more and these guys would have been all that more formidable and interesting.
Tatiana, the crippled pact leader, may be a former flame of Doctor Armstrong, spurned in favor of Steve, Big Bert and Little Jon's mother. Perhaps a connection will make her part in this even more heartfelt- and dangerous. And then there's little Louis, who seems to be a Boazanian little Jon in the making. He's actually the best portrayed of the baddies so far- a spoiled little genius never fails.
As for Mark Gordon- turning traitor just because he got into gambling debt? If he doesn't eventually turn out to be a double agent, I will be surprised.

I have to say that with all this, the focus is STILL mostly on the old Volt team, with the new pilots and the overly-large scholastic community at the new Camp Big Falcon being just gravy. Again, too many characters without focusing on those who should matter. Up to now, the stuff that made the original series great- big robot battles and intense drama- has been replaced with a generally bloodless and happy-happy sitcom status quo, beast fighters who are so insignificant they get killed off in flashback or retrospect, and a new cast of characters whom I haven't had reason to like or dislike after all this time.

As for the art, I still preferred the clean but cutesy art of earlier issues (which was too Gatekeeper-ish for a lot of people but I liked a lot), but suffice to say I am getting used to the present art. I just hope it pushes the envelope with every new issue.

That's that. I don't think I'll be able to continue reviewing this book without bias in a couple of issues, seeing as how I'll be eventually working with these people. Oh well, I'll enjoy the independence and right of a buyer while I can. Heh.

Questor Extreme Mangamania 7 is now available at bookstores and magazine stands, Php 100. Free Spirits cover art by Aldin Viray.

Great Katch


A K.I.A. montage by Karen Cheung.

Here's a cool pinup artwork from Karen Cheung, AKA Katch. This otaku artist will also be doing the pages of an 8-page story entitled "Freedom", giving Agent K the benefit of her clean, solid lines of art. We can't wait to see what she'll be coming up with soon.

Gymkata


Remember what a martial arts wiz Ernie Reyes Jr. was years ago? This little girl could probably kick his arse easy.

Last night, I turned on the TV to ESPN and found myself watching a martial arts competition. But unlike the usual combat sports competition, this was all about forms and katas, techniques and looking good doing it. The first couple of female competitors were adults, and it was pretty boring actually- a couple of non-attractive women (okay, you really can't expect model-gorgoues martial artists, I know) YELLING (that's all part of the focus and intensity factors of martial arts, of course) and kicking and punching and waving their arms did not really look too great. But then came the KIDS, and I gaped.
Perhaps it's because of their lightness, or maybe they were just really good. But a couple of kids, notably a ten-year old girl (looking quite cute with her Chun-Li hairdo) were not only kicking and punching like martial arts masters, they were jumping and joing flipkicks, sweeps and strikes like lightning. They yelled, expelling their inner force and ki, lashing out with kicks and sticking them (doing a kick and holding the pose) perfectly. The little girl (who won) even did a cute, videogame-ish win pose at the end of her routine.


YA-TAH!

From how the commentators were talking, martial arts 'forms' competition is the next step in gymnastics, mixing the beauty and grace of martial arts with exhibition-style presentation. I hope it catches on... it's pretty awesome to see.

10 Things I love about Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is finally out in wide circulation here in Manila, and from the sold-out ticket booths and long, long lines I gather that a lot of people have finally seen this finale to the best movie trilogy yet. At the very least, the people in my inner circle have finally seen it. So now I can gush without fear of spoiling the experience for those who matter. Heh.

1. The Siege of Minas Tirith. The sight of a massive siege army covering a field like a festering plague is something else. 200,000 orcs, trolls, towers, catapults... My gosh. Never has an invasion been portrayed like this. 10,000 Uruk-Hai? Helm's Deep was a skirmish. THIS was the real battle.

2. Pelennor Fields. From Theoden's rousing call to arms to the supernaturally-themed slaughter of Mordor's minions, this is easily the finest fantasy battle yet put to screen.

3. The Rohirrim. Easily the coolest and best warriors in Middle Earth as far as I'm concerned. Led by the coolest king and a KICK-ASS princess. That massive charge that sent an enemy more than twenty times their number RUNNING with tails between their legs. That magnificent trademark Rohan theme music, their mad, suicidal, head-on collision with the Haradrim Mumakil... DAMN. These guys rock. Makes you wonder why they didn't have a Rohan member in the Fellowship earlier. Probably the whole LOTR story would have ended far earlier. Heh.

4. The Haradrim Mumakil. Terrifying and incredibly brought to life. Where in the world did Peter Jackson find these building-sized elephants? Special Effects? Oh.

5. Shelob. Imagine the furriest, creepiest, most evil and realistic-looking spider ever. Now, imagine it's as big as a freaking car. Now imagine it can move without a sound. Now imagine it's right. Over. Your. Head. My GOSH that's scary.

6. Samwise Gamgee. Who's the real hero of LOTR? This guy right here.

7. The long goodbye. Anyone who stands up to leave before the words 'The End' appear onscreen doesn't deserve to see this whole trilogy. Just get out and let the rest of us enjoy in bliss. My favorite phase, the coronation and the Mulan-like homage. Though Aragorn breaking out in song was kinda much. Heh.

8. Legolas' Super Stunt. After the good guys get kicked and pushed down so long in this film, it's great to finally kick back. And look great doing it. A guaranteed clapfest moment.

9. Eowyn. This girl's STRONG. How else can you hoist up a fully-armored hobbit with one hand, cripple a Mumak with one-handed blows, and KILL Sauron's most powerful servant? All that after she gets her heart broken, natch. You go, girl! WOOHOO!

10. The End Credits. Lovely, lovely artworks of a magnificent, perfect ensemble cast. My only gripe is the absence of Christopher Lee's Saruman and Brad Dourif's Grima. Hopefully the Extended Version DVDs will remedy that. Take a bow, people. You all just set a benchmark for fantasy, sci-fi and high action for the next several decades.

It's over. Well, at the very least we have the extended dvd set and more than four hours of ROTK to look forward to by the end of the year. And then it's just a matter of bringing out the movie to visit Middle Earth. But we'll miss the yearly pilgrimage to theaters. Oh well. It had to end someday.

Thanks, Peter Jackson, WETA and the cast of LOTR. Hopefully, their legacy will last into the Next Age and beyond, and that this great trilogy- no, 10+ hour epic, will be an inspiration for even better films to come.

Art from Pasig


Dante and Mina? Nope, it's Shikaze and Agent K from K.I.A.

The cool sketch above is the work of none other than Culture Crash's mystery man, Taga-Ilog. He's been good enough to grace the pages of K.I.A. with his cool art, so we're beside ourselves with joy. I can't wait for the final art! Heh. Giddy like a schoolboy I am.

As for K.I.A. in general... the scripts have been assigned, the pinup artists have been briefed, the book's dimensions and page count are finalized. The groundwork's done and it's time to get into the nitty-gritty. Coolness.

ROTK Weekend (Minor Spoilers)

It started last night with the midnight showings at selected theaters. But by now, it's finally here. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is finally in Metro Manila movie theaters for general and regular screenings.
The gang will be trooping en masse to the theater tomorrow to catch this final installment of the MADman's choice for best movie trilogy ever. Finally I'll be able to see once again the moments that reeked epic coolness... The taking of Osgiliath, the suidical charge of Faramir, the siege of Minas Tirith, the coming of the Rohirrim, the battle of Pelennor Fields, the battle at the Black Gate, and the final, long, glorious goodbye.
Yep, I've seen it already. Seen it on the current crappy, skippy, butchered bootlegs too... but I will probably see it a few more times on the big screen and countless more when the original home release arrives. Yep, I am a LOTR movie freak. And proud of it. Heh.

K.I.A. Hitlist


Kai's racking up a big body count...

My latest comic project, the Angel Ace spinoff K.I.A. will be a pocket-sized publication that packs a big punch. Within it's black and white and red covers will be 160 pages graced with the art and talent of some of local comics' coolest people: Dean Alfar (The Lost), Nikki Alfar (KC Strange), Carl Vergara (Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah), Arnold Arre (After Eden), Honoel Ibardolaza (Homanga), Jon Mallari (Variable Edge), Jeremy Arambulo (Styx Taxi), Gerry Alanguilan (Wasted, Superman: Birthright), Wilson Tortosa (Battle of the Planets), Taga-Ilog (PASIG), Jennyson Rosero (Questor, Gokitomo), Jon Zamar (Minsan sa Panaginip), Michael Seludo and Marvin del Mundo (Atomic Underground), Karen 'Katch' Cheung (Asong Makulit), Elbert Or (Two-Color Truth), Andrew Drilon (Grafic), Joel Chua (Cherry Blossom High) and Marco Dimaano (pahabol).
It'll be a story of a deadlysexycool superagent/assassin/spy first, heroine-in-search-of-her-true-self second. We're drawing on stuff like Elektra, Aeon Flux, Danger Girl, Le Femme Nikita, Alias and more for our inspirations, to make for a slicker, sexier and darker book from the main Angel Ace titles.

It'll be something to see. Lots of read and see. Coming midyear. Watch out. You're NEXT. Heh.

WOOHOO!

My first overtime at the office for the year!!!

WHHHOOOOAAAAAAA!!!

Well, it won't be the last.

Heh.

Jumble Tumblers

Yesterday, after a noontime presentation to a client, me and my account person decided to celebrate our successful selling of a couple of radio commercials by having lunch. At JOLLIBEE! Whee!
Well, we got a cab and hied off to Edsa Shangri-La. At the food center's JB branch, we waited in line and I saw some cool Return of the King tumblers being offered. All you needed to do was add a paltry sum to your order of a happy meal and you had your COOL Lord of the Rings tumbler! Whee!
I ordered my usual. A Jolliyumburger with cheese combo with large softdrink and fried, and a single spaghetti.
Now, I order this combo ALL the time, at many different restaurants. I always make it a point to say 'single spaghetti' or 'extra spaghetti' since invariably, the counter people will say, 'Spaghetti with drink, sir?'
NO! I would always scream in my inner voice. DO I LOOK LIKE I CAN FINISH TWO LARGE SOFTDRINKS???

...

Okay, don't you DARE answer that.

Well, imagine my surprise when my Aragorn-Theoden-Arwen-Legolas emblazoned tumbler came filled to the brim with Coke. Right next to a large softdrink.

"Um... I said the spaghetti was just a separate order, not a combo."

The attendant then mouthed some gobbledy-goo that I could only avail of a large fries if I ordered the combo. Or something like that.

Usually, the option to upgrade fries and drinks come easily, but for some reason this was pretty iffy. Well, I was just hungry and just wanted my tumbler. I told my accounts person to just order a regular drink and refill from the extra large glass.

As we ate, I got to admire my new... albeit cheap plastic ROTK tumbler with the funny lid that came with no straw hole (usually they do... or maybe I'm mistaken). Another to add to my growing collection of movie tumblers. Whee.

Good Signs

Last night I hung out at Comic Quest, sketching out stuff in the K.I.A. sketchbook after splurging on issues of Superman/Batman (or is it Batman/Superman?). During the night, Vin pointed out to me that a customer had just bought a copy of Angel Ace Next. I of course offered to sign it, and did (Thanks for your support, Walter!).
Thankfully, Next seems to be having the same steady pace of sales as previous Angel issues. Siglo is obviously selling well and getting uniformly good feedback and reviews. And of course, the Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah compilation is selling like hotcakes.
It's a great time for local comics, I think. People these days don't seem to treat locally-made stuff like they used to- ergo, that it is cheap and low quality. From what I perceive, at least in my own view, Filipinos are now quite aware that, in the comics medium at least, the Pinoy has a lot of talent and the products are worth their hard-earned peso. Perhaps it also helps that in these trying times, there's a more palpable sense of nationality... or perhaps, just the need to believe in something... whether it be fictional heroes on pages or make-believe worlds to take refuge in temporarily. And of course, who else knows better than a Pinoy what it takes to entertain a Pinoy?

And if one person gets to laugh or feel good from reading our comics, we local komikeros and grafictionados can say we've done our job well.

Let's keep those pages coming, people. Heh.

In Fairness



In celebration of Dean's birthday, the Quest/Siglo group headed over to the Paskong Pasiklab carnival and fair at Philcoa near UP Diliman. It was a larger group than we usually had as of late; me, Dean, Gig, Vin, Cams, Carl, Dino, Elbert, Andrew and Jason (who came all the way from Davao!).
On the way we had joked about how we would probably drive up to the fair, take one look and promptly drive out. But surprisingly, the place looked decent and safe, clean and well-lit (though decidedly low-tech; no Enchanted Kingdom this). We started walking around, finding fun in stuff like games of chance such as Coin Toss Games, Shooting Galleries and Basketball Hoops. Carl, after getting foiled in scoring a single basket in the hoops, promptly picked up a gun and blasted away at plastic toy targets, winning a bunch of chocolate bars (money well spent, I guess).

Another feature we tried out for sheer curiosity's sake were the Freak Show booths. There were at least three scattered across the fair; Dyesebel (mermaid), Snake Woman and Galema, the Girl who played with Snakes. Basically, these booths were walled-in cubes where the top was open for viewing for spectators to look down on the attraction. The gang tried several. I looked at Dyesebel and could only barely make out a torse and water since the top of the chamber was covered by a colored screen (BAH).
I passed on the Snake Woman (which Andrew just described as a girl in a rubber suit) but eventually decided to look at Galema after seeing looks of shocked enjoyment on Gig's and Andrew's faces. Galema was a nondescript woman, dressed in shorts and a jacket (disappointingly looking NOTHING like the sexy jungle girl in the large billboard) who sat or stood in the booth with about eight to ten snakes all around her. She lifted them up in bunches, played with them, teased them and basically just looked pretty bored. Sessions lasted for about a couple of minutes before Galema would leave through a small door to presumably a safe and snakeless area.
Not really impressive (I actually tried to take a photo but it really wasn't photogenic); I had more fun looking at the lethargic snake sitting on the counter of the 'Deejay' near the booth entrance. I touched it and felt the dry but cold and clammy feel of the reptile; even feeling the bones beneath the skin. Ooh. Vin on the other hand kept petting it and looking at it for the duration of his stay (I won't be surprised to find a snake sitting on Vin's computer next week).

After that, we wandered around more, trying out more games, eating the odd snack (cotton candy, popcorn, hotdogs, gulaman, barbecue). Andrew rode on something that looked like a gyroscope. Some rode on the Octopus, some rode on the Ferris Wheel. Andrew took home a couple of matching bowls and glasses thanks to his luck (or skill?) in the Coin Toss game.

We all trooped into the Malikmata Horror Warehouse, which incredibly enough actually was pretty creepy and fun.
The place had quite a well done look to it, and the darkened corridors were maze-like, twisting and turning. The opening area had us walk through beds with bloodstained sheets, motionless figures hunched under them. Of course, by the time some of the figures actually MOVED, we had gone from moving in easygoing pairs to the huddled formation often used by caravan trains during bandit raids.
We moved past the morgue into more hallways with alcoves showing various vignettes of horror, with silent, garbed figures lining corners and blind curves. This was pretty much the creepiest part, since you really couldn’t tell if the figures would move or not. There were some cheesy parts, but overall we were laughing and screaming and shouting and rushing out the door. Money well spent, really!

After that, we started to wind down with some eats, particularly some solid barbecue from a Grill Queen kiosk. After that, it was past midnight and off we went to cool off at Chili’s in Greenhills (which happened only after a loooooong circling through a blocked UP Campus).

Great fun, and honestly, the best fun we’ve had as a group in a long time.

Let’s do it again next year, guys!

Movie Picks

We Filipinos should enjoy our theaters. As my cousin would say, in the US you can't just watch as you please since the movie theaters charge so much (in our money, about 500 pesos a viewing! And you can't stay in the theaters as long as you want!). Feel lucky. Very lucky.

I have to make it a point to catch a couple of the Metro Manila Film Festival flicks before the work week starts. I actually want to see Captain Barbell cause the film actually looks to have some decent fx, and some interesting character designs. I don't know if I can muster the willpower to watch Gagamboy, but we'll see.

In the next few weeks, Pinoys will finally be able to see the grandness of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (which has already been playing for a couple of weeks in the US and other countries). We're actually not the worst off- the Japanese actually have to wait till February before they can catch the LOTR finale in theaters (DAAAAMMNNN!!!), and the wait has actually been SPOILED for many of them by a really crappy, spoiler-filled trailer that made the rounds. That bites.
Me, I'm looking forward to watching ROTK again. And again. Wanna relive the moments that sent chills up my spine. Yep, this is just the first of my ROTK posts that I have been holding back since watching it last December 18. I'll be gushing more as the movie approaches, and into the day I watch it again with the rest of the gang.

And onto other films, gonna also catch Kill Bill Volume 1, which will be hitting theaters a week after ROTK. It's rated R, but I still expect cuts from our local censors to butcher this blood-fest. Oh well.

Then there's Last Samurai, which looks to be a real treat as well. Authentic samurai action, big screen real-world battles and a NINJA attack are the things to watch in this one.

Peter Pan is the latest re-telling of the classic fairy tale, and this time it's more faithful to the novel instead of the 'What If' over-hyped clunker that was Hook (though I must admit to liking the final swordfight in that Steven Spielberg film). Peter Pan is a bishoujo-boy dressed in little more than leaves, with Wendy played by a lovely young actress, a sexy Tinkerbelle, decent FX and a more perilous take on Neverland, and probably the most nasty take on Captain Hook yet (played by Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter, The evil Paddington from The Patriot). The film looks to be quite action-packed, with a right amount of wonder and magic. Unfortunately this film seems to be bombing in the US, but I'll make it a point to catch it here (or at least get the DVD).

Ah, lots of good stuff to watch. Now, if only there was enough time to go with them. Ah, that's the ticket.

Gotta Trim Down

Over this last weekend before work, I gotta do some things.

Gotta buy new razors and shaving cream (kasi, sabi ni Cams di raw maganda ang goatee).

Gotta have a new haircut (maybe I'll go with a minimalist look ala Dean, Dino and Andrew.)

Gotta fix up my room.

Gotta start taking vitamins and getting my body clock used to getting up early in the morning again.

Gotta think about doing that Atkins Diet.

Gotta get focused on being better at everything this year.

Gotta do some changes to my blogs and websites.

Gotta schedule out my year.

Gotta, gotta, gotta.

Or maybe it's GONNA.

Yep. Rah-rah post right here. Heh.

Friends and Family


Camille, Gig, Dean, Jeremy and Andrew chill with me at the Megastrip.

It's the last of the Holiday break (which was pleasantly long and enjoyable, thanks to the presence of my cousin Jeremy. What did I do to the poor young man from New York while he was here? Did I take him to the hottest nightspots in the Metro? Did I wine and dine him? Nah! I made him WORK his ass off on pages for my comics. I dragged him to some comic launch and threw him into the presence of some of the most fickle and crazy folks I know. I exposed him to a seedy, crime-infested demilitarized zone.
And you know what? He enjoyed it. What can I say? Craziness runs in my family. Heh.

Kidding aside, I introduced Jeremy to the Questventures and Siglo gang, and he took like a fish to water. He's made a fast friend in Dean and surely something cool and great will come from a partnership of these two creatives. He's going home with friendships, dvds, Pinoy-made comics and a lot of new entries in his very busy sketchbook.

Don't know when he'll next be around, but thanks to the wonders of the Web, we'll keep in touch and keep the art and stories flowing.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

WOOHOO!!!! WHIZZZZ!!! BAAAANNNGGG!!! POP!!! BOOOOMMMM!!!! KAAAABLLAAAAAMMMM!!!
KAPOWIE!!! ZAAAAMMMM!!!! VROOOSSSHHHHH!!!! WWEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOBOOOOOMMM!!!

Edoras



I spent most of the day at Jeremy's new house in Laguna, for the traditional blessing. I call it Edoras since it was built on a high hill and had an awesome view of the surroundings- much like the Rohan capital from Lord of the Rings. Heh.
Aside from my immediate family, we mingled with crowds of Jeremy's in-laws, including hordes of rowdy kids. Argh. Miraculously we were able to work on pages for Jeremy's K.I.A. story despite the chaos. Anyway, there was catered food but I gave up on lining up and instead sated my hunger with sticks of solid, meaty barbecue. We left early evening, and amazingly enough got home all the way from Laguna to Marikina in less than an hour. It's incredible what a holiday can do to traffic. Wish it was always like this. Oh well. New year in an hour or so...

Looking Back

We're right on the crest of the hill overlooking the New Year ahead of us. I guess this is as good a time as any to just pause and take a look back at what we passed on the way here.

In my professional life, I made a major change and found a new ad agency to continue my craft. Found old and new friends along for the ride, got into the groove of working for a totally new brace of clients and a new way of doing things. I worked during the last quarter of the year in the closer, more homey confines of Ortigas (which sadly, will probably not last long) which was cool since I could just walk from the office right over to Megamall to wind down. I attended the Ad Congress in Baguio after a long time of snubbing the event- now I have to work hard to make sure that the next time I go there, I bring home an award. Or two. Heh.

Life in Panels

In my life as a comic creator, the year really started during the last quarter as well. I was able to finally get Angel Ace NEXT off the ground, thanks to my discovery of great local artists like Honoel Ibardolaza and my own cousin Jeremy Arambulo. Next to that was the magnificent comic anthology Siglo: Freedom, a seemingly miraculous project which started from a mere mercenary gamble to a fully-published masterpiece of local grafiction. It all culminated at the second C3Con, where we launched our books amidst costumed otakus and all the bells and whistles.

Strangely enough, I feel that I and the group I belong to have done more in the last quarter of this year than we have in the past several years before. So much that it just may carry us over into the new year with even more momentum and even more stories to tell. Me, I've still got Angel Ace and my new title K.I.A. to keep me busy in panels and pages. The group's gonna have the next Siglo. Who knows what other surprises there'll be, from us and from others in the local comic book community? We'll see.

Lots of work. Gonna be busy night and day.

DAMN.

This is gonna be fun. Heh.

The MADman's Year in Review for Games, Anime, Tech and Movies

Despite some biggies, this year was mostly a run of the Status Quo. Or perhaps I'm just getting harder to please?

Gaming was more or less 'just there' in 2003. I didn't stop buying games, so I steadily built up a library of Xbox and PS2 games. Still, there were few gems that really got me to play a lot... There was Gladius, a fantasy RPG/Strategy Gladiator sim which is pretty fun and addictive. There's Final Fantasy X2 which came in at the end of the year, marking the first-ever true FF sequel (meaning Square of Japan really needs the money). Disappointingly, big franchises like Street Fighter, Tekken and my fave, Dead or Alive didn't really have any new entries. Just rehashed sprites of the new King of Fighter crap that looks the same every year, and a REALLY CRAPPY thing called SNK Vs. Capcom: Chaos. Speaking of crap, perhaps the most crap-tastic was Stake, a fighting game that is so crappy, it's... Crappy. Oh well, at least it has a sexy gypsy chick. Heh. Running up are lackluster fighters Kakuto Chojin and Tao Feng, which I wasted good money on for an original copy and ended up not playing too much since the gameplay sucks eggs. But at leat it was worth it I guess to hear the hilarious narrator who talks in Filipino-twanged english. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Last but not least was Anito, which would be forgiven for being quite a beginner-level Diablo wannabee... at least it's a Pinoy-made Diablo wannabee! WOOHOO!

Was sorely tempted to get a Gameboy Advance SP, but ultimately I went for a new phone. It's still calling for me, and still I resist...

Movies were mostly blahs and moments of slight coolness. I actually liked Matrix Revolutions, but I guess few others did (the same with LXG). Kill Bill Volume 1 ROCKS, and I am hungering for the DVD next year. Crapolas were piled up with Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life coming in first place, with a totally un-sexy (who would have thought it) Lara Croft tour by Angelina Jolie.

Of course, this was all just prologue for the highlight and climax of the year in cinema, which is of course for me the Premiere for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King which showed me the crowning glory of the best trilogy of all time. WOOHOO!!!

Anime was just as abundant this year as the years before... I just haven't had time to watch. But this year in anime for me belongs to a gaggle of really great anime series and OAVs that I found; Last Exile from Gonzo, Scrapped Princess and Full Metal Alchemist are wonderful shows of fantasy, action and drama. Inu Yasha continues to enchant as it enters the 140+ episode count. Big disappointments include the mediocre Ninja Scroll TV series and Saiyuki Rehash- er, Reload. Guilty pleasure anime of the year has to belong to Ikki Tousen, a martial arts action anime that's heavy with fan service. The capper of the year has to be the announcement of the new 24-hour Anime Channel, or Animax. Hope it's all cracked up to be... just give me my Inu Yasha and Rahxephon fix, damn it!!!
Manga and comics for the year for me of course includes my old fave Blade of the Immortal. Then there's my new fave Ragnarok. Started collecting Fallen Angel, Ultimates, The Authority and Brath towards the end of the year, along with various odds and ends. Lots of blood donated each week. Ouch.

And finally for tech- which means phones. Replaced my old battleaxe Siemens M35i during the last quarter for a Sony Ericsson T68i. This served me well for a few months until that accursed Christmas party raffle where I won a Z600 and LOST IT since I had left the party early. I felt so bad about this I got myself the non-clamshell version of the Z600, the T610. Looks like I'll be staying with my latest techtoy for a while.

That's that. Coasting along. A few ups, a big down or two, but mostly coasting along at an even pace.

Here's to bigger and better toys to play with in the new year. Heh.

K.I.A. goes Disney


Cross Kim Possible with her arch-enemy Shego and you get... Kego!

Here's my feisty Agent K drawn in the style of Disney's Kim Possible. No, I'm not going through another art style change again... it just felt kinda fun to play around with styles (I was actually thinking of doing a Kai artwork ala the Dini animation style used in the Batman Animated Series). Well, I love Shego from KP, and if she was a kinda-good girl, she'd be something like Agent K. Bad-ass, beautiful and... well, green.
I am actually toying around using the Kim Possible-style in a specific story for K.I.A. entitled Minion Labor. We'll see if I actually push through with it. Seeing how nice 'Kego' turned out, chances are that I will. Heh.

Wedding Day



No, it wasn't mine.

Yesterday afternoon, two people whom I consider dear friends were joined as one in the sacrament of matrimony.

I first heard about Arnold in my second or third year of college in the UP college of Fine Arts. I was but one of the many who marvelled at how in but a few seconds he could capture a person's essence in a wonderful caricature. We never really ran in the same circle (he was a year advance) and only got to know each other after college, in the heydays of Alamat Comics. I've seen him work wonders with panel and page, from Mythology Class to After Eden, Trip to Tagaytay and The Lost and most recently, in Angel Ace Again and Siglo: Freedom. I know that this multi-awarded creator is only getting started with telling his stories.

Cynthia Bauzon was the first person to give a newbie copywriter a sincere smile and an appreciated welcome many years ago. Since then, I've always loved this quiet, simple and beautiful lady. I've seen her work her magic on websites, music album covers and books. And it is with great pleasure that I acknowledge that I played a small part in bringing her together with her soul mate.

After the simple mass and ceremony at UP Diliman, the whole shebang moved to the Edsa Shangri-La where the reception continued on into the evening. I met friends from advertising (Hello Tippi, Shiela, David G and Angel, Itsy, David F, Manny, Tish, April and Pia), college (Hello Reg, Edmund, Sam, Rome and Joni!) and comics/art (Yo, Quark!). All of us felt joy at seeing a union of two people we all loved unfold before us.

I wish these two all the happiness in the world, and I only hope that I will see more of them in the future than we have had as of late.

Congratulations, guys!

K.I.A.: Love at First Fight?


Agent K and the ninja Shizaze. Can love bloom among assassins?

Here's the latest K.I.A. artwork I've done. It's based on a K.I.A. script written by Elbert Or, and tells how one of Agent K's competitors falls for her after they cross paths during a mission. It's a pretty fun and interesting plot point to throw into the mix, and something that may make for pretty colorful stories in the future. We'll see how it goes...

Kick-ass pose for a Butt-kicking heroine



Here's another Cho-inspired artwork of Agent K. I'm actually doing all these new artworks in a sketchbook my boss gave me for Christmas. At the rate I'm going, I may fill it up before the holidays break ends. That should be more than enough to fill any need for character designs and extra material for the final book. Heh. More to come soon.

Hanging in the Holiday

I just spent the day just lolling around at home. Last night, we had our traditional family dinner, complete with embutido (a Christmas meat loaf), spaghetti, my Mom's special macaroni salad (which only appears at Christmas) and nice toasty bread. It was simple but me and my brother would have it no other way. We wolfed down the salad like it was gold, the cold, sweet-savoury flavor going down perfectly in between bites of meaty embutido. Umm.

Today was pretty much just a time of relaxing and recovering from the night before. Tomorrow, I hope I can muster enough strength to get out and do some last minute stuff for a big event that's coming up on the weekend.

Mmm. Wish there was more of that salad... Yum...

Sneaking on Christmas


Santa Claus isn't the only one pitter-pattering about this night.

Here's another K.I.A. artwork done in my new art style, emulated from artist Frank Cho. Yep, I am intending to do at least one of my stories in the upcoming anthology in this style, which should please pals of mine like Dean and Vin. I'm quite excited at how this will turn out. I'll probably start doing the pages within the next few days. Till then, enjoy the view of Agent K.

MALIGAYANG PASKO SA INYONG LAHAT!

It's been a great year despite a whole lot of goofs, poofs and an odd assortment of events both good and bad. I hope everyone here is having a warm christmas with their loved ones. Let's all enjoy the day of the Christ's birth peacefully and happily at home.

Later!

From the Sanctum of a MADman

Merry Christmas to one and all!!!

Animax

Recently, AXN has been showing spots of a CG-Santa. I've actually been ignoring these, until one time when I actually saw one spot to the end. I realized that the spot was a teaser for Animax, with the line First Asian All-Anime Channel underneath.
Is this my dream come true? 24 hour of anime? Everyday? MY GOSH. OH MY GOSH! I hope Sky Cable gets it. For their sake. Cause if they don't, I'm switching to the cable operator that does. WOOHOO!!! Animaaaaaaaaaxxxx!!!!

Agent K, Monkey-Boy style!



Here's an artwork of Kai which I did emulating the style of Frank Cho, one of my artistic idols. I just love Mr. Cho's sexy, classic art. And we love to draw a lot of the same things (sexy, half-naked, kick-ass babes) as well! He's set to wow fans this coming summer 2004 with a raunchy, sexy remake of Shanna the She-Devil. I can hardly wait. Till then, I'll be working on my own girl-power comic... I wonder if I can pull off an entire K.I.A. story in the Cho-style? We'll see... Heh...

K.I.A. goes WWE, UFC


The nasty girls of the Femme Fatale Fighting League.

Here's a sample of the art that will be coming from Jeremy Arambulo for next year's K.I.A. special. He's doing Victors and Victims, a script which puts Agent K into the seedy confines of an underground fighting tournament. This script has everything; sexy brawling babes, evil martial arts masters, catfighting, revenge, pyro explosions and Kai in a leather mask! No wonder Jeremy's having fun drawing it. Heh.
Victors and Victims is just one of the many stories we're planning to pack into the K.I.A. anthology, which hopefully will be street-manga thick and gritty. Watch out for it in 2004!

An Action Adventure Film for Tomorrow


"This patch? I got it after that bloody Tomb Raider sequel."

I've just seen the trailer of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and I think you all should see it too. It's an action-adventure of the serial-pulp action flavor, with uber-cool retro visuals. This film seems to have it all: World War II-era technology, old scientists, beautiful reporters, leather-clad femme fatales, GIANT ROBOTS, Zeppelins, fighter aircraft with FLAPPING wings, skyscrapers and Angelina Jolie with an eyepatch!
Aside from Lara Croft, Sky Captain also stars Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bai Ling and Giovanni Ribisi.

This film, slated for release in Summer 2004, looks really cool; like Iron Giant meets The Rocketeer meets The Shadow meets Tales of the Gold Monkey meets Flash Gordon. Get a glimpse of the world of tomorrow here.

SIGLO: FREEDOM



Last night we had the Siglo: Freedom soft launch at Greenbelt 3's Ice Vodka Bar. I had with me my cousin Jeremy and my mom (who soon regretted not having her credit card after seeing the shops at this most posh of malls). We met the others in front of Ice and spent the time chatting, taking in the hip crowd and the sights. Jeremy had a ball just filming everything on his handicam. There was of course Dean and Gig, El and Camy, Carl, Jason, Gerry and Andrew. Too bad Hai and Arnold couldn't make it. Anyway, Charles was also there to proxy for the missing Vin and had HUGE posters of The Return of the King to give away. Thanks for the posters, Stalker-Boy!

Anyway, the launch was spent enjoying cold but tasy finger food like thin crust pizza, toast with a nice pesto-cheese-meat spread, spicy chicken wings and chips. The open bar meant all the ice tea, beer and liquor you could handle.

After an hour or so, Nautilus Books' publisher, Mr. Choy Cojuangco came over and we had a nice little photoshoot and introduction to Siglo's benefactor. Then, it was more chatting and lots of books to be signed.



We ended the night relatively early since we had to pick up my dad at his shop. So, at a little past nine we bade goodbye to everyone and were off.

Great launch, everyone! SIGGGLLLOOOOOOO!!!!!

New Phone for the New Year

Perhaps it's a way of compensating for my recent Christmas party debacle, or perhaps not (no, it really is). I traded in my Sony Ericsson T68i for a second-hand Sony Ericsson T610. It's the nice phone with a pretty cool integrated camera. Yep, I'm now part of the phone-camera crowd. I paid about 8K for my new toy, which is pretty good considering that a brand-new T610 would normally set you back 17K. As with my T68, I can pretty much customize the wallpaper as I please (both with uploaded/downloaded images or even simply pics taken with the camera). Now, all that I have to do is get the e-mail settings to work so I can at the very least send and store pics I take to an online gallery.

Ah, the fun of phone fetishes. Gotta love it.

My Spoiler-Free review of The Return of the King


All that I hoped it would be and more.

I have seen it.

And DAMN, it is great.

Literally the crowning glory of the finest film trilogy yet.

The Return of the King is the final part of the unprecedented 10-hour plus movie, The Lord of the Rings. Here, the world of Men and their allies makes a final stand against the seemingly numberless hordes and legions of evil. The broken Fellowship of the Ring, which had so valiantly come together in the quest to destroy the terribly evil and powerful One ring, must now fight battles that will test them to their limits and beyond. Some might not survive. None will make it through without being changed forever.

I came into the theater knowing a lot of stuff, but nevertheless I was there rooted to the seat, unyielding and determined to suck in every single second of this Grand Finale. The film takes some time to get going, as it is just coming from the exhausting battle which was The Two Towers. But after a certain point, ROTK finds it’s legs and from there on you can’t dare leave for missing a pivotal moment of either awesome action sequences or an emotional heart-stabber.

In ROTK, the characters grow and move to their finest or lowest, depending on their roles.
Gandalf (Ian McKellen) gets the screentime he deserves as the most butt-kicking wizard in film history. I still have to say I miss the old Gandalf the Gray, but rest assured, by the end of all things, you know that despite the change in color and power, Gandalf is the same wonderful wanderer who loves to make children laugh with fireworks.

Merry and Pippin (Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, respectively) have come a long way from being mere comedy relief and tag-alongs on this epic quest in the first chapter. Their roles in this conflict are pivotal and both share moments of great drama.

Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), as the titular would-be monarch, finally faces his ultimate responsibility. I have read in some reviews that they found his change in character and conflicts in the film were not great enough given such an important character. But I feel that the performance- how the character remains true to himself, remaining the humble and valiant ranger who defended the hobbits atop Weathertop in FOTR even though he takes on a far higher mantle attests to the greatness of this character.

Legolas and Gimli (Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies respectively) continue their roles as Aragorn’s closest allies and comrades-in-arms. Their roles are perhaps a lot smaller, but they still get choice scenes. Gimli is still the source of much-appreciated humor, while Legolas proves that he is without a doubt the most bad-ass elf of all time- insert audience-cheering moment here. Heh.

Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Samwise (Sean Astin) continue their trek to Mount Doom, an item of implacable evil with them, and the twisted, manipulative Gollum (yet again played with masterful glee by Andy Serkis) leading them to a horrible fate. Friendships will be tested to their breaking point and beyond, and the performances here will no doubt earn moist eyes from all save the most icy-hearted and jaded of moviegoers.

Thankfully, even minor characters such as the Rohirrim- King Theoden, Eowyn and Eomer (Bernard Hill, Miranda Otto, Karl Urban) get their moments to shine, particularly in the film’s most climactic battle scenes. Faramir (David Wenham) continues his role as the hapless, selfless Captain of Gondor, giving himself totally in vain to please Denethor, his arse of a father (played with creepy fervor by John Noble).
Finally, the elves Elrond, Arwen and Galadriel (Hugo Weaving, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett) have tiny but meaningful roles, and we get to see Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) one last time.

Perhaps the best compliment to this film is simply this- despite having easily the most powerful battle sequences yet seen on film (Dueling Catapults, Pelennor Fields- DAMN!!!), you never lose the characters or emotion at stake here. The price for defeat, the bonds of friendship and love between every single group… it is never lost or forgotten. I know no other film that remains so rooted in values even as it rises to such soaring heights.

And after all the battles and fireworks, ROTK takes an unusual road to the end. Fitting enough for a unique cinematic experience such as this, ROTK does not simply give us a joyous, empty victory dance or an odd massive explosion. The ending to ROTK is prolonged, meaningful, powerful and damn satisfying.

I’ll give fair warning now... there are several false endings which may get impatient (and foolish) watchers to get up and go, only to have to sit down as another sequence continues. This long goodbye we are afforded is truly welcome, needed and deserved after the mammoth undertaking of these characters we have grown to love and enjoy. Just do NOT stand up until you see the words THE END on the screen. Even then, I’d sit and watch through the beautiful credits, a fitting bow and curtain call to the magnificent cast and crew who have entertained and awed us these past three years.

I want to watch this film again. And with that, I declare The Lord of the Rings as the MADman’s finest and best movie trilogy of all time.

You win some, you lose some.

Last night I went to my office Christmas party. Had my crappy circus getup (Indian fortune teller) on. Ate some good food. Watched a stupid but inexplicably hilarious skit. Waded through various nothing raffles.
I had to go early since I had a family matter to attend to.

And what do you know? I WIN a brand new cellphone.

Of course, since I wasn't present at the time of the draw, they gave it off to someone else.

DAAAAAAAMMMMMNNNNNN!!!!

Sigh. Which just goes to prove I am perhaps one of the unluckiest people in terms of raffles. Even if I win, I lose.

Well, not getting that Sony Ericsson Z600 may have hurt, but at least a new cell's not really life-changing... not like that poor soul who lost a million pesos by not being present after winning a grand raffle. GAH.

Oh well. I'll just make it up and get myself a really cool new phone soon. That's the ticket.

DAAAAAAAAMMMMMMNNNN!!!!

C3Con Weekend


Welcome to the 2nd C3Con from Culture Crash Comics!

Over the weekend, I attended the 2nd Annual Comic, Anime and Gaming Convention, or C3Con. This event was organized by Culture Crash Comics (CCCom).
As in the year before, Vin got a booth for Comic Quest (which was smaller than last year’s and unfortunately had to be shared with 2Rats Anime) where we could display and sell our newest releases. I had Angel Ace NEXT, Carl had the Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Compilation, the whole Questventures/Kestrelstudios gang had SIGLO:Freedom.


”Make her boobs bigger pa!

Elsewhere in the Megatrade Hall where the con was being held, other exhibitors included Psicom, which was releasing the graphic novels Cherry Blossom High and Mystic Machine Maharlika which Jason handled, Mango Comics, which was releasing Darna #3, Glasshouse Studios (which featured the ubiquitous T&A comics starring Jinky Coronado), Filbar’s, Comic Alley, Comic Sale Central, Anino Entertainment (which was showcasing of course their product, Anito, the first Philippine-produced mainstream PC RPG), Questor, Summit Media (which had just released Slam Dunk) and more.

I arrived at about 8:30 AM at Megamall. I wasn’t overly excited… I had to go with my sister’s driver to bring her son to school, and it turned out that traffic was so light that time, we had time to burn. So I had breakfast at McDo with the driver, showing off SIGLO to him (which he found nice). At the crack of 9AM, we lugged the box of Angel Ace issues I brought along to Comic Quest and that was the start of it all.
I had an exhibitor’s pass, which allowed me to go in and out as I pleased. This I did again and again, going up and down from CQ to the Trade Hall. As in the year before, things were pretty hectic. I set up artworks and posters, put in the rack with the comics, prepared drawing materials and then waited for the Deluge.
A large crowd had already appeared outside the Hall, forming into a line that snaked and slithered around the fifth floor. There were cosplayers among them, obviously from the odd oversized weapon or colored hair they sported. Most though were just otaku, or anime fans, who came to see what was on offer.
At about 11AM, they opened the floodgates and in the crowds went.

On Offer

The highlights of the Con included several competitions; Best Independent Comic Book, Best Short Films, Best Choreographed Fight Scenes and Best Cosplay. Probably a third of the whole event was dominated by Ragnarok Online, the MMORPG that has taken the region by storm. Aside from having a large area devoted to showing off the new Comodo Island expansion, there were specialized Ragnarok cosplayers and a gaming area where you could get free CDs.

From Diamonds in the Rough to Total Crap
Indie Comics have, in my opinion, never had a venue before like this. The Xeroxed/photocopied publications where all gathered in one area, laid out like a buffet. There were the usual manga-inspired titles, a rash of Satanist-books (which is really not my thing), some standouts using Pinoy-style art, and some titles which refuse to be categorized; the foremost of which was Nardong Tae, which is about a guy who transforms into living, walking crap. More on that later.
Anyway, the indie comic guys and gals were pretty forward in selling, almost as persistent as fake DVD sellers. It was something perhaps we could learn from. Heh.

Lights, camera, FIGHT!
There were some early disappointments though. I was actually looking forward to seeing entries for the fight scenes and short film competitions, but the large crowds just made watching a hit and miss affair. The short films were shown seemingly in random times and venues. In the end, the fight scene contest was boring, while the best short films included a Matrix film, pinoy-style, and a film by alternative filmmaker Topel Lee.

As I walked around I made it a point to get copies of the indie comics that caught my eye. I also went to get the usual suspects of local publishing: Questor, the two Psicom releases, Darna 3 and a copy of Culture Crash 13. Unfortunately, in perhaps the most infuriating event of the weekend, Cherry Blossom High turned out to have a massive pagination error (and in MY story no less) and overall had shoddy printing and production. DAMN!!!

C3Con Weekend 2

Cosplay
For most of the Con I just walked around, simply clicking away with my crappy digital camera at our brilliant cosplayers. I wasn’t totally blown away in the first day or so; there were far too many Ragnarok cosplayers who were dressed up as generic classes… I mean, who can be excited by someone dressed as ‘Generic Priest’ or ‘Blacksmith’? Sigh. There were some standouts though; the Crusaders (one male, one female) were dressed in cool armour, and even had a nice skit where they had to fight with some other Ragnarok classes as they posed onstage. This got applause from even the fickle crowd.
And when I say fickle, I mean fickle. If the cosplayer didn’t give enough effort into his or her costume, there were hecklers who were only too ready to point it out. Most of the time there were just silent stares at the performers, though exceptional cosplayers got cheers, claps and WOOHs from the audience.
My favorite of the Con is unquestionably a trio of pretty girls who dressed up as the babes from Final Fantasy X2: Yuna, Rikku and Leblanc. Aside from having pretty accurate costumes (Yuna and Rikku wore their Magic Gunner costumes), the girls were obviously quite attractive and the crowd could see it. Whenever these girls appeared, cameras flashed. I have to say both Dean and my eyes flashed when we saw the sexy thongs these girls were wearing. What can I say? Sex sells. Heh.

C3Con Cosplay Gallery


Crowd favorites: The girls of FFX2 were camera-magnets.


Now I want to play FFX2 on my PS2 again for some reason…


Ooh! Filipino Dead or Alive cosplayers!


A favorite: Tonberry from the FF games.

The eventual winners of the cosplay were as follows: Third Place and ‘People’s Choice’ winners went to a tie between the gorgeous and aforementioned Yuna and Rikku. Second place went to a girl dressed as Shiva, the guardian force from Final Fantasy, sporting blue body makeup and all the trimmings. Finally, the winner and most impressive entry in the whole show was a guy dressed up as an A.P.U., that cool battle suit/mech frame from Matrix Revolutions. Simply ASTOUNDING! And I am proud to say I actually know the guy. Robert Wong, you are something else. Congratulations, man.


Here I am with the amazing A.P.U. from The Matrix. DAMN cool.

C3Con Weekend 3: Winding it all up.

As for Best Indie Comic, Sunrise by Armand Roy Canlas (Armor Troopers) won third place. Atomic Underground (last year’s winner) won second, while the first place was bagged by a load of crap… Nardong Tae. I dunno… I guess the judges found it just… so… different. Whatever.

While members of the group came at one time or another (Dean and Nikki showed up Saturday, Vin appeared near day’s end, El and Camy appeared on Sunday. Andrew and Charles seemed ever-present and bouncing around like rubber balls), it was pretty much just me and Carl who manned the booth, sketching like savants in our own little world, signing copies of Siglo, Zsa Zsa and Angel Ace for customers.


Dean AKA Green Lantern and Carl at the Comic Quest booth.

Then, the Con was over. The winners were awarded, the events were winding down and we just packed up and left. Our arms and legs were tired, my neck refused to keep my head up at a straight angle and we had tons of stuff to lug all the way back to the store. Gah…



It was a great Con. See you all next year!

Onto the C3Con!



Tomorrow, Carl and I will be manning the tables at the Comic Quest booth at the C3Con. The last year, Carl was just coming off the first releases of the Zsa Zsa comics, and I was still peddling Angel Ace Again (but in a nice 4-in-1 package). We had a grand time just sketching away, otaku-watching, hobnobbing with our peers in the local comics industry and generally just chillin'.

This year, we're looking forward to a HORDE of releases that seem as numberless as Sauron's orcs attacking Minas Tirith in The Return of the King (Yes, I am still obsessed with that movie).

I have Angel Ace Next. Carl has the Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Compilation. The barkada has SIGLO: Freedom. Jason and Psicom have, among others, Cherry Blossom High and Mystic Machine Maharlika.
Mango Komiks is releasing Darna #3 and will apparnetly be on the lookout for talent.
Culture Crash 13 will be unleashed by CCCom.
The latest Questor is expected. Summit's release of Slam Dunk will be making it's appearance. Pugad Baboy will be there, so maybe I can finally meet Pol Medina Jr. and shake his hand.
Ground Zero will have a booth and perhaps a new release. So will a group called Blue Shuffle (haven't seen this). Then there's Glasshouse Studios, which will also probably be looking for talent among the countless otaku and comic-lovers sure to be attending.
Alamat won't have a booth, but Budjette Tan will surely be among the mingling crowds over the weekend.

And that's just for comics and manga, friends. There's still tons of anime, toys, hobbies and other interests that will be filling up the Megatrade Hall.

It's gonna be FUN. Hope to see you all there.

SIGLO



On a related note, Siglo: Freedom also arrived today, according to Dean. This anthology/trade paperback of ten stories set in various decades of Philippine history was something our barkada slaved on for an incredibly short period of time, and the result of this initially mercenary, supposedly independent-publishing project is nothing short of phenomenal.
It has since ended up being picked up and published by a real publishing house (Mango Books; not to be confused with Mango Komiks/Entertainment, the makers of the recent Darna comics) and will soon be launched with full nationwide distribution and marketing to follow... All I can say is... How did that happen?!

Synchronicity. Being at the right place at the right time. Providence. Dumb luck. Call it what you will. All I can say is that it's wonderful.

Angel is BACK!!!



I've got several freshly-done, hot-off-the-press copies of Angel Ace Next on my desk. So it's pretty safe to say we're all set for the C3Con.
The issue came out wonderfully, despite having some teeny-tiny graphical nicks, some little hiccups with the binding (which I myself didn't notice) and an earlier error that resulted in some blurry film negatives.
When it was all said and done, my printer came through, and the whole batch will be delivered tomorrow- one day earlier than expected. We've got PRODUCT. Now all that's left is the marketing stuff like posters and other doodads. Sigh.

A Million Thanks goes out to Carlo Vergara (who as well is no doubt giddy with joy at the realization of his own GLORIOUS Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Compilation) for being invaluable in getting Angel Next produced. I couldn't have done it without ya, Carl.

WOOHOO!!!

Pros, Ams and Cons

Aside from the 'veteran' hands in local publishing, there will be a solid indie comic and amateur manga showing in this years' C3Con. I am totally for this; the Con is becoming THE showcase for independent publishing and creativity in young artists and creators, and having an event that totally supports the indie comic book can only be great stuff for the next generation of grafictionists.

This year's activities of course include an Independent Comic-making Contest. Tonight I just carried a PILE of spankin' brand new photocopied grafiction to CCCom head honcho James' car. The various entries include expectedly a large number of manga-style works, as well as a goodly number of non-manga issues. Sadly, a lot of the envelopes were so tightly-sealed, we didn't get to look at them (MISSED YOUR CHANCE, kids).

What blew us away for sheer presentation was one entry which was apparently FULLY PUBLISHED, complete with perfect binding and perhaps 100+ pages (it's a comic strip-style humor collection). Considering that the creators of that book are still in school, they either got themselves a printing press or a lot of moolah (or both) to invest in such a venture. Well, I got the original Angel Ace published after college... unfortunately, no C3Con then. Oh well.

I am actually interested in recruiting some of the young talent I saw in the various entries; perhaps they can contribute to K.I.A. next year. Hmmm... I'm starting to think a lot like Jason. Yikes. In another year or two, I probably won't be drawing as much as I just write and produce... Heh.

Nah. Never happen.

Well... Let's look back two years from now and see. Heh.

Angel Ace Freebies


Early birds for Angel Ace Next will get some nice extras at the Con.

In preparation for the C3Con this weekend, we're having some cool giveaway pics done. Arnold Arre sent us these two extremely lovely and colorful pinups of Angel and Kai recently. While it was obviously too late to get them into the pages of Angel Ace Next, we figured that giving copies of the pics away would be a cool treat for fans of both Angel Ace AND Arnold's art style.
So, be sure to get your copy of Angel Ace Next this weekend to get your pick either of a cute and wholesome Angel pic, or a fierce and sexy Kai. Plus, the first fifty copies will come with a nice li'l photo pic/ad of next year's K.I.A.

See ya at the Con!

C3Con on the Horizon



We make landfall this Saturday!!!

Last year's C3Con was the most fun an otaku could find as conventions can go here in the ol' RP. There were tons of stuff to ogle at, tons of stuff to spend your cash on, and tons of stuff to just listen, taste and feel.
I remember the crowds and crowds of giddy young people, eyes shining and smiles wide at the festival-like atmosphere. I remember the booths, lined with toys and comics and anime and other doo-dads and goodies that you can imagine. I remember the cosplayers- bless those weird, wonderful souls- who came and showed off their home-made getups with pride and grace. Better you than me, guys... heh.
I remember the loud J-Pop tunes (Dean and Nikki would cringe), the silly contests and the wonderful activities that I was able to participate in as a judge. I remember the feeling of satisfaction that I was part of an event that was so positive and encouraging in one's creativity and expression.
I also remember that I promised that in the NEXT C3Con, I would have a NEW issue of Angel Ace ready.

And here we are.

Angel Ace Next will be ready this weekend, hopefully to fly off the tables to the hands of waiting readers. Of course, there will be others there as well. Of course, there will be SIGLO from the barkada, the Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Compilation from Carl, and Cherry Blossom High from Jason and Psicom. The latest Culture Crash and Questor issues (which hopefully will bring word of my Kunoichi Boy within them) will be on hand. Ground Zero and Blue Shuffle are indie comic groups that will have a significant presence at the con. And of course, there's Pugad Baboy, Beerkada, Ragnarok, Bandai and Toei of Japan, Glasshouse Studios, CATs Collectibles, Comic Sale Central and more to populate the menagerie of otaku treats on offer.

It's gonna be a great con. I hope we see you all there.

Back in the Hobbit

Speaking of LOTR, while the story ends with The Return of the King, the long journey of the infamous One Ring (the prop was pocketed by Elijah Woon as a souvenir of the filming) with the hobbits began in the Tolkien novel, The Hobbit, which is set 50 years prior to the events in the LOTR trilogy.
Now, readers of the books have wondered if director Peter Jackson was interested in making an LOTR prequel... the answer is, yes. Jackson has reportedly expressed a desire to do The Hobbit, possibly working with several of the actors and most of the crew behind LOTR.
Gandalf the Grey (played by Ian McKellen) will most assuredly appear in the prequel, along with main hobbit hero Bilbo Baggins (played in the LOTR films by Ian Holm). Elven princess Arwen (Liv Tyler) would also conceivably appear. And of course, Gollum (the CG creature given life by Andy Serkis) would play a vital role.

I remember watching the Rankin/Bass animated Hobbit film, and even from that the story's excellent. Hobbit Bilbo Baggins is goaded by Gandalf to join a troop of dwarves as the party 'burglar' in order to steal back the treasure under the Lonely Mountain, now guarded by the mighty dragon, Smaug the Magnificent. Aside from having the first encounter with Gollum, the Hobbit also features encounters with spiders, goblins and wargs, wood elves, a city built on a lake, a battle with a dragon and at the climax, a battle between Five Armies.

A Hobbit film by PJ and Weta would no doubt be uber cool. And a great companion to the already excellent LOTR trilogy. Cross your fingers, it just may happen. Someday. Somehow...

Obsessed

That's me. With The Return of the King.

I'm always checking up on The One Ring. Net and Ain't It Cool for any new reports or details. I'm watching the trailer constantly, as well as the 10 minute preview on The Two Towers dvd. I'm even tempted to start playing the ROTK videogame on the PS2. But noooo... NOTHING will sate this hunger save the actual film.
Am I any bit worried that it may actually disappoint me? Not really. The reviews are positive, and there simply can't be any degradation after the first excellent two installments. I loved Fellowship of the Ring and still consider it the better over TTT. Towers, on the other hand, kind of disappointed me (Hobbit scenes were too slow for me) but after repeated viewings I love it almost as much as FOTR.
If ROTK is as good as either of the preceding films, I will be happy. If I am moved to watery eyes (as most viewers were according to many reviews) by ROTK and I find it even better than I can hope, then pretty much I proclaim the LOTR film trilogy The MADman's favorite movie series ever.
Damn, I'm gushing and the film's still at least a week away, at worst almost a month away.

Gotta get to a Premiere. Just gotta. Gotta, hafta, musta. Heh.

K.I.A. On the Way


Here's an early look at K.I.A.'s cover art due next year.

I'm really getting into the K.I.A. special for next year. Nikki has already submitted her script, and it's uber-cool. I've already started work on other stories and artwork for this girl-power anthology, thinking up storylines and stuff I can throw at my lovely anti-heroine.

"DDT KIA" will throw K into the squared circle as she piledrives, drop-kicks, frankensteins and elbows her way to the championship of an underground fighting league to flush out a shadowy crimelord.

"Minion Labor" has Agent K doing a 'Shego' by working as a henchwoman for an incompetent 'evil genius'. Hell, she even wears green! What can I say? I love Shego. Heh.

"Battery Included" turns our main girl into a teeny-tiny action figure with killer karate chop action. Why? How? You're just gonna have to wait and see. Suffice to say, it should change the way you look at little dolls...

Still thinking up more stories. Angel Ace Next clocked in at 80 pages... K.I.A. should be even BIGGER. More on this as we think it up.

Lookee! Lookee!


Here's an artwork I did of Kagura from Inu Yasha. You can find it in this year's December issue of Newtype USA.

It was a pleasant surprise to see another one of my artworks to make it into the fan art gallery of Newtype USA. This is my second published work in the anime mag, the first being my 'Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Pillowfight' artwork. It's been awhile since I submitted the pic... Lucky. Heheh.

Fly, my pretty! FLY!

It’s out of my hands.

I just came from the office of Questor. I submitted the first installment of the Kunoichi Boy manga, which will be appearing in the pages of Questor Extreme Mangamania early next year.
The popular and widely-circulated manga anthology presently contains four stories; Sidesweepers is an action-comedy about a team of cops/sanitation experts operating in a future Manila. Cante Ista is a serious and dark fantasy-drama about ancient totem spirits and the people who carry their powers into an inevitable conflict between good and evil. Free Spirits is a shoujo-style (girls comics) romance-comedy/drama story about a barkada of teenagers and a mysterious haunted house. And finally, there’s Camp Big V, which takes up the story of the Volt fighters years after the end of the events of the popular Voltez-V anime, with a decidedly lighter tone.
Kunoichi Boy is a fantasy action-adventure story about the adventures of a cross-dressing ninja warrior. Think Ninja Scroll crossed with Ranma 1/2 and Inu-Yasha. KB will apparently be replacing Cante Ista in the Qextreme lineup, which will be wrapping up in the next issue or so.

Coming Soon

I haven't watched a good movie... scratch that. I haven't watched a movie in weeks. Here are some titles I am stoked to watch...

The Last Samurai- this Tom Cruise-starrer is being described as Dances with Wolves in ancient Japan. Still, with epic battle scenes, awesome swordplay, a much-talked about battle between samurai and NINJA, this seemingly understated film about the waning samurai culture in turn of the century Japan looks pretty interesting.

Troy- this adaptation of the legendary war of myth stars Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom and a whole lot of other big-name stars. It also features MAMMOTH battle scenes and production values that just scream EPIC. This is still a ways off... DVD buffs can get a preview of sorts by grabbing the Helen of Troy movie from the local dvd stalls...

Hellboy- a film version of comic artist Mike Mignola's demonic hero, with Ron Perlman (Vincent from the Beauty and the Beast TV series) as the titular devil-turned humanity's defender against evil. Add in a pyrokinetic babe, a reptilian sidekick, a host of Lovecraftian horrors and some formidable Nazi adversaries and you may have either the next big superhero movie or 2004's answer to LXG. Ulp.

Return of the King- It's still up in the air whether we'll luck out and get some tickets for some premieres or if we have to wait with most people till January for the LOTR film to end all films.
It's the final part of the War of the Ring and everything is at stake. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Samwise (Sean Astin) literally crawl and fight their way to Mount Doom even as Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and the rest of the sundered Fellowship try to unite the forces of light against Mordor's several hundred thousand-strong army of darkness.
Despite the no-brainer that this film's going to kick ass, there have been some hiccups, such as the absence of actor Christopher Lee's Saruman character from the precedings (the sequences detailing the fallen wizard's fate will appear in the ROTK extended dvd set), that may make this less than perfect. But damn, I'm going to see this film and LOVE it.

Hoo-hah! Lots of movies. Gotta make it a point to get myself a mutant dvd player over Christmas. Gonna be running the ol' player to the ground I think. Heh.

A Brief Respite

My gosh. It's been a hectic last couple of months.

For weeks and weeks now I've been rushing this or that comic book project, staying up till 4 AM burning my retinas staring at a monitor, infusing my veins with Coke and even missing a Saturday foray to Greenhills or two! (EGADS!) But in the end, it was all worth it.

This December, in a few days time, we will be seeing the first result of our labors.

Siglo: Freedom, an anthology of comic stories set in various decades of Philippine life, will arrive into our groping hands.

Next week, on the same day as the C3Con, I will be getting my own personal project, Angel Ace Next, the latest release in my original manga series. It's 80 pages of art, stories and more art that features the talents of some of the best local artists I know and am lucky enough to call my friends.

Cherry Blossom High is a shoujo-style manga anthology I worked on with Jason Banico and a bunch of other cool artists and writers. It's all about cute schoolgirls who kick butt, make you go 'ooh' and 'aah' and more.

Right now, I've just finished my first project for NEXT year, Kunoichi Boy for Questor.

I think I'll allow myself a little breather before I throw myself into K.I.A's world of femme fatales, martial arts and intrigue.

Maybe I can get back to playing Gladius on Xbox, or Final Fantasy X2 for PS2. Or give Anito another shot. Or maybe I should just watch anime and reduce the number of unwatched Inu Yasha, Scrapped Princess, Last Exile episodes that are piling up.

Or maybe I should just get some shut-eye.

Ah, choices, choices. Heh.

Kunoichi Boy

Here are some images and samples from Kunoichi Boy, my newest manga creation that's set to come out in the pages of Questor Extreme Mangamania early next year. Wait for it!


Jin Dragu and Mikoto may be cuddly sweet in this pic, but they start off trying to bash each others' brains in.


The Pink Ninja is Jin's alter ego. When he dons the pink costume and fake boobs, he/she's almost a different person altogether.


The tough-as-nails Mikoto is actually a ninja but she's more used to breaking than sneaking.


Mikoto knows how to make an impression.


Even in his mild-mannered everyday garb, Jin is a hero through and through.

Comic-making Machine

Yesterday was spent mainly working on pages for Kunoichi Boy, my latest manga creation. I finished inking late in the afternoon and started doing grayscale work and lettering on Photoshop after dinner. The work proceeded well, and I was able to finish 9 pages. Tonight, I expect to finish the rest and be done with the whole thing. So, I should make my deadline with a couple of days to spare.

Kunoichi Boy is an action-fantasy adventure which I see as a cross between Ranma 1/2, Ninja Scroll and Inu Yasha (some of my favorite anime). It chronicles the adventures of the land of Tao's only MALE Kunoichi (a Kunoichi is, FYI, the Japanese word for female ninja). This new series is probably my most action-oriented so far; it's given to lots of exciting sequences and strategy-laden fights as hero Jin Dragu aka The Pink Ninja must use both his skills and wits to defeat various enemies, many of whom are a lot more powerful than him. Aside from being my first actual 'ninja' series, KB is also my first with a male lead (though he's dressed as a girl half the time).

Unlike Angel Ace or even next year's upcoming K.I.A., Kunoichi Boy will not be a self-published venture. I am pleased to say that readers will be able to follow the series in the pages of Questor Extreme Mangamania, one of the most popular local manga publications. If all goes well, we'll be seeing KB debut this January. Wait for it! WOOHOO!

You Dare to Eat? Itlog ng Butiki

I ate butiki (lizard) eggs!!! Hehehe.

No, really. Well, actually they're just little spherical candies I found at a nearby Ministop convenience store. They're from a company called Nicefoods, and they come in at least two flavors- chocolate and strawberry. At just nine pesos a bag (smal bag though), it's pretty affordable. You bite into them and feel a slight air rush as the little balls crack with a sugary tang. I guess it's supposed to emulate what happens when you bite into real reptile eggs... Heh.

Fear Factor candies. Cool.