MAD About Tacos


Tacos to make you go 'Ariba!'

The best taco in town isn't found at Taco Belle, despite what the billboard along Katipunan says. Nope, in the rare times that I was actually able to taste the fare at the popular Gateway Mall branch, it was really nothing special. If you want great tacos, you don't have to crowd with the throngs that clog TB in Cubao. Just head on over to any Pancake House- they've been serving great, delicious tacos for years and years. And they make good side dishes to a plate of flapjacks. Or, you could try the tacos at Magoo's pizza, which is actually quite good. For me, it's all in the mix of the shell, the veggies, cheese and savoury meat, and how they all remain distinct as you crunch into the snack.
But really, my best discovery in tacos recently just has to be the delicious fare at Kamicos, a snack kiosk at Shoppesville Plus in Greenhills. They say they've got the 'Best Tacos in Town', and what can I say? After tasting one a couple of weeks ago, everytime I go to GH I am compelled to buy a couple. The meat is juicy and savoury, the veggies crisp and the cheese plentiful on top. Heap on the hot sauce and enjoy! Better yet, the shells they use are crispy but firm, and eating is not messy. Have a couple or one with a pasta dish- it's great!
So if you got a taco craving, no need to go to those big-name Mexican places. There are other places for to sate that crispy craving. Just have a try and crunch away.

Iron-Fisted


Namco saves the best for last.

Got Tekken 5 for the PS2 a couple of days ago, and it's pretty awesome. I've also played the arcade version, and all I can say is that the conversion is spot on. Graphically, it's almost identical- save for stuff that only a hardcore Tekkenhead would miss. As for gameplay, it's tight and pretty cool... it takes off the unwelcome additions made in the unpopular Tekken 4, giving it a bit of the old school feel from the better past games.
Anyway, the gang's back, including some oldies like Wang Jinrei and Bruce Irvin, and the offspring of the original Roger the Kangaroo. There are three totally new competitors; power-hungry, amoral kung fu badass Feng Wei resembles an oriental Paul Pheonix with his hard, brutal hits, while ninja superspy Raven enters the fray with his deceptive moves. Finally, teen dream Asuka Kazama is the spiritual successor of Tekken 2's Jun Kazama, with her graceful moves and counters.

The PS2 version gives the customary home extras, but revs up the juice with stuff like the arcade versions of the first three Tekkens, playable in the disc in the game's Arcade History mode.
Playing through Story Mode is now a lot cooler thanks to new and improved voice acting for all the characters- Namco did a great job, and the characters sound great, some even speaking in their native languages. It helps a lot that the Story mode has some nice extra scenes along with the opening narration and ending CG... you CAN actually make heads and tails of what's going on... though often what's going in is pretty crazy.
The best part of the Story Mode is of course the CG endings, of which every character has one. Despite the serious storyline shown in the Opening CG, any of the endings are pretty funny... if not downright comedic. My only gripe is one ending- which shows off a couple of the Tekken MEN in skimpy skimpy thongs(!). Now, Namco has resisted putting their babes in bikinis... but WHY oh WHY do they have no compunctions in putting Heihachi in a thong? EH? Gah, my eyes.

Aside from all the fighting, there's an action side-game starring Jin Kazama called The Devil Within. where you guide Jin through various corridors, fighting guards and the occasional boss. It's pretty repetitive and kinda boring, but worth a shot for some extra goodies.
Another great new thing is the ability to accessorize your characters and buy new colors and stuff for your fighters with money you earn in the various modes. It's a page borrowed from Virtua Fighter, though hopefully in the future they'll add more stuff and more costumes (take a hint from Dead or Alive too, Namco).

Aside from a few little nitpicks and the inclusion of a totally cheesy and cheap end boss, Tekken 5 PS2 is the BOMB. It's loads of fun and totally cool. A great way to cap the PS2 with perhaps the last and best fighting game on the console. A MUST-buy for any gamer. Get. NOW!

New Anime

Got some new Japanimation to check out. There's Sanbouzou, which is quite unusual to say the least. It's an ecchi-laden action-comedy set in the future, when man's deeds have reduced the world to a desert wasteland. Even in this day and age, evil men still prey on their fellows, and trouble is commonplace. Enter Sanbouzou- a diminuative little bounty hunter who is feared among the outlaws and lawbreakers. The odd thing here is that Sanbouzou isn't exactly your usual anime hero. In fact, you apparently never see his face. The character seems perpetually wearing his bulky gas mask and straw hat- making him kinda look like an oriental jawa. Anyway, he kicks butt with a shotgun that fires explosive rounds and a wealth of gadgets and traps. Oh, and Mr. Sanbouzou loves the ladies... something that's pretty much a part of the show's copious fan service as various sexy babes cross the Japanese Jawa's path, for better or ill.
If you asked me, this looks like your anime surrogate for ecchi-loving viewers. Sanbouzou is faceless, so particularly imaginative otaku can picture themselves as the little hero- kinda like how usually the faces of guys in porn vids aren't shown. But then again, so far Mr. Sanbouzou hasn't gotten any, but we'll see how it goes in later episodes.

Also got several episodes of the new Oh! My Goddess TV series, which isn't as nicely-drawn and animated as the original OAVs from long ago, and seems very leisurely in it's pace (it takes the series three episodes what the OAV did in one). Looks kinda cool... we'll see.

Finally, got some episodes of the controversial Gantz, but ARGH I'm missing the first two eps. I guess I gotta set them aside until I fill in that gap.

Ah. Lots of shows to enjoy and see. That and I still haven't touched Casshern, Cutie Honey the Movie and Wonderful Days yet. Well, with K.I.A. out of the way I should have time to watch now. At least, I hope. Heh.

Out of my Hands

That's what K.I.A. is right now. I've given it off to the printers, so now it's a matter of production. Crossing my fingers in the hope that the book comes out as great as it should look. I can't wait to have a freshly-printed copy in my hands. DARN. A couple of weeks to go. Sigh.

Retro Gaming Part Deux

WOOHOO! I struck gold yesterday. Though I failed to get a copy of Tekken 5, I did get my hands on an ultra cool Xbox game disc which contains an archive of literally dozens and dozens of games from the Sega Genesis. This includes games from the early to mid-nineties, which enthralled our generation back in the 16-bit era, when the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis were THE gaming consoles to have. There are tons of games on the disc, including adventure titles, action games, run and jumps, shooters, rpgs, beat 'em ups (including the cool Eternal Champions and Namco's classic pre-Soul Edge hack-and-slash fighter, Weaponlord) and more.

The ability to just play these retro classics is just awesome, I'd say. A good chunk of gaming history right there, and what a coincidence- right after the gang talked about holding a retro-gaming tournament in the near future. Coolness. Or should I say, groovy? Next time, I should get that Atari Games Anthology disc too. Heheh.

Fighting Games

It's funny, I think, how there are factions of gamers that are polarized between games like Tekken, Virtua Fighter and DOA. Tekkenheads say all other games are shit. VF claims to be the deepest and the most technique-heavy. DOA says that theirs is the best.
I pretty much like all three games- Tekken is flashy and has that comic book-feel. VF is great because of the realistic techniques and the hardcore feel of martial arts. DOA is fast and fluid and the most visually impressive, and the sex appeal doesn't hurt at all. In my opinion, Tekken could do without the constant down-hits, and it could look nicer. VF is hard to learn and a bit on the mundane side in terms of flash and coolness. DOA could do with more tactics and toning down of elements like too-strong counters and the inclusion of more throws and throw-counters.

They all have their flaws and strengths- the best way is just to enjoy them all for what they bring to your table. But I guess, some people out there have very narrow tables.

Anyway, a recent interview with Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki has him doing his customary Tekken-bashing, which is pretty funny. Predictably, Tekkenheads over at various Tekken websites and forums are up in arms. Itagaki has been a very vocal opponent to Tekken, and Namco's team are equally as venomous in their comments about DOA. It's perhaps one of the most icy rivalries in gaming. Perhaps someone should hold a boxing tournament and put these developers in a ring to settle their differences.

Whatever. I enjoy my DOA Ultimate, have a copy of Virtua Fighter Evolution and am getting Tekken 5 soon. I'm happy. Can't we all just... get along?

Retro Gaming

Tonight, after a Japanese dinner and over fudge sundaes at McDo, the gang's talks went to stories of the lovely, lovely games we used to play in the 24-bit era of the original Playstation. Those were the days... the days when videogaming started to become 'cool' instead of being just geek entertainment... when games arrived weekly for the taking at Virra Mall, and when the games were GREAT overall instead of often just looking great these days.
We reminisced about our common favorites... Final Fantasy, Streetfighter, Suikoden, Bushido Blade... darn, the mid to late nineties were THE time for gaming. These were the days that set the foundation for our generation's love for interactive entertainment. I honestly see myself playing games years and years from now. These games will keep my mind sharp and alive, hopefully, even when I'm retired and in my golden years.

Playtime

FINALLY got to play Tekken 5 at the arcade. There was FINALLY a gap where none of the hardcores were there on one of the two machines, and I was able to play a couple of games. Someone challenged me using Ling Xiaoyu. Even though I was still pretty much a newbie using my chosen character Asuka Kazama, I won pretty easily (HEY! Someone worse than me). Alone again after that, I played a couple more games until my Powercard ran out of juice.

That's probably the last time I'll play Tekken 5 in the arcade... I'll hopefully be getting a copy of the PS2 version soon, maybe even as early as tomorrow, and then playing to my heart's content in The Sanctum from then on in.

Darn. Winning is fun. Heh...

Battling Babe


Maki Aikawa AKA The Air Master, packs a nasty kick.

Just watched several episodes of the fighting anime Air Master. The series is all about the embattled life of streetfighter Maki Aikawa, a former competitive gymnast who now finds her only true joy while engaging in brutal, hand-to-hand combat. Maki is so skilled in the use of aerial attacks and techniques, she can almost fly, hence the name 'Air Master'. As yet undefeated, Maki continually searches for stronger and more dangerous opponents. Can anyone defeat her? What is her purpose for fighting?
That's pretty much all that Air Master is about- well, the series is no Serial Experiments Lain. There is a wealth of sidecharacters though, ranging from the obnoxiously bratty little Renge (who looks like a ten year old child but is actually in HIGH SCHOOL), the innocent and HUGE boobed Mina and Maki's continual loud-mouthed nemesis, Saeko. Maki herself is similar to most fighting game heroes- usually taciturn and silent, slightly naive but turning into a totally different beast when she engages in combat. Thankfully, she's not unlikeable, and is perhaps the most likeable person in the cast of airheads in Air Master.
One thing that you will notice first off though in Air Master is the art style; the characters look reminiscent of Go Nagai designs. Maki herself looks a bit on the mannish side at times, and can hardly be considered kawaii thanks to her standing over six feet tall and having slitted, small eyes (something usually reserved to slinky, evil characters in anime). Still, I watch wrestling so I actually find her attractive, so no big- viewers who enjoy the cute battle babes of titles like Variable Geo, Aika or the recent Ikki Tousen might find Air Master's female characters unattractive, or even ugly. To me though, Maki LOOKS the part of being a tough gal, and DAMN is she bad-ass.
Which brings us to the best stuff in Air Master (aside from the frequent panty flashes)- the fighting. Maki goes up against a variety of enemies, and so far the battles are brutal kick-and-punch heavy affairs that are both hard hitting AND graceful.

This series isn't for everyone; I would say that if they prettied up Maki a bit (though I like her as is) and took away some rather risque elements (constant boob jokes, the lesbian angles), this would be more accessible to more people. However, as it is, it's a pretty cool fighting anime- which means it delivers on the blows and the blood without resorting to power blasts and super attacks, and quite a bit of spicy fanservice as well. Those looking for deep plots and rich characterization should look elsewhere though. In other words, Air Master is pro-wrestling class anime. Heh. Anyway, I like it, and maybe some of you out there will too. Maybe.

Holiday

It's the day of the EDSA Revolution. I'm pretty glad that we have this break and all, but I really think they should stop holding the celebratory events. Every year the people who actually attend the 'festivities' grow fewer and fewer- and even then, most are probably just hired for appearances' sake... it's just embarrasing. The EDSA Revolt was a great milestone in our history, but politicians should stop trying to milk it and hype their roles in it. Let's remember the past, but stop wallowing in the past glory. Filipinos have this incredible flaw for resting on their laurels. Onward, ever onward people. Anyway, the three-day weekend's cool, in any case. Yawn.

K.I.A.

It's final. I'm giving out K.I.A. Volume 1 for submission to the printers out tonight. It's been over a year in the making, and now it's done. Now, all the work will be for getting the word out about the book, putting up the website and so on. Here's to a print production process with no problems, since this is the first time I'm doing a book this thick, with perfect-binding; that means the usual binding for most books with spines, instead of 'saddle stitching' for phamphlet-style comics with staples. Well, all I can do is hope for the best. We have a great printer, and they've done great work on a previous comic book publication, so everything should go well.

Anyway, here are the final images of K.I.A's exteriors.


Look for K glaring at you from the comic racks this March.


Back cover art by Jennyson. Awesome, isn't it?

Still haven't set down a cover price yet, but we may settle on something like Php180.00 for the 160-page book. We'll set down everything once everything's final, soon.

Tekken Home

Starting today, the PS2 version of Tekken 5 will already be in the hands of some lucky bastards. I'm hoping to find bootlegs already, but I'll be getting an original copy whatever happens. Anyway, from the many reactions online, the game looks spot on- perhaps one of the best home conversions ever. The included versions of the first three Tekkens are reportedly direct ports from the original arcade versions- which shouldn't be a problem for the PS2 since they were built on System 11 hardware (glorified PS One). It'll be really cool to have all the coolest Tekkens in one disk, since Tag Tournament was kinda blah and Tekken 4 is pretty much something we all want to forget.
A nice surprise are the extra costumes made specially for the home version. These fancy duds were designed by various artists in Japan, and some are pretty slick. In particular are the 3rd costumes of new girl Asuka and veteran Yoshimitsu. Asuka's can pretty much be described as a Yakuza mistress, with a revealing, high-slitted black, spiderweb motif-kimono and cloth wraps/tapes around her torso. Not quite the costume you'd expect... awesome! Yoshimitsu, known for having bizarre, alien-like appearances, is given a black, fanged look which makes him appear as a blackened dried zombie from Brendan Frasier's Mummy movies.

Can't wait to get my copy. Lots of Iron Fist fighting's coming. And with K.I.A. finally going out of my hands, I'll actually be able to have some time off to play. YAY!

Brutal Anime

I've been seeing a lot of the new anime known as Gantz recently. This series has raised a lot of controversy in Japan because of truly horrific violence and bloodshed- enough so that the episodes had to be extensively re-edited, cropped and censored to be allowed to air.
Of course, on dvd or vcd we don't have to worry about any cuts, so anyone wanting to see the brutal glory of Gantz need only get the series for themselves. I haven't seen this around yet, but I am intrigued. However, the write-ups about Gantz have stressed that the violence may be offensive to some viewers. I've seen a lot of bloody anime before, and I've yet to see truly stomach-turning stuff... let's see how Gantz revs up the meter.

Also, the series is produced by Gonzo (Last Exile, Gatekeepers), one of my favorite anime production houses, which is another reason why I want to see it. Let's see if Gonzo truly can do no wrong...

Gantz is the story of Kei Kurono, a Japanese youth whose life is prematurely cut when he is run over by a train. But instead of the afterlife, he finds himself in a strange room, in which dwells a strange black sphere known only as The Gantz. Soon after, Kei and many other recently-deceased resurectees are sent on a deadly game- to exterminate various alien beings in human guise throughout the world. If they fail, they die again. So if he's to survive, Kei's gotta do a whole lot of killing...

I'll post my comments once I pull a copy from someone's bloody hands...

Cramping my Style

There's nothing more irritating than waking up in the morning, stretching your leg and then suddenly feeling the muscles in your calf KNOT UP harder than a piece of gnarled wood. Like what happened to me this morning. AAAAAEEEEHHHHH!!!! This probably happens to me every several months. Maybe I should try limbering up gently before going to bed. Sigh.

Future Fighters


The Streetfighter Series Four lineup from SOTA Toys.

SOTA Toys has finally announced the lineup for their fourth wave of Streetfighter action figures. Series Four will consist of Bruce Lee-lookalike Fei Long from Streetfighter II, moody Goth-guy Remy from Streetfighter III, fan favorite evil master Akuma, chain-wielding bruiser Birdie and last but not the least, Ibuki the ninja schoolgirl from Streetfighter III!
I don't really know if my little e-mail campaign helped since Ibuki was pretty much of a shoe-in given her popularity and the relative obscurity of her competition (Rose and Rainbow Mika from the Streetfighter Alpha games). But just the same I'd like to thank everyone who answered my call and voted for my favorite Streetfighter character. WOOHOO! Ninja action figure on the way! Heh.
The fourth wave of SOTA Streetfighter toys should hit by late 2005.


SF fans wanted her and they got her.

Movie Villain

On the way to work, I heard that former congressman and actor Dennis Roldan has been arrested on suspicion of heading the Kidnapping Gang that abducted a 3-year old Filipino-Chinese boy. The family of the child couldn't pay the more than 100 million peso ransom, and eventually turned to the police after the kidnappers threatened to wound the boy and let him 'bleed to death'. One rare unbotched rescue later, the gang was taken into custody and Roldan fingered by the suspects as the mastermind.

Wounding a 3-year old kid and letting him bleed to death.

A couple of things come to mind. The kidnappers' heads and a that big honking morning star Mel Gibson used to cave in a traitorous noble's face in the movie Braveheart.

Back

I haven't been able to update recently since all I've been doing for the past several days was scrambling to finish everything K.I.A. in time. Despite having over a year to develop, gather together people and material for this project, it still eventually came down to me sprinting the final lap to get everything done finally. In the end though, I am really happy with how the pages are now composed.
Anyway, long story short, K.I.A. Book One is pretty much done. All that remains are some finishing touches- a couple of text materials and one page of extra stuff that I'll finish today or tomorrow. Then it's off to the printers to simmer for a couple of weeks.
The numbers are impressive. 19 contributors. 12 hot pinups, 13 cool stories, 160 pages and one deadlysexy femme fatale. It's been a ride, and I'm just so glad it's coming to fruition. Yipee!

Now, back to our regular scheduled blogging. Heh.

Tekken Ultimate

I'm probably one of the biggest Dead or Alive fans around, and I totally LOVE DOA Ultimate for giving me videogame bikini battles... but this time, it seems that Namco's Tekken 5 for the PS2 really IS an ultimate package for videogame fans.
Aside from a very close translation of the recently-released arcade version of Tekken 5, the PS2 version will come with a TON of extras and bonuses.

Arcade-perfect translations of Tekken 1, 2 and 3 are coming in the disc. The arcade versions (sans any home extras from the PSOne translations) will be included in Tekken 5's History Mode. Not only do you get the latest Tekken, you get the first three games (and the best games, actually) free! Is that COOL or what???

An action minigame starring main character Jin Kazama entitled Devil Within. Similar to the previous Tekken Force modes, you control the fighter as he brawls, jumps and battles his way past various oppoinents. Ala Devil May Cry, you can turn into Jin's diabolical self when a special power meter fills up. Too bad you can't choose the other fighters, but what the hey?

The classic arcade shooter Star Blade will be playable during loading screens, similar to how Galaga played while the classic PSOne Tekken loaded.

Taking a cue from DOAU and Virtua Fighter 4, there will be new accessories to heap on your characters, as well as several all-new costumes designed especially for the home game. We're hoping to see Nina Williams or Asuka Kazama in bikinis, but we're not holding our breath.

New CG cinematics for each character in Story Mode will be available, so you can understand the whole convoluted Tekken 5 storyline. Okay, at least we can TRY. Heh.

That's a whole lot of stuff. And best of all... Tekken 5 for the PS2 will be out later this month! The best Tekken yet is coming home, so make room on your PS2. WOOHOO!!!!

FINISHED!

WOOHOO!!!!

I've done it. I've finished ALL my art chores for K.I.A. There's nothing more for me to write, draw, ink or render on Photoshop for the book. All is done save the organization of the book and laying out into pages for the printers.

Well, there IS that one story still coming, but I expect that within today. Crossing fingers.

Darn, it's so close I can almost see it. Touch it. Taste it.

Looking at the art and the material lined up, I'm pumped. I want to get it out and let people see what we were able to accomplish. But really, there's still a bit of work left, though this time more on the print production side and issues involving getting the word out on the book once it's available- stuff like making posters, seeing a K.I.A. webpage up and figuring out how to get into upcoming events. Still quite a bit to do, actually.

But we've passed a major checkpoint. The finish line is in sight.

Here's to the hope we make the final sprint without tripping over ourselves.

Break

I've decided to spend the rest of the week to finish K.I.A. Even if and when the final contributor pages are sent in, I've still got to finish the touches on a couple of stories AND organize everything into the final book. Anyway, as before, the final book will have 160 pages, with various pinups in between stories and another art gallery at the end. It should be something to see, once it's all together.
Anyway, aside from doing to book I'll try to get in some R&R... perhaps watch Constantine, from which I've read a couple of good reviews. Maybe I'll also get down to playing some hours of Suikoden 4 and a recently-acquired copy of Champions: Return to Arms.

The rest of the week is all mine, so it's pretty cool. It's rare to have a breather like this... I should make it count.

Iron-Fisted

I finally got to play Tekken 5 after several days of watching freaky Tekkheads who seem to spend both their salaries AND working hours ON this thing. The really irritating thing about there being only ONE machine is that you have to share it with these blasted pro-level players. You spend almost 20 pesos only to get your ass kicked by some jolog who has dedicated his motor skills to mastering infinite combo juggle strings. It's CRAZY.
Which reminds me my most hated thing in Tekken- how someone can just pound you again and again and again before you can ever even stand the frick up. It started in the horrible Tekken 4, and it's still here. It's just wrong to spend dozens of pesos for seconds of game time since you get KILLED by someone using the same move again and again.

Anyway, as I reported earlier, the supposedly deceased Heihachi IS indeed alive... somehow the old geezer survived getting blown up in Honmaru temple by attacking Jack Robots. I guess after all this time, his flesh is so hard it's indestructible. Anyway, once old Hei's unlocked, he's the third to the last character you face in the Story/Arcade mode, right before Devil Jin and End Boss Jinpachi.
Characters I've seen kicking arse are Hwoarang, Nina and Jin... fast characters who have easy and safe combos and moves that just hit and hit and hit seemingly without any recovery time.

PAH. When I get the home version I won't NEED to play in the frickin' mall with these blasted fanatics. I can beat up people in the comfort of The Sanctum as much as I want. Late February can't come soon enough.

Narrow Margin

Yesterday, I left the office at about 6:30, getting on a bus and heading for home. Curled up in a seat in the cool airconditioning, I zoned out staring at the passing traffic of Ayala avenue and later EDSA.

I stopped by at Megamall and finally played my first games of Tekken 5.

After getting my arse severely kicked several times, I got a text from Budj, informing me about the bombing incident near the LRT station at the corner of EDSA and Ayala.

In another world, another reality, I could have been near that horrific incident, alongside the stricken bus, among the hapless victims bloodied and savaged by a some terrorist bastard's bomb.

DAMN these bastards. No Vanishing Ray for these murdering cowards. PIANO WIRE. I'd do it with fricking PIANO WIRE. DAMN them all to whatever Hell there is.

Be careful and be vigilant, everyone.

Invitation

I've finally finished all the art for my collaboration with Dean in K.I.A. Entitled "Invitation", the 12-page story is about how a mysterious group of female assassins set their sights on having Kai join their ranks. Unfortunately for them, all Agent K wants to do is finish her job and go home...

Enjoy the full story when K.I.A. comes out. For now though, here are some samples of the finished art.


The Five Seasons have set their eyes on K.


You really shouldn't bother someone when they're busy kicking faces in.


If Sauron had a girlfriend, she'd look like Miren here.


Ji'an doesn't see much action in the story, but isn't she cool-looking?

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY


Have a Ninja Valentine's Day!

Even though the 'Day of Hearts' is just a merchandising ploy started by businesses to sell countless boxes of candy, flowers and cards to innumerable hopeless romantics, we hope everyone's sappy and happy today. Happy Valentine's, everyone! And remember, if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with. Heh.

Princess Party

Today is the birthday of Sage, Dean and Nikki's little princess! So all of us Uncles and Aunts are heading off later this afternoon to attend her Disney-themed birthday party. Gotta be out of the house soon after lunch since I gotta shop for her gift, and then maybe head on down to the Tekken 5 machine. Believe it or not, I haven't played a single round yet. But well, I can wait. I'd rather spend my money on the PS2 home version than burning it against hardcore Tekken fanatics who seem to live ON the machine. Anyway...

Happy birthday, Sage! May you have more Princess Parties to come.

Sequestered

I gave up a night out at a new Chinese restaurant with the gang to stay home and work on the pages for K.I.A. The pages for the collaboration with Dean are done in the paper stage- now all there is left is shading and lettering on computer. I see the story being put away by tomorrow or early this week, then it's on to the book's epilogue and one more story.
I'm counting on the last remaining loose ends to be wrapped up this week, and for the pages on digital media to be submitted to the printers by next weekend. That is if the CDs don't get confiscated by some security guard at the MRT.

On the other aspects, I'm also having revisions on the soon-to-be up K.I.A. webpage, and re-doing the layout and look of the online site to match the new cover. The webpage will contain info like contributor bios, samples of the pinups (low-res) and the general storyline. I'll aslo be putting up contact info and directions for ordering in case people from overseas or outside Metro Manila want the book but are thousands of miles away from the nearest Comic Quest branch.

Should keep working into the wee hours of Sunday morning and beyond. I'm tired, but am I happy that I can still do this. This is damn fun. Heh.

Gestapo

Apparently, someone in government (supposedly the VRB or Video Regulatory Board) thought it would be a bright idea to have guards and checkpoints confiscate everything that looks like a pirated CD or DVD or any recordable media they get their pokey sticks on at the MRTs and LRTs.

Well, all this Gestapo-like tactic is doing is getting people MAD as hell. It's pretty stupid, almost as stupid as the notion that bombers will actually walk up to a mall's front door with a time bomb complete with ticking clock, sticks of dynamite and red wires just ready to be seen once their bag is opened.

I've been so far lucky to not be subjected to this, but it seems to be true according to guys like Jonas and recently, Elbert. So if you're bringing stuff of this sensitive nature, better take a cab or a bus. And spread the word, so this black-ops harassment can just die a much-deserved cease and desist. Feh.

Underwhelmed

I just got the latest PSM Magazine and watched the included dvd. The disc primarily has stuff on the PSP, including a pretty cool run-through of the system's menus and almost an hour of clips from the various games. Sad to say, the games so far failed to impress me.
I mean, Ridge Racer looks like Ridge Racer. Metal Gear Acid looks boring and it's just NOT cool to have turn-based, card game mechanics run a stealth action hero like Solid Snake. Darkstalkers? DARKSTALKERS? You've got PS2 Tekkens, DOAs, Streetfighter III Third Strike and you launch with an OLD niche fighter like Darkstalkers? FEH.
Other stuff like Dynasty Warriors, the puzzle games and the starter RPGs just don't get me thinking "I have to get my PSP now!" Which is actually good in a way since I have a lot of other stuff to spend my money on.

Once again, I don't see myself buying a PSP anytime soon. Incredibly enough, I'm not too excited about it. It's plainly cool to see and hold and it's a great device, but without hot games, it's just an expensive not-a-phone gadget. Yawn.

Which does not mean I won't be doing cartwheels if I suddenly get gifted with a PSP, or find one lying in the street. But if I have to spend twenty plus thousand on it, I'm gonna have to be wooed by something better than the stuff so far revealed.

PSP Dead or Alive. Mmmmm.... Am I dreaming? Well, we'll just have to wait and see.

Kai: Impending Arrival



The K.I.A. anthology comic is going to print in the next couple of weeks, by hook or by crook. If we allow about three or four weeks of printing and production, copies hot off the press should be in my hands by early to mid-April. This time though, I want to give ample time and preparation for the release- I want a launch event with all or most of the contributing artists, writers and creators. I want the website up and running. I want special extras ready for giving away with the comic. I want it present in every anime or comic event that pops up this year. All in all, even with the printing coming up, I may delay the Grand Launch till a good, sizeable event. Though I'll probably have copies in the stores as soon as possible. We'll see.

Everything's possible, as long as we put in all the due sweat and elbow grease. With all the effort that's gone into this thing, I'd better get it right. We only have one shot at this, so this time we have gotta make it count.

The Godfather (the Game) Part II

I've just seen clips of this game in development, and I have to say it looks pretty good. But then again, so far all that's been shown are CG vids of the cinematics and non-interactive visuals. But still, what's already been shown seems to be of top notch quality, as videogames go.
For one thing, Electronic Arts (the game producers) are actually using the original voice actors to reprise their roles; the video I saw had Robert Duvall and James Caan recording dialogue between their characters, Corleone consiglierie Tom Hagen and Sonny Corleone. Though the two actors are a LOT older, they still sound pretty much the same. The teaser trailer for the game, which simply shows you an eerily lifelike Vito Corleone addressing you and giving you an offer you can't refuse, is pretty cool. I can't tell though if they got a Marlon Brando Sound-alike or if they used the voice from the movie.
The last vid I saw showed a CG re-enactment of the scene in Godfather where the Don gets ambushed while buying fruit. There were two characters NOT in the movie who seem to be in a position to intervene and perhaps change movie continuity- are these guys the players' surrogates in the game?

No gameplay yet- still, I wonder how they'll handle this. In the case of the Don's Assassination Attempt, will you shoot it out with the two assassins, or will you face a TON of gunmen to make things longer and more videogamey? And will you be able to change huge events from the movie, and alter fates of various characters?

Intriguing stuff. I guess we'll all have to wait till the game arrives in Fall 2005.

It is HERE.

Tekken 5 is in Manila!!!

Yep. Last night, I found the latest King of Iron Fist tournament brawler, surrounded by gamefans and hardcore players trying out the new game, complete with memory cards for you to save your records, acquired items and accessories. The game looks great, although still a bit too much of the lackluster Tekken 4 seems to linger in the graphics. The gameplay though looks pretty cool, if a bit too combo and juggle heavy for my tastes. Contrary to what has been stated, it appears that reports of Heihachi Mishima's demise are greatly exaggerated- The machine had all the unlockable characters selectable from the get-go, and old Hei's one of them.
I got my memory card and my game card ready, but I wasn't able to play yet, since the rabid Tekken fanboys and giddy weirdos were all over it like bees on honey. We'll try tonight... anyway, this is just all prologue to the PS2 version, due in a couple of months. WOOHOO! Tekken fever's back in town.

Ninja vs Hackers

It's been reported that Tecmo has finally gotten around to sueing the pants off the guys over at Ninjahacker.net, a forum/board/website specializing in modding and hacking various games, not the least of which are Tecmo's Dead or Alive games, including Dead or Alive 3, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, Ninja Gaiden and more. The mods have included the ability to show the various female characters in the game nude, or near-nude, among other things.

Tecmo seems ready and willing to take this as far as it can go. Beware, hackers! Ninja are coming after you.

The Future of Advertising

Yesterday night, me and Vin and Andrew went up to the fourth floor of Megamall to the exhibit area where advertising students were holding their thesis exhibit. We met up with Elbert to congratulate his beloved and future art director Camy on a thesis well done.
Most of the exhibit area was packed with slick-looking booths festooned with advertising materials, posters, ads and merchandising paraphernalia. Some of them even looked real! It's a testament to the times that a student these days can whip up good, professional-looking ads with just a computer and a good printer.

Back in my day (cue in old geezer impression), we didn't have fancy-smancy printing shops or all-in-one typesetting programs and layout stuff. We had to guess-timate font sizes, use the basic enlarge/reduce functions in copier machines and manually draw copy blocks for our ads. Computers were rare, and the programs weren't as complete or as easy to use as today. Yeah, the young whippersnappers these days have it easy. All you really need is a good PC/Computer with scanner, a Photoshop program and Freehand to make ads.

Oh, and of course, creativity doesn't hurt at all. In fact, that's the best thing to have, and something that wil set apart the real future advertising greats from the rest of the pack.

Hot Anime


Rei faces his destiny in Steamboy.

Here's probably one of the most anticipated anime movies to come in many years.

The latest work of master animator/director/manga-ka Katsuhiro Otomo is entitled Steamboy, a fantastic action-adventure set in a Steampunk version of Nineteenth-Century Europe. The protagonist, young inventor Rei Steam, is about to attend the first World Expo when a mysterious device called The Steam Ball arrives at his doorstep from his father in the US. Soon after that, mysterious and sinister forces close in on Rei to capture the Steam Ball and it's awesome powers. Of course, these evil forces didn't reckon with a spunky, never-say-die kid who won't let the baddies take the day without a fight.

This movie seems to have it all- spies, armored troops, jetpacks, cool vehicles, flying fortresses AND a pretty heroine for Rei to fall for. All done with the trademark LOVELY animation you'd expect from the director of the legendary Akira. Refreshingly, Steamboy looks to be a whole lot more whimsical, humorous and uplifting than Otomo's most famous film.

Haven't found a local copy yet- but the film is set for a March release in the US, so perhaps we can expect this anyday now. I can't wait.

Show of Hands

I finally got to read the six-issue mini-series Elektra: The Hand. It's a nice little story detailing how the infamous ninja cult in the Marvel Universe had it's origins. That it came from being a sword school driven to become an all-powerful underground organization by its vengeful, foreigner-hating leader is cool, but quite a bit is unrevealed- like how they got all that mystical stuff like resurrection, and how they eventually become worshippers of The Beast. It actually kinda reminds me of the Itto-Ryu sword school from Blade of the Immortal.
The art isn't spectacular, but very nice. The action is pretty good, and overall this is a cool story for Elektra and ninja fans in general interested in learning more about some of the coolest villains in the Marvel Universe. Especially in light of that crappy Elektra film. Heh. Yeah, yeah, flogging a dead horse... hehehe...

Ghost Photo?

My officemate Fabo went on a shoot in the province last week, and being the camera buff that he is, he was snapping away at every opportunity.
While they were inside an old church, he came upon a flight of stairs leading to the choir loft. They were told that the area was off limits, and that it was locked up.

So Fabo off-handedly took one shot of the stairs, looked away for a second and took a pic of a nearby wall, and then took another pic of the stairs.

Imagine his surprise later when he finds something that wasn't there before in the second photo of the stairs.


Before...


After...

If you close in, it's obviously a little kid, a little baby girl in a fancy red dress holding what appears to be a rattle that covers her face. Fabo's pretty positive that he didn't see anyone at the top of the stairs. Thinking back, he remembers that the day he shot this was a Tuesday- not a day for a kid to be dressed up. Plus, he can't think of WHY any parent would allow such a small child to be walking ALONE atop such a high flight of stairs.

Is it just actually a small kid alone at the top of a supposedly closed section of an old church, or is it something else?

Brrr...

The Next Bloomin' Epic

I've just seen the trailer for Kingdom of Heaven, and WOW. It's an epic film about the Crusades, or the war between Christians and Moors during the Middle Ages. The film stars Orlando Bloom as a young knight quested with protecting Jerusalem from the heathens. From the pretty lengthy trailer you can see HUGE battle scenes, with hordes of horses, masses of knights and warriors, siege engines casting flame, great fortress walls and lots of swords and armor being readied. Could this be the next epic?
Yep, we've had epic blunders recently (Alexander), and slickly-edited trailers make films look a lot better than they really are, but the scenes shown just simply rock. Plus, the film is being directed by Ridley Scott, a man not unfamiliar with helming mammoth productions. So this might actually be pretty good, if not great.
Kingdom of Heaven will also star Jeremy Irons, Liam Neeson and David Thewlis. It's set for theaters in the US in May. Something to look forward to, I hope.

K.I.A. : Kai's Infinite Acronyms


"How about... Kai Is Annoyed?"

Last Saturday, over coffee and tea in UCC at Tomas Morato, the gang winded down and talked about- surprise, surprise, comics! Really, it's been a long time since we talked about local publishing and creative projects involving our passion in graficion and panels, so it was pretty refreshing.
Funny though, that after talking about upcoming projects, we eventually settled into the subject of my own soon-to-be-released K.I.A. anthology... particularly what the acronym K.I.A. should stand for. There were the TONS of variations of the letter 'I', which ranged from Illogical to Impractical to Incorrigible to Ignorant to Introspective and God knows what else.
Then there were the really weird ones, like Kai Is Assassin (which strangely enough I kinda like), or Kai: I'm Assassin! (which I do not). Needless to say, Dean, Vin, Jason, Nikki and I were all laughing our heads off (broken by occasional moments of silence when we thought 'Hey, that actually sounds cool'), probably to the irritation of the other customers. Heh.

Anyway, it just got me even more pumped to release the anthology, which is on the last leg of submissions. Soon, very soon. Promise!

New Games

Got some additions to the ol' gaming library.

There's Suikoden IV, the latest game in Konami's popular RPG. You play yet another hero scarred with a rune of power and seeking to bring together the 108 Stars of Destiny to take down an evil regime. This time, the action's at sea.

Playboy: The Mansion is a Sims-like game except this time you're given the role of Hugh Hefner, head of the Playboy Magazine mega-empire. Shmooze guests, hold parties, set up photo-shoots and publish racy magazines in your bid to big bucks and a bigger sofa.

Tenchu: Fatal Shadows is the latest ninja stealth-action game in this popular franchise. This time, two female protagonists take the stage as ninja he-man Rikimaru goes missing. Veteran Ayame crosses paths with the limb-twisting, neck-breaking Rin as they seek to punish evildoers with their deadly skills of ninjitsu.

Death by Degrees is the action-adventure spinoff from the best-selling Tekken series, starring blonde Irish assassin Nina Williams. The bombshell is on a sneaking and killing mission on a cruise ship controlled by an underworld organization. Expect lots of fighting moves, weapons, puzzles, cannon-fodder goons and rippable costumes.

Lotsa stuff to play with. Oooh. Heheh.

Can't Believe It

What the HELL is up with Ripley's Believe it or Not? Every week they now seem to have this weird segment with Kelly Packard reporting on some stupid competition with gross or crazy stuff- things like eating scorpions or the most hotdogs or breaking wooden planks with their heads. Why are they suddenly aping Fear Factor?

Arrrhhh... How I miss the days of Jack Palance...

A Date with the PSP

The US release of the Playstation Portable is now set for March 24. The handheld will be sold in a 'Value Pack' that will include, aside from the PSP itself, a headset/remote control, sample UMD disc, 32 mb memory stick, battery pack, AC adapter, a soft case, cleaning cloth AND a bonus UMD disc of the recent blockbuster movie, Spiderman 2. Wow! I would have preferred FFVII Advent Children, but that's nice. However, the bad news... the bundle will retail for $249.00. YOUCH! The price is a lot higher than industry experts predictions, which tagged the price at about $200, to match the Japanese retail price.
The launch lineup seems to be similar to the Japanese games... no real headturners for me. Damn, that's expensive. I guess that 20K peso-plus price is pretty much what we'll be seeing, though after a while a price below 20K should be possible eventually. Well, for me, it's wait and see. It's all about the games for me, so unless a title gets my interest, I'm holding out for now.

Good Girl Art


The much-awaited Frank Cho Shanna remake arrives.

I've been waiting for this to come since last year, when Mr. Cho broke the news on his site. Some may argue that Frank Cho's art has a 'soft' look to it and that his women all have but one face, but DAMN what a face. And what a body. I've been into the Cho art style since last year (though I've tamed down my desire to Cho-ize all my stuff), and it's all culminated with the release of the mini-series.
Slated for 7 issues (NO! MORE!!! MORE!!!), the new Shanna series arrives sans Marvel hubbie Ka-zar and other baggage like environmental activism. In fact, Shanna arrives sans clothing. She's first seen floating in a tank inside an apparently abandoned Nazi science installation, discovered by a group of commandos and a professor. Soon afterwards, the explorers meet the other denizens of the lab, and they look like they've come straight out of Jurassic Park.

The first ish is a fast read- the text isn't heavy and things move pretty fast along the pages. To go with the copious amounts of skin Shanna flashes (still censored though- DAMN), there's a fair bit of bloody violence which startles given Cho's 'clean' lines. Refreshingly though, Cho still manages to fit in some moments of humor, showing off his comic strip mentality with some quick little gags. All in all, the story tantalizes but I really want the next issue right now. It's fun, sexy and well worth the hefty price- at least for me it is.

Funny though, I found myself thinking of the Hellboy movie after reading Shanna- commandos, Nazi experiment, befuddled professor, and a naked main character found... same structure, eh? It's really intriguing what Mr. Cho has in mind for Shanna, given that there are only 7 issues. I'm really hoping they extend or continue this title and the character, with the Monkeyboy at the helm, indefinitely. This is pretty much a title that will stand as long as the prime elements (Mr. Cho, half-naked girl) stay together. But we'll see.

Shanna the She-Devil #1 is available NOW at Comic Quest and other comic specialty shops. Grab it before I get them all. Heh.

The MADman's Nastiest Ninja in Movies

The Octagon was one of Chuck Norris' better flicks, and it had him going up against a ninja cult holding underground death duels. The best fight in the film was a one-on-one duel with the Octagon's champion- a scary, nameless and masked ninja who kept coming and coming until Chuck threw him into a fire. And even then he still jumped out! The guy wasn't the head villain, but he was mean and he hissed. Heh.

Ninja III: The Domination was a pretty corny ninja flick with supernatural flavor starring Sho Kosugi, but it had great ninja action. The main villain was a master ninja who gets killed near the start of the movie (but only after taking down about a dozen cops and getting pumped full of enough lead to cast him a life size statue). Before finally expiring, the ninja transfers his spirit into a young woman who later becomes his vessel for revenge against the cops who offed him. Towards the end of the movie, the ninja returns to his body (!), goes up against Sho (whose wife he killed years ago) and showing powers like mind control over large numbers of people. The guy even causes earthquakes! How's that for deadly?

The Hunted is my favorite movie showing ninja in modern settings. Christopher Lambert stars as Racine, an American exec who, while vacationing in Japan, meets a beautiful woman (Joan Chen) who is actually the woman of a powerful and vindictive Yakuza. When she is killed by a powerful ninja master named Kinjo (John Lone at his most formidable), Racine witnesses the murder and thus becomes The Hunted. The situation escalates as Kinjo isn't alone- he's the head of the Makato- a whole village full of trained, ruthless killers who fear nothing and won't stop at anything to carry out their mission. Racine soon gets help from a modern-day samurai who is fighting an ancient war against Kinjo.
The high points in this flick are a deadly chase on a train, where the Makato board the bullet train after Racine, and start slaughtering everyone in their path to get at their target. The finale is a free-for-all battle between samurai and ninja in an ancient castle. Coolness! This flick really showed off how deadly ninja could be, updated to modern-day Japan.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, well, at least the first movie, was actually pretty cool. The ninja here are The Foot clan (which is, actually, a spoof and a nod to Marvel Comic's The Hand), portrayed as delinquent youths trained and brainwashed by The Shredder. They had cool uniforms and their great numbers made for cool fight scenes with the Turtles. A bit on the funny and cartoony side, but this was nice for the time. And still cooler than the Hand in the Elektra movie.

You Only Live Twice has James Bond teaming up with Ninja. Classic.

The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise features a ninja attack on the rebel samurai village, and it is considered by many as one of the film's best parts. The fighting here is fast, brutal and bloody cool.

In contrast, these films are a disservice to the ninja coolness...

American Ninja. Well, what can I say? ALL these films are crappy, which is probably because a couple of them may have been filmed or produced here in the Philippines. Ninja getting killed off like common thugs in huge numbers, a ninja master with a LAZER and more corny stuff with Michael Dudikoff. Bah.

Three Ninjas. It had Hulk Hogan. Nuff said.

Ninja Kids. OOH! A home-grown title. Actually a fun watch. But still crappy as a ninja movie.

Elektra. From a powerful mystical cult of master killers, we get a boardroom full of suits, two guys who get skewered by Jennifer Garner and later a whole bunch of ninja who are stupid enough to get killed by the oldest trap in the book- the old, "Leave the Gas on and Throw a Candle in as All of the Stupid Ninja Crash in the Room" trick. Sigh.

MAHAHAHAHAHA!!! So where will ninja go next in movies? We'll just have to wait and see. Perhaps when X-Men 3 comes out, it will have Psylocke and have some ninja sidestories. Well, I can dream can't I? Sigh.

She's Baaaaaack...


Death can't keep a good bad girl down.

Got my comics yesterday.

Suikoden III is actually growing on me again. The art's been consistent and quite lovely, and the story is moving quickly. I guess I'll be staying with this one until the bitter end. Perhaps I should start re-playing the game before I get spoiled with the manga.

Haven't read Blade of the Immortal's latest ish yet, and I don't expect to until I amass about three or four more issues. So at least I can look forwward to sitting down with it and warming the seat at least before I finish. Heh.

Battle Vixens looks cool, but I've got to catch up since I actually haven't read this since the third book.

Uncanny X-men 455 brings back a certain sexy ninja-telepath of English descent with an killer Asian body... Yep, Psylocke's back despite being gutted and put in a body bag some time ago. Maybe she was found by the same guys who resuscitated Kai? Anyway, there's talk that the hottie X-man was killed off and stayed dead because of Joe Quesada. Well, apparently that's changed and she's back courtesy of Chris Claremont. And there's talk that she might actually show up in the next X movie, which explains quite a bit. Heh.

Shanna the She-Devil is finally in my hands. It's a lot more expensive than the usual comics, which prevented me from buying an extra copy. Anyway, the art is GORGEOUS... Frank Cho can really draw women. Anyway, the issue is a fast read, and it's pretty easy to see that this new Shanna isn't your daddy's jungle girl. It seems she's an experimental super-soldier created by the Nazis, and now discovered by some explorers. Well, thanks to Mr. Cho we'll be seeing the blonde goddess in a makeshift bikini instead of Nazi fatigues. I hope this series sells so well that Shanna becomes a regular series. DROP THE FRIGGIN' SILLY ANIMALS AND DRAW JUNGLE GIRLS FULL TIME, MONKEYBOY!

Ah. So many comics. So little blood. It's a wonder I can still type...

sKetch


When the muse hits, you answer.

Yesterday, during a bit of down time, I whipped up this sketch of Kai. It turned out pretty well, so I'll probably ink and color it and use it somewhere in the K.I.A. book. It's been a long time since I've really drawn and done comics for considerable lengths of time. The way I work, I do comics in sprints. If I'm really into a project I'll sit down and do it and that will probably be what consumes any personal time I have. As Vin and the gang will probably remember, I'd bring finished pencils and stuff almost everyday to show off.
These days however, I do most of the work at home, partly because I don't usually carry a bag anymore. Perhaps the current waiting time for K.I.A. has somewhat made me lazy, but I'm still pretty pumped to make comics, bring characters to life and see amazing things materialize on paper from my hands.

Yep, there's nothing quite like that. It's magic, in a way, and I'm happy that I have this skill or talent (though I would have wanted the ability to play the piano or mastery of martial arts in me somewhere as well).

Whether it's drawing Angel Ace or Kai or any other of the cast of heroes, villains and anti-heroes battling in my head, I'll be drawing and writing and spinning stories for years to come. Promise.

Bloodbath

I'm expecting TONS of comics today, which will leave me weak and bloodless by the end of the day. Well, that is, if they actually arrive tonight.
Anyway, my much-awaited premier issue of Shanna the She-Devil will be coming with all-Frank Cho meaty goodness. For manga and anime, there's the latest Animerica, Blade of the Immortal, Suikoden III and Battle Vixens. On the US comics side, there's Uncanny X-men, Superman/Batman and Justice League Elite. DAAAAAAMMMNNNN!!!!
Well, hopefully the new stocks will be on the dot tonight. So I'll be going home pale and feeble but happy.

Insert Blurb Here

Web and comic artist Jonas Diego has some funny stuff in his new webcomic, Graphic Detail. His debut strip even stars Gerry Alanguilan! Check out Jonas' blog, The Blurb, for the strip, which will be updated often. Support Filipino Comics, people! Heh.

Resisting Temptation

Yesterday I passed by Toy Kingdom at Megamall and I spied lovely Playstation Portables (PSPs) on display. From what I can gather, the barebones unit-only package costs Php 21,000+, while the Value Pack (which includes some accessories) goes for Php 24,000+.
Now, some time ago I would have jumped the gun and bought my own Sony portable right there and then, but DAMN, it's pretty pricey for a handheld. Yeah, the PSP is cool as hell (what a paradox), but you have to consider quite a few things.

First, the units right now are first-wave machines; there are bugs to be worked out, flaws in both the hardware and software that early adopters will surely get inflicted with. Things like dead pixels. UMD (the discs the PSP uses) lids popping open inadvertently, causing the ultra-delicate UMD to fall to the ground and be rendered useless. And of course, the fact that there just aren't any cool games yet. Sure, Ridge Racer is out but it's hardly something worth 20K to play, is it?

And of course, any and all games right now are in Japanese. Including the arguably pretty cool Metal Gear Acid. Unless you have mastery of Nippongo, it's pretty pointless to go further.

Nope, I'm going to wait a while. For the prices to go down. For the PSP's flaws to get worked out and remedied in future batches. For UMD movies or at least software to encode MP4 movies watchable on the thing to be introduced. For a PSP Streetfighter or Tekken or Dead or Alive.

And, at the very least, AFTER I release K.I.A.

With these thoughts adamant in my mind, I turned to leave. As I did, my eyes veered to the side where a rich kid was inspecting the shiny, brand-new PSP he was about to buy.

Poor fool.

Poor DAMN frickin' lucky bastard fool.

BAH.

Timeless Adventure

They’re showing Raiders of the Lost Ark on HBO. Even though I’m pretty tired, I just have to watch it. It’s still the best action adventure film of its kind (the tomb-raiding, treasure-hunting, quasi-historical kind), having the best hero, the best quests, the best villains and action, and the best direction, performances, tone, music and craft. And in the Indiana Jones Trilogy, Raiders is head-and-shoulders above its sequels.

Of course, it’s a bit of trivia that actor Alfred B. Molina AKA Doctor Octopus from Spiderman 2 appears in Raiders, as one of Dr. Jones’ guides at the beginning of the movie (He’s the one who grabs the idol and leaves Indy once the earth starts shaking). These days, marketing for Raiders hypes up Molina’s appearance in the movie, now that he’s a bigger name. Well, whatever works. It’s pretty funny to note that one of Molina’s scenes involves an encounter with some arachnids… perhaps an omen of the future? Heh.


Alfred B. Molina had problems with spiders even back then.

Animation Sunday


Sailor-adventurer-explorer and all-around nice guy Corto Maltese.

This night, I found myself watching a couple of very unusual animation fare on cable.

The first feature was Kaena: The Prophecy, a CG film about a dying, tree-like world where a small tribe of humans cling to life as mysterious 'gods' within the tree dominate their lives. The titular character, Kaena, is a spirited young woman whose love for exploration soon leads her to finding the secrets of their world, their so-called gods and the key to saving her people's future.
The CG was pretty good, though I have to say that the look made me think of that crappy Final Fantasy Spirits Within movie. The story was your usual 'girl saves the planet' sort of thing, but it was interesting to see the cool alien designs and the lovely animations.

The second and better film of the night was an animated movie entitled Corto Maltese, based on the character and comics of Italian cartoonist, Hugo Pratt. The main and titular character is a sailor-adventurer who coasts through various adventures during the early to mid-1900s, meeting historical figures and encountering danger, secret societies, intrigue and quite a bit of carnage and bloody violence.
This particular story apparently involves a hunt for gold, a rich prize coveted by various factions. Corto is accompanied by a bearded companion who looks suspiciously like the Russian madman Rasputin and occasionally aided by a feisty Chinese girl and Red Lantern assassin known as Shanghai Li.
Despite having no over-the-top villains or threats of world domination, the story had me hooked and the smooth, life-like and detailed animations were beautiful to behold, sustaining interest even through the many talky parts, and coming to fruition during the film's several intense action sequences. Overall, it looked and felt like an animated Heavy Metal comic, which is great. VERY different from the usual anime fare I am used to, but having a couple of sexy femme fatales in the story certainly didn't hurt.

The film's in French, but thankfully has english subtitles. I would actually not mind at all to have a copy of both movies on dvd, if they were available. I'm pretty sure Kaena can be found in the dvd bins, while I've yet to see Corto Maltese show up anywhere. I'll see about getting them into The Sanctum's library when I can.

Low Voltage

Today, I left the house at the uncharacteristically early time of 1:30 PM in order to go to the launch of Mango JAM, the all-girl mangazine release of Mango Comics. Editrix Extraordiaire Nikki was there, but I had missed Dean, who had gone off to watch a movie.
With screaming girls all around me, I decided to slip away immediately and use my time productively. And so, I watched Elektra the movie.

By some coincidence, I was wearing my new Elektra T-shirt, so whoop-de-do there I was looking all the world like an Elektra comic book geek off to see the already-doomed-to-never-please-me film translation.

To it's credit, the film isn't horrible. Well, I've seen (or will see) worse, such as Catwoman. But even with me totally in love with the gorgeous Jennifer Garner, I have to say that I was right in all my expectations. And these expectations were that I would be disappointed.

Yes, I wanted Elektra to have her red cloth bikini outfit with the red wraps and the bandanna. I knew going into the film that this just wasn't to be- Hollywood had once again limited and rationalized comic book fantasy into their conventions. I know quite a few writers out there are saying that the film 'finally got Elektra's costume right' but I disagree. Her costume's just a red version of her horrid outfit in Daredevil, complete with totally ridiculous high-heeled boots.
Elektra isn't about hi-tech weapons- this is the premier human warrior of the Marvel Universe; a martial artist of the highest caliber. All she needs is an antique katana or sai, and that's it. She eats special forces teams and ninja armies for breakfast. Her body is her main armament, and this just doesn't come through in the movie. Heck, they have to SPELL IT OUT to the audience that Elektra is one bad mother with the boring opening sequence (with a wasted Jason Isaacs as one of the assassin's targets).

Long story short- This really isn't Elektra. It's just a more angsty Sydney Bristow in Alias sans good writing and intriguing plots.

Anway, onto the film. Elektra picks up immediately after Elektra's death in Daredevil, though little to no reference to the Ben Affleck starrer is actually mentioned. The dead Elektra Natchios is found by Stick, a blind ninja master played by Terence Stamp (who actually is pretty good here, though he reminded me of his mentor character from Young Guns). Stick uses oriental mystical power to bring Elektra back from the dead, and then takes the girl under his wing to become a ninja warrior.
Shades of Jedi training, Elektra proves to be Stick's strongest warrior, but her inner rage and anger eventually drives her from her master's school. She eventually becomes a much-feared contract killer, receiving messages and orders from a dispatcher/agent named McCabe.
One day, Elektra is sent on a job to kill an unknown target. She stays for a while in a house on an island, and while waiting for her orders meets Abby (Kirsten Prout), a feisty 13-year old girl and her father, Mark Miller (Goran Visnjic). In short order, she warms up to the father and daughter, only to later find out that THEY are her targets. Despite being a supposedly cold, emotionless killer, Elektra can't bring herself to kill the two, and later, when assassins from the sinister Hand organization come to clean up her leftovers, she finds herself fighting to save the Millers lives.

The story is pretty much that simple. Elektra fighting to save her former targets, and in doing so redeems herself and settles the ghosts of her past. It's not a horrid story, but it also doesn't help matters any that the action scenes and execution of the movie is pretty lame.
You have The Hand, which in the comics are supposed to be THE deadliest and most fearsome ninja on the planet... but in the movie are pretty much the wussiest ninja on the planet. Sure, they have cool weapons and explode into green flame when they die, but they NEVER seem to be a viable threat. And there's a shortage of ninja in this ninja film. Elektra like, fights real ninja only once or twice, then later takes out an entire ninja squad by LEAVING THE GAS RUNNING. Lame. Why couldn't these ninja be at least as mean as John Lone's cohorts in the old Christopher Lambert ninja film, The Hunted? Why, even the enemies in Amerian Ninja were better! Instead of having Elektra fight really cool and deadly ninja, we are given a bunch of goth and rave rejects with CG enhanced effects to cover up a lack of any good fight choreography.

As for the much-hyped Hand Elite, they are- Kirigi (Will Yun Lee), the heir-apparent to the Hand Council and a matchless swordsman with magical speed; Tattoo, who can create deadly animals from, well, his tattoos; Stone, a big black dude who is hard as stone but weak against WOOD; Typhoid, a woman who spreads diseases with her breath (eew), and last, there's one other guy who appears in the poster but whom I just can't remember.

Kirigi is the coolest-looking, with his katakana-marked robes and swords; the others just look like his groupies. Heh.

Anyway, for all their colorful appearances, without exception ALL the fights and resolutions with Kirigi's group are disappointingly abrupt and unsatisfyingly weak. For a movie that should be all about action and cool-as-hell martial arts/ninja fighting, I found myself gaping at the fights, saying 'WHAT?! That was IT???' The fight choreography, the direction of the action, it's all just lacking. MORTAL KOMBAT (the movie) had better action than this. Elektra herself doesn't impress me at all, though Miss Garner does do a good job of twirling a mean sai- it's just that the fights themselves aren't exciting or exceptional.

As a whole though, Elektra is inconsistent- it's slow for the most part, with sporadic attempts to gain a pulse, but dying everytime with every attempt. There are just so many ways, so many details that this could have been so much better, so much cooler, so much sexier and so much more... ELEKTRA.

There could have been more acrobatics. More of Elektra actually kicking butt. More fights with ninja to show off her real skill and believability that this woman is damn good. More establishment of The Hand being a mystical and terrifyingly powerful force of evil. More depth and thinking into the details of characters such as McCabe the dispatcher, or the members of Kirigi's squad. Or even just more into making the script and the plot more believable and the action truer to it's roots as a kick-ass comic. So much was just not done well enough to make a difference, and elevate Elektra from being just a run of the mill comic translation along the lines of The Phantom or Barbwire. Too bad.

If you go into this without knowing the character of Elektra, maybe you can pass it off as a slightly watchable Jennifer Garner/Alias movie with a ninja spin. But then, it's still pretty boring at parts, with not enough spice to make it special. Though she smiles a bit too widely and really doesn't convince me of her being Elektra, Miss Garner IS the best thing in this film. Which is really not a good thing to say about a movie.

Want to watch cool martial arts adventure? Watch Kung Fu Hustle instead. Or again.

Married with Kills


Killer combination: Alpha male Pitt vs Uber Babe Jolie.

What would happen if Achilles took on Lara Croft?

Well, we may actually find out when the double-billed actioner Mr. and Mrs. Smith arrives in theaters. Starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, this flick from the director of the Bourne movies casts the two premier Hollywood sex symbols as man and wife- and also as the world's two deadliest professional assassins. The schtick is, they don't know that their spouse is a world-class contract killer... at least, not until they're ordered to eliminate each other.
Okay, this is probably my first guilty-pleasure film of the year. DAMN gorgeous Angelina Jolie playing a slinky femme fatale? I'm sold. This role looks to be a lot hotter than she ever was as videogame vixen Lara Croft, and she's a lot hotter here and showing a lot more skin (and both eyes) than in the Tomb Raider films or her outing in the flight of fancy flop, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

The action seems on the fantastic side of James Bond, with heavy firepower, hi-tech tricks and some down-and-dirty martial arts figuring into the couple's battle of the sexes. I'm not sure if the film's going to be played dead straight, tongue-in-cheek or if it's going to go with a generally humorous tone. The level of comedy and action of True Lies would be just right for this movie- anyway, it DOES also have a Tango sequence like the old Schwarzenegger spy flick.

I'm actually hoping they play it straight, almost a black comedy ala War of the Roses. It'll be interesting to see if either or both Pitt or Jolie actually bite the dust, but most probably we'll have a safe happy ending. We'll just have to wait till mid-year when Mr. and Mrs. Smith start their little spat. The movie arrives in US theaters in June 2005.

A Minute Meal

A day or two ago, I found myself at the drop-off point without having dinner yet. Not wanting to get any microwaved fare from the nearby 7-11, I instead decided to have my meal at the nearby Minute Burger. Now, in the restaurant sub-group of burgers that is the street-level burger (chief of which is the ubiquitous Burger Machine), Minute Burger is firmly in the middle. It's been there for years and years- I actually remember going to Minute Burger when I was a kid throughout late elementary to high school. A few years ago they actually advertised on TV, but these days they just are there. I'm not privy to the actual financial viability of Minute Burger, but they're still around so whatever.
Anyway, the last time I ate at Minute Burger was years ago, probably. I remember that Minute Burger is the only burger place that actually has their people go into buses along EDSA, bringing burgers along to sell to the passengers. Of course, I never bought a burger this way... I want my streetburger hot and off the pan.

Well then, I found myself on the Minute Burger stool and looking up at the menu. I ordered a combo which consisted of a cheeseburger and a small drink. Knowing how relatively light these burgers are compared to regular fare in your local Jollibee, I ordered an additional bacon cheeseburger.
In a couple of minutes, I had my sandwiches. They tasted just as they had before, years ago, which is not bad at all. The bacon burger was pleasantly filling, and the fried bacon on top was good, solid meat, not fatty or soft at all. All of this for under a hundred pesos! Yummy!

Okay, it was not at all a fancy repast, and the fact that I was pretty hungry at the time helped. But I can honestly say it was a nice change of pace and a nice flashback of my younger days as a burger eater. Maybe I should skip meals at Megamall more often. Heh.

Questorants

I guess the news about Questor's closing down got people in the local comic mailing lists talking. With such a major player being wiped off the board, there have been comments- some say that there surely will be something to replace the title, citing a potentially great opportunity. Some say that perhaps this is a sign that the local publishing market really is weak.

I am inclined to believe that a local comic or zine, done right, will sell and do well. Granted, Questor had decent production values- they were printed on good paper, had colored covers and interiors, and had a staff of decent artists. However, being someone who's been buying the mag for years, I can say that in my own opinion, the mag wasn't great.

For an anime and manga zine, Questor was sorely lacking in style and substance. It didn't have a great look to the pages- no dynamic layouts, no slick art direction, no cool exclusive content. All of it was done pretty much run of the mill. The articles and features were nothing you could not find anywhere on the web, or in any of the better anime magazines. The writing was bland and there were few if any things an otaku would go out of their way to get. In general, the thin Questor mag doesn't at all scream 'worth your manga bucks'.
Take Newtype- ungodly expensive, but DAMN, there is no better mag for anime out there. The features are up to date to the latest anime, the artworks and images are gorgeous and great to see, and there are insightful columns and articles that play to an otaku's heart. The pinups of sexy anime babes don't hurt either. Yes, Questor had pinups- but they were crap in comparison.

And then, there was Nopperabo, the Questor zine's resident comic/manga section. Let me say that I TOTALLY cannot comprehend WHY they kept with it. WHY the HELL would you have a bleak, depressing, often boring anthology of Japanese Occupation-era horror or drama tales as your main manga feature? It BOGGLES the mind that this dismal stuff awaits manga readers everytime they would buy a Questor issue instead of the wealthy vein of high fantasy, sci-fi, action or comedy that manga is known for. Boggles the mind.
Additional Note: I've been told that most of the staff of Questor themselves cannot fathom WHY they kept using Nopperaboo as opposed to any other manga story/series/anthology. Go figure.

Long story short- Questor wasn't a good mag- it had too much baggage from old-school old foagies who did not want to push the envelope and was limited in content by the biases of the owner (who featured only the anime titles he owned or was promoting, no matter how outdated).

So, really, I'm not surprised that it failed. The point is, it's failure shouldn't necessarily mean that local publishing cannot succeed. If you have great product, you will sell. That's what happened with Culture Crash, and what will continue to happen as long as they keep their standards high and their stories improving. I do not think that was a fluke. The CCCom guys did it right, and not it's up to anyone else who wants to follow their footsteps to bring the goods to the table, so to speak.

Don't show up with a knife in a gunfight. Do your homework, make sure your stuff measures up, and get it out there to the people who will want it. THEN we'll see what sells or not, what's great or not.

Now that I thought about it, perhaps the Death of Questor may actually be a blessing in disguise. Now that it's out of the picture, perhaps something a LOT better can FINALLY take it's place. The only question is, when, how and by who. We'll see.

Family Gaming


Here's a game you cannot refuse.

The classic Godfather films by Francis Ford Coppola and based on the novels by Mario Puzo are coming to the PS2. The game looks to put players in control of members of the infamous Corleone family, as they battle rival mafia dons and families in the shadowy world of organized crime. It's still not known if you can actually play as Sonny or Michael Corleone, or as Don Vito himself (in his younger, De Niro incarnation). Maybe you can even play as Luca Brazi ("I hope your son is a masculine son...") and go play a 'swim with the fishes' minigame.
It's actually kinda intriguing. Perhaps you can actually re-enact the ultraviolent Toll Booth Assassination and see if you can actually get Sonny to survive. Cool, eh?

So far, screens revealed seem to point to a third-person action shooter, similar to the earlier-released PC and console game, Mafia. Still, this game should be cool if only for the possibility of carrying out multiple, brutal assassinations set to the trademark Godfather theme.

No date's set yet for the release, though the game looks to see play in Japan and the US. I wonder how Marlon Brando's Vito sounds talking in Japanese? Should be something to see. Heh.

The Quest(or) has Ended

Last night, I learned from a pretty reliable source that the local manga/anime magazine Questor is dead.

Apparently, the staff has already been laid off, and the current issue on shelves is the last one. This pretty much puts paid to the possibility of Questor Extreme Mangamania coming out, and which explains why the editor NEVER got back to me.

Yet again, Kunoichi Boy has been banished to the shadows, to wait in secret to fight another day. Oh well.

It was a slow lingering death for the mag, which sadly was on decline ever since their 'relaunch' after being acquired by ABS-CBN Publishing.
With Questor's death, there may be a vacuum of local manga and anime publications- the popular Culture Crash seems to be on an indefinite hiatus as well, with no word on future issues. Will Questor be replaced by another title? Will another publisher take this opportunity to make a mark in the local comic field?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Prose and Cons

I may have to don my prose writer's hat soon, with a little project that I've been invited to. I guess I gotta start sifting through the attic to see if there are any seeds of good fantasy or fiction stories I can water, nurture and grow within the next several weeks. I'm actually quite intrigued and excited... it should be a great diversion from the grafictional stuff I've been so far doing. The last time I really wrote a long prose story was years ago... the start of an as yet unfinished fantasy saga. Since then, the longest materials that I have written are advertorial copy for work and the stuff for the gang's internal writing workshop last year. Let's see what I can whip up. Should be fun. Heh.

Mannish

Last night, I was channel surfing and I stopped on ETC where it was showing singer K.D. Lang performing on one of the shows (not sure if it was Conan or The Tonight Show). I know she really seems to make it a point to not look pretty or even feminine, but darn... she looked several pounds heavier, quite a bit older, and was wearing an oversized man's suit and pants, and she was barefoot on the set. She looked... well... um... ah...

Hmmm.

Anyway, I really like her singing. Moving on.

Lots of Eck

Last night they showed Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever on HBO. When I first saw this movie a year or so ago, I thought it’d be some cool action flick with high-octane thrills and over-the-top stunts. I mean, it had a super assassin babe in it! How could it go wrong? I though that this would be a remake of that old Assassin flick (with Banderas and Sly Stallone), except with a war of the sexes touch, punctuated with tons of firepower and martial arts.
Well, it’s good that I never really got to seeing this flick in the theater, since it turned out to be NOTHING at all like what I thought.

Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever is a deception. The titular characters never really get into serious fighting- they only spar for one time, and afterwards you just know they’re going to hook up. It’s all by the numbers with a plot that has more bulletholes in it than all the slick action and timed explosions can cover up.
The movie starts with renegade agent Sever (Lucy Liu) kidnapping a little boy, who turns out to be the son of a powerful intelligence agency bigwig named Gant (Gregg Henry). The FBI more or less blackmails a retired manhunter named Jeremiah Ecks (Antonio Banderas) to take Sever down, with the promise that they will reveal to Ecks the wheareabout of his wife, whom he was told WAS DEAD FOR ALL THIS TIME. Wild, eh? Well, I guess Ecks’ wife has to be damn hot to still have his attention after ten years, but then again, it’s Talisa Sotto so why not.

Anyway, despite looking scruffy and unshaven and half-drunk, Ecks is supposedly the only one who can take on the leather-clad, unstoppable martial arts Terminatrix Sever, so off he goes after the customary initial griping.
Complicating matters is the fact that Gant has sent his own forces- an army of balaclava-wearing, fatigue-clad commandos led by Agent Ross (Ray “Darth Maul” Park)- to hunt Sever down.
Of course, all is not as it seems, and it turns out that Gant is the real baddie in this film (well, actually it’s shown early on so it’s no surprise), wanting to get his son back not so much because he loves the kid as he is looking for his nanotechnological superweapon hidden IN the kid. So when Ecks and Sever finally hook up (rather too easily), they put paid to Gant and his Time Crisis commandos in a hail of explosions and bullets.

This mess just has tons of gaping holes; like how either Ecks and Sever can just tear up the city battling Gant’s goons, and leaving body counts in the dozens without the real military and police EVER appearing? Or how heavily-armed commandos just blindly run after our heroes just to get routinely mowed down or blown up without so much as a protest or even a half-hearted attempt to graze the heroes at all throughout the movie. Or how boring and tension-less the action is, or how wooden the acting is all around. GAH.

The only good part here is watching Lucy Liu do her bad girl thing- more style over substance, but it’s really neat to see leather-clad super bitches kick ass. Too bad it all too brief, and all done so by-the-numbers, without much pulse or tension.

Good thing that the Battle of the Sexes espionage-action flick may be seeing light soon, in the form of the upcoming Mr. and Mrs., starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as two top assassins/agents unknowingly being sent to target each other. And Ray Park will be doing more and decidedly better martial arts moves in his upcoming Iron Fist (due in 2006).

It’s an even better thing that I didn’t waste money on this crapper at the moviehouse, or even on a dvd. THEN we would have really seen someone go ballistic. Heh.

RPG Nostalgia

The fourth installment of one of my favorite RPGs for the PS2 has hit stores. Reviews have been less than stellar though for this latest game in the Suikoden series, citing a story that lacks any real punch or pulse, a large (108 characters, no less) cast that mostly does nothing, and a tendency for aimless wandering on the high seas.

Honestly, I miss the good ol' days of Suikoden. The first game was one of the grade-A titles for the original PS, putting you in the shoes of the son of a famous general who must ultimately fight against the unjust empire you serve at the beginning. The first game had a cool story and memorable characters whom you genuinely care about once you get into the game (GREMIO!!!!)

However, my personal favorite has to be Suikoden II, which upped the ante with gorgeous art, a convoluted story full of conspiracy and backstabbing, large-scale campaigns and battles which you really felt you were a part of, and simply the best minigame in the franchise (cooking ala Iron Chef). From being a wet-behind-the-ears grunt who fights razorbunnies to becoming the commander of one of the armies vying for control of the empire, your saga was epic. And the supporting cast was so alive- when you feel a twinge of guilt after killing enemy lieutenants, you know this game's characters are written excellently. It was with pleasure that I ended the game, leaving behind the cares of politics and hitting the road with redeemed childhood friend Jowy and adoptive sister Nanami in tow, off to parts and adventures unknown. Yeah, Suikoden II for me was the pinnacle for the series.

Suikoden III was nice. Nice, but not stellar. I liked the three linking storylines, the cutesy graphics and the quick combat. However, for all it's neatness, it's the one Suikoden I haven't finished. Oh well- maybe I'll find out what happens in the end with the manga adaptation (which sadly seems to be tapering off in quality as it goes along).

And now, Suikoden IV. It has no Viktor, no Flick, no Toran Republic or even the Grasslands in sight. What we have here is a whole new world (though some old faces like Vicki are appearing, more as utilities than anything else). Yeah, it's still got tons of minigames and will probably be lots better than most no-name franchises out there... but really, I'm not too excited. Well, I'll probably play it eventually, but I don't see myself investing too much time into it. Perhaps it would be better for me to dig up the ol' Suikoden II copy for good, solid Suikoden fun. Yeah, that's the ticket. Heh.

Questionable E-mail

I've just received a flurry of e-mails from Paypal, supposedly, asking for me to verify my information and shit. Well, for one thing, I'm not a Paypal member (since I live in the Philippiines that is a blacklisted country to the high-and-mighty credit landlords), so why the Hell did they send me a message? That, plus a link that you're supposed to click to 'verify' my info leads me to suspect this is a virus or some Trojan thing to hack my system or security. As always, if it's questionable, just DELETE these things. Banks, credit companies and other business-related stuff should not be done via e-mail or simply by clicking a link. If you get these Paypal mails, beware. A delete button a day keeps hackers and viruses away.

Incredible Bore

They're showing The Hulk on HBO.

This has simply got to be THE most boring superhero movie ever. Director Ang Lee really did something wrong with this one. You'd think that the original source material was a psychological novel or some scientific textbook instead of a comic book. It's so slow and ponderous, with TONS of extra baggage piled onto the story that just bogs everything down to a crawl. Well, I never did care about the comic either so it's no skin off my teeth. Yawn.

Mini-Stop Menagerie

The Mini-Stop is a peculiar place. There's something about the clean, brightly-lit interiors that just make you want to BUY something to munch on whenever you see that familiar orange, white and blue coloration of the sign. You really should make it a point to NOT be in the vicinity of a MS if you're hungry and you're intending to eat somewhere else, since you probably will find yourself spending on tsitsirya and groceries uncontrollably. At least, that's what ALWAYS happens to me. Sheesh.
Anyway, last night, after the night's coffee with birthday celebrant Vin, me and Cams dropped by a Mini-Stop to stock our respective larders with fast chow. I picked up a the latest in microwaveable eats- a spaghetti bun sandwich and the pizza pandesal (bacon cheeseburger flavor).

The spaghetti bun is what it sounds like- a hotdog bun stuffed with party spaghetti- the kind with the soft noodles and sweet sauce. The only meat in it are four (count 'em) smalll slices of hotdog on top of the thing. Heated up, it makes for an unusual but oddly cool snack. It's actually not so odd- we usually eat spaghetti with bread anyway, so here we're just pretty much cutting out the plate and substituting it with a bread container. Not bad, really.

The pizza pandesal bun isn't really something I found liking... the flavor's good, but the heated-up snack feels soft and flaccid (hmm), and just not right. I like my pizza crispy. Still, it was an experience.

I wonder what new fast snack the ol' Mini Stop will cough up soon? Just another thing to not necessarily look forward to but just deal with as we go deeper into 2005.

Celebration

Keeper of the Bloodbank, Manipulator of Time, Benevolent Shopkeep, the Sun around which the Gang Revolves... Vin turns one year older today!

It's been a swell several years hanging out at Comic Quest, talking comics, anime, movies, toys, a thousand and one uses for the Vanishing Ray and more with you, Mr. Big Little Boy. And I'm looking to see a lot more years to come.

Happy Birthday!

Tekken 5

Got the latest PSM magazine, and it came with a DVD that had, amongst the many vids and trailers, several fights from the upcoming Tekken 5. I am not too sure if the graphics are from the PS2 or arcade version, but all I can say is that Tekken just can't compare graphically to Dead or Alive Ultimate. That said, Tekken 5 will offset this slight deficiency with lots of extras when it comes to the PS2- tons of CG cinematics, customization options, a mini-action/adventure game and extra characters supposedly not found in the arcade game. Barring any delays, we should all be Tekken it to the next level this February or March.

Ooh, pretty art...

I've just seen the preview of Frank Cho's Shanna the She-Devil #1 over at Mile High Comics.

DAMN that Monkeyboy's art is frickin' gorgeous.

Even though I've seen the pages, read the story... I gotta have the comic. Shanna is going to sell through the roof. At least, that's what I think. Half-naked kick-ass babe, dinosaurs, Nazis, lions, tigers... bears... Oh, my.

It's out early February. Get your copy, but not before me. Heh.

Acronymity

I've more or less decided that the first release of K.I.A. will have the subtitle Kai: Infinite Assassin. Previous copy possibilities included stuff like "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and "Daughter of K.A.L.I", but a suggestion was given to have a definition of the K.I.A. title. From what I have read and heard, the acronym K.I.A. is military jargon for "Killed In Action", and so this is perfect for reflecting the somewhat darker tone of the Kai anthology. It also helped that K.I.A. is a play on Kai's mixed-up identity these days. Still, all of this is probably clear just to me, so all right, I'll help things along and make things clearer.

On the subject of K.I.A., it's still chugging along. I'm still working on some pages, but it's really just a matter of time before we pull this off. Like Agent K herself, we won't give up until we finish this mission. More as it happens.

Running Time

Whew. The week's finally over. It's been pretty tiring since I've started going a lot earlier to work. I should actually go home earlier since I come to work earlier, but that really doesn't happen since I usually pass by the Blood Bank to unwind. Maybe I should make it a point to go home right away on at least a couple of weekdays, and have dinner at home both to get rest and save a little cash.
It will probably help to get myself a new alarm clock- the one in The Sanctum is still that old Culture Crash giveaway (Pasig artwork) which works but is hard to set since you can't see any numbers aside from the four cardinal points... which makes setting the alarm a bit of guesstimation. But then, it's important to have the alarm since I have apparently the tendency to sleep through the TV Alarm system which I thought once pretty reliable.

Anyway, I think I'm getting the hang of getting up at 7:30 everyday and taking ice-cold showers to wake up... just give me a couple of weeks to get the biological clock into step.

Foursome

Five people go to space.

One will become BAD.

Four will become... FANTASTIC.

This God-awful bit of copy is what heralds the trailer of Fantastic Four, the latest comic-to-movie translation from Marvel Comics. It's VERY early to really say anything about it, but it's not a very nice trailer. Hate the music, the CG effects are iffy, the Thing looks wrong, Dr. Doom (weird that they put his origin along with the rest of the FF) looks wrong and so forth. Even slick editing won't fix a lame movie, but what the hey- the Fantastic Four are such a, well, fantastic, bunch of heroes so for all we know, at the very least this should be an action-packed outing. Jessica Alba provides eye candy, though Sue Richards AKA Invisible Girl seems a bit old a role for her. I'm not that much into the title, but just the same I'll chuck this into the list of anticipated films later this year.

Sequester

Spent the whole day in a hotel function room, where we helped clients thresh out their stuff for the year.

Well, the hardest thing for me to do the whole time was to keep anyone from noticing me nodding off or having my eyes glass out. The good thing was there was plenty of food, and we had a great buffet lunch and some really cute desserts. In the end it was a job well done and everyone left more or less happy. Real work begins next time. Yay.