Eighteen Years



This weekend, me and my college barkada will be having a little get-together, just out of the blue. I thought at first it was just another dinner to spend with the gang, just another time to throw around old war stories, get updated on present goings-on and laugh about this or that issue. It was only when one friend texted me saying that the dinner was to celebrate our eighteen years of knowing each other that I suddenly got floored.

EIGHTEEN YEARS. Man.

That's a long time.

Man.

I still consider myself 'young', but that's mainly because of my own personal outlook, my continual resistance to 'growing up' and wearing 'grown-up' clothes and taking on a 'grown-up' personality and manners. I still wear collar-less t-shirts regularly to work. I still wear jeans and sneakers or rubber shoes. I still love to laugh out loud, have fun with stupid stuff and play frickin' videogames. But even so, I have to realize that I've been on this earth for more than three decades.

And more than half of that time, I've enjoyed and spent with these guys.

Times spent learning useless shit in UP, walking endless kilometers to the next class, toiling away on this or that plate, consoling each other when we were down (though I usually do the consoling), sweating it out in CMT and feasting on fast food whenever we got the money to spare. Since then, into our working, professional lives, we've still kept in touch, seeing each other grow and change and not change. Awesome.

Friends have come and gone, but these guys remain, and God willing, they'll always be there. And I'll always be there for them.

Man.

Eighteen years.

CON Air



Man, it feels like the last C3Con was just last week, and now there's another big comic/manga convention coming. Nicely enough, it's closer to me though. The M3Con or Mangaholix Manga Mania: AniManGaming Convention 08 will be held this coming May 31, 2008 (Saturday) at Hall 4 of the SMX Convention Center (next to Mall of Asia), and of course it's from Groundbreakers Inc., makers of Mangaholix Presents. Aside from the tons of toys, games, cosplayers, anime and manga, there will be of course lots of focus on indie artists and comic-creators ready to show off their latest locally-made manga and comics. Registration is now going on for both the Indie Bazaar and a cool 10-page Comic Creation Competition. Details can be found here.

I guess I'll be there with the rest of the Mangaholix Crew (whether I want to or not, I was informed... heh-heh), and we'll be there showing off our stuff as well, showing the budding Manga-kas how we do things. Fates be willing, we'll also have the latest issues of Mangaholix (along with the next episodes of Ninja Girl KO! of course) available for all. Hopefully we'll also have lots of local comics personalities, be they into manga or not, there to just hang out and have fun. See you all there in May then!

NINJA-NINJA!!!


Snake Eyes. Badaaaaasssss.

Here's the first pic of Snake Eyes, the silent, mute ninja from the upcoming G.I. Joe motion picture being directed by Stephen J. Sommers (The Mummy). In case you didn't know, the man behind the mask is Ray Park (Darth Maul, Toad), so we can be sure he'll have the MOVES. Man, he looks awesome, and I can't wait to see this long, long, long-awaited movie. I mean, the closest I've seen to a live-action G.I. Joe are skits of Cobra Commander, Destro and The Baroness on G4TV's Attack of the Show, and while I do find them quite enjoyable, this is quite another league of coolness. The movie is due out in Summer 2009.

Till then, COOBRRALALALALALALALALALALALAAAA!!!

Working Hard for the Money...

Man, work's been pretty sustained for the past couple of months. It seems that every week brings another pitch that requires all hands in The Salt Mines to batten down the hatches, gird the loins and prepare for another overnight session. My forays to the mall have lessened to a trickle, and at the end of a day, usually I'm just begging to get home and unwind in the comfort of The Sanctum. Maybe I just need vitamins (More Energy, Mas Happy!). Or maybe it's just that our company's growing and we need to grow with it. That's always good.

In many ways, I guess it's fine that I've put going out nights with barkadas more or less behind me... time is valuable and has to be rationed. I have to say, it's still not reached a point of horror. I can still say that I'm enjoying what I'm doing, I still look forward to things and still have the spark in me to do creative fun stuff every now and then- so long as time permits. I guess I just have to work a little harder.

Anyway, work's still full steam ahead into the Holy Week break... which will make the holiday all the sweeter. Back to work then...

Respect to the Master

The father of Dungeons and Dragons is dead. Gary Gygax, 69, succumbed on Tuesday after struggling with health problems for past few years. I remember first reading about D&D in comics, and then getting intrigued about this thing called 'pen and paper gaming'. I bugged my relatives in the US to get me the game even though my parents often said that this D&D thing was 'satanic'. When I eventually got my first D&D set, it was the Campaign Rules set, which was totally useless and over my head without the previous Basic and Expert sets, but I devoured it hungrily and made my own rules with a bunch of six-sided die and my imagination.

And more than all the cool manuals and art and modules and novels and worlds introduced by D&D over the years, the most I can say that it have me was the capacity to create- to make my own worlds, to make my own heroes and party of adventurers to venture into realms unknown. Thanks to Dungeons and Dragons, I created kingdoms, empires, continents, heroes, villains, curses, legends, myths, artifacts, monsters, deities, cults, mysteries and countless other cool stuff in my mixed-up grey matter. I owe D&D so much of what I am today as a creator, writer, player and gamer.

Thank you Gary. Dungeon Master. Rest in peace.

Cuteness

I've already posted about Manikako before- the NGO project which accepts donations of old clothes and cloth to be used for workshops to teach less forunate kids how to make cute Manikako dolls and get a livelihood. Well, the project has so far been a rousing success- Manikako boxes are usually filled up with generous donations and the workshops themselves are usually mobbed with curious and excited onlookers and participants.

Well, I was able to commission a Manikako artist to make a couple of dolls, and here they are...


Ninja Girl Doll KO! It's Michiko in Manikako form! She even comes with a pretty little obi/sash. Lovely!


And heeeere's Kai in little recycled cloth-doll form aka ManikaKAI. The artist even gave her a little angry face. CUTE!

Really cool to see these little ones. All that's left is to get Angel in Manikako form too. Heheh. This is awesome. For more informationa bout this, check out www.manikako.com.

Sobra Talaga sa Overtime

Since last week, I haven't had a weekend yet. After Friday night, work just kept on going into Saturday, Sunday and today (which is a holiday). When a pitch strikes, there's nothing to do but keep at it until the last minute. That's the way it's been done for years, and it won't stop anytime soon. On the bright side, it should all be over tomorrow, so then hopefully I can ease off and take a break to make up for the three weeks or so that I haven't been to the mall for my comics or to anywhere aside from home for sleep in recent memory.

On another bright side, I seem to have cut down a lot on spending since most of my meals are provided for and I haven't really had any chance to spend on anything aside from taxi fare for the past month or so. So I guess it's not all dim. My one and only hope after all this is that we actually win this darn thing so it will have been all worth it. Crossing fingers then.

Back to regular thought processes (and regular blogging) once I have recuperated...

Massive Attack

A couple of months ago, my television life revolved around Solar TV, with it's up-to-date episodes of WWE, raunchy uncensored cartoons and other weird odds and ends. Well, Solar left our cable provider, but you won't find me complaining. The new Maxx Channel is more and better of the wild thrills and niche pleasures provided by Solar, only tons better. A lot of the programs are from G4 TV, which is, seriously, seemingly made for me. There's X-Play, the longest-running and supposedly most-watched videogame review/preview/news/gag show around, which I have been a fan of since it's early days back in TechTV. Then there's Cinematech, which shows a bunch of videos and trailers from videogames, including not-for-kids stuff, hence the subtitle Nocturnal Emissions. Ooh.

But the most fun I have is with my daily fix of Attack of the Show, an irreverent hour of all the stuff I care about- basically internet buzz and fads, gaming/tech news, showbiz, movies and entertainment news. Plus every so often they break out with hilariously weird skits/vignettes and gags, all handled gamely by hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn (who is a darn FOX). Oh, and you have to love a show that shows political advertisements by Cobra Commander.

Oh, and for my wrestling fix, Maxx also shows WWE 24/7, which basically shows off classic matches and episodes from the WWE's past- great stuff with classic superstars like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, The Rock, Razor Ramon and TONS more. Decades of wrestling history, rewound and on offer again. I can get the latest shows and PPV's elsewhere, but this look into the past of professional wrestling is pretty awesome.

Even better, a lot of the Maxx's shows are aired after midnight, so I have stuff to look forward to after work. Coolness. So I don't always have to be blogging and surfing all the time... I can actually be found watching TV again. Sometimes.

But Seriously

Putting down the vicarious hat for a moment, I have to say that our country's in a bind. That's an understatement of course... to everyone out there on the web, let it be known- the Philippines is currently in the grip of silent Martial Law. A controlled Status Quo held by probably THE most corrupt, most tenaciously rapacious and greedy regime EVER in the country's history. The Marcoses with all their extravagance pale in comparison. Ramos at least left after stealing his cut. Erap was stupid enough to get caught and have the shame to leave the palace. But THIS regime... MAN. Not only is it known for unparalleled greed, corruption and bare-faced theft of public resources and funds, it's also known for rampant stupidity and incompetence, with a large majority of positions in government being held by former military and cronies who know NOTHING of what their department means.

The sad thing is, everything bad and evil in the Philippines is in the government, in power. That leaves the honest, the hardworking, the simple to toil regardless, to just survive and earn enough. The order is evilly efficient though- keep the working class just well-fed enough but struggling to be too tired to protest, but not hungry enough to take to the streets and rip these motherfucking bastards off their high horses as they should. On the other hand, the poor get poorer, but what does anyone care? They don't have a voice, they don't matter. The rich just get richer, the cronies get a cut from everything, from funds and loans meant for the country, for our schools, our roads, our economy.

It's a hard thing to combat. The bad guys control the military. No one has the charisma, the strength or the resources to challenge them. No revolt or protest arrives without strong-arm tactics from the government quashing what little forces arrive to shout out their grievances. They say the Filipinos are tired of People Power. But that's not true. They're just waiting for it to happen again. It hasn't yet, I believe. Just a lot of false starts. You can't turn on People Power like a faucet. Too bad there isn't a Cardinal Sin or a Ninoy to rally behind. Everyone currently around is either just as dirty as the bad guys, or just plain stupid.

But there seems to be movement now, among students and other elements that are once again trying to gain momentum to get this government to fall. People are angry, but then again, people are also just tired and want to just keep on working. But damn, do we really need to allow the filth to suck this frickin' land dry before we actually move? Do we actually need to see people starving in the streets and our country in ruins before we run these bastards out of Malacanang?

The Filipinos are too kind, too divided, too used to poverty and too jaded, most of the time. I'm no exception. But there is a limit to everything. Evil can't reign forever. When the wave of justice finally arrives, people will know. Then people will flood the streets and then we'll see. If the Filipino is still worth fighting for.

Moving on.

INDYYYYYYY!!!



The teaser trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is now online in lovely, lovely Quicktime, so go on and download it! I mean, this is a trailer you need to see in QT, not in crappy Youtube quality. I have to say, Indiana Jones is THE number one name in Pulp Action-Adventure. No other character, franchise or series quite nails it like Indy. Even though the movies' quality has gone down a notch with every subsequent sequel, even the worst Indy film (Last Crusade) is still head and shoulders above every other tomb-raiding, treasure-hunting, fist-fighting and bull-whipping film or show out there.

Anyway, even though he's quite a long in years and has played the President of the United States (GET OFF MY PLANE), he still looks Indy-cool. I mean, Professor Jones has never been a macho man like Rambo, so it doesn't matter that he's not ripped. He's still Harrison Ford, he's still Indy. Anyway, the Roswell link, the new baddies (Russian cold warriors led by a brunette Cate Blanchett) and the same hard-hitting but kinda-cartoony action seems intact even this early, and that's awesome. It's gonna be a bit of a wait till May, but darn, this should be worth it. To pass the time, I should track down DVD copies of the earlier films and have myself a marathon one of these days.

Anyway, download links for the trailer can be found here. Can you hear that classic theme playing? WOOHOOO!!!

Upgrades

So, Apple has gone and announced hardware upgrades for their most popular gadgets- mostly involving memory. The iPhone will soon be sporting a 16 GB variant, while the iPod Touch will be getting a 32 GB edition.

Which gets me thinking... WHY NOT A 32 GB iPhone right off the bat?

Once again, more of Apple doling out little updates, teasing, manipulating and prodding the masses. Even now, forums and blogs are already filled with gripes aplenty, with iPhone owners angry at Apple for 'planned obsolescence' of their tech toys and other crap. In a way, it's valid, but in any case- come on. That iPhone in your hand is still the amazing, gorgeous device that you fell in love with months ago. An upgrade of double the memory is hardly earth-shattering.

Am I interested? More memory is always great, but I won't even consider upgrading unless the new 16 GB iphone has been jailbroken wide open for apps, custom wallpapers and other goodies that I am enjoying right now. But really, I probably won't upgrade- not unless something bad happens to my phone like it getting (knock on wood) stolen or destroyed or whatever. No sale, Steve Jobs. At least, not now. Or anytime soon.

Overtime

This past week has been grueling as only a Pitch Week can be. With considerable stakes being placed whenever agencies go to war like this, everyone is expected to lay in the hours, burn the brain cells and do the time. It's been a loooong several weeks, and it's come down to this. These last couple of days has seen me more at The Salt Mines than at home, but the stuff we've come up with looks great. Hopefully this will all pay off.

Only a few more hours, and this should be over. The weekend hopefully begins a little earlier. I freakin' need it.

Anti-Terrorist Hero


Barbangsa: Fighting against terrorism one issue at a time.

This bit of news was posted recently by Azrael and at Newsrama. It's all about Barbangsa: Blood of the Honorable, a locally-produced series of comics/graphic novels funded by US Special Operations Forces (what, do you think the local AFP has the funds for this?). Here's a report on the comic:

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — One of the unique products used in psychological operations in the southern Philippines is the comic book “Barbargsa — Blood of the Honorable.”

About 600,000 copies of the 10-part series have been distributed on the Sulu islands, a chain that was once a terrorist safe haven, and still suffers from skirmishes.

U.S. special operations forces have used comic books in information campaigns. But the characters were based on well-known American superheroes. Two years ago, two Army officers decided to create one from scratch to tell the children of the Sulu islands the story of what was happening in their homeland.

The project was the brainchild of Maj. Edward Lopacienski, military information support team commander for the joint special operations task force Philippines mission, and the non-commissioned officer in charge, Master Sgt. Russell Snyder.

The pair sat down in January 2006 and outlined the basic idea.

The plot follows several basic comic book storyline conventions — most notably the battle between good and evil.

The comic book focuses on Ameer, who left his home island to work overseas, but returns to find it racked with violence. Ameer is a practitioner of kuntao, which is a local form of martial arts. Like Zorro or Batman, he dons a mask and vows to protect the downtrodden and innocent victims of terrorists.

The Philippines military are also portrayed in a positive and heroic light while the villains are the terrorists or “bandits.” The creators were careful to accurately illustrate the Sulu region, and use character names, clothing and mannerisms that reflect the culture of the Tausug ethnic group. There are versions in English and in the local dialect.

It depicts real events that took place on the islands and at neighboring Basilan — specifically the Sulu Co-Op bombing in March 2006, which killed five and injured 40 and the Basilan hostage crisis when members of the Abu Sayyaf Group took school children and used them as human shields against Filipino troops.

“Essentially what we’re doing is showing all the atrocities that the Abu Sayyaf Group has done,” Lopacienski said.

One subplot shows how terrorists manipulate a boy into becoming a bomber.

The production of the comic book was farmed out to a Manila-based marketing firm. Two experts on Tausug culture were brought in as consultants to make sure nothing offensive was put in, and that everything was culturally accurate. It took about 2,000 hours to create the 10 comic books.

“In the end you see the hero and the community rising up to turn over the terrorists,” Lopacienski said.
It was important that the series be reproduced on high-quality paper as slick as any graphic novel found in U.S. bookshelves, he said, because that shows respect to the culture.

Lopacienski said there is anecdotal evidence of the comic book’s popularity. When some areas missed delivery due to security concerns, children “were ripping out the pages and trading them like baseball cards,” he said.

Local stores have printed unauthorized T-shirts portraying the hero Ameer.

Man. That's so cool. Heheh.

Coming to Manila


Michiko's on the way...

I have to say, response to Ninja Girl KO! in the pages of Mangaholix Presents has been quite good, and I'd like to thank Emman and Ian of Groundbreakers, Inc. for giving me and Kriss Sison the opportunity to bring our characters to the Pinoy manga fan. Rest assured, while there has been a bit of a delay, the next issue of Ninja Girl KO! is on the way, and it looks just as slick, cute and funny as the first issue. Look for this in stores late February or so.

On my own end, I still plan to do comics on the side, albeit I have been sidetracked quite a bit by work and other stuff. It simply is too expensive to go the self-publishing route without having your full heart and wallet into the endeavor, so I'll only move when the going is good. Just the same, I want to have stuff out this year, so stay tuned for that.

Anyway, work beckons. Back to mining salt.

One Bad Day



Last night, I sped off after work to Glorietta 4 to watch Cloverfield, the J.J. Abrams-produced 'Blair Witch meets Godzilla' film. As many probably already know, the whole movie is filmed from the perspective of a hand-held camera, putting you in the shoes of the cameraman as events transpire around, in front or behind him. This 'found footage' treatment establishes up front that the movie you are watching is some kind of classified military file discovered some time after the infamous event depicted in the movie. Interesting concept. But does an interesting concept translate well after all the hype for this mystery-cloaked movie?

SPOILERS AHEAD

Cloverfield is the story of a bunch of young adults in New York, who are unlucky enough to be there when SOMETHING- something huge and destructive and seemingly unstoppable, attacks the city. The first twenty or so minutes of the film is basically a first-person view of a going-away party which introduces and establishes the cast, which include main character Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who's on his way to Japan for a lucrative job; his brother, Jason (Michael Vogel), his best friend Hud (T.J. Miller), Jason's girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas) and Marlena (Lizzy Caplan), a guest at Rob's party whom Hud gets a crush on. Later, we meet Beth (Odette Yusman), a girl whom Rob has intense feelings for.

If you've seen the trailer, then you know what happens next. What appears to be an earthquake happens, and soon all hell breaks loose as explosions erupt miles away, hurling among other things the severed head of the Statue of Liberty right on the street in front of Rob's apartment. Clearly, it's not a case of just some earthquake. The city is under attack, and anyone with any bit of sense should be high-tailing it out of Ground Zero (the allusions to 9/11 are unavoidable).

Unfortunately, not all goes well as the easiest and closest way out is blocked, and Rob receives a disturbing message via his cellphone- a desperate plea for help from the woman he loves- Beth. Torn between primal fear and the urge to get to Beth, Rob goes against all reason and forays back INTO the city, dragging along his friends in a nightmarish, first-person experience as they enter a war zone where the military and the creature clash in deadly combat.

So what can I say? I watched, or at least tried to watch this flick, intrigued by the premise and the concept. But there is one big factor that detracts a lot from my enjoyment. As with The Blair Witch Project, the hand-held nature of the film makes for a very haphazard visual experience- at best the view is kinda-sorta stable but usually distended or askew. At worst, there are stretches of the film that are goddamn vertigo-inducing and unwatchable. WHY oh WHY does Rob's camera- while having perhaps one of the strongest and longest-lasting batteries ever AND nightvision, lack any Anti-Shaky Cam technology? I swear, there are a lot of scenes that could have been more enjoyable if they were a tad bit more discernable. After a bit, you don't get full scenes in this film- just scraps of images or random views. It's like some fever dream with flashes. Interesting and different, but also unpleasant.

That is my main gripe of the film (which is unfortunately a big part). Other factors actually pleased me. The story is fine, though I have to say I would have preferred a less bleak ending. I mean, after all that, I demand pay-off. A downbeat ending leaves people with sour tastes or an unfinished vibe, and kinda kills any urge for repeat viewings (especially in the case of this movie, which I doubly do not want to see because of the shaky cam).

The cast of unknown actors is both talented and damn pretty, and generally likeable. I have to say that Odette Yusman's Beth is radiant- Man, if I were Rob, I'd go back for her too. Hud, the man with the cam, is funny and gets to mouth off quite a few memorable lines which give a bit of comedy to the grim events. For the most part, at least, you care what happens for these gorgeous New Yorkers, instead of rooting for the monster(s) like in other films. And yeah- Blair Witch Project? This is Blair Witch with a HUGE budget, and the effects and atmosphere are convincing as hell (if only it had more clarity). The Cloverfield Monster is indeed a beast of mammoth proportions, and it's "Mini-Me's" are memorable adversaries as well. Certainly the best parts are where you actually see the thing, which are kinda few and far between but always pleasing. There IS a point in the film where the whole thing is finally unveiled, but you'll just have to soldier on to see it. It's worth it, anyway.

There are some wild leaps though. How can a freakin' monster as big as a skyscraper sneak up on you? Do these characters have an 'attract monster' signal on them or something? And what the heck is up with the title, anyway? I kinda missed that.

Cloverfield would make for an incredible Theme Park ride. Or an awesome Survival Horror game. But as a movie, it's kinda hit-and-miss due to the nature of it's concept as found footage. You do easily accept the otherwise ridiculous way that Hud continues to film on and on despite the chaos all around him, but I just wish that they took a wee bit more license and smoothened out some of the film's rougher parts. If only for viewer comfort. But I have to applaud the director's choice to stick to his guns anyway and make a pretty unique experience. Man, am I glad I didn't have dinner before watching.

Some will love this film, some will hate it for various reasons. Me? Still kinda in between. I love the concept and story, but hate the presentation. But I do say it's worth watching so you won't be out of the loop when the inevitable Cloverfield conversations get laid on the table.

Last Blood


You know what happens next...

As what I now see a perfect way to end a long, hard and tiring week, I just saw Rambo tonight at Rockwell. RAM-freakin'-BO. I have to say that I wasn't too confident in this film some time ago. The trailers had a B-movie feel and cheapness that I disliked, and the snippets of over-the-top gore made me feel that the movie had gone too far in its obvious desire to get back the glory of the 80's Superhero. However, the last couple of weeks and quite a few positive (even glowing) reviews caused me to unerringly make my way to the movie theater, prepared for a night of unrelenting bloodletting.

Rambo is the fourth film in the series starring Sylvester Stallone as everyone's favorite Vietnam Vet, master archer, commando and Synonym for Gratuitous Violence. It's been twenty years since John Rambo (Stallone) exterminated Russian Spetsnaz Troops in Afghanistan, and since then he's been living a simple life in Thailand, wrangling snakes for a local pub and catching fish with his bow-and-arrows. It doesn't take long for a group of American church volunteers to arrive and ask for Rambo's help in getting into Burma. Through a quick montage of real-life atrocities in current Burma/Myanmar (which is in the grip of a 60-year, genocidal civil war), we know that Burma is NOT a good place to be, and Rambo repeatedly tries to get the white folk to give up on their humanitarian mission. However, strong-willed Sarah (Julie Benz) eventually convinces Rambo to take them on his boat, by rekindling a bit of the selfless soldier buried in the somewhat puffy old Rambo.

Of course, it doesn't take long for the shit to hit the fan when the local Burmese troops arrive and find the village where the missionaries are dispensing aid, and things get REALLY nasty. When the church that sent the volunteers send in a squad of mercs to get their people out, Rambo is ready and raring to get back into the killing mood. And it's not just because he cares about the missionaries (though he does). It's an excuse for him to unleash the animal he's kept cooped up inside of him all these years. That scary, freakin' force of nature that Colonel Trautman molded and turned into the perfect battlefield tool. It's one last try to be RAMBO once more.

And RAMBO is what this movie is- unadulterated, unrestrained and brutally frank, to be quite honest. This film's violence does NOT hold back; it pushes the envelope of the R-rating, not only for the kinetic bloodletting and realistic portrayals of carnage, but for the way that men, women and children are seen murdered coldly by merciless monsters in fatigues and combat gear. The imagery melds the gory scenery of Private Ryan and The Killing Fields in no small detail, but thankfully doesn't wallow too much so as to turn stomachs. But make no mistake- bodies get mangled, exploded, ripped apart. Blood spurts and flows more so than in any of the previous three films put together. This is probably how REAL munitions do real damage to human bodies, and it isn't pretty. But it is DAMN fascinating to watch.

To be honest, it would have been horrifying if the villains- a battalion of truly despicable, murderous, sadistic, rapine Burmese soldiers- weren't as gloriously deserving of their end as they are in this film. These baddies get to have their way for quite a lot of the film, so when Rambo and the good guys FINALLY get to give it back, they GIVE and then some, and it's glorious. Fist-pumpingly glorious. Bad guys get ground into hamburger and it's freaking awesome. This is no watered-down Die Hard 4.0-excuse for Rambo. This is Rambo, an apology and vindication for the cartoony and over-the-top Rambo III. It isn't pretty at all, but darn, this is what it is. And for what it is, it bloody succeeds.

In the end, Rambo isn't rocket science. It's not the most politically-correct or tasteful of films. But it DOES do what I thought films today couldn't... end a beloved franchise with a resounding, bloody BOOM and not a whimper. Welcome home, John. Glad to have you back.

Me and Manikako



Here's me at the waiting area of The Salt Mines with a peculiar visitor. It's an oversized Manikako, a doll made from old clothing. It's the mascot of the Non-Government Organization/Movement of the same name- Manikako, which has recently been started. The goal of Manikako is all about getting people to donate their old clothes and cloth scraps so they can be used in a program of workshops to teach poor kids how to make their own Manikako dolls. And hopefully, they can make a living out of this cute new handicraft. Or at least make their own big, saggy companion like this big, droopy fellow sitting to me. You can find Manikako donation boxes in selected malls and locations like The Podium, RCBC Plaza in Makati and in UP Diliman.

Oh, and I'm the one on the LEFT.

Mag-Avatar Muna Tayo!


Nickelodeon Avatar Magazines. MINE!

Thanks to my cousin Jeremy (THANKS, JEREMY!!!), I finally got copies of the two released Nickelodeon Avatar the Last Airbender Specials. Each issue is chock-ful of Avatar goodies, including articles and fun sections, artwork and news about the episodes and the final season. But of course the best parts of the mags are the Avatar comics, drawn by brilliant artists who truly capture the look and feel of the show- that fill in the gaps between the events shown in the episodes. So finally, I know now how the Water Tribes captured the Fire Nation ship they had in "The Awakening", how Zuko and Mai hooked up prior to "The Beach" and learned what got the Earth King to go off to wander the world as a humble man. Cool stuff!

Thanks again, Jeremy! The Avatar fan in me is PLEAS-ED. Hoho!

Haunted Europe

I've watched the first two episodes of the Ghost Hunters spin-off show, Ghost Hunters International, thanks to the wonders of the web. Basically, it's the same format as the parent show- a team of paranormal investigators enter a suspected haunted location, set up their cameras, recorders and other equipment, and then go a-prodding and a-prowling for the things that go bump in the night.

So far, the show is all right... though I have to say that much of what I liked, or felt familiar with, in the original show were the strong personalities and character of the two lead investigators, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. Here, we have a new team leader, Robb Demarest, followed by a bunch of familiar faces from the first show (Donna La Croix, Andy Andrews and Brian "Run, Dude!" Harnois, as well as recurring European comrade Barry Fitzgerald. For the most part, the show has the same vibe, albeit it's lighter on the personal elements and character interaction that the first show had- these will probably build up or develop as the show goes on.

As for the investigations themselves, the first couple of episodes took up the aptly-named Chillingham Castle in England, Mary King's Close in Scotland, the Lucedio Abbey in Italy and the Nanteos Mansion in Wales. They're all suitably creepy and steeped in history. So far, no big catches on video, but several chilling EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) have been picked up. The investigators are a varied lot- Brian is his usual, entertaining self; Donna seems to be the perpetual beacon for entities to approach, while Andy seems to be a lot more competent and active this time around. Barry is, with his heavy accent, quite interesting to watch, particularly when he speaks Latin to try and draw out some responses from the Euro-spooks.

While I like GHI, I'm hoping that TAPS returns soon with more episodes based in Haunted America as well. But it's all well and good. I never get tired of creepy fun.

Dark Night

I just found out to my shock and dismay that actor Heath Ledger is dead. It was so sudden that I found myself thinking, 'it's probably just a marketing gimmick for the Batman movie...' But sure enough, the news is all over the web. The Australian-born actor was found dead in his NYC apartment. Police haven't given out the cause of death, but do not suspect foul play- drugs were found at the scene but it's still unsure what all the circumstances are.

It's really too bad- Ledger was a fine young actor and I have to say I was impressed with his performances in the few films I saw him in. Well, at least audiences will get one last taste of his prowess as The Joker in The Dark Knight, his last film. The movie is currently in post-production.

Violation

Early this morning, I learned from my mom that a nearby townhouse was broken into last night. The owners were away on some trip, and had just rushed back after learning of the jarring news. As far as I can tell, the thieves made off with stuff like a laptop, stereo system, cash and jewelry. There's talk that it was an inside job, given how the thieves knew what to take, when to take it and so on. Scary.
I shudder to imagine some blasted thief entering the rooms where I and my parents live. But what can we do but stay vigilant, keep our housemates informed and to always stay mindful that outside our door, everything is fair game.

Man, I wish I had a Vanishing Ray for real. Hopefully prayer and prudence will be enough to keep us safe.

Human SFX


AMAZING stuff.

Man, you gotta love the Japanese. The Kasou Taishou, or Kinchan and Katori Shingo's All-Japan Costume Grand Prix, is a special event where groups of performers do special presentations using human-powered special effects and creative performances. One of the most amazing just has to be this skit performed by 9 university students, entitled "Olympic Highlights". Watch, and let your jaw drop in wonder.

Link: Japan Probe

New Digs

Things have been a bit wild these days at The Salt Mines. A bit of change in the way the company is organized has resulted in, long story short, a bunch of us moving to a new office (same building, different floor). It's been a whole week of squatting in crowded conference rooms, sweltering by the heat of laptops, trying your best to make the most out of the trickle that is our internet connection. Still, I have to say that I love new things, so having a new office after the three or so years staying in the same place isn't all bad. The new Creative Department isn't as expansive as our old place, but I think it's pretty cozy, and once we get settled in it should be home once again. Give it a couple of weeks. The good things? We're now closer to the CRs, and have access to an elevator that goes down to the ground floor straightaway, which is cool if you're in a hurry.

Any gripes? Yeah, we're a bit crowded, and it may get noisy... but that's nothing a good pair of earphones can't fix. But the big stitch is, no WINDOWS, so conceivably day can turn into night without us realizing it. Yikes! Anyway, I hope this gets me sticking to my promise to go stretch my back and legs every so often. Or better yet, to just go out of the office and walk around to get my thinking cap on. Well, whatever happens, this is our new bed, so all we can do is lie in it and make the most out of it. And take care to steal the sheets as often as possible. Heh.

The Force is strong with Soulcalibur IV



Here's another one of those gaming news that's just too mainstream-pertinent and big to just leave at The Lone Gamer. The currently-ongoing CES 2008 showcases all the latest developments in games and gear, and is the place that Namco-Bandai chose to showcase their latest Soulcalibur IV trailer. Well, the new spot doesn't so much show new gameplay or storyline elements as it does the much-hyped surprise guest characters who will be appearing in the hack-and-slash one-on-one fighter. Well, the cat's out of the bag.

Soon after the sound of harsh, mechanical breathing was heard, another sound- that of my jaw hitting the floor- rang out. Darth Vader is in Soulcalibur IV. DARTH-FREAKIN' VADER. And Yoda too. Unfreakin' believable.

Not all is sweet and potatoes though- as of right now, while you can match lightsabres against magical metal weapons, apparently you can't pit Jedi against Sith since Vader will be exclusive to the PS3 ('cause it's black) and Yoda an Xbox360-only character (since he's green). That kinda sucks, but maybe downloadable content can change that eventually or something.

Rumor has it that perhaps the two master Jedi aren't the only Lucas Arts characters getting injected into Namco's slasher- there certainly is a huge menagerie of Jedi and Sith to use, though I have to say wouldn't this kinda make SCIV a Star Wars game and not a Soulcalibur game? Kinda like how the Final Fantasy characters stole the show from the cast of Ehrgeiz. But still, having maybe Darth Maul in the game would be damn cool.

Anyway, Soulcalibur IV's been given a release date of Summer 2008 (which resultantly gives Tekken 6 for the PS3 a release window of after that) for the PS3 and Xbox360. Gadzooks!

Hunting Season 2008

I love Ghost Hunters, and thankfully the creepy fun of following TAPS (The Atlanta Paranormal Society) will continue this year. Even better, the successful creepy-reality drama is expanding overseas with Ghost Hunters International, a spin-off set in Europe and other countries with long-time TAPS members like Brian and Donna heading up the new show.
What's next, Ghost Hunters Asia? Nope (at least, not yet). The next frontier is... the FINAL Frontier. Yep, UFO Hunters is the latest show from the creators of Ghost Hunters, and will follow a pair of UFO experts from the NY-SPI (New York Strange Phenomenon Investigators) as they investigate otherworldy experiences and other close encounters.

Man, this is great. It kinda makes me miss Nginiig!, that old local spookshow... don't miss the bad teen star hosts and the overly-melodramatic storylines and celebrity-possession-of-the-week though. Oh well.

Avatar 3.13 The Firebending Masters


Aang and Zuko pay an homage to Dragonball Z.

A new episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender aired over the weekend, and I have to say I'm very happy with what transpired. The latest episode, The Firebending Masters, picks up shortly after Zuko joined the Gaang as Aang's new firebending teacher. Unfortunately, once the lessons begin, something immediately becomes apparent- both literally, and figuratively, Zuko's LOST HIS FIRE. His firebending has suddenly become worthless, a far cry from the fury he unleashed in Crossroads of Destiny.
This seems to happen in every anime, show or comic I know; a bad-ass villain is a monstrous adversary, but when he/she turns good, they become wimps. Well, in Zuko's case though, there's a good explanation, which has to do with inner spirit and the source of firebending power. So, in order to regain his firebending (and gain something new), Zuko, along with Aang, go off on a quest to find those who know the forgotten secrets of fire- the mighty, fire-breathing dragons. Unfortunately, dragons have been extinct for years!

This episode is cool for many reasons- first off, the budding Aang-Zuko friendship is finally off in earnest, as the unlikely pair share an adventure together- the last time these two fought together was waaaaay back in The Blue Spirit in Book of Water, under very different circumstances. It's wonderful to note that they are each still nominally the same- Zuko is still the hot-head, but thankfully has none of the haughtiness and arrogance he had as the exiled prince. He even gets knocked around by a still-hostile Katara and Sokka, which may piss off Zuko fans a bit. Still, come on people- Zuko hunted them down for two and a half seasons. He can take a couple of episodes of roasting. In good time, they'll be good friends... count on it.

Anyway, the buddy episode is a bit light on the actual action, but there is quite a lot of amusing interaction between Aang and Zuko, a pretty cool revelation and some awesome sequences at the end- which is strangely enough not a fight or a battle but a DANCE. Between Zuko and Aang. I kid you not. I also hope this lays to rest ANY doubt that Zuko is indeed in with the good guys FOR GOOD. Oh, and there's a priceless Toph flashback which is just adorable.

Though not having stuff like any updates on Iroh or the baddies, Suki or any other plot points, the Firebending Masters is a really nice installment in Book of Fire, and a light-hearted contrast to the heavy emotion dredged up in the previous episode. Here's to hoping that the Gaang get into more serious adventures in the next episodes, due in the next couple of weeks. Later then!

Crisis Averted

EDIT: To clarify the situation yesterday, my iPhone didn't just spontaneously go crazy- it seemed to have been caused when my Mac restarted after an update download, and something weird happened with iTunes (though I didn't update iTunes). Afterwards, when I synced, that dreaded yellow bar of consumed but inaccessible space took up the whole bar of my iPhone's memory. With no other recourse, I had to attempt a restore, using firmware I downloaded and an app named INdependence. The process of reactivating the then-restored but locked phone was straightforward and easy, which just steams me up when I remember how I paid about 2K for the service from a tech in Greenhills, and they even made me think that it was frickin' hard to do. Bastards. In any case, I feel that yesterday's bungle was a blessing in disguise, since now I know I can restore my phone whenever something like this happens again.

Anyway, it took me until midnight, but I managed to get my phone customized and loaded with apps again, which is great. Everything's cool once more, and the iLife goes on. Wonderful!

Just before lunch today, out of the blue, my Apple iPhone suddenly goes bonkers. My videos and music disappear, but the space they consumed is still unavailable and unusable- kind of like someone having a bad case of gas. I could still use the phone features and apps, but as an iPod the phone was kaput. It was the kind of error/screw-up that required nothing less than a Restore, which, basically, returns your device to factory settings. For iPods, this is nothing more than an inconvenience. For our country's hacked, unlocked iPhones, it's a bit more trouble. That's because we can't simply restore our phones and have everything go back to normal. Nope, if you just restore from iTunes with the default settings, Apple will make sure your phone becomes a very expensive-looking brick.

Months ago, my first reaction would have been to pace around like a headless chicken, do something drastic and rush all the way to the nearest hacker/tech to fork over the several thousand peso-fee to restore the device to working order. Luckily, I had done some homework and had the software and files needed to do the deed without much trouble. I was able to restore my phone to factory settings, then activate it once more.

Things aren't back to 100 percent just yet- the phone's working fine now, with all my contacts (saved to iCal, thankfully so I didn't have to re-input everything by hand again) and media back and available. However, all my third-party apps and games are gone, so I have to work on installing them and customizing the darn thing again so it looks like the cool, slick myPhone of yesterday. Nothing a good hour with a stable WiFi connection shouldn't be able to fix.

But man, that was scary for a while. I got through it though and things should hopefully go better now that I've experienced a second major breakdown and survived. You really gotta have quite a bit of nerve to own a hacked iPhone, but darn... just one look at the device makes it all worthwhile. Heh.

High Resolution

So, it's the New Year. What about some resolutions on how I'll be going about things from now on? Well, let's see...

For starters, I resolve to blog more often and blog better this year. I have to admit... the MADness ran thin last year. I miss the good ol' days of Ants in the Scanner, the Taxi Driver with a Frog's Voice and the Cellular Phone Theft MRT Incident. Now, I don't plan on encountering criminal scum ever, but I'll try my best to post more interesting, funny, entertaining, insightful, informative or just plain MAD rants and raves to tell you all as we go along. I owe it to all of you who take the time getting your retinas seared by my page's crimson coloring.

I have to watch my back. Literally. From now on, I have to make sure to take frequent stretch breaks and walking time at The Salt Mines. Every hour, every so often, I have to just tear myself away from the keyboard, the laptop and the desk and just let the body move naturally. It'll save me sleepless nights contorting in The Sanctum, pain lancing up and down the spine and lower back. Maybe I should get an hourglass or something to keep me updated on the time. We'll see.

More Comics. Mangaholix Presents is still on my plate this year, but I do plan on publishing my own stuff as well in 2008. It may be something familiar, but then again it could be something totally new. I'll keep you all informed right here. Yeah, I do intend to draw it as well as write it. Okay then.

That's enough for now. It's all just for starters. Small steps, but I think they're gonna go far in making sure that 2008 is cool as school. I don't want to make big promises I can't keep. We'll see if the year proves me right or wrong. Or can I count on all of you for that? Let's get moving then.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

What's past is prologue! This year looks great, and I for one am glad it's here. We just had a simple but perfect New Year's dinner last night, and after the meal we watched the fireworks from the front yard and greeted each other Happy 2008. I am looking forward to more MADness, rants and raves for this hopeful time ahead. I'll talk about resolutions in a while. Then it's on to planning what to do. Oh, and tomorrow, back to work. Oh well.

Looking Back at 2007

It's been a hell of a year. Looking back at my past Rants and Raves, I realize that in the past year I had...

Discovered the Apple iPhone, and spent the next several months lusting after it, trying to forget it by turning to the 02 XDA Flame, but ultimately ditching the world of Pocket PCs and Windows Mobile for it. With the most lovely and big screen, a revolutionary touch screen, video playing that puts to shame all other mobile phones and a platform for apps that still continues to grow, it has since become my best cellphone to date. I still have it, and look to still have it into the New Year and the foreseeable future. But then, the only thing constant is change...

I discovered the sweet and double-edged pleasure that was Krispy Kreme Donuts, considered by some as a vice, others the nectar of the gods. I don't bring home boxes of the stuff regularly anymore, but it can't hurt to have a glazed or two every now and then. I think.

This was the year when I got my Playstation 3. Yeah, I got it too early I guess... the big games that I really got it for are only coming out THIS year- Tekken 6, Soulcalibur IV, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy XIII. Of the two uber-consoles, the Xbox360 had more titles and saw more playtime (but ultimately caused more trouble thanks to the frickin' 3RL crap). Still, I can't say I didn't enjoy all those hours of Virtua Fighter 5, and that one afternoon of Heavenly Sword. Well, games on the PS3 haven't been that great YET, but it's still a kick-ass media thingie and looks SOOOO Star Trek.

To coincide with the PS3, this was the year I made the leap into HD, finally and irrevocably leaving behind standard-definition TVs and buying my first LCD HDTV set. It's probably my most significant and enjoyed acquisition of the year, along with the iPhone and Cable DSL. It's been a widescreen world for me since then, and there's really no going back now.

On my HDTV I watched shows like Rome and Heroes. Rome was a bloody classic, although I still have to muster watching the second season. Heroes was enjoyable in its first season, but word of boring episodes, uneven storytelling, crappy new characters and even creator Tim Kring apologizing to fans for failing has made me dread looking at the second season. Oh well. At least Ghost Hunters is still creepily cool, and has new episodes and a spin-off in 2008.

If it was one show that I truly waited for and enjoyed this year, it was Avatar: The Last Airbender. The final season aired towards the end of the year, rewarding long-suffering fans with even more thrilling elemental action, deeper character moments and some big-budget battle scenes. And the darn Book of Fire is only halfway through! 2008 should see the Avatar's quest finally end, but hopefully this world and setting will live on in another form.

Comicspace arrived and seemed to be a great place to show off pages and interact with other comic people. But it soon fizzled out as got forgotten as other sites came in to populate cyberspace with pics, posts and flying sheep... from MySpace, Friendster, Multiply and... gasp... Facebook.

Comics were hit and miss. Civil War was pretty good, as was Infinite Crisis and 52 (eventually). Joss Whedon proved to be gold on the comic writing biz with his brilliant Astonishing X-men. Coming in later in the year were more pages of graphic goodness in Alex Ross' Justice, Adam Warren's Empowered and World War Hulk. However, all these goodies can't erase the unmitigated crap that was Amazon Attacks. UGH.

Speaking of comics, I wasn't too productive in the Indie front- no self-published work, but arguably what I DID do this year reached more people than ever before... thanks to my work on my secret "C.I.A." comic book and my new partnership with Groundbreakers Inc. for Ninja Girl KO! in Mangaholix Presents. The New Year will see a new issue out, so things look great coming into 2008. In the past year, I came together with Elbert Or and Carl Vergara to pass on our experiences to the next generation of artists and comic creators in Ateneo. However, I'm not quite ready to retire anytime soon. There's always a possibility of another K.I.A. book, and that Angel Ace story is still in the gray matter, somewhere. We'll just have to see.

This year seemed to mark the real beginning of CG movies as serious fare, with the CG and Sandals epics 300 and later Beowulf striking the box office at the jugular. First it was all-CG settings. Then it was all-CG EVERYTHING. Adult animated movies are beginning to move in. If you thought Hollywood stars looked airbrushed-perfect before, you haven't seen anything yet.

Still on movies- it was a year of Sequel-Busts like Spiderman 3 and Shrek the Third. The Simpsons Movie was a nice diversion, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was properly dark and brooding. I kinda liked Pirate of the Carribbean: At World's End and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer though, but I can't seem to find anyone else who shares these views.

Work went well for the most part- I'm still at The Salt Mines, where I've been working for the past three years or so. And I don't have any plans of leaving. Things look good, and God willing, they'll stay that way.

All in all, 2007 was a good year. It had it's ups and downs, but for the most part, it was coasting along nicely. What I think though is that it was mostly buildup for the year to come. The optimist in me is thinking that next year- THIS year in a few hours- is going to be even better in so many ways. I can't wait. The Future looks bright, indeed.

T'was the Day After Christmas

I dared venture out into the sunlight today. I've been vegetating in The Sanctum since the vacation started, so I just needed some air. I was thinking that the mobs at the mall should have receded by now, but nosiree... at least Megamall was still crawling with folks. It wasn't unbearably crowded, but I soon found myself yearning for solitude once again. I wanted to try and get something cool, and at some points found myself wondering if I should get a new game (Naruto: Rise of a Ninja for the Xbox360) or a Blu-ray disc (Paprika) to take home. In the end, I balked and just got myself two things- a new belt (from McJim no less. Ownly from... McJim)and a new wallet. For the new year.

Afterwards, I headed home, just wanting peace and quiet once more. And the tranquility of the crowded yet silent internet. Hahaha. I'll try to slip in another mall foray before New Year, I think. But for now, I think I'll bother myself with more R&R, perhaps starting on the script for Ninja Girl KO issue 4, and trying to save the universe in Mass Effect for the Xbox360.

Man, I love vacations. Back to vacationing, then.

Cartoony Christmas

It's the Christmas break, FINALLY, after a pretty long but eventful and ultimately rewarding year. Last week, the Salt Mines celebrated Christmas in a simple but rousing party that was made merry simply for the company. I am really thankful that I am able to work with people I really like and who apparently like me- enough to vote me one of the two most popular Creatives in our department. HO HO! It's nice to be appreciated, and certainly nicer to get a prize for it. Of course, the office Christmas party wasn't the end of the week, but for the rest of the remaining work days of 2007 we just spent the time winding down to the holiday.

Last night, I attended the Comic Quest gang Christmas party at Vin's place. There, we spent the night just enjoying the night air and each other's company, and experienced weirdness like El experiencing a sugar high thanks to his first-ever taste of a Krispy Kreme donut, a photo tour of Jamie and Iyay's honeymoon in the US and an odd half hour of watching 80's cartoon openings on Youtube. Certainly an odd way of celebrating Christmas, but damn fun.

I don't really have much planned for the Christmas break other than the obvious luxuries of oversleeping, enjoying holiday food, catching up on comics reading and videogame-playing and a little bit of shopping. I'll save some serious stuff- like planning the activities in comics for the next year- after Christmas Day itself.

For now, it's kinda weird to have to spend Christmas with just my nuclear family of Mom, Dad and myself, but with a good internet connection and Skype, our loved ones are not out of sight or out of mind. Technology is so grand, isn't it?

Happy Holidays, people! Be safe and happy wherever you are.

Losing is Half the Battle



It's been awhile since my last Avatar: The Last Airbender update, but since then THREE episodes have come out, the most recent coming out only yesterday! We've gone over the halfway point of Book of Fire. Only eight more episodes to go (well, nine if the 21-episode count is to be believed) before this magnificent animated saga comes to a close.

The Day of Black Sun is a 2-episode arc (consisting of The Invasion and The Eclips) that serves as Chapter 10 for Season 3. The culmination of a plot point picked up during events in Season 2, this involves the Avatar and friends' attack on the Fire Nation on the day of a Solar Eclipse- a day when firebenders all over the world lose their powers. Unfortunately, given that events in the last season lost the support of the Earth Kingdom's vast armies, the 'Invasion Force' at Aang and company's disposal consists of little more than a handful of very brave souls- the Men of the Southern Water Tribe, led by Hakoda, Katara and Sokka's dad, and a smattering of familiar faces and friends made in previous episodes. It's pretty cool to see guys like the Swampbenders, Haru and his tribe, the Duke and Pipsqueak and even The Boulder and The Hippo back fighting for the good cause. The plan is so daring that it just may work... a fast, violent strike right at the heart of the enemy, with some pretty awesome war machines made by the Machinist, in order to pave the way for Aang to face off with The Firelord and end the war once and for all.

UNFORTUNATELY... it's only halfway into the season, so you just know that things won't work out quite the way it was planned. In any case, these two amazing episodes show off enough action and pyrotechnics to please anyone, and the drama and pathos is pretty gripping- it had me glued to the screen the whole time. The whole Invasion has a big budget feel to it which is a truly cool achievement, especially for a TV kids' cartoon. There's even a little tease for a long-running loose end that hopefully will be addressed soon. When all is said and done though, the Empire, er, Fire Nation strikes back, and things get even worse than ever, but at least we don't have to wait a year to see what happens next.

Episode 3.12, The Western Air Temple is the latest episode and involves the gang's retreat to an old and abandoned Airbender sanctuary as they try to plot out their next move. For the most part though, it's a Zuko-centric episode as the now-fully reformed Fire Nation Prince tries to find a way to break the news of his new viewpoint in life to a bunch of people he spent the last several months hunting down like dogs. It's certainly an episode with awkward and uncomfortable moments, which are thankfully mostly intentional. By the end, things work out- sort of. Friendship has to be earned, trust somehow rebuilt and somehow Zuko has to help Aang overcome a major hurdle he has had to becoming a full-fledged Avatar. In any case, it should make for pretty interesting interactions for the last few episodes. It's been a long road to his redemption, and as we, the audience, knows, he's earned and learned so much. It's time this started to pay off.

The last stretch of episodes now beckons- the series is set to end with a momentous 4-episode finale (episodes 18 to 21), so we have five episodes of buildup to the endgame. It's been a long time coming, but this should be awesome. Book of Fire is going to end with a blast.

Ninja Girl On Duty!



When the Groundbreakers are around, keep a lookout for a Ninja Girl on guard! The image above is an artwork made by Kriss Sison as a standee for Mangaholix Presents exhibits, campus tours and workshops. When I find a good printer, I'll have my own Michiko on guard at the Sanctum. For now though, I'll make do with her guarding my iPhone and PSP on cool Ninja Girl KO! wallpapers. DARN she's cute. Kriss is the MAN!
Anyways, the second episode of Ninja Girl KO! is being produced as we speak, with more slick martial arts high school teen action comedy, though when the next Mangaholix Issue hits stands is still TBA. I'll keep you all updated once I get any news.

Prepare for the Next Battle!


The Tekken 6 Arcade Intro. The Fighting Soap Opera continues...

Yeah, this is another videogame post best left for The Lone Gamer, but like Metal Gear Solid 4, this game is so popular and universal that it's part of everyday life and blogging for me as well. It's the flagship fighting game everyone knows. It's TEKKEN!
Tekken 6 is coming. Actually, it's already arrived- in Japan, though. For now, all we outsiders can do while we wait for the inevitable international arcade release and PS3 home conversion is salivate at blurry, low-res videos of matches on Youtube. But what has happened since the last chapter in the Mishima soap opera?

We last left the Tekken crew in Tekken 5 with then-hero Jin Kazama defeating both his evil grandfather and father (Heihachi and Kazuya, respectively) and then moving on to vanquish his GREAT-grandfather, Jinpachi Mishima, who had been transformed into a demonic creature by his long imprisonment underneath the Mishima shrine. You'd think that with Jin now in the pilot's seat of the powerful Mishima Zaibatsu, things would be cool and peaceful. But NOOOOO...
Given that Jin had a pretty sinister smirk in his Tekken 5 CG ending, you just could tell that things weren't going to go well. Apparently, after taking command of the Zaibatsu, Jin starts taking his company and personal army, the Tekken Force, into world politics. The Zaibatsu's power and influence soon starts a world war, which ends with Jin on the winning side. With almost every country pummeled into submission, only one force stands with enough power to challenge the Zaibatsu- G-Corporation. And by coincidence, the new leader of G-Corp is none other than Kazuya Mishima. Once again, father and son do battle.
And so, the Sixth Iron Fist Tournament is announced, with a special bounty being placed on Jin Kazama's head by Kazuya. From all over the world, fighters come together once again. Some wish to stop the world war. Some seek revenge. Some crave power, or just the thrill of combat or the rush of blood. At the end of the tournament, a great evil awaits, and one fighter will decide the fate of the world.

WHEW! Melodramatic, ain't it? Well, I SAID it was a soap opera, didn't I?

Anyways, Tekken 6 will come with the whole regiment of characters that appeared in the last installment, the arcade/psp/PS3 release, Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection. Along with undead soldier Dragunov, spoiled little rich girl Lili and back-from-the-dead Armor King, the Tekken regulars are joined by four totally new combatants. Leo may seem to be a bishounen youth, but SHE is actually a girl dressed up like a guy. She comes in seeking revenge on Kazuya for the suspected murder of her parents. Zafina is an Arabian/Egyptian beauty and guardian of a royal tomb who is seeking out the meaning behind a prophecy predicting the end of the world should 'Two evil stars meet'. Miguel is a Spanish matador and brawler who's out for Jin's head for the death of his beloved sister (Darn, these Mishimas know how to make people angry, don't they..?). Finally, Bob is a martial artist whose unique body shape (okay, he's morbidly obese) belies his agility and power. Of course, those seeking favorites like Paul, Law, Lei Wulong, King, Nina Williams... they're all here and looking better than ever before.

As for the end bosses- well, here's the word. Waiting for players in the penultimate stage will be Jin Kazama himself- not Devil Jin but normal Jin- albeit with permanent Rage enabled. Once you wipe the floor with him, you'll face off with Azazel, the latest and BIGGEST end boss yet in a Tekken game. Azazel has already been seen before in the game's trailers- he's the dragon-like monster with the beak and floating crystals- and he seems to be some kind of ancient demon or god. What he IS, though, is a large target, and so far players seem to be kicking his arse handily despite his ability to earthbend and use flying crystals for attacks. Hopefully he'll be buffed up and made more formidable for the home version.

The game of course looks pretty awesome, rivalling or perhaps even surpassing Virtua Fighter 5 in graphical splendour. Character models sport incredible detail, along with facial expressions and individually-layered and modelled clothing (more on that later). Even better, all the animations have been redone, and new movements have been added to make Tekken 6 different and fresher from its predecessors. A big factor in the gameplay now is something called the Rage System, where a character whose lifebar is reduced to near zero gains a surge in power to allow him/her to inflict greater damage and catch up to his/her opponent. Air combos are now monstrously powerful and can empty life bars in seconds- I do hope they tone this down quite a bit.
Another treat in store, taking a cue from recent fighting games, is Character Customization. Even more detailed than that in VF5 and Tekken 5, Tekken 6 will allow players to give their favorite fighter a unique appearance. Since the character models in Tekken 6 are basically 'naked', you can swap or remove as you wish from the available wardrobe of tops, pants, shoes, gloves and so forth as you want (don't count on having the girls topless though), and add cool stuff like swords and guns. These accessories won't be just for show though- apparently some items have special abilities which can be used in battle- Anna, for example, can throw her high-heeled shoes at her opponent (it would be hilarious if you actually KO someone this way). Bryan Fury has been shown using a shotgun to juggle his enemy, while Bruce has at his employ a gang of baby chicks (!). These Item Moves are probably more taunts or minor moves, at best, and shouldn't really be anything more than a fun diversion and fan service.

As of this writing, the Japanese arcade release has been out for a week, and the game is making the rounds in arcades. So far, Namco is still updating the game for the final release at the end of December, making tweaks to the fighting system and adding in options and customization options. Hopefully all this playtesting will result in a perfectly-balanced, supremely playable game. This early though, Tekken 6 looks awesome and it will surely be a system-seller for the PS3 when it punches onto the console sometime next year. Since the arcade version is operating on what is basically a PS3 board (it even has the same XMB interface!), I expect the home version to arrive sooner, rather than later (though apparently only after the release of Soulcalibur IV on the PS3). I can't darn freakin' wait.

2008 is gonna be a good year for fighting. In games, at least.

War Freak

I love the Discovery Channel and National Geographic channels like no other. However, I seem to detect that these funds for knowledge and learning are also places where the US Military does some of their most subversive advertising. There are TONS and TONS of military specials, war shows and series about weapons, smart munitions and other scary stuff that basically imprints on anyone watching that the Americans are FREAKY armed like hell and no one should dare mess with them.

Which is fine, whatever. I just find myself just cringing whenever I watch the show Futureweapons with the bald-headed ex-Navy SEAL host almost oozing with GLEE as he shows off piece after piece of murderous hardware designed to blow human bodies up into little-bitty chunks. Morbid, but fascinating stuff. But yeah, I wouldn't mess with the US military...

Unreal

I was able to watch the CG-fantasy flick Beowulf a couple of days ago, and I must say I'm glad I caught it in a theater. This sort of spectacle needs to be seen on as big a screen as possible. What can I say? I was certainly amazed and enthralled at the visual artistry of the film, much more so than Robert Zemeckis' previous CG cartoon effort, The Polar Express. The characters onscreen still, slightly have that 'uncanny valley' sort of thing; you KNOW they're not real, but after a while it doesn't matter. After a while, you're just watching performers onscreen, not thinking all the time they're just pixels made to look like Anthony Hopkins or John Malkovich. Strangely enough, the one actor who doesn't look the same onscreen and offscreen is Ray Winstone, who plays the titular hero. Apparently he was cast for his voice and his age, perhaps, since a great part of the story happens in the warrior's more senior years.

But as fabulous as most of the CG graphics are, I have to say there are things that still aren't gotten quite right; mainly WOMEN. Barring Angelina Jolie's succubus-like Demon Mother, the other female characters tend to all look like Glenn Close at the start. I can't figure it out. There's still something about the female form that the CG artists behind this flick just haven't gotten yet. Oh well.

All that aside, I have to say that this was a pretty slick fantasy epic, well worth watching and seeing. The best thing about it for me is how solid everything felt, like the world it was set in, the texture of stuff from wooden walls and gold-painted skin to the disgusting pus-laden flesh of Grendel's scummy skin. Also incredible, the way the camera moves everywhere, like it was attached to a fly, following everything from the path of a gold coin thrown from a king's hand to the bloody swath Beowulf's sword cuts through the gullet of a monstrous sea monster. ASTOUNDING.

I'll be picking up the DVD I guess, since this does seem to be a keeper.

Scummy iPhone

As if to remind me of its POWER after I have been doting recently on my new PSP Slim, my iPhone just got itself quite a bit of gaming prowess. SCUMMVM, the game system that powered all those classic Point-and-Click videogames like Day of the Tentacle, Secret of Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion, has been ported over to the iPhone platform. With an interface perfect for the touchscreen-master device, the SCUMMVM games not only play great but look great on Apple's mobile.

The trick is, of course, getting both the emulator program (freeware) AND the game files (bahala na si Batman how you get them) onto the iPhone. It requires an openline, unlocked phone and several apps, WiFi and a bit of fiddling with 1P addresses. But it's easier than it seems, and I got it working fine. So now, my iPhone's not so much the boring, non-gaming device I whined about yesterday.

Doesn't mean I'll be throwing away my PSP though. Not while Tekken and DOA are there. Heh.

New Toy!


Slim and Lite!

I got myself a brand new PSP Slim last weekend, and I'm having a ball with it. Yeah, I know, I know... I HAD a PSP several months ago, and I really didn't have it for very long. In fact, my first PSP was with me for all of less than three months, and I was really only able to play about three games for any length of time. The portable was a bit more expensive then, and all the games I had were originals, so I was paying for each title through the nose- even the crappy ones (and I did buy a couple of crappy ones). Sad to say, lugging around the PSP with delicate UMDs wasn't the most convenient or comforable thing to do, and the fun wasn't there for me then. So, I eventually bade goodbye to it.

Well, things have changed a bit since then. All over the place now is the new model PSP Slim and Lite aka PSP2000, which is unsurprisingly slimmer and lighter than the previous model 1000s. But never mind the specs about how the thing is 20% lighter and thinner- the nicest thing about local PSPs is that they all pretty much come with homebrew firmwares, large-capacity Memory Sticks and ISO games. What does this mean? Well, it means that you don't need to get those crappy, easy-to-get-scratched-and-ruined UMDs... games are little more than files that you load into your Memory Stick, and play from there. So you can pretty much bring a whole arcade's worth of titles in your PSP, and not a single UMD in sight- thus, Light on the weight but HEAVY on the gaming!
Add to that the niceness that the usual PSP package costs even less than the previous offers did months ago AND gives you tons of games from the get-go, can you say... SOLD?

So now I have my new Piano-Black PSP Slim (I passed on the Ice Silver, Florentine Blue and Rose Pink variants...), loaded to the rafters with games like the indispensable Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection (to tide me over until Tekken 6), Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (really, the game that got me interested in the PSP again), Puzzle Quest (a hilarious mix of Bejeweled and Fantasy RPGs), Jeanne D' Arc (Anime-themed RPG set in the War between France and England), Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops (which I sinfully didn't get to play on my previous PSP) and Sid Meier's Pirates (classic). Heck, I even have Dead or Alive PSX loaded in my PSP as well- running at a lovely 60 frames per second at BLAZING fast speed, it's like a whole new game with upped challenge thanks to the copy being the PAL version (which contains several extras unseen in the NTSC games). Plus, it's the closest thing to Virtua Fighter anyone can get on the PSP. Except with swimsuits.

So now, I have the perfect companion to my iPhone, which despite all it's loveliness and multimedia power, is pretty CRAPPY when it comes to games (Tic-Tac-Toe, anyone?), and another way to fight boredom whenever it rears its sleepy head.

Anyways, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to keep in Ivalice...

Now Sneaking Into Your Favorite Bookstores



Mangaholix Presents #3 is now available in National Bookstore and other places where magazines and comics are sold. This third issue of the locally-produced manga-zine is full to the brim with awesome art, cool stories and characters and tons of content to enjoy.
The stories include the latest installments of MHP's mainstay stories. Midknighters: Fistfight Manifesto, the Ocean's Eleven-meets-Fight Club action adventure takes a break from all the beat 'em up action and takes a look at the softer side of one of the macho heroes. Aporia continues the comedic fantasy adventure of Kapres and Tikbalangs as Apo, the exiled Kapre, confronts his pursuer. Meanwhile, action heats up in the realm of Engkantos as secret dealings continue to play out. In the musical sci-fi fantasy Pulis Pangkalawakan, the band meets a new ally in their battle against the Parapaps... and maybe a new love interest?
Also in Issue 3, a cool feature entitled Musical Icons Manganized where some of the hottest local bands (Sandwich, Itchyworms, Urbandub) get re-imagined by the awesome artists of Mangaholix. And finally, game and gear reviews aplenty as well as in-depth reports on the recently-concluded San Diego Comic Con round out this overstuffed issue!

Oh and of course, Issue 3 contains the debut episode of Ninja Girl KO!, brought to you by yours truly and awesome artist Kriss Sison. Martial arts hi-jinx and light-hearted adventure begin when hapless student Anton Alcazaren crosses paths with the Philippines' cutest and deadliest war straggler- the lovely kunoichi Michiko Yamashita!



Get your copy of Issue 3 (and 1 and 2 if you don't already have 'em) NOW NOW NOW! WAHOOO!!!

WRATH OF KON (a.k.a. a MADman's Komikon 2007 Report)

Another year, another KOMIKON! For starters, I'd like to congratulate and thank Azrael and the members of Artists' Den who worked hard to make this, The 3rd Filipino Komiks Convention, an awesome and cool reality. I've been to all three Kons so far, and they just get better and better each time. A great personal thanks comes from me as well to Groundbreakers Inc., the grand crew behind the hottest new local mangazine (shameless plug!) Mangaholix Presents, for making the day particularly cool, exciting and rewarding for me.

One can only lament that we, the local indie komiks/komics/comics creators/artists/producers/fans/enthusiasts only get one day in the whole year to really call OUR OWN. But then, at the end of the several hours, we're all probably too tired and spent (both in body and in spendable cash) to go another day like this. So yeah- we only get one day, but what a day it is. Crowded, chaotic, creative, completely crazy and cool.

Really, the Komikon is like every other convention out there- get a bunch of people who like the same thing, and get them all together in one place to swap stuff, stories and laughs. At the Komikon, it's always a fun time. The only things I see more of other than comics, toys and fun stuff are giddy smiles and expressions of glee and wonderment (or puzzlement from the odd man/woman out who just wandered into the area by mistake thinking it was some tiangge). The local indie comics community, which also extends to local gaming and hobby interests, apparently, is particularly friendly, close-knit, courteous and pleasant to be around with. It's great to just wander around, meet people in the field you've worked with/crossed paths/swords with/heard of/idolized/been envious of, and just talk shop, swap war stories, give solicited advice and what have you.

There were the usual suspects- seasoned indie professionals who have been around and made their names in the local community. Then there are the youngsters- kids in college or just out ready to storm the world with their hot-off-the-copier ashcans. The next generation, right there. I have to say, it's great to see the Indie Tiangge table filled with tons of new stuff, fresh and ripe to be read and appreciated. I'm a little sad that I wasn't able to scoop up every issue on offer- I blame the ATM for giving me 1000s in bills and the ever-present problem of change. Oh well.

It's wonderful to meet fans and readers of your work, and it never ceases to amaze me how people still keep your stuff to heart years after first release. I was given copies of the original Angel Ace to sign, as well as Angel Ace Again and Next, Siglo and even a couple of copies of Cherry Blossom High. Man, it was great! I have to apologize right now to those fans and readers who approached me and then I can't remember their names- my memory is horrid (but I often remember faces better), but I love you guys and appreciate your support for Angel, Kai and all my other comics to no end.

HECK, you guys and gals are the reason I keep doing this thing.

My main place was at the table of Jonas San Diego, who graciously and generously allowed guys like me, Elbert Or (who selflessly allowed himself to be my cashier... El, I am gonna treat you to lunch or dinner next time we meet. Seriously), Carl Vergara and Dave Hontiveros to squat and peddle our wares. Me? I just brought ten copies each of all the Angel Ace Again! releases (including NEXT!), and five copies of K.I.A. which I had laying around The Sanctum. Nicely, I sold most of them during the day, and gave a couple of sets away to some special people. Not bad!

A few feet away, Budjette Tan and the 'New Alamat' crew of Ian Sta. Maria and Mervin Ignacio displayed their cool new releases- Budj of course had the latest Trese, but his boys had their first major release- Skyworld, a fantasy action-adventure with distinct Pinoy flavor and awesome Tikbalang versus Aswang action. Great stuff!

A stone's throw away, Gerry Alanguilan would be selling the latest issue of his critical and popular indie success, Elmer... unfortunately a mishap in directions almost caused the stocks to get delivered all the way to San Pablo, Laguna. Yikes! Luckily, the comics eventually arrived to the delight of the fans.

Vin Simbulan (Isaw At Iba Pa, Kid Continuum) and Andrew Drilon (Karaboy, Kare-Kare Komiks)were by for a while, but had to leave shortly for another engagement at the other side of the world. Like a tag-team, another couple of good friends came by- Arnold and Cynthia Arre were along to get into the fun and spend a nice lunch with me. On a table nearer to the main stage, the Seven Seas crew was gathered, and I met Taga-Ilog(Pasig) and Michael David (Kubori Kikiam) and got their latest stuff... FINALLY!!!! MORE MINA AND DANTE!!! AAAAH!!! Really, seeing you guys made the day all the brighter.

Of course, my main joy for the day was the release of Mangaholix Presents Issue 3. At the Groundbreakers Inc. table, Head Honchos Ian Cang and Emmanuel Javier presided over their hardworking artists who were scribbling away awesome sketches by the minute. Where was Issue 3? It was a bit late, but literally arrived HOT OFF THE PRESSES in the afternoon. The copies were, thankfully, excellent (if still a bit damp from ink) thanks to production from the Culture Crash guru himself, James Palabay. Great to see ya again, James! Reactions to the new ish, and to a certain new title, Ninja Girl KO! looks great. Hopefully, it's all great from here.

And of course, it was great for me to finally meet in the flesh not only Ian, but Kriss Sison as well! Incredibly enough, the two of us managed to fashion a pretty slick, 10-page manga episode without ever seeing each other eye-to-eye. WAHOO! Gotta love the internet. Anyways, it was awesome meeting you, Kriss, and I hope this results in more, more, more great pages from both of us to the readers.

Other stuff. Fun stuff as well. Met Oliver Pulumbarit (Lex, Nancy and Argus) and had a group pic of him with me and Arnold together- Lourdes School alma mater unite! Met Fero Benedict too...and got reminded I owed him a review and never delivered. OOPS! Sorry, Fero!

Some cool guys and gals from Tale Craft, a locally-produced card-based storytelling game, got me, Carl and El to judge their storytelling contest. It was fun, albeit very difficult to hear the stories due to the overly LOUD emceeing from the central stage. SILENCE!!! STORIES BEING TOLD!!! Oh, and congratulations, Evil Dex!

In pleasant contrast to the last Kon, it was great to have adequate food and drink stations around this time, instead of having to crowd around that ONE Smokey's Stand last year. Thankfully, the venue also wasn't as hot as the last Kon as well, thanks to the many cooling fans set up all around. Unfortunately, it would invariably lead to people crowding and hanging out in front of the fans and blocking the coolness. Oh well.

At the end of the day, people were tired but triumphant. Tired but smiling. Tired but glowing with new purchases or flushed with sales. Me, El and Joel Chua winded the day down with dinner at Katipunan and a long chat about the past day and other funny stuff. Oh, and a long-winded review of mine about those crappy Shake, Rattle and Roll sequels.

The great thing about the Kon for me is that I always end it afterwards with my Comic-Making Spirit reinvigorated with new energy. Enough energy, hopefully, to last me till the next Kon. HOHO! Have to get back on to work on the next Ninja Girl KO! script. Have to keep plugging away at getting the next K.I.A. book off the ground. And how about the Angel Ace graphic novel I seem to be eternally planning? And what else may there be up my sleeve? With luck, we'll see some stuff in the near future. Before the next Kon. Or by the next Kon.

Seeya all next time, people! Till then... Support your local Indies! Support the REAL Filipino Komiks!!!


Elbert Or, Carlo Vergara and David Hontiveros.


Me and Andrew Drilon visit Taga-Ilog and Michael David at the Seven Seas table.


Vinnie Simbulan and Budjette Tan give the Kon a thumbs up!


Everyone gathers at Jonas Diego's table.


Manga Team KO! Finally, I meet the incredible Kriss Sison.


Arnold and Cynthia Arre are in the house!


Busy, busy, busy at the Groundbreakers Table!

More, more, more pics here!

WTF

The local news once again got me wishing my Vanishing Ray was real. A day ago, a man went into a Court building in Las Pinas and gunned down his own wife, whom he had some altercation with, and her female lawyer who tried to get in his way. The bastard was caught in his own house today, showing apparently no remorse at all for his deed.

The Supreme Court washed their hands of the matter, saying that it wasn't their fault since they're not given enough budget to provide adequate security in court buildings.

So what... anyone can walk into the courtroom and gun down anyone who files a case against them now? I mean, no death penalty anyway so why not?

What an amazing country we have. Government officials zip around in multiple luxury cars and own vast mansions, and we can't even afford proper protection for our courts.

WHAT THE FUCK. Fucking broken shit this country is. FEH.

KOMIKON 2007: Malapit NA!

It's just a day or so away, the one day in the year when Indie Komiks and Comics can meet and match. Lots of familiar faces will make their appearance, but we're all hoping lots of new people come and see what the local komikeros, manga-kas and comic book creators have up their sleeves. I'll most probably be hovering around the Groundbreakers Inc. place where they'll be selling Mangaholix Presents Issue 3, but I'll be sure to drift around and grab myself a copy of whatever catches my eye. I hope you guys all come and grab a copy of Mangaholix!

Seeya all there at UP's Bahay Alumni on Saturday! Later!

Where It Counts

So here I am, watching cable. On one channel is Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace. On another, there's Serenity, the movie sequel to the short but sweet Firefly sci-fi western series by Joss Whedon.

Easy to see how superior writing, characters and direction make the smaller sci-fi epic far, far, far superior to the overblown, woodenly-acted, horribly scripted and directed big-timer. I'll fly with the Serenity over any Pod Racer anytime. Hahaha.

Back to work then.

Slammin' Artworks


The gang's all here.

The last time I bought a book from Udon, the rockin' band of artists who made Streetfighter and other Capcom franchises cool in US comics, it was the Eternal Challenge: Streetfighter Art Book which I love immensely. And so, even though this newest volume from them- Udon: Art of Capcom- costs a whoppin' 3K, I got it without batting an eye. Okay, I shed a tear of blood, but that was it. In any case, the hefty volume full of lovely full-color, videogame-inspired, action-packed art is just right up my alley- and also that of quite a few other guys since this volume is promptly selling out at Comic Quest.

For the most part, the book is composed mostly of Street Fighter, which is great since that's my favorite of Capcom's properties. Aside from the images of Chun Li and company, there's a bit of Darkstalkers, the supernaturally-themed brawler, a bit of the Feudal Japan adventure Onimusha, a bit of Resident Evil (No Milla Jovovich though), quite a bit of Rival Schools and some other cool odds and ends. Thankfully, aside from the tons of cover art for Udon's comics, there are gobs and gobs of stuff never seen outside of the book, so I consider this a good purchase. Certainly, it's great reference material for hot, butt-kicking babes and that alone is worth the price of admission.

Great stuff! Now, back to cranking out the comic pages...

Mangaholix Presents Issue 3


Coming on the Kon.

Here's the cover for the third issue of Mangaholix Presents, and this is extra-special for me since it contains the first episode of Ninja Girl KO!, written by Yours Truly with art by Kriss Sison. It's not yet available in stores, but you can grab the hot-off-the-press copies on the day of the 4th Komik Convention at the UP Bahay Alumni in UP Diliman, on November 17. Gloriously, I'll finally be at a Komikon again with something I did, instead of just walking around just buying stuff. Now I'll be there hanging out with the Groundbreakers and signing copies.

Aside from MP3, things look good on the little something I'm whipping up specially for the Kon- it's a one-shot K.I.A. story entitled The Prize that I'll be putting out in a special Komikon-only Ashcan edition. It'll be at least 12 pages but could be as long as 22 depending on how things go. Basically, it's one long fight scene, and brings back a familiar character to anyone who got the K.I.A. anthology comic.

Things look cool! Can't wait for the Kon! See you all there on the 17th!

Empowered 2


Emp and friends return!

A pleasant surprise greeted me when I came home tonight... my copy of Adam Warren's Empowered 2 arrived today! Like the first issue of this black-and-white graphic novel anthology, I had to order it from Amazon since local comic stores were unable to acquire it for me. The second compilation of short stories about the misadventures of Empowered or Emp for short, a C-grade superheroine with self-esteem issues and an extremely destructible and exposing super-suit brings more R-rated bondage and cheesecake, along with pages and pages of Warren's luscious pencil art. The sophomore volume also supposedly delves deeper into the other members of the cast aside from Emp herself, including her thuggish but unerringly chivalrous and supportive boyfriend/mercenary Thugboy, her hard-drinking gal pal Ninjette and the guys and gals of Emp's super-team, the Super Homeys.

I wonder how many people in this country have this book? I'm pretty sure there are lots of Adam Warren fans around, and it's certainly his best work so far. It just takes a lot more effort to grab this book, making it one of my more valuable comics as yet. I'll be sure to give it a read-through as soon as possible and bump it up to the head of my horrendously long overdue list of unread comics... Sigh.

Creepy Fun

As I've always said, I love spooky shows. This past Halloween, I have to say I was kinda disappointed that I wasn't able to watch a lot of Ghost Specials on local TV (I missed the Magandang Gabi, Bayan Halloween episode, I think) save for the one from the daytime show Noypi, which featured some footage of some supposedly 'dancing little shadow people' on a foray in a cemetery (I couldn't discern anything). Good thing though I got my creepy fix anyways- six hours of Ghost Hunters in their Halloween 'Live' special.

Basically, the Live show, which started off with an episode last year, has the TAPS Team (The Atlanta Paranormal Society) taking viewers online and on TV along for the ride on a real-time ghost hunt. Last year, it was at the Stanley Hotel (the place that inspired Stephen King's The Shining). This year, TAPS returns to the Waverly Sanatorium in Kentucky, a now-decrepit and abandoned tuberculosis hospital where thousands are known to have passed away from the illness. The place is made infamous mostly by the presence of a 'Death Tunnel', a long downward passageway or body chute where corpses are literally slid down for cremation. YEESH.

The Ghost Hunters had quite an active investigation the last time they were in Waverly, with a mysterious running form showing up on camera, and various creepy sounds all over the place. This year, the team, along with ECW superstar Elijah Burke contended with more sounds and creepy paranormal phenomena. The six-hour special wasn't as eventful for home viewers as the previous year, but it was still weirdly engrossing to watch even though like 80 percent is just the hunters and their guests chatting and walking in dark corridors. The best parts of the special were the previews of the Fourth Season of Ghost Hunters, and of Ghost Hunters International.
Ghost Hunters International (GHI)is a spinoff show that features familiar faces from the TAPS team, including Brian Harnois and Donna La Croix. They'll be going all over Europe and other countries investigating haunted spots and applying the tried-and-tested TAPS methods of debunking and evidence-gathering... it looks pretty creepy cool, so that's double ghost hunting fun to be had. GHI is set to debut in January 2008.

There's no shortage of ghost hunting hi-jinks in the near future. Now if only there was a second season to the anime Ghost Hunt, I'd be really happy. And scared.