WWE Civil War

I love the current Raw vs Smackdown feud in the WWE shows. It pretty much is like a live-action war between two comic book universes (DC vs Marvel?). Personally, I like both shows- I like both current champions (rapper chief John Cena and half-Filipino powerhouse Batista) as well as various members of each locker room/roster. It will be cool and interesting to see how this all culminates in the upcoming Survivor Series. For now though, it's fun to see members from the opposing shows 'invading' the enemy program. Gosh, I love Jack TV.

LOST and MAD

Last night I caught an episode of Mad TV on Jack TV and they were doing a spoof of the series Lost. It was pretty hilarious in that they really got people on the show to look like the Lost characters. Of course, with MAD twists, like making old man Locke a psycho survivalist who picks his nose with his knife. Pretty cool, and a blast for fans of Lost to see. Given how Jack TV loves re-runs, they should re-air it soon. Mad TV is shown I think every other day, or every day.

Jack TV has easily become my favorite channel these days, for my WWE fixes and the occasional mature comedy skit. It's good that they seem to have new episodes of Mad TV and The Daily Show, but I'm still pissed that they are STILL re-running the old episodes of their G4 shows, X-Play, Cheat and Filter.

Gamez

If you've already picked up the EXCELLENT Soul Calibur III (which, I believe, is the finest fighting game package out right now), you may want to check out some other titles which are either on or coming soon to videogame stalls locally.

Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) is from the makers of the enchanting PS2 classic Ico. This time around, it's not about a boy leading a wispy girl around. Nope. This time, the girl is DEAD, and the boy has been charged with bringing her back to life by hunting down and defeating 16 monstrous colossi... basically, the whole game is a series of Boss Battles, each one different from the last. All you have is your magical sword, bow and arrow, your loyal horse Agro and a good deal of physical agility, and you'll need them all to defeat some of the most amazingly huge enemies ever seen in videogames. A totally unique gaming experience not to be missed.

The Matrix: Path of Neo (PS2) just may be the better-late-than-never game that actually makes great use of the ultimately disappointing sci-fi trilogy. Instead of casting players as forgettable side characters, MPON puts you in the role of The One himself. WHOA! This game goes through the whole story and all three movies, from Mr. Anderson's feverish escape from agents in his office building right to the final battle with the Super Smith. A lot of things are now more detailed and in-depth, such as training levels to build up Neo's fighting skills, to branching paths from the original films (what if Neo escaped with Trinity in the office scene?). There's even talk of an alternate ending to the depressing wind-down of Matrix: Revolutions. So far, this game looks incredible, and the prospect of being able to be the real hero makes for an interesting notion. Look for this very soon.

The Movies (PC) is the latest from game god Peter Molyneux, and puts you in the seat of Studio Head for a film company, and you're tasked to produce the next blockbuster. For the sim enthusiast, you can play the game from the ground up, building your studio from empty lot to star-studded stable. Or, you can just go into sandbox mode and just film the movie you've always wanted to do. The scope and stuff you're supposed to be able to do with this game just blows me away, and I'm certainly going to try and get this and try it when I can.

Gun (multi-console) is a western shooting and action game that should be in vogue right now given the popularity of the recent HBO series, Deadwood. Players step into the boots of a revenge-seeking cowboy out to take down a rogue's gallery of villains with his six-shooters. From deadly poker games to quick-draw gun battles to breakneck horse chases, this is sure to be chock-full of action.

Check these titles out! I know I sure will. Heh.

Voices

As an anime fan, I'm often familiar with names of Japanese seiyuu (voice actors). But interestingly enough, I don't know too much about US animation's vocal greats. I grew up watching series like G.I. Joe, Thundercats and Superfriends, so maybe I should. Well, on a whim and a random thought, I looked up some voices on Google and this is what I found...

Michael Bell is one of the more recognizable voices in cartoons during the 80s, as the voice of main man Duke in G.I. Joe, and also as evil COBRA henchmen Scrap Iron, Xamot(Strange that Tomax seems to be another actor) and Major Bludd. He also appears often before the camera, notably as an alien in the pilot episodes of Star Trek: TNG.

The dangerous Destro, as well as heroic Joes Iceberg and Stalker were given their distinct voices by Arthur Burghardt

Most people may not know who Peter Cullen is, but he's the man behind the sinister voices of Venger from Dungeons and Dragons, the heroic Optimus Prime in The Transformers and K.A.R.R, the evil A.I. car in the original Knight Rider. And yes, he does those movie trailers with that deep voice, though not as many as we all would think.

EVERYONE who watched 80s cartoons without a doubt knows the acidic voices of evil Starscream and Cobra Commander. The voice that gave them venom belonged to actor Chris Latta, who unfortunately passed away in 1994. Oh, those were the days when evil sounded... EVIL.

Actress B.J. Ward voiced the lovely and deadly Scarlett, as well as the Princess Allura on the Voltron series (gah). She's also Velma in the newer Scooby Doo movies and has worked on series like Gargoyles and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest.

Frank Welker is familiar to me, and no wonder- he's the voice of Megatron from The Transformers, Fred in Scooby Doo, Ray Stantz and Slimer in The Real Ghostbusters and gobs more roles. He also unfortunately starred in the Macaulay Culkin magical adventure The Pagemaster. Geh.

Amazingly enough, the Thundercats series was voiced by just a few actors, who also did double duty on sister-show Silverhawks. Many of the actors did double duty, playing both heroes and villains throughout the show. Despite the use of vocal acrobatics, you could tell that the sexy Cheetara and space cop Mandora were one and the same (Lynne Lipton. Actor Larry Kenney gave the heroic Lion-o his voice.

And of course, America's Top Ten Casey Kasem did roles from Robin the Boy Wonder in the Superfriends to Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

Sigh. Too many voices in my head. But they're all in there, squabbling away and I'm glad that they're there. Mad, it is. Mad.

Back to the Salt Mines

I'm back to work after a whole week spent cooped up in The Sanctum. I'm really not the travelling type, as most people who know me can testify. I really just love vegging out at home with a supply of chichirya, the latest PS2 games, a pile of new mags and comics and a new internet card. Basically, I just stayed in and rested ('cept for the days I was sick... then I was convalescing), not venturing out even for food long after my cache of junk food and sodas was exhausted (had stuff delivered until I ran out of funds). Good thing I was so engrossed in Soul Calibur III that food actually became a non-essential. Well, it's not often that I get to just chill like that, so it was great to do so, having no cares in the world except how to unlock so-and-so hidden character or beat the frickin' cheap-ass end boss.

Unfortunately, staying home too long also started to get me to start watching the daytime soap mini-series my mom watches at lunch, so I guess it's better to get back to work. Too much of a good thing is never good.

Besides, staying at home all that time made me neglect shaving and the next thing I knew, I could see my own stubble moving over my lip as I chewed my food. Hmm.

Anyway, it's back to work and life goes on to keep earning and learning.

Angel Ace the Fighting Game!

One of the coolest things about Soul Calibur III for the PS2 is the Character Creation Mode. As I’ve mentioned in my review, it’s more ‘dress-up’ a character than anything else, since you can’t actually set moves attacks. However, it’s still a blast to try and make up a fighter based either on your personal preferences or other titles/franchises. Online, I’ve heard that players have been creating everyone from Sephiroth to Abraham Lincoln in the mode. Well, I went off and created my own original comic book characters!

Angel Ace

Hi there! Wanna spar?

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any aviator goggles in the medieval ages… what with flight being non-existent and all... the closest I could get was a futuristic visor-thingie that the programmers put in as a way of recreating another Namco character in the game. It’s a little odd looking, but the effect works, I think. I would have wanted to give her a long trailing scarf, but that one in the game unfortunately covers up half of her face, so I opted for the smaller scarf. No billowy cloth, but in the end it works, I think. Again, it’s even better to see Angel in action in the game, especially when she does some of the more high-flying, gravity-defying attacks and moves in the game. Pretty cool.

Agent K

There’s no mistaking that fierce, determined expression. Or that nice gap in her top.

Kai was easy to do, thanks to some specific parts like the leg bandage which just nails her look. The short hair with the bangs is also spot on. But if you think she looks great in a still, she’s even more dynamite in action. Give her a katana and she’s ALIVE. It’s quite thrilling to see Kai in full color and animation, and this is probably the closest I’ll get to seeing a live Agent K… unless I put my plan to have a live-model Kai cosplayer ready for the next K.I.A. comic release. Heh.

Vanya (from K.I.A.)


Vanya, as K.I.A. readers should know, is the cruel commander of KALI, and Kai's boss. The scar probably isn’t on the right eye, but what the heck… even I can’t remember where it is exactly all the time. Heh. The coat and dress she's wearing up in the pic is a bit too conservative for me... it's probably not a 'combat' outfit, which should be more in the line of what Kai wears (mmm). It should be cool to see her and Kai taking out their stress on each other. Maybe I can even do other K.I.A. characters, like the love-smitten Shikage or other SIVA or KALI agents?

Gregor the Wolf

I'm getting too old for this...

And then. where there’s Angel, there should be Gregor. It would be cool to see them actually sparring together, I thought. So here he is! He probably wouldn’t approve of the balding hair though… but it’s really the closest thing aside from really cropped. Couldn’t find a trechcoat, but I think it works. Heh.

I could have gone on and tried doing Mike and Rip, but they’re strictly non-combatants. Maybe one of these days I’ll do Kunoichi Boy CAS characters too. So, what’s the best thing to do with Angel and Kai in Soul Calibur III? Pit them against each other and finally see who’s really the better fighter, of course! Heh. What can I say? Soul Calibur III ROCKS! Heh.

Okay, back to work…

Sick as a Dog

I've been down for the past few days all week. Haven't been out of The Sanctum at all, be it for work or play. My body clock got all weirded out, then I caught a bad bug and my muscles got sore. The result? Haven't been able to do much save just sleep. I haven't been able to finish stuff, and that sucks. I'm going to have to pedal faster to finish requirements. Well, what can I say? I'm only human. Well, I hope there's still time to do what has to be done. All I can promise is to try my best.

Initial Dub

I've never really liked cars... not that I don't appreciate them, of course, but I've never really gotten that thrill of seeing a new car for the beauty or the desire to own one. I just see them as a means to go around. But if someone gifted me with a car, I'd be pretty happy. Heh.
Anyway, the point is that as a non-car lover, I would probably NEVER like the car-racing anime series, Initial D. Even just seeing the show for a few seconds doesn't do it for me... the art is UGLY (perhaps it is fitting that the cars look nicer than any of the people), and looks count a lot in anime for me. Then, there's the recent much-hyped release of the title on local Animax. The show had been dubbed by local talents- particularly young racing champ Matteo Guidecelli (who plays the lead guy) and Angel Locsin, actress and former 'Darna' star. The result? As far as everyone in an anime group I know is concerned, the local dub is horrible.
It's not that tagalog isn't good... a totally Filipino dub would not suck- I have heard shows on the new anime channel Hero dubbed in tagalog and they don't come off bad or jarring at all. What makes the Initial D dub suck is that its in TAGLISH. Irritatingly, droningly so. Everyone seems to speak like some monotone, robot kolehiyala, alternating between Filipino lines and 'high-sounding' english. It really sounds so fake, or just bad. Mr. Guidecelli may be a great driver, but that doesn't necessarily make him a fit voice actor. And as for Angel Locsin... well, someone on a mailing list put it best... Miss Locsin is better seen than heard.

Oh well. Whatever. Let the show go as it will, and just go another road.

High Calibur


The Soul still burns!

Over the weekend I got a copy of Soul Calibur III, and DAMN it's pretty cool. The latest and greatest chapter of Namco's best-selling weapons fighter mixes in lots of new stuff into the tried-and-tested recipe, including new fighters and new modes of play aplenty.
Yet again, the evil Soul Edge is endangering the midieval world. Even though the sword of darkness has been sealed by its former host, the cursed knight Siegfried, a new Nightmare is walking the land and sowing terror. Behind the scenes, sinister forces are working to free the power of Soul Edge. As before, the familiar cast of warriors, assassins, martial artists and freaks of nature engage in battle to tip the scales of balance to either good or evil ends.

As before, SC3 gives you a large roster of fighters- pretty much everyone who has appeared in Soul Calibur's previous chapters. There are three totally new players: Revenge-seeking Setsuka is a fierce woman dressed in an ornate kimono and platform clogs who wields an umbrella with a concealed blade. The cute but creepy Tira can be described as a sprite from hell- this razor-hula hoop-wielding assassin serves Soul Edge with great gusto, searching for a body for the evil sword to control. Finally, Zasalamel is a scythe-wielding mystery man who is trying to move the events around the War of Swords to his own enigmatic agenda. All three are pretty cool and fit right in with the old crew.

The other new stuff in SC3 are the Modes of Play; there are tons of these, though the most important are Tales of Souls, Chronicle of the Sword and Character Creation.
Tales of Souls is, basically, a revamped Story Mode. What distinguishes it from other games' prime modes is a lot of text, a 'Choose your own adventure' type of interface which leads you to various fights and paths, and several interactive cut scenes which may directy impact on your upcoming fight or even on the ending you see.
While it sounds great on paper, there are flaws in this new execution- many of the story scenes are shared between many characters, so it may grow repetitive fast. Sometimes, the scenes or text just get in the way of you wanting to get to the next fight fast. Still, the text does make the mode feel like a journey for the characters instead of just a succession of fights. All in all, a great way to freshen up the old Story Mode.

Chronicle of Sword is an all-new animal: It's a game-within-a-game, an RTS (Real-time Strategy) game crossed with the regular SC-style of combat. You create characters who start off as cadets in the army of one of three warring nations, and then see their destinies through in various campaigns where you move mostly on a large map. You send your tiny warriors around to assault enemy strongholds, duel with enemy soldiers and generally try to take over everything on the board. What keeps this from being epic is the fact that you only control several 'units', each of which is really just one person (hardly a vast army). When units meet, they start hacking away at each other RTS style, but you can zoom in and actually engage in the usual round of SC combat (often this is required).
Despite the Suikoden-like story, this is really just a novelty, and not perfectly executed. There are jarring loading times and awkward bits which just throw off the pace of the game, and it's really just the Story Mode where you actually have to wait for your guys to run to a fight before you actually get to fight. Still, you have to like the mode for it's ambitions, and you really have to play it (since you need the money you earn in it to unlock stuff).

Did I mention money? Yes, you earn a lot of gold from playing through TOS and COS, money that you will use to unlock stuff in the game's 'shops'. These unlockables include stuff to customize your Created Characters, alternate weapons, illustrations, videos and other goodies. There are literally hundreds of things to find, so you'll be playing the modes a LOT.

As for the much-talked about Character Creation mode, it pretty much rocks. Yes, it's not really 'Create-a-character' as it is 'Dress-up-a-character' though. There are several designated or set occupations for characters, and you build either a male or female character from these jobs. This is fine though... it's cool to recreate characters from other games or titles, or just make the warrior of your dreams. All the Custom Classes have their own moves and strategies, although most, if not all, are based on the skills of the regular SC cast (Samurai are of course a variation or extension of Mitsurugi, Ninja are based on Taki, etc). Still, the new classes are sufficiently different to make for interesting battles. And of course, the animations and new attacks are a treat to see.
Yes, you can dress up the girls as skimpily as you want... and the guys too, if that floats your boat. No, I haven't tried making a female bikini fighter using Voldo's style... yet.

Graphically, the game is pretty gorgeous; it's not a great leap from the previous SC2, but it's really something that pushes the PS2. The character models are finely-detailed and smoothly animated, though there is a noticeably less quality given to the Custom Characters than to the regular SC cast. Still, this is probably the nicest-looking Create-a-character mode in any game, including all those wrestling games. I hpe this sets a precedent for other future fighting games (Mmm... create your own DOA girl...)

In terms of sound, SC3 is special in that all the voices are in english (we got the US version first). The voices are generally well-done, though the occasional odd delivery is there, including a really bad new voice for fan favorite Ivy. The music is your usual Soul Calibur- lots of heroic scores aplenty.

Oh and one more thing... the game, at normal level, can get fricking HARD. Every now and then, the CPU A.I. throws a fighter at you that just blocks everything you throw at it, uses every powerful combo and rings you out at every opportunity. It CAN get hair-tearingly frustrating, especially if you're going for that all-perfect streak to unlock the secret end boss. Well, it does challenge you to get better at the game, but come on... it's not unusual to go 20-to-nothing against some of these CPU opponents.

All in all, Soul Calibur III pleases with its abundance of new modes, tons of unlockables, great base graphics, sounds, animation and gameplay, and all-around high quality of gaming. This should keep players busy for weeks and weeks, and deserves to be in every PS2 gamers library as the console's last great fighting game. What are you guys waiting for? Dust off those katana and start slashing!

Happy Halloween!

It's that time of the year again, when kids go around the subdivision dressed in crazy costumes, when the movie channels show all scary movies, when all thoughts turn to the creepy. Yep, it's Halloween! Well, actually it all just means a nice short break for me. Thanks to your crappy government, we don't have the whole week off- the break will be interrupted by two days of work, then another long weekend. I'll try to finish up Samurai Sis today and tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll also be getting some playtime on some new gaming acquisitions. Heh. Anyway, I've shacked up in The Sanctum with sodas, Gonuts Donuts and some chips to last a short siege. All the better to keep the spooks out. May you all have a frighteningly good Halloween!

Tiger, Tiger



Here's a pic of my new Dashboard program on my G4 Mac Powerbook. It's a cool new treat given by the new Tiger OS, to which I just upgraded thanks to The Salt Mines. I know it's all about better programs and running, but the Dash, along with the cool widgets, is what I am appreciating right now. Widgets are these tiny, funny little freeware programs that you install and keep ready on the Dashboard. These widgets range from the teeniest functions, from flipping a coin, to bringing you the latest Dilbert comic strip, to entertaining you with cool arcade-type gaming. One of my fave widget games is IM Alien Hunter, which is a variant on the classic Space Invaders game but with an anime twist- this means that instead of a pixellated space ship, the player is represented by a sexy, laser pistol-packing anime babe. Coolness!

I'll be accompanied by my laptop over the weekend and into the break, so it's nice it's gotten some new tricks. HOHO!

Personal Time

While I wasn't looking, or perhaps while I was busy doing stuff, things seemed to have changed around me. I guess I have to rethink how I go about my time. I guess I should be glad that I'll have more time to myself- hopefully I'll have more money too, but seeing the latest bill I have to pay, I doubt it.

I'll be using the time I have on the Halloween-All Souls' Day break to finish up requirements. I still have Project Hero pages to finish over the weekend, and then I'll work on the regular release of Kunoichi Boy issue 1, and start on the next issue for release by mid or late December.

It won't be all work though- I'll make sure to give in time for good stuff- like making a dent in the pile of comics I seem to have been stockpiling all these weeks. I'll also be spending some time with Resident Evil 4 on the PS2, and pick up new stuff at Greenhills tomorrow- hopefully Soul Calibur III will be available, along with some new anime.

Happy All Souls' Day, everyone!

That didn't sound right.

I Po'ed



Here's an update to my earlier post about the new Apple I-Pod with video. Apparently, while the mp3 music player nature of the gadget remains unassailable, it seems that the video side isn't all that's cracked up to be. While comments on reviews about the small screen don't put me off too much, I am kinda disappointed by the supposed only 2-hour battery life of the thing if you play a movie straight on the machine. Well, this doesn't really kill the Pod as a video jukebox- I'm sure that shorter video playing will be maneagable for what battery life it has. And the huge memory is still a big plus.

Realistically, even I don't really watch 2-hour flicks on my O2 Mini a lot, or even regularly- usually it's just the odd video clip, or at most an anime episode or two. I once tested the Mini though, by playing FFVII Advent Children from end to end, a feat which took off about 40 percent from the battery power (which actually is not bad at all; I estimate the Mini's video playing life at about four hours or so). This doesn't really make me turn away from the I-Pod, but especially after learning this, it's not really that much of a 'must buy' for me anymore. I guess I'm perfectly happy with my video capability right now. Only time will tell if I change my mind and spring for a Pod later... or if my cousin Jeremy brings his this Christmas and I find myself getting techno-envy. Heheh.

Possessed by EVIL


Leon Kennedy takes on homicidal hicks in Resident Evil 4.

How appropriate is it that after our Halloween Party, I go home and enjoy a rousing time with the PS2 conversion of Resident Evil 4? Very appropriate, and it was with gusto that I jumped into the latest survival-horror blockbuster. As mentioned, you play as RE2 hero Leon Kennedy six years after the Racoon City incident. A short prologue with Leon's voiceover reveals (SPOILERS AHEAD) that soon after the T-Virus breakout, the government 'cleansed' Racoon City via a nuclear strike (good thing they all cleared out of there fast). Afterwards, the Feds clamped down on Umbrella (the uber-corporation behind the whole mess), locking down its properties and privileges. Umbrella stock fell, and, in short order, the mighty Umbrella Corporation ceased to exist. Which is kinda anti-climactic considering that the first four (including Code Veronica) RE games had all the heroes working overtime to take out the company. Perhaps this was all press release- maybe the Redfields (Claire and Chris), Jill Valentine, Barry Burton and Leon had roles in ultimately bringing down Umbrella... but of course, the government took the credit. Oh well.

Anyway... Leon got kinda-sorta promoted after the whole shebang. Remember, he WAS the worst cop in Racoon City (One day on the force and the whole city gets killed) despite being a hero. Leon becomes a special agent attached to the government, and he's assigned to protect the President's daughter. Unfortunately, the girl gets kidnapped and vanishes into the countryside of what appears to be rural (deep rural) Spain. So, instead of sending Seal Team Six, the Prez sends Leon. Oh, and two goofball Spanish cops who'd rather stay in the car than work.
These weird circumstances aside, RE4 is a brilliant game in terms of gameplay and atmosphere. The controls are precise, effective and very cool. Targetting enemies and fighting is pretty easy and awesome to do, though you'll probably have to keep the inner Rambo in check unless you want to find yourself out of ammo while surrounded by crowds of snarling, sickle-throwing villagers. Unlike previous RE's, going up stairs and moving about is pretty easy and often seamless- the 'opening door' animations and stilted stair-walking animations are minimized here.
The enemies for the most part are pretty creepy- though so far I've only encountered the villagers. It's pretty cool to be able to precisely target body parts, and it's great to shoot someone in the face, then walk over to kick their asses. The trickier parts happen when enemies start throwing stuff at you... like sickles or sticks of dynamite. I wish I had a duck move or a dash-the-hell-away's move. Still, Leon is a bad-ass agent. Another cool aspect is the in-game shopkeeper, who lets you buy new guns or upgrade your old boomsticks.

I'll likely be playing through this one over the weekend (and hopefully Soul Calibur III too), in between pages of Samurai Sis of course. Now, if you'll excuse me... I've got some possessed farmers to ventilate. Heh.

Salty Halloween



One of the cooler things about The Salt Mines is that every Halloween, the office really makes it a point to dress up the joint and invite kids to come trick or treating. There's lots of party food like melt-in-your-mouth spaghetti with hotdogs, fishballs (cooked right in front of you), street-style ice cream and more. Every department sets up their places as scary and as fun as they can. This year, the competition was especially hot- Our Creative Department set up a menagerie of life-sized monsters (as seen in the image above), each of which actually contains the image of one of the personnel- for the record, I was turned into the Cave Troll from LOTR. Heh.

Anyway, it was cool to see the kiddies running around in their costumes, and it was nice that the day was pretty light in terms of work- all I did was basically sit around and wait as I had my laptop upgraded to the new Tiger OS.

Happy Halloween!

A K.I.A. Review from The Piglet



Here's a long overdue K.I.A. review, or at least, an attempt at it, by Fero Benedict AKA Fero McPiglet. I learned about it from Fero when we were chatting together during the Komikon. He wasn't able to email it to me when the book came out months ago, but I still told him to send it to me. It's detailed, raw and honest. All of which I appreciate. Heh.

Fun book! was surprised!

-1st story - The New Girl - six pages set the tone! Bad ass! Only thing not like is the placement of the 4th panel and secondary word balloon on the third panel. Had to double take to check if she slashed first then talked. Should be that she talked first then slashed.

- Good morning - heh funny Killed In Action toe tag. Argh on the attack her set up because I had an idea similar to that.

- Fear Itself - Simple but don't get it so much. WAs that guy in the Angel Ace issues? Don't remember. (Yes, he was 'The Suit' from Angel Ace Again. -MAD)

- Mouse Trap - funny simple little twist. I was scratching my head looking at the cat costume girl on the 5th page. It looks so familiar like a comic book costume but I can't place it. Anyway, I like. (The female Cat Ninja were based on Marvel's Hellcat. -MAD)

- Under the Influence - Nice story but I thought it went on for too long and broke the quick barrage of stories pace set by the others. It was at this point that I hated to seeing Kia's lady opponents get (bloodlessly) killed.

- Intercept - Has simply got to be the best art! non-Dimaano. But gods I wish Kia just killed that fool. He felt out of place like a Mary Sue to me. Why the heck did that have to sneak into the book?

- Battery Included - At this point, this was my fave story. Mini K.I.A Action Figure! So cute! Wheeee!!! :P Wish there was more size reference shots though to show the mini Kia running around in the room just to see how teeny she is. Whee!!! :D Wanted to she jumping around the keyboard acrobatic fashion like a small playground. Love the parting shot. Aaaaw poor little bitty Kia toy! Poor thing! (darn it, I want an Aquaman figure)

- Dreamkiller - I liked this one because the fight reminded me of a Playstation RPG whatever type game when you meet the boss and she transforms into her next form for the final fight. It's so game like with the base exploding too. Like the twist too hehehee :P Just thought that the thugs in the beginning weren't necessary or Kia should have killed them right off.

- Victors and Victims - the story was kinda long but I liked it! Replaced as my fave for the book. JLU's The Cat and the Canary and all those other Roulette fights that are a story standard. wrestling Kia! It's like all those Ghost Fighter, Shaman King, Zoids, Flame of Recca, DragonballZ type stuff. And I love Princess Pure! She's a nice girl! One dimensional until later. Love the buzz. Love the vengeance. Love that Princess Pure is so nice. It's strange but I like her better than Angel Ace. Love the ending. Me like :) (Well, actually Pure IS supposed to emulate Angel's character, that's something Kai doesn't miss either)

- Invitation - the storytelling fractures made be go back and forth for a bit but the plot is easy enough. And FUN! This became my favorite story because it had most of the elements that I was looking for. And nice art too. Superhero-ish plot, fun and interesting villainesses, rush intercuts with action. A bit of silliness on the repetition and it had a fuzzy monster in it! Too bad it got hurt though! Poor monster! Anyway, really like this one. I want to give the quarter ladies silly
names! The first on is Ringlette, then Arm'ress, then Hat-tra, and Staffanie.

- Zinderneuf - had to re look again since it was heavy. Interesting. And again got the manga texture like Intercept did. I think it would have had more impact on me if the commander was identified. Was she seen before? I don't know. (Er, the commander was Vanya. Better re-read that K.I.A., Fero...)

- BTW, the lesbian overtone pin-up is my fave (Thank Taga-Ilog for that hot piece of art -MAD). Strange as it seems. Also the first one since it looks comic book-ish.

- Freedom - liked this story too. Love the first death. Love the second death. Twist is visible but love it anyway. Liked this one too. Gave very nice close full circle to the whole book. Paused at that 'given powers' part. What powers? (The ability to stand up even after having a knife shoved into your ribcage...)

- Shock to the System - Got fuzzy here. The heart blade was just a memory, right? Along with long haired lady? So I should think the the stab would be from the front instead of coming from the back. (Flipped back to previous Freedom story again and noticed that the blood disappeared on her chest btw) (Yes, even Kai's costume is 'self-healing'. It's made of a kind of smartfabric... incidentally, the same cloth that the wraps around her legs are made of)

Book is a LOT of FUN! We should have more of this! BTw, wish the back had more descriptions about the book instead of just listing out creators. Some of the descriptions in the foreword and afterwords should have been written there really.

Great review, Fero! Thanks.

K.I.A. is available NOW at Comic Quest Branches. Php160 pages, B/W interiors with full color cover. Get it now if you haven't already, people!

Evil Approaches

Aside from Soul Calibur III, gamers should be out on the lookout for Resident Evil 4, the latest and supposedly greatest chapter yet of the long-running survival horror game series from Capcom.
Originally appearing on the Nintendo Gamecube, RE4 has finally, after about a year of waiting, come to the PS2. Online reviews report that the game has lost little from the translation- perhaps the graphics are slightly not as colorful or as sharp, and the loading times slightly longer... but this is a grade-A translation. Now, PS2 gamers can look forward to kicking zombie butt in RE4.
But hold on... there ARE no zombies in RE4. At least, no more T-Virus spawned monstrosities. Resident Evil 4 takes place some years after the last game, and AFTER the fall of the ubiquitous Umbrella Corporation which has been the series' longtime background villains. RE veteran Leon Kennedy (last seen in Resident Evil 2) returns as the main hero, this time working as a government agent. His mission is to recover the President's daughter, who has apparently been kidnapped. His quest is, of course, not as easy as it sounds since he soon finds himself surrounded by hordes of homicidal, murderous villagers. Leon's quest will span a lengthy 20 hours or so, from the village that starts the quest to a creepy castle controlled by robed cultists.
The PS2 version adds to this already awesome game by adding a new playable character- secret agent Ada Wong. Ada (if that is her real name) was also last seen in RE2, where she and Leon had a sort of not-relationship before she supposedly dies (it IS eventually revealed she survives to fight again) saving Leon. Ada has her own adventure which actually runs concurrent with Leon's, and there are parts where her actions intersect and affect her reluctant ally's fate. Of course, you'll only be able to access Ada's "Separate Ways" adventure after finishing the main quest with Leon.

With a brilliant over-the-shoulder shooting scheme, awesome graphics and animation, hold-your-breath action and some incredible boss battles, RE4 is one game no PS2 gamer should miss.

Again, report and review once we get our diseased mitts on this title. Heh.

Whetstones at the Ready

I'm expecting the latest and greatest PS2 fighting game, Soul Calibur III, anytime now. The US version of the game is already out in the States, so local vendors should have it very soon (if not already). I wanna get play the Story Mode. Get to grips with the new characters. And yep, play around with the awesome Character Creation mode (maybe even make some of my own comic book characters in Soul Calibur form). It's gonna be awesome. The demo I got with a copy of Official Playstation Magazine really wasn't nearly enough to sate my thirst for bladed action. I want the real thing. NOW. Uwaaaah!!!

Report and review on SCIII once we get our bloody hands on it. HOHO!

Success

WOOHOO! Judging from the great response to Kunoichi Boy, I'll be working on continuing the title on a more regular basis, using the same format as released in the Komikon. I'm all out of the first batch of copies I made for the Kon, so I'll have to work on the 2nd batch of Issue #1 to be distributed at Comic Quest. The second issue of KB should be out a couple of months after the CQ release of issue one.
I'll be taking the time though to fix quite a few typos which escaped my attention in the rush of production. I also want to add some stuff- perhaps a report on the Kon, and some material on the meaning of the word kunoichi and some character designs would be proper to add to the formal release of Kunoichi Boy's debut issue.
More on this as it happens, but for now though I'll have to concentrate on finishing my pages for Samurai Sis.

Komikon 2005

Saturday, October 22, 2005 marked the First Komikon, which was, all considered, a rousing success. It was a success in that the event was truly a venue for the celebration of local comics, from new indies to classic komiks by great Filipino artists. The range of participants ranged from big publishers and bookstores (Fully Booked, Seven Seas, Adarna House, Psicom) to longtime comic groups (Alamat, Blitzworks and Gerry Alanguilan’s Komikeros) to new kids on the local indie comic biz.
I sat at the Comic Quest table with El and Camy for most of the day, selling our hot-off-the-copier comics- Kunoichi Boy and Camy and Me. Other releases on other tables include the latest issues of Maskarado by Reno Maniquis, Askal by Bong Leal, new horror novellas from David Hontiveros, Trese, the supernaturally-themed detective comic from Budjette Tan and Ka-Jo Baldisimo, and Psigns of the Season from Fero McPiglet.

The day was HOT though… no airconditioning in this Kon, and it didn’t help that the nearby Pearl Drink booth from Greenwich ran out of stuff to sell early on (the resto on the second floor of the Bahay Alumni, Chocolate Kiss, must have made a fortune on softdrink sales that day).
But while everyone seemed to be hot for comics, toys and art stuff, I seemed the notice that the response to the actual Komikon program was pretty half-hearted. You have to commend the emcees trying to keep things going even when NO ONE seemed to want to participate in stuff like contests and quizzes. Even then, there were contests aplenty like on-the-spot comics drawing and other stuff (btw, K.I.A. and Angel Ace contributor Jon Mallari won first place in one of the contests… congrats, Jon!) to occupy people.
I found myself getting miffed during the Glasshouse Publishing segment, where the smarmy Mr. Campiti once again took to the stage, looking for the next J.Scott Campbell clone-to-be. The highlight of the program though was the comics talk onstage with Gerry, Arnold Arre and other big-name local comic personalities.

In between all the hubbub, it was basically a day of sitting, watching people go by, chatting with Fero (and getting a K.I.A. review), greeting the occasional comics comrade like Jennyson Rosero, Taga-Ilog and James Palabay, troubling over how to find change to give to customers, signing off copies of K.I.A. or Kunoichi Boy and trying not to get too dehydrated (I failed miserably with the last one). But it was all worth it.
At the end of the day, we sold off most of our comics, and I went off after the closing with Arnold and Cynthia to have a nice, long dinner and chat.

Darn cool Kon. I’d like to commend the organizers and I’m looking forward to the next one. Next time, I’ll want to my own booth, and an even better showing of new comics to enjoy. Seeya all next year, folks!

See my pics of the Komikon at My Phlog.