Welcome to the blog/website for EK Gonzales.
Basic writer information and free-website moderator information about me is present within these pages. Also available are a bunch of personal reviews for Filipino indie/semi-indie komiks.
If you’re here for the komik reviews, please type in the name of what you’re looking for at the search box to your right.
Enjoy your stay!
I’ll be the first to be highly scared of reviewing the Alamat releases, because, you know, Alamat is legend, in name and in reputation. You have to admire all the work this pioneer group is doing to further advance the indie age, to a point where it is nationally accepted. You also admire how the group chooses to remain true to its roots, by continuing to release indies in the standard format they helped to establish.
Similar to Mythspace, the ‘Verse is a set of stories all written by David Hontiveros, but rendered by various artists. Each one builds on the other, such that it’s rather helpful to get all of them to fully understand the overall story.
Life is split into two worlds, the diabul (where angels and demons reside), and the oikoumene (where humans live). Life is good when these planes don’t meet, but they often do, sometimes with disastrous effects. It is the job of a select few, half-breeds, immortals, or dimension-crossers, to keep both planes intact, to keep the characters in each plane from causing trouble in the other.
The individual comics deal with specific characters between the worlds, and how each one deals with their unique problems.
Agyu 1 and 2 (illustrated by Vinnie Pacleb) — Elias Sandoval is a fighter, for the diabul (as the legendary Agyu) and the oikoumene (as the legendary MMA fighter E-rex). He can do so because he is half-enkanto. This makes him recognized by both planes, but accepted by neither. This gives the story of his origins and how he has tried to cope with his dual life since. The art and its pacing and paneling are incredible, demanding attention at each page, moving the story along well. There are a few points where the coordination between the script and the art falters, but this is rare. There are also some points when the direction the story takes gets confusing, as it shuttles back and forth from past to present. But generally it’s a solid piece, and makes you feel the pain the character goes through.
Kadasig 1 (illustrated by Ian Sta. Maria) — This is the release I missed last November, as it was gone by the time I arrived. Kadasig is from the Skyworld series, and as an immortal arbiter of the world he sometimes fights in its battles. In this case the Agyu Elias takes in a being more than he can handle alone, so Kadasig steps up to intervene before things get really ugly for both planes. The drop-dead-gorgeous Sta. Maria art is totally here, highly detailed and awesomely inked through and through. There are several pages of conversation where the speech balloons get too cramped, in order to fit all of the dialogue. There are also some pages where the heavy inking and detail work feels like an information overload to me, but this is a minor complaint which others may not find to be a problem. It’s totally worth your time. More Kadasig is always worth your time.
Tatsulok: A Vision of Dust 1 and 2 (illustrated by Xerx Javier) — Involved in this world of two planes are many half-breeds, including Lucio Portador (a half-demon) and Miguel Samson (a half-angel), who live in the oikoumene world but have skills from the diabul world. Normally they are on opposite sides, but both of them have a joint interest in the succubus Lora, who is escaping from her and Lucio’s otherworldly boss. The printing is a little weaker compared to the other two releases. The art is classic in its presentation and paneling, which is not a bad thing, for in the detail work and in the backgrounds it shows the strengths of that style to awesome effect. The snarky and sarcastic banter between the three main characters moves the story along with a great pace. This has the most straightforward thus most understandable story among the three releases.
The world-building notes and the author notes present in all the releases are interesting, yet they also feel somewhat like too much information. Some of them are also hard to follow after a while. That said, they do give better insight into the stories and the inspirations behind the worlds.
Overall they are fine releases by legendary komikeros, putting their best feet forward with a story and script that best delivers their strengths. All are worth your time and investment. It definitely shows you why the Alamat group is the stuff of legend, and why they will stay that way as the indie age marches on.
I’ve read Dragon Kid on and off, thus in a very bad random order, over the years, wherein I honestly did not understand what was going on. Also, this was the time in my life when I would not give manga-style a fair hearing. Therefore, having the first 5 issues in correct order, now with a better mindset, is a welcome thing.
The adventurous draca (female dragon) Keiko Shoda mischievously goes into the lair where Lord Kuronaga, enemy of the Dragon Haven, is imprisoned. Her tail gets caught in the chain. When she pulls away her tail, she breaks the chain…and releases Kuronaga back to cause havoc in the Dragon Haven and the Mortal Realms. Keiko is banished to the Mortal Realm as punishment and for her safety. But Kuronaga’s 12 Nights are on her tail, and her only other protection besides her raw hidden potential is the ordinary human, school fighter Bayani.
This is the thing, aside from the great manga-style art with impeccable inking and very coherent paneling and pacing, that makes this series stand out among the manga-style komiks. It openly admits its country of origin. This is a story from the Philippines, set in the Philippines, and steeped in its culture, making no qualms or apologies about it.
Bayani is solidly the boy who gets in trouble with the law for all the right protecting-the-peace reasons. Bayani has a lolo. Keiko and Bayani get into an arnis school, led by a Mr. Suave lookalike. Bayani goes to a typical Pinoy school. Yes there are plenty of manga-type tricks, like sweatdrops, large eyes, and head veins. There are also plenty of Chinese and Japanese names sprinkled throughout the work. The use of the Chinese zodiac derivatives has been done before, but is done nicely here. However, never do you feel that this story is trying to be something it is not. It uses the manga style, but it will never be manga, it will be Pinoy komiks.
So while Dragon Kid does follow the standard patterns (a spunky girl rubbing a nice but hotheaded boy the wrong way; characters that want to get stronger to better fight evil; a simple thing starting a terrible big thing; bad guys who grandstand; etcetera), the way it’s done here does not feel awkward, even if derivative. It feels familiar, but not foreign. It’s very likeable and fun that way. It definitely helps that all the characters are relatable, imperfect, spunky, and fun. It shows the families of both Keiko and Bayani, which makes you realize how much family is a big thing in our culture, and how important they are to making the person.
All in all, Lady Storykeeper is one of the best practitioners of the manga style (I may have said that before), and it shows in this compilation. She is one of the best because she knows she’s a Pinoy first of all, and proud of it.
By the time I got to the Summer Komikon, all I found was the ‘Sold Out!’ sign with the adorable Kuting Magiting drawing. Yes, apparently all 100 prepared copies were sold that day, which tells you how respected Robert Magnuson is, and how immediately resonating this little comic is that it spread word-of-mouth on the day. What I have, therefore, is the Free Comic Book Day PDF release, from Flipreads.
During a rainy night, a college professor narrowly avoids hitting a soaked little kitten with his car. He decides to take the kitten home with him. Kuting is so incredibly adorable and sweet, with enough spunk like a good cat should have. His pet dog initially sees a threat to his position and decides to take action, but he soon realises that the cute kitten is definitely NOT your ordinary stray cat.
The comments by Static Cat in the Kitty Letters section of the book does have a few legitimate points. Being the first chapter of this story, the kitten is just presented as a simple kitten, with just enough of a glimpse into Kuting’s potential power to keep us interested. Also, it is indeed more about the professor’s pet dog than it is about Kuting. These are not weaknesses of the story, and the comic-book-loving dog is quite the likeable character himself. The dog is relatable, in wanting to get rid of the newcomer to keep his status, and is thus likeable for having such a human quality to him.
The comments by the Mystery Duck is also highly legitimate (these two are regular characters of the newspaper comic Shirley’s Pets, where Kuting Magiting was first seen). Despite being so straightforward and simple, this little story makes you want to go “AWWWWWW SO CUTE!” and share it with everyone you meet.
Of course, it’s so adorable, sweet, and compelling despite being so simple because Robert Magnuson has his comic techniques and comedy techniques down perfectly. Keeping use of speech balloons to the absolute minimum focuses your attention on the action. The pacing is exactly right to keep the suspense and to deliver the key points. The art is simple but well-detailed in its crosshatching and inking techniques.
This is a lot of words for a little story about an extraordinary kitten. All the mounting hype about this story is completely deserved. This story is definitely worth the get and the follow. Share it with a pet lover or a child in your life. Love it yourself!
Being a REAL superhero when you’re considered the enemy: it’s more fun in the Philippines. Soon after the president declares Martial Law, everything descends into chaos. The chaos is mostly fuelled by mutants and former superheroes running the show from the shadows. Adding flames to the fire are the funded Republic Heroes. The severely outnumbered and outclassed Filipino Heroes League have only one recourse: to kidnap the president. And even this move does not destroy terrible plans already in place.
EDSA in this decade, with mutants, is what the second volume has. The volume openly expects that you have read the first and are aware of the situation: that the real heroes are not necessarily the ones in the best costumes and best equipment. This full understanding of the great resilience of the Pinoy given limited resources continues in this volume. It also includes the practical understanding that corruption is normal and expected in this country, which of course alters the situation. No one is completely good, no one is fully bad, as it should be in good stories. It’s fun that way, this story, that it takes in such realities and works around it.
There are minor missteps here and there in both the art and the text (sir, it’s a tourniquet). The technique employed here to differentiate ostensibly speaking in Tagalog versus speaking in Pinoy English was hard to follow. But on the whole the coordination of the art panels and the text delivers effective thematic blows at just the perfect moments. All the main characters are given adequate airtime to show their personalities, skills, and motivations. The balance between action, suspense, romance, comedy, sudden plot twists, and comments about the state of things continues to be almost perfect.
This is, of course, one of the ways the Alamat group is pushing the limits and breaking the walls. It’s doing a perfectly fine job at it, and this is one of the main representatives.
Admittedly I am too old for the kiddie magazines. Also, confusing splashes of bright color close together in any one place makes my head ache (Pinterest does this to me, which is why I’m not there). These are two of the main reasons why I don’t follow K-zone. However one cannot be a citizen of the capital without having seen K-zone a few times. It does have some of the nicer professional comic artists in its stable, releasing new full-color chapters on a monthly basis. If this is something that could be expanded on for more komikeros, this could a viable option for the willing.
Bakemono (Monster) High is one of the stable comics in the magazine. It’s the casual comedic school-based adventures of a group of unusual friends in the most unusual school. Your main characters are the conflicted vampire principal’s son, the werewolf happy-go-lucky best friend, the shy dimension-crossing witch and werewolf’s love interest, and a happy mummy. Yes, it makes for great interpersonal dynamics, and this is what makes this series work as a favorite in the roster.
The comedy punch lines (full of slapstick and monster references) are delivered at a level any kid will understand, but a level that a more mature readership may find lacking after a while. Since this comic series runs in a magazine catering to elementary children, this is not a big problem while inside K-zone. But when the series is compiled by itself, this is more noticeable. Also, the something that makes children’s material transcend years and resonate with any age level…it is not here.
It is true, though, that this has some of the most dynamic and likeable art among the professional comics. The illustrations deliver well what the character is thinking and make the comedy work. The inking is precise. The coloring for the original magazine versions is simple and bright yet well-done. The pacing and paneling is just right, such that each release does not overwhelm nor does it give too little.
Overall it’s a series that is hard to not like, especially as a kid. However this is also a kiddie series that will not work at all levels. Not a classic, but great.
The first review was for the original Bayan Knights spinoff series. This one is for the graphic novel (a TPR-length komik) first released this Summer Komikon, now under the Frances Luna III Illustration Firm. This is the prequel story.
Marty Pototoy is a high school student and a Maskarado fanboy. He is the newly-minted Boy Ipis, fighting petty crime in Baranggay Bagong Nayon, using cockroach-derived genetic powers. (This is the same guy as in the Bayan Knights spinoff; due to technical problems and the author growing up a bit, this is his name in this book.) It’s all fine and normal in Adobo Academy, until a major bad guy appears in his little town, Reptullo the mutant half-man-half-lizard with a legitimate grudge against humans. Unfortunately Marty is the only hero of any kind for miles, and this is his first chance to be a real superhero.
Both the art and the script have moments of being uneven. The art leans toward manga-style, with enough originality to be interesting. The script gravitates between American comic tropes and local cultural references, in a rather confusing mix. Overall I still think it should have been rendered in Tagalog, rather than English, but I suppose if he intends to distribute in the regional comic conventions using English was necessary.
Despite all the things I just said, this is still the work of a writer and comic artist who has grown over the years between the first work and this one, and it shows. This is still a well-paced story, spread across an appropriate number of pages. It’s impossible to hate a main character who both stays the same and changes so much across the pages. It’s impossible to despise such a cheesy bad guy who does have a heart, who does have legitimate reasons for revenge. It’s impossible to hate on a girl sidekick who does NOT have romance on her mind, and can kick occasionally better than the hero.
It’s hard to not compare this to the original work. However it is also unfair to the author to compare. Both are glimpses of a komikero with an original concept, and the dedication to see it through. It can only get better from here. Soon he won’t be the only one who can’t step on cockroaches ever again.
More stuff I read through during the last few days.
Jose Rizal Terorista (Scourge) [Animation Guild Philippines] — It does have the interesting concept of a secret organization, all composed of reincarnated national heroes, and another organization out to hunt them down. The Jose Rizal incarnation is indeed quite likeable and cute. However, the pacing of this story is rather messy (though much better than their earlier releases), the scripting is confusing, and it stopped much too early to properly establish what is going on and why Jose Rizal is now a terrorist. All this said, I still liked this, an attempt at an original story using the manga-style methods, with a full awareness and utilization of being Pinoy.
Juan Derlandia 3 (Sherwin Sablaon) [Pazin-Tave] — This is a good example of how it’s supposed to be done. Juan continues his adventures with Bayabas and meets Sora, a healer and herbalist. It should come in useful when they face a group of mushroomy bad guys, the Kabu-Teyaff. Amalayer jokes and other recent cultural references abound, as the fighting commences without resorting to the Maliksi mode. Some princely backstory is even delivered. The series continues to be likeable and moves at a good pace, with some of the most professional digital inking and presentation among the indies, no matter the art style. Also among the manga-style artists this is the rare one that takes from the shonen genre. But since it presents itself with pacing like in a 40-page monthly manga chapter issue, and the new indie age has quarterly releases, it makes me wonder why the author doesn’t adjust the story pacing accordingly and start delivering more information. Because I’m not sure how long he’ll be around to keep up the series, before he moves on to other things, like many other komikeros have done.
Ang Sumpa 1-2 (Andoyman) [Andoyman Komiks] — If you were thinking that this would be a horror comic, you, and I, were mistaken. The president of the country is found dead in a resthouse, and a drug overdose is not a feasible cause, even if it is the most obvious. On the case are Arman (the Sherlock) and Javier (the Watson), though if Arman is a real detective is unclear for now. Both characters unfortunately look too much like all the politicians in the panels that they are hard to tell apart, and Arman is a bit too much the Sherlock clone in his techniques. The art and its inking is sharp. The paneling and pacing is balanced so that the dense speech balloons do not overwhelm any panel or page. However in both issues there is a little too much talking and not enough happening. All this said, though, I think I’m still interested enough to follow what will happen next.
Kolsenter Komiks (Toto Madayag) [Pulang Punla] — These are the compiled Facebook comics about several call center agents, with special appearances of their bosses. This gives the outlook of the regular employee, in contrast to Callwork which shifts between the rank-and-file and the upper-level management. It’s a humorous yet honest look at the absurdities of the life, and the various ways people try to either laugh at it, get around it, or endure through it. The presentation is consistently, erm, adorable in its snarky way, with good paneling and inking. It’s probably better-looking in its FB colored form, so either go through the FB archives or wait for them to upload their new free pages.
Only the first chapter was available when I got there, and besides I never did get around to starting this tale, so this is not bad at all.
Mike Ignacio (named definitely after the writer) is a part-time hero, full-time loser. But he is a nice-enough fellow that you’re glad to have as a superhero and Bayan Knight, the kind with a healthy eye for girls but honorable enough to protect females. Almost immediately after being dumped by the most recent pretty girl, Mike finds himself having to rescue her from a bunch of NSFW-named bad guys. A quick costume-change in the mall public toilet later, and your friendly neighborhood Boy Ipis is on the case!
Boy Ipis is the half-sarcastic local answer to Spider-man, and is full of that classic comic’s tropes and devices. The classic tropes and devices of your local classic komiks are also here, mostly because Gilbert Monsanto’s style here takes from it. These are evened out by the fact that Mike Ignacio is a writer of the indie age. Thus modern flavor peppers the whole work, from the names of the baddies, to how Boy Ipis thinks through and responds to situations. The combination leads to a work that is accessible, relatable, and funny in the right places.
Boy Ipis’s backstory is found in the main Bayan Knights releases (which I unfortunately have not read), therefore this jumps immediately into the action with only a quick summary. That said, you quickly get a feel for the character’s personality, and that is what is more important. After all it’s the character that makes this series work, and makes this series worth following.
I’m not even sure I know what is in my stash, besides some conscious purchases.
Kazanato Funeral Planning Service pilot [Kahit Ano Studios] — I got the first of already five releases (I was openly gaping at five stacks of books and asking aloud “Why are there already so many?”), of a little webcomic quietly updating through the years. Chou and Fuyuka work for a Ms. Kazanato, helping both the dead and the bereaved in their funeral and in moving on. That is NOT as boring as it sounds, especially when they keep getting mixed up with gunfights and mafia men. While it does smack of being typical manga-style, and the art in the pilot is level with Cresci Prophecies (which is to say, there are many others that are better, but the story pacing trumps the weaknesses), something about this series is not as gratingly manga-style as the others. For one thing, this is an honest attempt to have an original story, even through all the tropes it uses, with likeable characters that have quirks and strengths. This makes this series likeable in the same level Mark9Verse47 is likeable. Also appreciated is the Pinoy-style yet completely coherent grammatically-correct English. I’ll definitely read through the Smackjeeves online version.
Noodle Boy (Paolo Herras / Tepai Pascual) [Neverheard Webcomics] — The series was reviewed already as part of the Neverheard roster , back when I didn’t fully know them and they were just this group of wow artists who are friends. Admittedly some of the impact of the comic is lost when the digital coloring had to go, but I’m also glad to have the comic panels in close succession, having the story accessible as a whole. The story definitely needs to continue, because we need to know about how anime-otaku guy meets cosplay-maid girl, how noodles brings them together, and how love happens.
Hipon Gamay 2: Speakless (RH / Odree) [Frances Luna III] — I am probably still confused by the ending of the introductory chapter, therefore I’m not sure I completely understand what happened. But generally, a costume party happens, Tabo is cute in a dog costume, Joey is adorable in a cat one, and Hipon gets even more woman problems and another well-deserved smackdown (that’s not the spoiler, the spoiler is how it gets here, and I’m not saying). Odree’s art is cute and likeable, especially in a series dealing with love and relationships. The work continues to be even-paced with interspersed musings about love and its weirdness.
Mythspace: Devourers of Light (Paolo Chikiamco / Jules Gregorio) [Rocket Kapre] — This is the release I did not get a preview of. Barkarilkarilmon, Supreme Apex of the Laho, meets the heads of the other planet clans to make an announcement: he is going to be supreme apex of all the other clans. Most of the stuff in between is this annoying guy proving it, to terrifyingly good effect, thanks to Pao delivering atrocities with an even pace to tighten the noose. The art that goes along with this is filled with great tight detail, and a keen understanding of the universe-build. Beautiful stuff, really. Though, quite frankly, the Apex could have made his point in maybe 5 less pages of paneled art. (I suppose I just sealed the fate of the planet Earth with that statement…)
Don’t ask me for details, because I don’t have any. I am no longer deep in the local anime culture, and definitely inactive in its watering holes.
But I’m helping to clarify this.
The original Otakuzine Anime Magazine led by the Uy brothers is now Ozine Anime Magazine. The OzineFest this year was run under this new name.
They have separated from PsiCom. PsiCom will try to continue it using the original name, but without the original staff. They are hiring new ones. Think first before you agree to do so.
Otakuzine/Ozine has had many problems during its run, some of it about transparency, some about it about those two heads.
But for any reason, doing this, PsiCom….it’s not cool.
