I apologize for the long lack of updates, without even letting anyone know why. I developed an addiction with going online, and had to go cold turkey for my own sake.
Aside from that, however, I had been struggling to find work, and decided that the time spent managing this blog and my social networks was getting in the way of that. I finally have found work, but don't have time to maintain this blog anymore. Rather than have people hang on and wait for me to come back, I've decided to close this blog.
It took careful deliberation to make this decision. This blog was really just a project for a blogging short course, however I realized this was an opportunity to help out the komiks community, even in a small way. What the blog accomplished, even with all the limitations, exceeded all my expectations. My experience with the online komiks tribe has been mostly positive and interesting. People are very accomodating and easy to talk to, and eager to help each other as much as themselves.
However, many of my core assumptions about the community had been proven wrong, and this subsequently invalidated the point of the blog. I also want to apologize to everyone who invited me to a komiks event here and there. Well, now you know why I couldn't go.
I have to say, I think this blog has been misunderstood. It was always intended to be treated like an advocacy, to figure out what things the community needed help with, whether they be newbies or even heavyweight veterans. I have strong personal opinions, and I'm not afraid to express them in my networks. However, the blog was meant to be separate from my social network persona, and I did not do enough to differentiate between the two.
I apologize to any readers who may have come to rely on this blog. Other circumstances have prompted me to make this decision. I'm proud of it, but it's only a drop in the water in the komiks blogosphere. There are so many great komiks blogs out there who can easily take its place, such as:
Komikero, Jonas Diego, Budjette Tan - the big three, major komiks creators who've invested in making great blogs.
Paolo Chikiamco does informed komiks coverage for the POC, as well on his own blog Rocketkapre.
Flipgeeks has made komiks promotion their advocacy.
I would like to single out Randy Valiente, who may not be as well-known as other creators, but has an excellent blog, in Tagalog to boot.
There are so many more that I just couldn't catch up to all of them. My apologies if yours wasn't mentioned.
This blog will remain online, as well as the Facebook Fan Page, but for the most part this is over. If I do come back to komiks advocacy, it probably will be in a different form. There are also some unused ideas, which will be shared in a future post, for other komiks bloggers to write about if they want, or for komiks people to explore on their own.
For those of you who found all of the above TLDR, I don't have the time to blog anymore.
I'd like to thank my readers and everyone who helped on this blog.
That's it :)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Justice in the Philippines: What's the right thing to do?
NB: This is a cross post of Janette Toral's post which can also be found in her blog here. Thanks Janette!
6WPG4EMHG4PE
My exposure to the Hubert Webb case last November was a major eye opener. After meeting him in person, thinking about Hubert's situation got me scared, unexplainable tears, and was already set with the decision that if he doesn't get acquitted, will push for my family's migration to another country.
Worried thoughts have calm down after I eventually blogged about it. My perspective on justice has change ever since even though Hubert was already acquitted and free today.
When news about crime and arrested suspect(s) gets reported, I can't help but wonder if the ones mentioned are the real culprits or not.
Katarungan sa Pilipinas komiks contest
One of my blog entrepreneur students, Ryan of Komiks Advocate, organized a contest where the winning artist will develop an illustration based on the "justice for the innocent" theme. Andoyman was chosen for the task.
The artwork depicts a common cry of the innocent spending time in jail - crying for justice. As the present government administration wants to steer us all to a straight path, I just hope that progress can also be attained in dispensing justice. Not only swift but also fair and accurate.
While I was updating myblog post on Hubert Webb, a letter arrived from the U.S. Embassy where I got invited to attend theInternational Visitor Leadership Program.
Was browsing the Innocence Project at that time contemplating if the same can be done in the country. Hope to learn more about them including efforts to ensure fair dispensing of justice.
I am also interested to learn more about efforts in recognizing bloggers' freedom to blog about court cases without fear of being threatened of subjudice.
As a justice neophyte, have much to learn about it and hope this video series will enlighten me further to start with.
Will definitely use my upcoming U.S. visit to learn more about justice, energy, security, technology, art, science, among others. Be inspired and do something productive when I get back.
Here's another comic strip illustration from Andoyman on justice. Funny but true.
6WPG4EMHG4PE
My exposure to the Hubert Webb case last November was a major eye opener. After meeting him in person, thinking about Hubert's situation got me scared, unexplainable tears, and was already set with the decision that if he doesn't get acquitted, will push for my family's migration to another country.
Worried thoughts have calm down after I eventually blogged about it. My perspective on justice has change ever since even though Hubert was already acquitted and free today.
When news about crime and arrested suspect(s) gets reported, I can't help but wonder if the ones mentioned are the real culprits or not.
Katarungan sa Pilipinas komiks contest
One of my blog entrepreneur students, Ryan of Komiks Advocate, organized a contest where the winning artist will develop an illustration based on the "justice for the innocent" theme. Andoyman was chosen for the task.
The artwork depicts a common cry of the innocent spending time in jail - crying for justice. As the present government administration wants to steer us all to a straight path, I just hope that progress can also be attained in dispensing justice. Not only swift but also fair and accurate.
While I was updating myblog post on Hubert Webb, a letter arrived from the U.S. Embassy where I got invited to attend theInternational Visitor Leadership Program.
Was browsing the Innocence Project at that time contemplating if the same can be done in the country. Hope to learn more about them including efforts to ensure fair dispensing of justice.
I am also interested to learn more about efforts in recognizing bloggers' freedom to blog about court cases without fear of being threatened of subjudice.
As a justice neophyte, have much to learn about it and hope this video series will enlighten me further to start with.
Will definitely use my upcoming U.S. visit to learn more about justice, energy, security, technology, art, science, among others. Be inspired and do something productive when I get back.
Here's another comic strip illustration from Andoyman on justice. Funny but true.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Katarungan sa Pilipinas/Justice in The Philippines art contest
I made a komiks illustration making contest December last year as part of the Blog Entrepeneurship course from DigitalFilipino and ADMU. I wanted to make a project that would immediately and clearly benefit komiks people. 6WPG4EMHG4PE
Unfortunately, time constraints did not allow me to properly promote the contest. I did not give sufficient time for people to prepare and submit entries as well. As a result, few people were able to participate, so I consider it fortuitous that we were able to push through with it.
The contest launch and initial rules can be found here. Basically, I gave komiks people free rein to make whatever komiks they wanted. Before the end of the 1st week, I had received no entries, and asked around to find out the contest was launched just when everyone was rushing work to end the year.
I changed the rules to a spot illustration contest, with specific instructions to illustrate thus: You will be illustrating a man in a small dark prison cell. The man is looking upward at a far away window, where a bird is coming in. The prisoner's face will be covered in shadow, but you will be labeling him 'Justice.' You can write Justice on his shirt, or have a floating ribbon with words Justice around him.
Below the illustration, we will include a quote from Hubert Webb, when asked how he had felt, given events of ten years ago and today - "Why is this happening to me?" If you can letter this in yourself, it will be a huge bonus!
I came to regret naming Hubert Webb, although personally I felt he was wrongly jailed and continue to do so. The contest was ongoing when Hubert and his co-accused were acquitted, and so I immediately received inquiries if the contest was politically motivated. I did want to take risks when choosing my topic, but it had the unintended consequence of alienating some prospective contestants.
As noted in the actual blog post I did write, we continue to look for justice in the Philippines, but I feel that case is illustrative of what we do in search for it. Ultimately, I haven't been put off from entering controversial topics, but do want to set up more inclusive activities for this blog and the komiks people in the future.
Now, let's get to the illustrations:
This illustration by Bob Melendres, who isn't active making komiks now, but is a friend of a friend.
This illustration is by Ernest John Daryll Fiestan of Crazy Metro Comics. He has recently said he plans to publish some actual komiks to him soon! More power, Ernest :)
Finally, the winner is Andoyman of Andoyman Komikero! Digital Filipino head and project sponsor Janette Toral met Andoyman last week. This is a black and white version of the image I used last blog post. Original sketch is below.
Thanks to Janette Toral for all the support, Jonas Diego for helping with judging, all the contestants for joining and again, congratulations to Andoyman! I hope to setup a more open, more reasonably run contest soon. No politics for the next one, I promise!
the final winning image by Andoyman Komikero
Unfortunately, time constraints did not allow me to properly promote the contest. I did not give sufficient time for people to prepare and submit entries as well. As a result, few people were able to participate, so I consider it fortuitous that we were able to push through with it.
The contest launch and initial rules can be found here. Basically, I gave komiks people free rein to make whatever komiks they wanted. Before the end of the 1st week, I had received no entries, and asked around to find out the contest was launched just when everyone was rushing work to end the year.
I changed the rules to a spot illustration contest, with specific instructions to illustrate thus: You will be illustrating a man in a small dark prison cell. The man is looking upward at a far away window, where a bird is coming in. The prisoner's face will be covered in shadow, but you will be labeling him 'Justice.' You can write Justice on his shirt, or have a floating ribbon with words Justice around him.
Below the illustration, we will include a quote from Hubert Webb, when asked how he had felt, given events of ten years ago and today - "Why is this happening to me?" If you can letter this in yourself, it will be a huge bonus!
I came to regret naming Hubert Webb, although personally I felt he was wrongly jailed and continue to do so. The contest was ongoing when Hubert and his co-accused were acquitted, and so I immediately received inquiries if the contest was politically motivated. I did want to take risks when choosing my topic, but it had the unintended consequence of alienating some prospective contestants.
As noted in the actual blog post I did write, we continue to look for justice in the Philippines, but I feel that case is illustrative of what we do in search for it. Ultimately, I haven't been put off from entering controversial topics, but do want to set up more inclusive activities for this blog and the komiks people in the future.
Now, let's get to the illustrations:
This illustration by Bob Melendres, who isn't active making komiks now, but is a friend of a friend.
This illustration is by Ernest John Daryll Fiestan of Crazy Metro Comics. He has recently said he plans to publish some actual komiks to him soon! More power, Ernest :)
Finally, the winner is Andoyman of Andoyman Komikero! Digital Filipino head and project sponsor Janette Toral met Andoyman last week. This is a black and white version of the image I used last blog post. Original sketch is below.
Thanks to Janette Toral for all the support, Jonas Diego for helping with judging, all the contestants for joining and again, congratulations to Andoyman! I hope to setup a more open, more reasonably run contest soon. No politics for the next one, I promise!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Katarungan sa Pilipinas/Justice in The Philippines
The Philippines seems to not yet have fully recovered from the hostage bombing late last year as successive tragedies continue to attack our collective psyche. It seems every other week something happens that will make your blood boil, if not overwhelm you with despair. Just to recap quickly, recent events that have shocked the country include: 6WPG4EMHG4PE
The recent carjackings of Margarita Fores, Emerson Lozano, driver Ernane Sensil and Venson Evangelista, the latter three of which led to their deaths
If you look at the reactions by Pinoys online, it would seem that this is the worst situation that this country could be in. As bad as things seem now, we need to put things in perspective and not be swayed by hyperbole or divisive rhetoric. We have yet to experience a truly failed state, as have the people of Afghanistan, Somalia, Timor-Leste or Haiti. In spite of everything, we still have a lot to be thankful for.
But if these events do not yet make us a failed state, what are we to make of these recent spates of violence? Are some of these part of destabilization plots against the government, as is often claimed? Are these all just a matter of successive coincidences? Are these the indications of a failed judicial system, or the consequences of one?
The Philippines' culture of impunity and history of extrajudicial killings have been cited before as indications of the lack of justice in the country. However, this seems to me to define specific situations, and is inadequate at rationalizing others. Let me share my thoughts on two particular cases that continue to perplex me.
The acquittal of Hubert Webb and five others in the murders of the Vizcondes divided the country. For a long time, most of us were convinced that they were able to punish the perpetrators of the crime, but a review of the case would show that the investigation had been handled poorly from the start, and now those end results have been put into question. As Janette Toral notes, we can be conditioned into taking sides in issues like this, not due to an elaborate coverup, but simply because of confirmation bias and social reinforcement.
Likewise, Ivan Padilla's death remains debatable. Did the police deliberately withdraw aid that could have saved his life when he was caught? Forensic reports indicate he may have even been strangled. I worry that the public did not express the appropriate amount of outrage towards this. Did it seem to many that he deserved to die? As much as we complain about our judicial system, I still believe in its function. Shouldn't Ivan have been allowed to have his day in court?
In both cases, as well as numerous others, unanswered questions linger. Investigations aren't thorough enough to cover all the sides of the story. Instead, we're left with fragments of stories, and in some cases we're not even sure if these fragments are wholly true. And we're supposed to accept these fragments as the entire thing, and our lives go on.
But if these events do not yet make us a failed state, what are we to make of these recent spates of violence? Are some of these part of destabilization plots against the government, as is often claimed? Are these all just a matter of successive coincidences? Are these the indications of a failed judicial system, or the consequences of one?
The Philippines' culture of impunity and history of extrajudicial killings have been cited before as indications of the lack of justice in the country. However, this seems to me to define specific situations, and is inadequate at rationalizing others. Let me share my thoughts on two particular cases that continue to perplex me.
The acquittal of Hubert Webb and five others in the murders of the Vizcondes divided the country. For a long time, most of us were convinced that they were able to punish the perpetrators of the crime, but a review of the case would show that the investigation had been handled poorly from the start, and now those end results have been put into question. As Janette Toral notes, we can be conditioned into taking sides in issues like this, not due to an elaborate coverup, but simply because of confirmation bias and social reinforcement.
Likewise, Ivan Padilla's death remains debatable. Did the police deliberately withdraw aid that could have saved his life when he was caught? Forensic reports indicate he may have even been strangled. I worry that the public did not express the appropriate amount of outrage towards this. Did it seem to many that he deserved to die? As much as we complain about our judicial system, I still believe in its function. Shouldn't Ivan have been allowed to have his day in court?
In both cases, as well as numerous others, unanswered questions linger. Investigations aren't thorough enough to cover all the sides of the story. Instead, we're left with fragments of stories, and in some cases we're not even sure if these fragments are wholly true. And we're supposed to accept these fragments as the entire thing, and our lives go on.
art by Andoyman Komikero
It's like justice itself has been gilded in a cage, hidden deep in the darkness, not to be seen.
UPDATED: I wanted to share this link to Maria Ressa's article How Good People Turn Evil Her reflections of Philip Zimardo's Stanford prison study fit in with what I've been talking about.
UPDATED: I wanted to share this link to Maria Ressa's article How Good People Turn Evil Her reflections of Philip Zimardo's Stanford prison study fit in with what I've been talking about.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Make your komiks a wiki...for fun!
Thus far, there are only two sites that count as komiks wikis: Komiklopedia (which funnily enough, was made around Wordpress)
and the Philippine Komiks Encyclopedia portal at WikiPilipinas.
For the most part, they are good wikis. You can look up information on different komiks artists, publishers, events, etc. They make good resources for anyone looking to find out more about the komiks industry.
But is that all wikis are good for? We may have taken the tagline "Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia" too seriously. As explained in Wikis: A Beginner's Look by Meredith Goldwater, wikis can be utilized in any number of ways, such as a content management system, private collaboration too or even just a personal notebook.
click to go to presentation
Of particular interest to komiks makers would be Wikia, a popular wikifarm/community that has been utilized to make wikis in a variety of topics. In particular, they've been used by fans to make wikis surrounding particular fictional universes.
But you guys probably already know that and use Wikia all the time already, to visit the Marvel Wikia for example. Or Lost, Doctor Who,, GI Joe, Dragonball, One Piece and what have you. I personally love the MST3K Wiki. For those curious, the largest and most actively edited Wikia is for World of Warcraft.
So these wikis are a way for fans to find out more about the franchises and the fictional universes they inhabit. To a certain degree, they also make new fans out of people who want to know more about them. They do not supersede or replace other reference materials online or offline. To this end, they will contain spoilers and even story summaries, but rather than seeing this as a bad thing, I think it's a greater incentive to invest people in your universe and want to buy comics, movies, video games, merchandise, etc. In many cases, they are a labor of love for the fans to share their knowledge, in an accessible, entertaining manner.
So why not make wikis of komiks universes? If there's a wikipedia page of Mars Ravelo in Ilonggo, certainly there's enough fandom out there to make a Ravelo universe wiki. More contemporary komiks makers like Budjette Tan, Carlo Vergara, Melvin & Joanah-Tinio Calingo, etc. could certainly make wikis about them and their works. (I would especially relish the subwikis that would come out of exploring Arnold Arre's graphic novels XD).
For the even newer and younger komiks people, this is the perfect medium to self-promote! Looking for a way to drum up interest in all 50+ characters in Bayan Knights? A wiki would give them equitable space. Does the QBCCC need a place to explain their publishing philosophy to be more accessible? Their wiki can feature articles on individual creators and stories, published and planned issues, and influences. Do you have an idea for a komiks universe, but looking for an writer/artist/both to help flesh it out? You can lay out your ideas in a private wiki, and then open access to people to see and give their own feedback.
If you want to give it a try now, you can try making a free wiki at Wikia, or PBWorks. PBWorks is private, so you can try that out if you're feeling shy. Use Wikia if you're looking for immediate collaboration, and want your wiki to resemble Wikipedia with all the bells and whistles (and ads). Next week, I'll try making a wiki myself to make a short guide, as well discuss the different issues, opportunities, pros & cons of making wikis, etc.
Ad: If you haven't heard yet, TV5 is crowdsourcing for a few positions. I can't vouch if they're still available, but job openings include:
Graphic Artist (for web... needs to know flash also)
Programmer (better if has knowledge on Facebook/Twitter API's and has web dev history)
Online Advertising Associate (background in online ad sales)
Email your applications to csople@tv5.com.ph. If you have no prior experience, just send a resume with cover letter. Tell them plsburydoughboy sent ya!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
What komiks people need to know
First, my apologies for a late blog post. I attribute this to negligence, but also partly to just having so much to deal with IRL. If you guys follow me on Twitter on FB, I committed to one blog post a week until I'm back on track, and although I remain very much busy, I'm sticking to making that weekly blog post.
I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with Jonas Diego last week about his feedback on my blog. I felt a need to verify if the assumptions I made in setting up the blog corresponded to things as they are, and I wanted to see what effect it had made upon blog makers thus far.
What struck me most about our conversation was so obvious that I would have definitely missed it. At a certain point, Jonas got to talking about SSS requirements, and I got to asking, "what does that have to do with komiks?" "Kasi, yung mga gumagawa ng komiks, freelancers. Kelangan nilang maintindihan ang pangangailangan nilang magkaroon ng SSS."
So komiks people were freelancers? I kind of took it for granted that most of them have day jobs, but this refreshed my memory as well to my prior interactions with komiks people and learning that quite a few of them do this for a living.
After the talk, I was also reminded of Adam David lamenting that one of his prior employers had failed to pay his income taxes for his work. This is not so much Adam's mistake as it is his employer's (grossly negligent IMHO), but still a serious mistake that could have been avoided.
So, for komiks people who do freelance work, it's just as important that we understand everything there is to know about freelance work as much as it is to know everything about working in komiks. This does not just mean we have to be competitive in the freelance marketplace. It also means we have to understand our rights, make sure we pay our taxes, etc. Going freelance means sacrificing a lot of things people with 9-to-5 jobs take for granted. You can't afford to take them for granted either, not if you want to make sure you and your family has a good life in the years ahead.
I may write some freelance articles targeted to komiks makers in the future, including SSS, TIN, business registration and all that. For the moment, I'd like to recommend everyone follow Fleire Castro. Fleire is a classmate of mine in the Ateneo/DigitalFilipino course on Blogging Entrepenurship. Mother, blogger, and homeschooler, her personal blog always has a helpful article to people beginning and active in the world of social media. Even greater than that, she always shares articles on these same topics by others on her Twitter.
In fact, the first thing I'd have you read that I discovered from her is the Sex and Cash Theory. From Hugh Macleod's book Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity, it describes a practical action plan for people who want to follow their dreams (as komiks people are wont to do).
Fleire's blog is here. You can also follow Fleire on Twitter @likke.
Having gleaned all this from my conversation with Jonas, I'd like to bring this question to you guys, my readers: what do you komiks people need to know? Anything about making komiks or working freelance that needs to be demystified and cleared up? Any particular needs for artist, writers, komiks people with websites, that remain unaddressed? What would you need to learn now,whether it's available elsewhere or unexplored before, that you feel would help you, not just in making komiks, but on personal and professional levels as well? I will help you guys find resources to help you out on these and other endeavors? I can't promise to find everything out, but we can get the ball rolling somewhere.
For those of you who have these aspects handled, I ask for your patience. I had learned that many komiks people, even the prolific ones, are new to freelancing and need help in these areas. If anything, I might come up with things that might be helpful to you as well.
I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with Jonas Diego last week about his feedback on my blog. I felt a need to verify if the assumptions I made in setting up the blog corresponded to things as they are, and I wanted to see what effect it had made upon blog makers thus far.
What struck me most about our conversation was so obvious that I would have definitely missed it. At a certain point, Jonas got to talking about SSS requirements, and I got to asking, "what does that have to do with komiks?" "Kasi, yung mga gumagawa ng komiks, freelancers. Kelangan nilang maintindihan ang pangangailangan nilang magkaroon ng SSS."
So komiks people were freelancers? I kind of took it for granted that most of them have day jobs, but this refreshed my memory as well to my prior interactions with komiks people and learning that quite a few of them do this for a living.
After the talk, I was also reminded of Adam David lamenting that one of his prior employers had failed to pay his income taxes for his work. This is not so much Adam's mistake as it is his employer's (grossly negligent IMHO), but still a serious mistake that could have been avoided.
So, for komiks people who do freelance work, it's just as important that we understand everything there is to know about freelance work as much as it is to know everything about working in komiks. This does not just mean we have to be competitive in the freelance marketplace. It also means we have to understand our rights, make sure we pay our taxes, etc. Going freelance means sacrificing a lot of things people with 9-to-5 jobs take for granted. You can't afford to take them for granted either, not if you want to make sure you and your family has a good life in the years ahead.
I may write some freelance articles targeted to komiks makers in the future, including SSS, TIN, business registration and all that. For the moment, I'd like to recommend everyone follow Fleire Castro. Fleire is a classmate of mine in the Ateneo/DigitalFilipino course on Blogging Entrepenurship. Mother, blogger, and homeschooler, her personal blog always has a helpful article to people beginning and active in the world of social media. Even greater than that, she always shares articles on these same topics by others on her Twitter.
In fact, the first thing I'd have you read that I discovered from her is the Sex and Cash Theory. From Hugh Macleod's book Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity, it describes a practical action plan for people who want to follow their dreams (as komiks people are wont to do).
Fleire's blog is here. You can also follow Fleire on Twitter @likke.
Having gleaned all this from my conversation with Jonas, I'd like to bring this question to you guys, my readers: what do you komiks people need to know? Anything about making komiks or working freelance that needs to be demystified and cleared up? Any particular needs for artist, writers, komiks people with websites, that remain unaddressed? What would you need to learn now,whether it's available elsewhere or unexplored before, that you feel would help you, not just in making komiks, but on personal and professional levels as well? I will help you guys find resources to help you out on these and other endeavors? I can't promise to find everything out, but we can get the ball rolling somewhere.
For those of you who have these aspects handled, I ask for your patience. I had learned that many komiks people, even the prolific ones, are new to freelancing and need help in these areas. If anything, I might come up with things that might be helpful to you as well.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Video Game Awards 2010: A Small Review
Like Azrael, I was fortunate enough to have been invited to watch the Video Game Awards 2010 a week before its premier on Animax (Azrael's blog entry here). For those who want to read spoilers, it's all in the Wikipedia entry. What follows is a small review, and several observations randomly strewn about.
The Video Game Awards is not actually produced by Animax, but by Spike, an American media entity that has a viral website and an American cable channel. They cater to a predominantly young male audience, so don't expect this show to resemble other Animax programming. The VGAs have also often been criticized for their bias, but as this Destructoid blog entry explains, they actually did get help from the online video game community in choosing their winners and nominees.
This year, the host was Neil Patrick Harris, and fellow presenters included Olivia Munn, Dominic Monaghan, Benicio Del Toro, Dane Cook, etc. I think the highlight of this year's show, however, was not the star power, but their use of augmented reality to change the way the show looked to the TV audience.
The show went by briskly for an hour and a half. We basically saw nominations, awardings, exclusive previews and announcements in quick succession. Some of the awards were not shown on TV, but presumably given offscreen.
Out of all the previews, I was most impressed by Batman: Arkham City. Even if it wasn't a Batman property, the quality of the animated cutscenes, with convincing motion capture and a well executed short narrative were enough to wow me. On a personal level, I also liked the trailers for Thor: God of Asgard and Mortal Kombat.
Check out that trailer here! Watch it lag-free on Animax next week XD
Video from GameTrailers. Batman: Arkham City Warner Bros. Entertainment & Rocksteady Studios. Batman & Hugo Strange property of DC Comics
I think gamers and non-gamers alike will be happy with the trailers and previews alone, but there's some entertaining segments in between as well. NPH himself was inconsistent, but was very funny at times. (Watch out for his short swipe at NBA Elite 11.) I'm afraid some of the presenters didn't feel like a good fit for the show, and some segments felt awkward, but don't let these dissuade you from watching what is otherwise an entertaining show. They even have a funny self-aware skit between Olivia & Neil Patrick Love-Hewitt.
These, I feel, were the honest VGA highlights:
As a bonus, here's a live performance of Jose Gonzales' Far Away in Rockstar Australia
Video from YouTube. Far Away property of Rockstar Games
KOMIKS PLUGS: A lot of upcoming komiks events soon as well! Check if you can catch any of these:
Sulyap book signings at Powerbooks, Greenbelt 3 1/22/11, 4-9 PM
and Powerbooks MOA 1/29/11, 4-9 PM
Hey Baby! Gerry Alanguilan book signing at Sputnik, Cubao X 1/29/11 9 PM to 2 AM
Leinil Yu book signing for Death of Spider-Man/Ultimate Avengers vs New Ultimates at Comic Odyssey, Robinson's Galleria 2/12/11 1-4 PM
Komikstrip 2011 CAS Annex 2 UP Los Baños 02/19/11 10 AM-7 PM
Video Game Awards property of Viacom, Animax property of Sony Entertainment
The Video Game Awards is not actually produced by Animax, but by Spike, an American media entity that has a viral website and an American cable channel. They cater to a predominantly young male audience, so don't expect this show to resemble other Animax programming. The VGAs have also often been criticized for their bias, but as this Destructoid blog entry explains, they actually did get help from the online video game community in choosing their winners and nominees.
This year, the host was Neil Patrick Harris, and fellow presenters included Olivia Munn, Dominic Monaghan, Benicio Del Toro, Dane Cook, etc. I think the highlight of this year's show, however, was not the star power, but their use of augmented reality to change the way the show looked to the TV audience.
The show went by briskly for an hour and a half. We basically saw nominations, awardings, exclusive previews and announcements in quick succession. Some of the awards were not shown on TV, but presumably given offscreen.
Out of all the previews, I was most impressed by Batman: Arkham City. Even if it wasn't a Batman property, the quality of the animated cutscenes, with convincing motion capture and a well executed short narrative were enough to wow me. On a personal level, I also liked the trailers for Thor: God of Asgard and Mortal Kombat.
Check out that trailer here! Watch it lag-free on Animax next week XD
I think gamers and non-gamers alike will be happy with the trailers and previews alone, but there's some entertaining segments in between as well. NPH himself was inconsistent, but was very funny at times. (Watch out for his short swipe at NBA Elite 11.) I'm afraid some of the presenters didn't feel like a good fit for the show, and some segments felt awkward, but don't let these dissuade you from watching what is otherwise an entertaining show. They even have a funny self-aware skit between Olivia & Neil Patrick Love-Hewitt.
These, I feel, were the honest VGA highlights:
Director Guillermo Del Toro swiping the film industry again for treating video games as an ancillary product.
Limbo creator thanking fans for receiving the Independent Video Game Award.
The trailers for Batman: Arkham City and Thor: God Of Asgard, and to a lesser degree, X-Men Destiny. These will wow film & comic book fans alike.
Bethesda's announcement & trailer for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I've never played this series, but appreciate its role and legacy in video game history.
Jose Gonzales' performance of Red Dead Redemption title track Far Away. There are few opportunities to use indie folk in video games, so just seeing this song performed was a treat. I thought MCR's performance was OK, btw.
Comedy from TMZ, the cast of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (they had Danny Devito!) and Rachel Bilson.
The trailer for Portal 2. Compared to the other featured game trailers, still a breath of fresh air.And that's how I saw the VGAs. I wouldn't call it a must watch, but it's certainly entertaining enough for a Sunday evening. You can catch it January 23, Sunday, starting 7:10 PM, to be simulcast on Animax, AXN, AXN Beyond and Sony Entertainment Television. NOTE: Contains mature language, video game depictions of sexuality and violence.
As a bonus, here's a live performance of Jose Gonzales' Far Away in Rockstar Australia
Video from YouTube. Far Away property of Rockstar Games
KOMIKS PLUGS: A lot of upcoming komiks events soon as well! Check if you can catch any of these:
Sulyap book signings at Powerbooks, Greenbelt 3 1/22/11, 4-9 PM
and Powerbooks MOA 1/29/11, 4-9 PM
Hey Baby! Gerry Alanguilan book signing at Sputnik, Cubao X 1/29/11 9 PM to 2 AM
Leinil Yu book signing for Death of Spider-Man/Ultimate Avengers vs New Ultimates at Comic Odyssey, Robinson's Galleria 2/12/11 1-4 PM
Komikstrip 2011 CAS Annex 2 UP Los Baños 02/19/11 10 AM-7 PM
Friday, January 14, 2011
Komiks industry vs. community: a question of semantics
I think semantics is important. You might have only heard of semantics when having arguments with overly intellectual friends, ie; they'll use that worn out phrase; "we're only arguing semantics." Unfortunately, using this word exclusively in this context really devalues what it is.
Under linguistics, semantics refers to the way language conveys meaning. Irregardless if you subscribe to Barthes', Chomsky's or ideas on semantics, the important thing is to understand the importance of using particular words when describing a certain person or thing.
So I want to urge everyone in komiks, whether retired, active or merely aspiring, to stop referring to the existing collective of active komiks makers as an industry and to use different words instead. The alternative I use is komiks community.
The word industry comes loaded with certain expectations that komiks makers may not necessarily meet, and may not necessarily be beneficial to them. You take a simple definition, like production of a commercial or economic good, and realize that it assumes the makers of the given good produce a steady output of said product for commercial consumption.
So I ask you, how many of you guys have been making, publishing and distributing your komiks on a monthly basis? Are you making enough money, not just to sustain production of future issues, not just to sustain a livelihood, but to safely say that you are making a substantial profit, enough to make a substantial dent in your local economy? And I don't just mean in a span of a few months, but consistently publishing and profiting from since you started until right now?
And of course, this can hurt the active komiks makers when outsiders come in and say; 'But you guys don't publish consistently!' or 'You don't make as much money here as you do for Marvel' or 'You guys are just amateurs.' Some of these unfair comments and perceptions come from unrealistic expectations, which stem from that one word.
Now, I like using the word community because it is associated with two ideas; one, that of people sharing a common interest, but also the idea that these people live in a particular area. The first idea describes the active komiks makers perfectly. However, I've been hypothesizing that the second idea has been starting to become true as well; that komiks are becoming local and komiks makers probably live near their target audience. Whether this hypothesis will be proven true remains to be seen, but in any case, this is certainly a more accurate description of the komiks makers now.
So, as of this moment, komiks is not being made by an economically driven industry. It's being made by a dedicated and closely knit community.
Under linguistics, semantics refers to the way language conveys meaning. Irregardless if you subscribe to Barthes', Chomsky's or ideas on semantics, the important thing is to understand the importance of using particular words when describing a certain person or thing.
So I want to urge everyone in komiks, whether retired, active or merely aspiring, to stop referring to the existing collective of active komiks makers as an industry and to use different words instead. The alternative I use is komiks community.
The word industry comes loaded with certain expectations that komiks makers may not necessarily meet, and may not necessarily be beneficial to them. You take a simple definition, like production of a commercial or economic good, and realize that it assumes the makers of the given good produce a steady output of said product for commercial consumption.
So I ask you, how many of you guys have been making, publishing and distributing your komiks on a monthly basis? Are you making enough money, not just to sustain production of future issues, not just to sustain a livelihood, but to safely say that you are making a substantial profit, enough to make a substantial dent in your local economy? And I don't just mean in a span of a few months, but consistently publishing and profiting from since you started until right now?
And of course, this can hurt the active komiks makers when outsiders come in and say; 'But you guys don't publish consistently!' or 'You don't make as much money here as you do for Marvel' or 'You guys are just amateurs.' Some of these unfair comments and perceptions come from unrealistic expectations, which stem from that one word.
Now, I like using the word community because it is associated with two ideas; one, that of people sharing a common interest, but also the idea that these people live in a particular area. The first idea describes the active komiks makers perfectly. However, I've been hypothesizing that the second idea has been starting to become true as well; that komiks are becoming local and komiks makers probably live near their target audience. Whether this hypothesis will be proven true remains to be seen, but in any case, this is certainly a more accurate description of the komiks makers now.
So, as of this moment, komiks is not being made by an economically driven industry. It's being made by a dedicated and closely knit community.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
My experience with comics diversity
I didn't grew up the big Marvel or DC fan like other kids my generation did. Of course, we all had the huge cartoons, like TMNT and Ghostbusters, and then there was Voltes V and Bioman, but me, I got into a whole lot more. I wanted to see as many different kinds of cartoons as I could, so I scoured TV channels to see what they had on offer. I was fortunate to have appreciated and enjoyed the Ub Iwerks and Merrie Melodies and Betty Boops.
When I was older, this line of thinking extended to the comics I read. I believe the first of these that I read were definitely Archies, and by extension I saw the Tintins and Asterixes in bookstores. It was at school that I got to see my first Batmans and X-Mens among classmates, but then my batchmates were pretty discreet about showing & sharing them back then, so it would be much later before I even got to read them.
But then, in the back of my mind I would remember even more comics I wanted to experience. There were the Hong Kong comics hiding under the huge pile of Mandarin language magazines, back when Robinson's Galleria was first new. There were the gorgeous Heavy Metal covers, hiding under the Playboys and Hustlers. There were the Mad and Cracked magazines, which may as well have been comics format. And then there were the komiks.
I think our neighborhood had a pretty good deal when it came to komiks compared to others. No, we didn't get Kick Fighter or Bata Batuta circulated here, but we had Pilipino Funny Komiks For Kids, and our distributor was also the local newspaper man. He made the deal to bring Funny Komiks to our houses every Tuesday or Thursday afternoon, and it would be paid for along with out newspaper subscription.
Needless to say, it was a pretty sweet deal.
Around my high school years, the comics scene went through an explosion. Everyone was talking X-Men and Image, but at around the same time, Evangelion was poised to make anime a worldwide phenomenon.
So here I am, surrounded by classmates talking all Wolverine this and Gundam that, and frankly I was getting bored. In our tiny classroom conversations, they would make grudging acknowledgements that, yes, an Archie is good for a rainy afternoon, and Tintin is really old and artsy, and somebody's parents wouldn't let him but a Heavy Metal, but mostly encountered closed minds who could not fathom why I had as much enthusiasm for these comics as I did for the latest Samurai X. I was the special, outsider kid, who was just really into comics.
Such bollocks.
So, unsatisfied with following the pack, I set out to look for comics on my own. Any kind of comics, comics that wouldn't neatly fit any categories. I did it with a wistful naivete and lack of money too, so it wasn't like I was reading Maus early on. I never even heard about Watchmen until college, that was how out of the loop I really was.
But even with the limitations afforded me, among bargain bins and shady characters, I found different comics. The Valiants and AD 2000s, who no one else I knew cared about. Elfquest. Manga Vizion. Ms. Tree. newsstrip reprints of Dick Tracy and Garth.
A lot of them were segments of longer stories too, but even just reading parts of them were fruitful. I liked anthologies like Negative Burn and Critters. I found pieces of Xenozoic Tales and A Distant Soil. And of course, there was an even bigger list of books I wanted but couldn't even get my hands on.
Through the years, I accumulated and lost comics. I constantly had a problem with not having enough space for them. Some were lost, some were never returned, and some were disposed of by either me or my family. I often lamented, but grew to accept that my parents didn't have the culture of taking care of books that I wanted to nurture.
But of course, as I got older, I got more of my way, and like to think I currently have an interesting, if unimpressive collection. Like many people, though, I stopped collecting when the internet became a viable resource to find comics. As of today, I still don't have the shelf space I'd want for serious collecting.
So, how did you guys discover comics?
When I was older, this line of thinking extended to the comics I read. I believe the first of these that I read were definitely Archies, and by extension I saw the Tintins and Asterixes in bookstores. It was at school that I got to see my first Batmans and X-Mens among classmates, but then my batchmates were pretty discreet about showing & sharing them back then, so it would be much later before I even got to read them.
But then, in the back of my mind I would remember even more comics I wanted to experience. There were the Hong Kong comics hiding under the huge pile of Mandarin language magazines, back when Robinson's Galleria was first new. There were the gorgeous Heavy Metal covers, hiding under the Playboys and Hustlers. There were the Mad and Cracked magazines, which may as well have been comics format. And then there were the komiks.
I think our neighborhood had a pretty good deal when it came to komiks compared to others. No, we didn't get Kick Fighter or Bata Batuta circulated here, but we had Pilipino Funny Komiks For Kids, and our distributor was also the local newspaper man. He made the deal to bring Funny Komiks to our houses every Tuesday or Thursday afternoon, and it would be paid for along with out newspaper subscription.
Needless to say, it was a pretty sweet deal.
Around my high school years, the comics scene went through an explosion. Everyone was talking X-Men and Image, but at around the same time, Evangelion was poised to make anime a worldwide phenomenon.
So here I am, surrounded by classmates talking all Wolverine this and Gundam that, and frankly I was getting bored. In our tiny classroom conversations, they would make grudging acknowledgements that, yes, an Archie is good for a rainy afternoon, and Tintin is really old and artsy, and somebody's parents wouldn't let him but a Heavy Metal, but mostly encountered closed minds who could not fathom why I had as much enthusiasm for these comics as I did for the latest Samurai X. I was the special, outsider kid, who was just really into comics.
Such bollocks.
So, unsatisfied with following the pack, I set out to look for comics on my own. Any kind of comics, comics that wouldn't neatly fit any categories. I did it with a wistful naivete and lack of money too, so it wasn't like I was reading Maus early on. I never even heard about Watchmen until college, that was how out of the loop I really was.
But even with the limitations afforded me, among bargain bins and shady characters, I found different comics. The Valiants and AD 2000s, who no one else I knew cared about. Elfquest. Manga Vizion. Ms. Tree. newsstrip reprints of Dick Tracy and Garth.
A lot of them were segments of longer stories too, but even just reading parts of them were fruitful. I liked anthologies like Negative Burn and Critters. I found pieces of Xenozoic Tales and A Distant Soil. And of course, there was an even bigger list of books I wanted but couldn't even get my hands on.
Through the years, I accumulated and lost comics. I constantly had a problem with not having enough space for them. Some were lost, some were never returned, and some were disposed of by either me or my family. I often lamented, but grew to accept that my parents didn't have the culture of taking care of books that I wanted to nurture.
But of course, as I got older, I got more of my way, and like to think I currently have an interesting, if unimpressive collection. Like many people, though, I stopped collecting when the internet became a viable resource to find comics. As of today, I still don't have the shelf space I'd want for serious collecting.
So, how did you guys discover comics?
Monday, January 10, 2011
Comics and Komiks diversity
Comics diversity is a great thing. The differentiation in terms of art style, format, target markets, etc. is an indication of the health of the medium. A market where only superhero comics existed, or only shonen manga existed, no matter how brilliant those works could become, would be dead creatively. Much like biodiversity, comics diversity is an indication of how much creativity is fostered in a particular comics making community.
Here's a short list that should give you an idea how diverse comics actually are:
Komiks makers are affected by this in two ways:
1) komiks are part of that diversity. Pinoy comics have a different flavor from comics in Belgium or Hong Kong.
2) komiks makers themselves are affected by globalization, to either join in what other people have been doing or to stand apart from the pack.
Locally, I think you can make connections between Trese and horror komiks stories of old, as well as superheroes then and now, and also with Mwahaha and the old satirical komiks. But I am concerned about other genres, like the old style adventure komiks serials, romance and love stories, magical stories, and the recurring soap opera style serials.
Now, some of these stories are of course being retold in film and movies. And some core concepts are being reexplored in different ways, such as love stories in manga style komiks, or adventure themes in superhero komiks. However, you couldn't really say these genres survive if they aren't being reexplored the way they used to be.
But, this may not necessarily be a good or bad thing. Perhaps some of these genres aren't worth reexploring, or no one active is interested or capable of doing so. In any case, I want to urge you to take a look at komiks you bought today and consider how much it contributes to komiks diversity.
This Wednesday I'll tell the story of how I discovered the beauty of comics diversity.
Here's a short list that should give you an idea how diverse comics actually are:
mah jongg manga - entire comics stories revolving around people competing to be the best at manga, often using fictitious moves and abilities that are simply impossible in mah jongg in real life. One recent manga, The Legend of Koizumi, became infamous for portraying world leaders like George W. Bush, Kim Jong-Il and Vladimir Putin play mah jongg against each other. This genre was unknown outside Japan until Akagi, which was turned into an anime in 2005.
source: Akagi still from Madhouse
photo comics/look books - a comic genre that crossed boundaries from Europe, to South America and Africa. Instead of drawings, photographs were laid in sequence with text and word balloons filled in. Many photo comics were adaptations of films and TV shows using captured stills, while others actually featured original characters. On a side note, I remember getting reprinted photocomics of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots and National Velvet, which probably date back to the 50s, as a kid.
source: Matias-TV magazine
war journal comics - Don Lomax and Joe Sacco blur the lines between journalist, autobiographer and war comics creators with their work. They distinguish themselves from other war comics biographers like Harvey Pekar, Gary Trudeau and Art Spiegelman by documenting their own actual war experience in comics form. For Lomax, it was as a Vietnam veteran, for Sacco, it was as a journalist in the Gulf War and Bosnian War.
source: High Shining Brass, Don Lomax, Apple Comics
source: Complacency Kills, Joe Sacco, The Guardian
constrained comics - previously nothing more than an experiment, constrained comics gained prominence when qwantz/dinosaur comics and garfield minus garfield went viral. In a nutshell, these comics are produced under specific constraints or rules that cannot be broken. These comics often reuse older material as the constraint, & often the impetus for new insight. Other examples of constrained comics are Married To The Sea and Scott Meets Family Circus.Globalization has both facilitated and threatened this comics diversity. On one end, it's easier to discover new comics of different kinds, as well as find more comics related resources and information. On the other hand, local comics have been dying out as people worldwide start reading more of the same thing.
Komiks makers are affected by this in two ways:
1) komiks are part of that diversity. Pinoy comics have a different flavor from comics in Belgium or Hong Kong.
2) komiks makers themselves are affected by globalization, to either join in what other people have been doing or to stand apart from the pack.
Locally, I think you can make connections between Trese and horror komiks stories of old, as well as superheroes then and now, and also with Mwahaha and the old satirical komiks. But I am concerned about other genres, like the old style adventure komiks serials, romance and love stories, magical stories, and the recurring soap opera style serials.
Now, some of these stories are of course being retold in film and movies. And some core concepts are being reexplored in different ways, such as love stories in manga style komiks, or adventure themes in superhero komiks. However, you couldn't really say these genres survive if they aren't being reexplored the way they used to be.
But, this may not necessarily be a good or bad thing. Perhaps some of these genres aren't worth reexploring, or no one active is interested or capable of doing so. In any case, I want to urge you to take a look at komiks you bought today and consider how much it contributes to komiks diversity.
This Wednesday I'll tell the story of how I discovered the beauty of comics diversity.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Self-Publishing Lessons from Gandhi Part 2: What We Can Do Today
Note: I've decided to litter this article with pictures of Gandhi as a young man in South Africa. He looks different from what you may expect, and yet still somehow familiar.
A lot of things have changed in the world of publishing in the last twenty years alone, and we can expect rapid changes and experimentation. And yet as the cliche goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Here are some things we can take from Gandhi's foray in self-publishing we can still apply today:
1) Have a message. It's easy to take this for granted, and perhaps it would mostly be people who have experienced the limits of conventional publishing who would immediately appreciate the freedom accorded of doing it on your own. Still, don't waste the possibilities afforded by self-publishing and just publish material willy-nilly.
It need not be fully radicalized like Gandhi's satyagraha. If you want to tell stories of your childhood, or share fashion tips, you can make that your message. What's important is that you explore that intentionality.
I would caution that it really is too easy to say what everybody else is saying. You admire what this artist or writer has done & want to make something as clever, ornate or emotional. However, the world would be better served if you bring yourself to the table.
2) Be dedicated. It's the story that's retold over and over again, but never changes. Publishing in general entails so many tasks and demands, from producing content, to printing and distribution. If you will forego a big traditional publisher, you will have to utilize as many resources available to you as possible.
It definitely helps to find other people who are interested in publishing the same things as you. Not only will you be able to share resources, but you will also establish a support network for each other.
Here I would point out a common misconception regarding online publishing. It's too easy to assume that success is a lulu e-book or app subscription away, but that's only 1/3 of the work. You should still treat it like publishing on paper, with the budgeting & promotion & everything. If you don't know how to do these things online, you need to learn them to be successful.
3) Let the experience affect you. For Gandhi, the research, writing, publishing, and distribution of Indian Opinion led to his realization of the realities of Indian inequality under British rule. Whereas he initially intended to work within the British justice system, he gradually moved towards Indian independence, in keeping with what Indians needed, not just what he thought Indians needed.
Again, you may not experience something as radical as Gandhi, but you'll want to treat it like a feedback mechanism to inform your ongoing and future work.
4) Be ambitious. Not necessarily the kind of ambition that gets you in the New York Times Bestseller list, although that is good too. Think about how you want your work to influence people. The depth of that influence will determine how your work will be remembered for posterity.
And of course, you may not want or be able to apply all of these learnings in your personal self-publishing efforts, so just pick up and use what you can use.
source: Wikimedia Commons
A lot of things have changed in the world of publishing in the last twenty years alone, and we can expect rapid changes and experimentation. And yet as the cliche goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Here are some things we can take from Gandhi's foray in self-publishing we can still apply today:
It need not be fully radicalized like Gandhi's satyagraha. If you want to tell stories of your childhood, or share fashion tips, you can make that your message. What's important is that you explore that intentionality.
I would caution that it really is too easy to say what everybody else is saying. You admire what this artist or writer has done & want to make something as clever, ornate or emotional. However, the world would be better served if you bring yourself to the table.
2) Be dedicated. It's the story that's retold over and over again, but never changes. Publishing in general entails so many tasks and demands, from producing content, to printing and distribution. If you will forego a big traditional publisher, you will have to utilize as many resources available to you as possible.
It definitely helps to find other people who are interested in publishing the same things as you. Not only will you be able to share resources, but you will also establish a support network for each other.
Here I would point out a common misconception regarding online publishing. It's too easy to assume that success is a lulu e-book or app subscription away, but that's only 1/3 of the work. You should still treat it like publishing on paper, with the budgeting & promotion & everything. If you don't know how to do these things online, you need to learn them to be successful.
3) Let the experience affect you. For Gandhi, the research, writing, publishing, and distribution of Indian Opinion led to his realization of the realities of Indian inequality under British rule. Whereas he initially intended to work within the British justice system, he gradually moved towards Indian independence, in keeping with what Indians needed, not just what he thought Indians needed.
Again, you may not experience something as radical as Gandhi, but you'll want to treat it like a feedback mechanism to inform your ongoing and future work.
4) Be ambitious. Not necessarily the kind of ambition that gets you in the New York Times Bestseller list, although that is good too. Think about how you want your work to influence people. The depth of that influence will determine how your work will be remembered for posterity.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Self-Publishing Lessons from Gandhi Part 1: Indian Opinion
Thinking out of the box, I was looking for a perspective on self-publishing that deviated from the profit building model, which has been growing in popularity thank to people like Seth Godin and Tim Ferris (see Tim Ferris' reflections on Godin's move to self-publishing here.)
But here you might already be saying; what's the point of writing if you don't make money off of it? What else is there?
And so I introduce you to self-publisher Mohandas Gandhi:
South African History Online, http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/artsmediaculture/arts/media/indian-opinion.htm
But here you might already be saying; what's the point of writing if you don't make money off of it? What else is there?
And so I introduce you to self-publisher Mohandas Gandhi:
source: Wikimedia Commons
Gandhi, at 33, was an Indian lawyer in South Africa. Although a British citizen, he, as well as other Indians in the colony, was suffering discrimination from the local white Afrikaan community. At the time, the Jan Smuts goverment enforced serious limitations to Indian rights, such as warrantless arrests and seizires. He sought a way to campaign for Indian civil rights in what was then a British colony, as their own native land India was.
With help from fellow Indians of influence, he was able to pool resources, including a printing press and a small stretch of land, to start publishing the Indian Opinion, a monthly magazine in 1903. At first intended to merely document Indian human rights abuses, the magazine essentially became the prime mover towards Gandhi's development of satyagraha, the philosophical and political movement of nonviolent resistance.
source: National Gandhi Museum.org
The hows of making the magazine were also relevant. For one, Gandhi arranged for a unique cooperative scheme. Nobody was paid a flat wage. Instead, everyone involved in making the magazine also worked together to maintain the printing press and living quarters, and even grow their own food. They were to share in any profits that they would make, but they were going to be self-sufficient. Also amazing was that they published in multiple languages: Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil and English. Translation wasn't perfect, but they were able to spread their message nonetheless.
At its height, Indian Opinion had a circulation of 35,000 readers and averaged at 20,000. These were small numbers compared to leading periodicals with 50,000 readers. The magazine did not reach its relevance from its profits or wide readership, but from how it influenced people. To quote Gandhi: "Satyagraha would have been impossible without Indian Opinion."
source: National Gandhi Museum.org
In Part 2, we will explore what learnings we can get from Gandhi and Indian Opinion, how they can be adapted to the digital publishing revolution, and how komiks self publishers, actually, any self publisher, can be like Gandhi.
Sources:
Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Opinion
Images: Wikimedia Commons, National Gandhi Museum.org
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Komiks Advocate for 2011
Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all enjoyed your holidays. Now everyone's back to work, including me.
When I started my blog, I was kind of running with this crazy idea in my head that the komiks community needed as much help as possible, that in fact, it needed saving. Saving from this imaginary intangible thing that I couldn't clearly define and didn't know how to overcome.
Of course, getting published in the QBCCC and attending Komikon 2010 changed that mindset completely. Komiks is alive and well, and I was so wrong to believe otherwise. Consequently, I realized it was egoistic to assume that I would somehow save komiks, as if I had some special knowledge that the people who dedicated their time, money and even careers to komiks did not. I think this komiks saving psyche can be a good thing, in that it can motivate people to get into it, but it's definitely a delusion I needed to get out of to be of actual benefit to the community.
Still, I think I have a lot to contribute, based on what I know and ideas I have. This blog is more than just a blog. I'm happy to have received feedback from people saying this blog has inspired them, for one reason or another. I know this blog hasn't really proven it's worth to everyone, but this year I intend to change that. I want people reading this blog to see it as a starting point for many a bright idea, perhaps some for me to explore further, and others for some people to pursue on their own.
What I recognized in the interim is that since there are no major komiks publishing companies, everybody making komiks has to deal with the publishing as much as the komiks making side. And as much as there are merits to self publication, this cuts into the time and effort that could have been focused on making komiks itself.
This fact alone has tangible consequences on komiks publishing as it is today. Just yesterday, Budjette Tan blogged that he & Kajo intend to finish Trese Book 4 just in time for Summer Komikon/Metro Comic Con. I think komiks people deserve a greater opportunity to produce more than what they are able to now. The readers certainly deserve to get the best from them.
I also believe in giving things away for free. For now all I can share are ideas, but there are many things I want to try and reveal to everyone, which would take a lot of the guesswork out of the self publishing end. I hope to explore these ideas and experiments throughout the year.
For now, my only tangible goal for this blog is to make 3 regular posts a week; every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I have a backlog of topics to go through in my head, although new ideas come up everyday based on my interactions with komiks people everyday. To put that in context, that is potentially 220 posts for this year. I may miss it a few times, and I probably won't do it every single week, but it's workable and simple enough to keep me going. Good luck to me, and to everyone in the komiks community.
Again, a Happy New Year's to everyone!
When I started my blog, I was kind of running with this crazy idea in my head that the komiks community needed as much help as possible, that in fact, it needed saving. Saving from this imaginary intangible thing that I couldn't clearly define and didn't know how to overcome.
Of course, getting published in the QBCCC and attending Komikon 2010 changed that mindset completely. Komiks is alive and well, and I was so wrong to believe otherwise. Consequently, I realized it was egoistic to assume that I would somehow save komiks, as if I had some special knowledge that the people who dedicated their time, money and even careers to komiks did not. I think this komiks saving psyche can be a good thing, in that it can motivate people to get into it, but it's definitely a delusion I needed to get out of to be of actual benefit to the community.
Still, I think I have a lot to contribute, based on what I know and ideas I have. This blog is more than just a blog. I'm happy to have received feedback from people saying this blog has inspired them, for one reason or another. I know this blog hasn't really proven it's worth to everyone, but this year I intend to change that. I want people reading this blog to see it as a starting point for many a bright idea, perhaps some for me to explore further, and others for some people to pursue on their own.
What I recognized in the interim is that since there are no major komiks publishing companies, everybody making komiks has to deal with the publishing as much as the komiks making side. And as much as there are merits to self publication, this cuts into the time and effort that could have been focused on making komiks itself.
This fact alone has tangible consequences on komiks publishing as it is today. Just yesterday, Budjette Tan blogged that he & Kajo intend to finish Trese Book 4 just in time for Summer Komikon/Metro Comic Con. I think komiks people deserve a greater opportunity to produce more than what they are able to now. The readers certainly deserve to get the best from them.
I also believe in giving things away for free. For now all I can share are ideas, but there are many things I want to try and reveal to everyone, which would take a lot of the guesswork out of the self publishing end. I hope to explore these ideas and experiments throughout the year.
For now, my only tangible goal for this blog is to make 3 regular posts a week; every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I have a backlog of topics to go through in my head, although new ideas come up everyday based on my interactions with komiks people everyday. To put that in context, that is potentially 220 posts for this year. I may miss it a few times, and I probably won't do it every single week, but it's workable and simple enough to keep me going. Good luck to me, and to everyone in the komiks community.
Again, a Happy New Year's to everyone!
Friday, December 24, 2010
2010 Christmas komiks and komiks art!
This post is just for fun. Happy holidays everyone! ^__^
Click the comic to see it in its original page.
Callous Comics, by Carlo Jose San Juan, M.D.
Check out the Callous Comics site and Facebook.
Crazy Metro Comics, by Ernest John Daryll Fiestan
Ernest also made this:
This art features characters Diwa from One Floor Up and Emina from The Channels Express.
Check out Crazy Metro Comics on deviantART and Facebook.
Aha Hule Komiks
Aha Hule Komiks is by Greco Milambiling. Check out their blog and Facebook.
WIP: Work In Progress
WIP: Work In Progress is by Teddy Pavon and Hub Pacheco. Check out their site here.
EDITED: Combo breaker! Classic komiks style art from one of the oldies but goodies, Romeo Tanghal, Sr.!!!
First off, Joker's got a present for all you suckers!
And here's a more traditional komiks illustration
Romeo Tanghal, Sr.
See more of Romeo Tanghal, Sr.'s sketches here, and add him on Facebook here.
Joanah Tinio Calingo
Joanah Tinio Calingo is on Facebook and deviantART.
Marco Antonio G. Dimaano
Marco Antonio G. Dimaano is the maker of Angel Ace & Kia. You can check out his personal blog Stark Raving Mad & fighting game blog The Lone Gamer. He's also on Facebook.
Meganon Comics
Mark Henry Bustamante
Mark Henry Bustamante made My Falling Star Girlfriend. Check out his work on Deviantart
And this series from the hardworking people over at Bokimkat Komiks!
Aliyah & Mr. M of REALM OF DREAMS : CRIMSON NIGHT
Keiko and Bayani of DRAGON KID
Kiara and Paolo of REALM OF DREAMS : ROYAL ORDER
Bokimkat Komiks is on Facebook. You can also check out previews of their work in Flipgeeks here and here.
Rasel Reyes
Stephen Segovia
Stephen Segovia is on deviantART.
Silent Sanctum Manga
Silent Sanctum Manga made a hilarious post on the 25 Ways to Enjoy Christmas. Check it out!
Also, Gerry Alanguilan wrote this and Jonas Diego made this.
If you guys made something, I can still add it in, no problem! Just contact me, tnx :)
Rasel Reyes
Stephen Segovia
Stephen Segovia is on deviantART.
Silent Sanctum Manga
Silent Sanctum Manga made a hilarious post on the 25 Ways to Enjoy Christmas. Check it out!
Also, Gerry Alanguilan wrote this and Jonas Diego made this.
If you guys made something, I can still add it in, no problem! Just contact me, tnx :)
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