Days back, I got into a kilometric online argument with a Komikon group member who hides by the name of Talka Orbil or Aklat Libro. Minus all of his or her name-calling and fallacious statements that he or she should be right because he or she got 11 “likes,” the anonymous poster points out that mainstream media should stop portraying the komiks industry in a bad shape. He or she went on to saying that a television program should do some “pambobola” or praises in favor of Komiks. That may not be the exact translation of it because “pambobola” connotes enticing a person with honeyed words, true or not.
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| Interviewing Elbert Or for News on Q in 2008 |
First, let us see if there's any truth that the golden days of komiks are gone. Flip to the last page of the first issue of Bayan Knights, Gilbert Monsanto writes in his editorial that “it is evident that comics here in the Philippines, although seemingly still popular, is really not in a healthy state...it needs major medical attention.” Visit Culture Crash and Point Zero Comics's Taga-Ilog deviantart account and he says komiks needs “reviving.” I have not yet dug into the readings we used in the two comics-related electives I took in UP, but I'm pretty sure Prof. Emil Flores, also of Polyhedron Comics, discussed that part of history. Yes, it is a matter-of-fact that the komiks industry that produced jobs and profits from mass-produced comics has long been gone. Heck, almost all related literature on komiks that I have read, even written by creators themselves, acknowledge this fact.
Selective Amnesia
Now, can we demand television producers to ignore this part of history because this paints a bleak picture of what is left of the komiks industry? I'll give you a resounding no. TV producers and reporters are not your publicists. Public relations is different from journalism.They cannot spin the story to your liking just because you agreed to be interviewed.
Sure, being featured in television will help you promote the komiks medium, but the people behind these programs are obliged to show the big picture. That is where the backstory comes in. Come to think of it, when a new comic creator is featured and we get a glimpse of the industry that came before, it makes us appreciate more of the great things that are happening now---komiks being collected into graphic novels, emergence of web comics, and the relentless creators of photocopied comics.
Dealing with Mediamen
Count the television networks that have covered komiks-related stories in the past months. We got an anime channel, one big network and its fledgling news channel. Any other television network out there that realized that komiks is newsworthy? With a few of them pointing a magnifying glass on komiks, creators themselves should have a crash course on Media Relations 101.
And no, I am not talking about handing them money. Don't even think of doing that because it is also disrespecting to them, at least to the ethical ones. If you are going to give them something, it will be the soft copy of your comics pages so they do not have to scan these in the office. Aside from that, leave them with the decision on how long your soundbyte will be, what is their angle and yes, if they have to mention that the popularity of komiks waned years before your work starts to turn things around.
Journalists, in any medium, also ask probing questions. If you are not comfortable answering them, refuse to comment or react politely. Don't go calling them names like hypocrite or fool because you do not want to regret lambasting the future editor of a magazine or the best friend of a television executive, right? It pays to be nice to have media connections.
Most producers and reporters base their scripts on the interview itself. Yes, they have guide questions prepared before pointing the microphone at you but if they see there is a much more interesting angle to write about, they will definitely go with that. What I am saying is—the scripts are based on the soundbytes given by the interviewee. So if the person being interviewed is nostalgic about the popularity of komiks twenty years ago, chances are these will appear on the feature.
This means no one can blame the television producer if he portrays komiks this way because he molded the script based on what the comics creator said. No one can also blame the comics creator for saying on the record that komiks was much popular then because it is factual.
Magnify what's good
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| Did people miss out the positive headline on the screen? |
But if you are the kind of creator who is fed up with hearing that the komiks industry is dying, why not talk about how it is flourishing now? Cite examples and give them visual materials that the journalists could use.
It is your personal choice to hide any sad truth about the komiks industry. But don't expect people in the business of truth-seeking to consciously turn a blind eye on them.
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