http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/7589-dexter-soy-new-pinoy-in-marvel
Rappler: Dexter Soy: New Pinoy in Marvel
http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/7589-dexter-soy-new-pinoy-in-marvel
Rappler: Summer Komikon 2012
My feature on Summer Komikon 2012 is now up. Thanks to Tepai Pascual, Tina de Zuniga, Dingdong Dantes, Benjo Ferrer, Mark Millar, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, John Zamar and Carlo San Juan for the interviews.
(Trivia: I was not given a media i.d. in the event and I also experienced being blocked by the Bayanihan Center guard from interviewing Dingdong Dantes. All the things that could tick off a writer. That's perhaps the downside of being a freelance journalist. Nevertheless, I managed to write a complete story about it. Comics FTW!)
Jerald Uy
(Trivia: I was not given a media i.d. in the event and I also experienced being blocked by the Bayanihan Center guard from interviewing Dingdong Dantes. All the things that could tick off a writer. That's perhaps the downside of being a freelance journalist. Nevertheless, I managed to write a complete story about it. Comics FTW!)
Three articles in a week! (Mark Millar, Dexter Soy and Eman Casallos)
The Komiks Reporter (that's me, why am I speaking in third person?) has written three articles for Rappler, GMA News and Flipgeeks. I hope you enjoy reading the features:
The gospel according to Mark Millar (Rappler)
Lay minister and "Kick-ass" writer Mark Millar talked to me how he compartmentalizes his job and his faith.
(http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/7103-the-gospel-according-to-mark-millar)
'Captain Marvel': Drawn from Pangasinan (GMA News)
Know how Pangasinan-based artist Dexter Soy landed his biggest break from Marvel Comics
(http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/262011/lifestyle/literature/captain-marvel-drawn-from-pangasinan)
A Pinoy Dynamite: Eman Casallos (Flipgeeks)
Get to know how Ninjettes and Vampirella Annual artist Eman Casallos persisted to pursue his dream job in comics.
Jerald Uy
Rappler: The gospel according to Mark Millar
My interview with "Kick-ass" writer-slash-lay minister Mark Millar is now up. Here's the link: http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/7103-the-gospel-according-to-mark-millar
All in all, I have two comic-related features published this week! The other one's an interview with Filipino "Captain Marvel" artist Dexter Soy.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/262011/lifestyle/literature/captain-marvel-drawn-from-pangasinan
All in all, I have two comic-related features published this week! The other one's an interview with Filipino "Captain Marvel" artist Dexter Soy.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/262011/lifestyle/literature/captain-marvel-drawn-from-pangasinan
Jerald Uy
GMA News: 'Captain Marvel' artist Dexter Soy
Jerald Uy
A PINOY DYNAMITE: Eman Casallos
First published on Flipgeeks.
Eman Casallos has lost count of the times he tried to join the roster of talents of Glasshouse Graphics, a Manila-based agency that scouts artists for American comic book publishers.
For five years, he worked on the same Batman script and was repeatedly rejected. The 29-year old Dynamite Entertainment artist admits he thought of giving up. “May time na gusto ko nang mag-give up, siguro hindi ito ‘yung career para sa akin (There was a time I wanted to give up and I told myself that maybe, this is not the career meant for me),” Casallos shares.
Casallos had the easy option of backing out and venturing into his other interests. As a communication arts graduate of De la Salle University in Dasmarinas, Cavite, he was the editor in chief of their college paper. He also worked as a designer for Chikka, an online instant messaging site.
“Pero naiisip ko naman na everytime naman na magsa-submit ako ng work, nakakakuha na ako ng magagandang comment. Naisip ko na, ‘bat pa ako gi-give up eh parang unti-unti eh mararating ko na, kaunti na lang. (But then I realize that I always get positive feedback in every submission. So I thought, ‘why should I give up now that I am gradually getting closer to my dream? I’m almost there.’)” Casallos says.
His efforts were all worth it. In 2008, he was finally hired and assigned initially to design trading cards and assist other artists in layouts, backgrounds and colors. While waiting for a break, he co-plotted a self-published comic “Sulat-Kamay (Handwritten)” in 2010.
In July 2011, he drew his first international comic book “Dream Police” written by American Virgin screenplay writer Jeff Seeman.
Casallos says his biggest break so far is “Vampirella Annual” released last November, where he drew the usually scantily clad bad girl in a motorcycle suit. “Special sa akin ang issue na iyon (That issue was special for me),” he says.
Currently, Casallos is providing the interior art for “Ninjettes,” a series about female ninjas set to replaced the ones killed in the Garth Ennis opus, “Jennifer Blood.”
“Mga dugo-dugo, mga bituka, mga nag-sesex na mga lalake, it has been a challenge sa bata kong career sa comics.(Blood, intestines and guys having sex– it has been a challenge in my young career in comics), Casallos says.
Casallos mostly relies on his imagination on drawing the gory scenes in Ninjettes instead of googling photo references which he says “nakakasuka (makes him vomit).” He did not have to watch gay porn though because there are already “filtered” photos of men having sex online.
The only downside of having a three-year exclusive contract with Dynamite Entertainment? His mom thinks he just draws to avoid doing the dishes. “She does not understand na kung may momentum sa pag-drawing, dapat tuloy-tuloy (She does not understand that an artist can’t be interrupted to wash dishes when he has the momentum to draw a page),” he says. But Casallos clarifies that his mother is very supportive of his pursuits in the comic book industry.
Filipino artists working for Dynamite Entertainment might look like underdogs in the Philippines relatively populated by artists working for Marvel and DC Comics. For Casallos though, it is only a matter of time Filipino comic book readers will notice them.
“Maliit lang yung fanbase ng Dynamite pero nakikita ko in a few years, manonotice siya. Siguro kung tuloy-tuloy na napropromote kami, siguro one day medyo mag-lelevel malapit sa Big Two, sa DC at Marvel artists. (Dynamite has a small fanbase here but I see that it will be noticed in a few years. If there would be more events that would continuously promote our works, we will one day level the playing field with fellow Filipino artists working for the Big Two, Marvel and DC Comics),” Casallos says. He cites a Dynamite Entertainment fans’ day initiated by comics retail store Comicxhub.com during Free Comic Book Day in Pasig City.
Asked for his advice to aspiring comic book artists, Casallos shares: “Huwag kayong madidishearten (Don’t be disheartened). Be persistent. Kung gusto ninyo talaga yun, pagtiyagaan ninyo. (If you really want this job, you have to be relentless).”
Jerald Uy
Eman Casallos has lost count of the times he tried to join the roster of talents of Glasshouse Graphics, a Manila-based agency that scouts artists for American comic book publishers.
For five years, he worked on the same Batman script and was repeatedly rejected. The 29-year old Dynamite Entertainment artist admits he thought of giving up. “May time na gusto ko nang mag-give up, siguro hindi ito ‘yung career para sa akin (There was a time I wanted to give up and I told myself that maybe, this is not the career meant for me),” Casallos shares.
Casallos had the easy option of backing out and venturing into his other interests. As a communication arts graduate of De la Salle University in Dasmarinas, Cavite, he was the editor in chief of their college paper. He also worked as a designer for Chikka, an online instant messaging site.
“Pero naiisip ko naman na everytime naman na magsa-submit ako ng work, nakakakuha na ako ng magagandang comment. Naisip ko na, ‘bat pa ako gi-give up eh parang unti-unti eh mararating ko na, kaunti na lang. (But then I realize that I always get positive feedback in every submission. So I thought, ‘why should I give up now that I am gradually getting closer to my dream? I’m almost there.’)” Casallos says.
His efforts were all worth it. In 2008, he was finally hired and assigned initially to design trading cards and assist other artists in layouts, backgrounds and colors. While waiting for a break, he co-plotted a self-published comic “Sulat-Kamay (Handwritten)” in 2010.
In July 2011, he drew his first international comic book “Dream Police” written by American Virgin screenplay writer Jeff Seeman.
 |
Dream Police. Art by Eman Casallos. |
Casallos says his biggest break so far is “Vampirella Annual” released last November, where he drew the usually scantily clad bad girl in a motorcycle suit. “Special sa akin ang issue na iyon (That issue was special for me),” he says.
Currently, Casallos is providing the interior art for “Ninjettes,” a series about female ninjas set to replaced the ones killed in the Garth Ennis opus, “Jennifer Blood.”
“Mga dugo-dugo, mga bituka, mga nag-sesex na mga lalake, it has been a challenge sa bata kong career sa comics.(Blood, intestines and guys having sex– it has been a challenge in my young career in comics), Casallos says.
Casallos mostly relies on his imagination on drawing the gory scenes in Ninjettes instead of googling photo references which he says “nakakasuka (makes him vomit).” He did not have to watch gay porn though because there are already “filtered” photos of men having sex online.
Art by Eman Casallos.
The only downside of having a three-year exclusive contract with Dynamite Entertainment? His mom thinks he just draws to avoid doing the dishes. “She does not understand na kung may momentum sa pag-drawing, dapat tuloy-tuloy (She does not understand that an artist can’t be interrupted to wash dishes when he has the momentum to draw a page),” he says. But Casallos clarifies that his mother is very supportive of his pursuits in the comic book industry.
Filipino artists working for Dynamite Entertainment might look like underdogs in the Philippines relatively populated by artists working for Marvel and DC Comics. For Casallos though, it is only a matter of time Filipino comic book readers will notice them.
“Maliit lang yung fanbase ng Dynamite pero nakikita ko in a few years, manonotice siya. Siguro kung tuloy-tuloy na napropromote kami, siguro one day medyo mag-lelevel malapit sa Big Two, sa DC at Marvel artists. (Dynamite has a small fanbase here but I see that it will be noticed in a few years. If there would be more events that would continuously promote our works, we will one day level the playing field with fellow Filipino artists working for the Big Two, Marvel and DC Comics),” Casallos says. He cites a Dynamite Entertainment fans’ day initiated by comics retail store Comicxhub.com during Free Comic Book Day in Pasig City.
Sulat-Kamay. Filipino indie komiks drawn by Eman Casallos.
Asked for his advice to aspiring comic book artists, Casallos shares: “Huwag kayong madidishearten (Don’t be disheartened). Be persistent. Kung gusto ninyo talaga yun, pagtiyagaan ninyo. (If you really want this job, you have to be relentless).”
Jerald Uy
Review: Heart of the Black Matrix (Bayan Knights)
Heart of the Black Matrix
Script: Don Celedina and Mark Wong
Story: Gilbert Monsanto
Art: Erwin Ropa
If you love action heroes but
apprehensive of picking up a Bayan Knights comic because of its
multitudinous cast, trust me when I tell you to have an open mind
and read the character-driven “Heart of the Black Matrix.”
SPOILER ALERT
The story is about five mostly
street-level Bayan Knights sent to rescue a half-breed Aswang child
being grafted with the so-called “Black Matrix.” But while a
couple of characters were just following orders or hangers on, other
characters Kawal, Mao and Zheya had their personal reasons in joining
the mission.
I generally enjoyed it because the
writers balanced characterization and action in the
story. The scribes know that to write an effective superhero story,
they have to make readers care about the characters first before
throwing them in a fight.
By looking at the art, you would know
that the artist enjoyed drawing action-packed scenes. My only
complaint was the panel showing Overdrive getting nun-chucks. Were
these weapons teleported to him? It was not clear how he received his
weapons.
I am intrigued by Kawal, a character
who can morph his arms into various weapons, not because of his power
set but his quest to find his true identity. Did he lose his
memories or is he an artificial man with blank slate? I believe the
issue primarily advanced Kawal's story and made this reader hugely
interested.
I hoped there was a hint why Mao, a
doctor wielding a half-shear from another dimension was valuable to
the mission. He was not really effective in the fight itself that I
began to question why the team's enigmatic deployer Council, I
suspect, had to kill Mao's lady friend to mislead him in joining the
mission. Sure, Council may have been shown to have the power to
resurrect the dead, which I assume, he did to Overdrive, but I think inflicting the pain of being stabbed with a bamboo stick or a metal rod,
especially to a woman, is inhuman for someone who was supposed to be
on the side of angels.
I also did not understand why Mao had
to be plucked from his home dimension to join Bayan Knights. Are
there not enough heroes who can match whatever power set or medical
skills Mao has? I suspect Mao was created as an extradimensional
character because his own continuity does not fit in the BK universe.
Creators have to show in the upcoming issues how essential he is to
justify why Council had to practically drag him to the mission and to
their universe.
But I must admit, this is great way to
advance the character of Council as a manipulative “fan” of BK. I
just hope to read a story where Council pays for his actions.
I wished I was the guy who created
Talim. He's awesome! I dig the character design and can only dream to
borrow Talim to have him team-up with my character Muckraker in
Segovia Solutions. But what he showed off in combat, he lacked in character development. But hey, we can't give everyone the
spotlight.
I was not exactly a fan of the
elven-dreamwalker Zheya being included in the team but the dream-walk
sequence was fantastic. Zheya though is the most likely candidate to
expose Council's machinations, if there are.
Overdrive was cool but I hope his death
and resurrection would somehow have an effect on his character in the
upcoming issues and other titles. I suggest to have the character
deal with his mortality and “second chance” in life. This reminds
me of Impulse maturing and becoming Kid Flash after being shot on the
knee by Deathstroke.
All in all, it was good team book. I
congratulate the people behind the “X-Force” of Bayan Knights.
Sure, I may have raised some points for improvement (Blame Overdrive
creator Mark Rosario; he asked me to make a review.) but I have re-read
the book five times so far. I guess it is an understatement to say
that I enjoyed it. I slept beside the book with a smile on my face on
the night of Summer Komikon.
Jerald Uy
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