Babbling Point

During the 2005 Komikon, we launched the very first issue of TRESE. We sold that Xeroxed edition of TRESE: AT THE INTERSECTION OF BALETE AND 13TH STREET for P30. Six hours after the gates of the Komikon had opened, we had already sold out all the copies of TRESE. I excitedly texted family and friends that my comic book was sold out. Great! Wonderful! Congrats! How many copies did you sell?, they all asked. I replied : 50 copies! In the recently concluded 2009 Komikon, we launched TRESE: MASS MURDERS. Two hours after the gates had opened, we had already sold all the copies. I leaned over to Ella of Visprint to ask how many copies did they bring. 180 copies, she replied. That did not even include all the copies of TRESE Book1 & 2 that were sold. So, if my 2009-version traveled back to talk to my 2005-version and told him we’d sell almost 1,000 copies in a single day, I would’ve probably told him he was insane! Which would not have been surprising considering this whole TRESE experie...

It's going to be a bloody Sunday at the Komikon! Join us for the launch of TRESE: MASS MURDERS at the Komikon 2009, Oct 18, Sunday, Megatrade Hall . 12 midnight at Metro Manila. Try to remain calm if you suddenly spot a tikbalang speeding down EDSA or a manananggal swooping across the Makati skyline. While partying at the Fort, never ever let the enkanto at the bar buy you a drink. Yet, there are deadlier things than walk the streets of this city. One of them now demands blood and sacrifice. When crime takes a turn for a weird, the police call Trese. TRESE: MASS MURDERS contains the following: Case 9: A Private Retaliation Case 10: Patient 414 in Mandaluyong Case 11: The Fort Bonifacio Massacre Case 12: The Baptism of Alexandra Trese Case 13: An Act of War This book has an introduction by Mark Gatela, who was my co-writer in that horror radio show "The World of the Unknown". Mark was the one who thought of the name Anton Trese, so I thought it was only appropriate for Mar...

The Universe was created in seven days. It took Ian and Mervin two years to finish this corner of Skyworld. Let us all pray to Bathala that it doesn’t take them another two years to finish the third and last book of this epic tale. I must emphasize that the creation of this tome required the summoning of god-like powers; wherein time was carved out of their impossibly busy workdays. Like heroes on some noble quest, there were days (and nights) when they had to forego sleep just to reach their destination. And I must say, the two years was worth the wait. And let us all pray to Bathala that … oh wait, I already said that. Of course, this issue holds a special place in my heart since this is the first time Trese and the Kambal crossed-over to another graphic novel. As kids, we’d have a geekgasm whenever superheroes from different teams would team-up. And our heads would just explode when Marvel and DC finally started doing company-wide-cross-overs. So, it was during one of those drunken ...

You can vote by going to: http://www.komikon.org/ If you're a member of DeviantArt, you can vote at: http://komikon.deviantart.com/ Or you can do it the old fashion way and fill up VOTING BALLOTS at: Comic Odyssey •Robinson’s Place, Level 3 Ermita,Manila •Robinson’s Galleria, Level 3 Expansion Mall,Edsa cor. Ortigas Comic Quest •Lower Ground Floor Bldg. A, SM Megamall •2nd Floor Main Bldg., SM City North Edsa

Thanks to everyone who dropped by the Visprint table and the Alamat table! (Got a text from Paolo that his preview books for FILIPINO HEROES LEAGUE got sold out before 6pm) Very sorry we got there late. As usual, I forgot to bring an electric fan for the booth, and thanks to my polar bear body, I was sweating buckets the minute I sat down. So, I must apologize to all the people who asked me to sign their books and I just ended up sweating on the pages. I must also apologize to everyone that I already and forgot that already met them. (You have to help me out! I'm on old man!) Many thanks to Melvin Arciaga for the TRESE caps that he created and designed for me and Kajo. You can check out Melvin's other creations at: http://vinarci.deviantart.com/ To the lucky ones, we hope you liked your exclusive sneak preview for Case #9. As you can see, we're working as fast as we can to finish TRESE: BOOK 3. And, of course, thank you and congratulations to TEAM:KOMIKON for another succ...

THIS SUMMER... ... SEE TRESE ...LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN HER BEFORE ... AT THE U.P. BAHAY NG ALUMNI THE FLOOR PLAN : FIND US AT THE VISPRINT AND ALAMAT BOOTH THE MAP: JUST IN CASE YOU STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET THERE KOMIKON SUMMER FIESTA 2009 UP Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman May 16, 2009, 10am-8pm, Saturday Entrance Fee: Php 50.00 http://komikon.blogspot.com/

Two links I found via http://www.jonathancarroll.com/blog1/archiveMain.html (So, should I call this a reTweet or a reBlog?) From a recent profile of the novelist Ian McEwan in THE NEW YORKER: Three years ago, McEwan culled the fiction library of his London town house, in Fitzroy Square. He and his younger son, Greg, handed out thirty novels in a nearby park. In an essay for the Guardian, McEwan reported that "every young woman we approached . . . was eager and grateful to take a book, whereas the men could not be persuaded. Nah, nah. Not for me. Thanks, mate, but no. The researcher's conclusion: When women stop reading, the novel will be dead." http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/02/23/090223fa_fact_zalewski?currentPage=all http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/sep/20/fiction.features11 http://www.dearoldlove.com/ is short notes to people we've loved (or at least liked). Requited or unrequited. For example: Reintroduction Facebook keeps putting you in the list of ...

The great thing about having insomnia the day before a big event is that at least you’re awake to get to the event on time. With only two hours sleep, I actually got to the UP Bahay ng Alumni at 9am. (Kajo didn’t sleep at all and arrived a couple of minutes after I got there.) Before we set up at the Visprint table, I asked Syeri if we could give away some Alamat comic books (as a way to commemorate 14 years of Alamat Comics). She said yes and I brought down four boxes (14 years worth of unsold Alamat Comics) and said they could give it away to everyone who came to the Komikon. (Well, it wasn’t really 14 years of unsold comics, more like 4 years worth. We gave away copies of Batch72, Indigo Valley, Tattooed, TKS:The Kill Stalker, 3 copies of ARCHON, 2 copies of EXODUS, and a partridge in a pair tree.) An hour or so later, we were set-up at the Visprint table and Team Skyworld (with Ian, Mervin, and Shali) was set-up at the Alamat table. They were joined by Paolo Fabregas, who has a sne...

Well, you heard the lady, see you all at the KOMIKON, this Saturday, Nov22, at the UP Bahay ng Alumni. At the Visprint table, we’ll have the two TRESE books available, as well as a free poster for everyone who buys a copy. I believe Manix Abrera will also be there with his KIKOMACHINE books (Asteeeg!) and Freely Abrigo with his KULAS compilations (kulet!!!). I think we’ll also have copies of ZSAZSA ZATURNNAH and the PENUMBRA horror novellas as well. Right beside the Visprint table will be the Alamat Comics table, where you can get copies of THE LAST DATU (my first collaboration with Kajo), as well as KADILIMAN by David Hontiveros and Edgar Tadeo. Also available will be SKYWORLD: APOCRYPHA and the ashcan/sneak preview of SKYWORLD: BOOK 2 by Mervin Ignacio and Ian Sta. Maria. Actually, you can already see a preview of at the art at: iantoy.deviantart.com Once again, we’ll be sharing the table with Reno Maniquis who will have copies of MASKARADO ready for anyone who hasn’t gotten on board...

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY TO THE KOMIKON! MY, HOW YOU'VE GROWN! MY BIRTHDAY WISH FOR YOU WOULD BE... But before anything else, Wella would like to thank all the people who bought copies of Trese, Skyworld and Maskarado. Last year, during the early afternoon of the Komikon, I was alone at the table. So, I was the one handing over copies to the buyers, getting their payment, using my cellphone to computer for change (because I suck at math), rummaging for change from my Superman lunchbox, then sign their copy of TRESE (if they asked for an autograph). By the time Shali and the other arrived, I looked like a headless chicken. Shali said I looked less frantic this year. And the main reason for that is Wella and Shali-- our sale girls / promodizers (yes, there is such a term for people). After a couple of minutes of sitting at the table, Wella and Shali had perfected their patter. "Hi! This is the new comic book Skyworld. And this is the complete set of Trese. If you buy all seven copies...

Kita-kits sa KOMIKON http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif Well... you'll kinda, sorta, somewhat see Trese and Makabo at the Komikon . They'll be sold on the same table but they won't be in the same comic book. (Well, at least not yet.) The pin-up above was illustrated by Ian Sta. Maria . Makabo the Tikbalang is one of the characters from the comic book SKYWORLD. Before we ever get to this magical,mystical, marvelous team-up, you'll have to read Mervin Ignacio and Ian Sta. Maria's SKYWORLD: APOCRYPHA . After many years of writing and drawing storyboards for clients (who have a tendecy to revise everything you put on the page) Mervin and Ian finally finished this story which they can say is all theirs. (Well, a couple of people gave their inputs and asked for changes as well. HAHAHA) Aside from SKYWORLD, TRESE 7: EMBRACE OF THE UNWANTED will also be available at the Komikon. So, for those of you who haven't picked up the complete set of TRESE, you can get all s...