The Podium Hall in Mandaluyong City overflowed with creative energy from July 20 to 21 as the first in-person Philippine International Comics Festival unfolded, drawing the nation’s fast-growing comic book community together.
The event attracted participants from the US, the UK, Australia, Malaysia, and the Philippines,and marked a significant milestone for Filipino comics. It also showcased both established legends and emerging talents, and spotlighted the diverse stories and styles that make up the vibrant Philippine comics scene.
Highlights of the festival were the unveiling of new graphic novels of Filipino authors. These were “Alandal” written by Jay Ignacio and illustrated comics master Alex Niño; “Aswang High” by Macoy and Cy Vendivil; “Depikto” by Ruvel Abril; “Doobiedoo Asks” by Bambi and Roland Amago; “Godhark” by Sean Manaloto; “Little Wolf” by Cat S.; “Niño Bughaw” by CJ Reynaldo; “Third World Power” by Jim Jimenez and JV Tanjuatco; “Twinkle Twinkle” by Tori Tadiar; and “Watchdog of Manila” by Jose Ian Lucas Lacorte.
Melting pot of creativity
The festival was a melting pot of creativity, featuring artists of all ages.
For instance, Bambi and Roland Amago, a writer-illustrator couple, launched their latest collaboration, "Cautionary Tales from a Filipino Childhood" which contains supernatural stories from Bambi's grandmother and brought to life through the vivid imagery of Roland. The book is reminiscent of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series.
"We decided to write the book entirely in English to appeal to global kids," Bambi explained. She added that she intentionally kept the book short to match the Gen Z’s short attention span.
Another author, Hermz Gacho, representing Pasyon Comics from Iloilo, showcased his socially relevant works "EJK Zombies Revolution" and "Maria Labo." The two books, although violent, talked about real events in Philippine history and mixed with creative twists that make them more dramatic.
The Makiling Komiks Kolektib (MKK) of the students from the Philippine High School for the Arts also demonstrated the growing talent within the local youth, promising a bright future for Filipino comics.
The MKK was the only school-based and arguably the youngest participants in the festival. The group launched its fourth anthology featuring works of its members who also brought copies of their own comic books and sold them at the festival.
Early this year, the MKK was selected as one of the 46 nominees for the 44th edition of the Alternative Comics Award which recognizes the world’s best fanzine and alternative comics production in Musée de la Bande Dessinée in Angoulême, France.
Meanwhile, American artist Craig Yoe, a former creative director of Jim Henson’s The Muppets, was also at the event and showcased his latest biographical comic book. He praised the potential of Filipino artists and expressed excitement at seeing young artists with their works.
The making of a community
Festival organizer Paolo Herras reflected on the event's journey from its supposed launch in 2020 that was stalled by the Covid-19 pandemic. "This took four years in the making and proves that the Philippine comics community is alive and growing," he said.
Herras noted the importance of government’s support through the National Books Development Board, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda in making the in-person festival possible.
A film director and graphic novel author, Herras began organizing Komiket marketplace events more than a decade ago to give comics creators the opportunity to earn from their art. He emphasized the much needed shift from a traditional industry based on the “agency model” where artists are mere “talents” to what he envisions as a supportive community where artists retain rights to their creations.
"In the past, artists were merely hands that drew comics. Now, they are recognized as creators, owning the rights to their works," explained Herras. He added that the festival had international artist Ivanka Hanenberger talk about “Rights Selling” to equip the artists with important know-hows in dealing with foreign agents and publishers.
More creator-friendly
Toto Madayag, an independent publisher, noted that Filipino creators should receive a larger share of earnings than the companies that publish their work.
At Silaw, an independent publishing company he has founded, Madayag said 60 percent of the earnings go to the creators. He also pointed out the trend of comics artists becoming famous first through online comics platforms, and later on leveraging on their online following to launch their printed books.
In Madayag’s case, his following came from Facebook and now numbers almost 200,000. He has published four books of funny puns already, with most of them already pre-sold online before their official release.
Jeremy Sanchez, an animator turned comic book author, says he was inspired by Madayag’s success. He has also launched his book of jokes with talking mushrooms as characters.
More than just entertainment
The festival also highlighted the role of comics in social commentary.
One of the festival attendees, Renee “Ren” Galeno, is a 27-year-old artist from Davao who was declared early this year as a co-finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in Illustrated Reporting and Commentary. She did the illustrations for the Washington Post report "Searching for Maura" written by Claire Healyand Nicole Dungca.
The report was about the true story of Maura, a teenage member of the Kankanaey tribe from the Philippines who was part of the group by American colonizers for display to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair in Missouri. Maura got sick with pneumonia and died shortly before the World's Fair opened.
Recognized worldwide
Filipino comic artists have long been recognized on the global stage. Alex Niño, for one, has been inducted to the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame in 2022. The Eisner Awards is considered the Oscars of comic books.
Steve Gan, the artist behind Carlo J. Caparas' "Panday," was the creator of Star-Lord and Skull the Slayer for Marvel. Whilce Portacio, another Filipino comics genius, is known for creating the character Bishop also for Marvel comics.
And one comic artist who recently passed on was Gerry Alanguilan, affectionately known as the Komikero, was an inker for Marvel and authored his own graphic novels "Wasted" and "Elmer," both internationally acclaimed and translated to other languages.
Before his passing, he built the Komikero Komiks Museum in his hometown of San Pablo, Laguna and is now curated by his widow, Ilyn Florese-Alanguilan, and features work of various Filipino comics artists.