Raisinhead places 2nd at the People’s Choice Awards

This is quite old news already, and I myself am wondering why it took me a long time to post this. I have been very busy lately and in a way mentally and emotionally preoccupied with a lot of things. Yes! Raisinhead placed 2^nd at the People's Choice Awards, which just proves how many friends love me, haha! But really, I thank everyone who took time to register at Pelicola.tv and vote for my baby.

The awarding night was an unforgettable one - very informal, lots of yuppies (My dad felt out of place and can't stop muttering, "Puro bata naman pala rito!"), premium San Mig beers, but most especially we had Neil Gaiman grace the event. Of course, I was hoping to at least place in the top 3 in the judges' picks so I can personally spend time with Neil. But that didn't stop me from approaching him on the stage and have a little discussion. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery!

Congratulations to all the deserving winners, especially to Irene who placed 1^st place in the People's Choice Awards and 2^nd place Judges' pick! Woohoo!

Vote for Raisinhead for People’s Choice Award (3rd Philippine Graphic Fiction Award)

The finalists for the 3rd Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards are finally revealed at Pelicola.tv, and my "Raisinhead: Tale of A Modern-Day Tiyanak" made it to the shortlist for the Comics Category

Vote for Raisinhead for the People's Choice Award by following this link: http://www.pelicola.tv/channels/episode_fbpca.asp?video_id=178

Vote as well for Irene Sarmiento's "Filipina: The Supermaid" for the Short Story Category through this link: http://www.pelicola.tv/channels/episode_fbpca.asp?video_id=180

A very pleasant surprise from Fully Booked!

Just a week ago, I met with Irene to talk about her The Open Time Capsule project and she asked what my plans for Raisinhead comics was. Raisinhead: A Tale of a Modern-Day Tiyanak was my entry to the 3rd Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards. It's almost 2 years already and we haven't heard anything yet from the organizers regarding the status of contest. Assuming that there was already no hope for the contest, I told her that I might release it for the Komikon in its present form, or perhaps expand it to a series or graphic novel format.

A few days after this, I received a pleasant surprise from Fully Booked… in the form of an email:

I have no idea yet who else are shortlisted for the comics category but this is indeed GREAT news! Irene's entry was also chosen in the shortlist of the short story category.

I checked Fully Booked's website and saw that they have already posted an announcement regarding the line-up of events related to this: the awarding night, an art contest and book signing by Neil Gaiman himself!

Someone told me we won't know the winners until awards night (kaya nga Revelations no! Gosh, I hate the suspense!) Hoping for the best!

Creative Project: “Raisinhead: A Tale Of A Modern-Day Tiyanak”

There's a time when a story that you have been brewing inside your head ever since you were a small boy has to be told in one way or another. One such story that I have is that of Raisinhead. I don't know, what led me to create a story of a tiyanak and his quest for vengeance. Perhaps it were the nightmares (which mostly featured mangled aborted babies and other anatomy-related gore) that plagued my childhood slumbers or the late-night horror movies with deformed twins or the devil's spawn in unwilling mothers. But through the years, I was able to spin numerous versions of Raisinhead, and the most recent iteration has found its way on a medium I fondly love: graphic fiction or more commonly, the comics.

I've been working on Raisinhead for months now while interspersing my free time with logo design and ambigram work. But what really pushed me to develop this story into its graphic form is because I wanted to join this prestigious contest and what material to use best but one that has been close to my heart.

Here are previews of the art, and as you can see, I used the classic ink brush approach for the line work. I laid out the pages first with speedy sketches, and from there developed more complicated sketch work until I'm ready for final inking.

I scanned the panels and decided to place the text in via Photoshop since my handwriting is not legible enough to match the art (thanks to my De Quervain's!). Here's a preview of the 1^st page.

I have basically finished Raisinhead already and in the process of having it reviewed, and so far it's been creating some stir in my family and among friends. Here's how the unveiling of the work went during a family dinner. You can basically see my brother (left) pissed off while debating with my mom (right) on its merits and demerits. It's weird how Archie (beside my mom) can give harsh critiques even though he hasn't read it yet, and my ninang (center), intrigued with all the talk, who doesn't read comic books at all, decided to read it and join in the debate…

Hahaha, it was an amusing night! But, I was glad. If Raisinhead could cause such a controversial debate in my family who know me very well and be very very critical… how much more if it is read by the general public! Some of my friends who have read it called it "heartbreaking…". I'm just glad that its 12 pages can have that effect! But hopefully, I'm not priming any of you before you read it. Hmmm, I can't have it available online. But upon request, I can provide you with the link to the .pdf file I have of Raisinhead (50 MB!). I just hope it fares well. But whether it gets a nod or not, I'm just glad it's out of my system in a format I love. Hmmm, you'll never know, I might decide to work on a graphic NOVEL version of it. Actually, I'm already working on the storyline of another graphic work I'll be creating (Hint: "Magkadugtong na bituka…")(while finishing Spinning, of course…). Here are close-ups:

Does the boy above look like me?

Doot Doot! Mizpah...

After months of inquiring in almost every branch of Powerbooks and Fully Booked, I finally obtained a copy of "Good-bye Chunky Rice" through special order. It is the first graphical novel book by Craig Thompson, most known through his latest graphical work entitled "Blankets". The plot of "Good-bye Chunky Rice" is described in the fold of its front cover as:

Mister Chunky Rice be living in the same rooming house likewise myself, only that boy be restless. Looking for something. And he puts hisself on my brother Chuck's ship and boats out to sea to find it. Only he be departin' from his bestest of all friends, his deer mouse, I mean, mouse deer chum Dandel.

Now why in a whirl would someone leave beyond a buddy? Just what be that turtle lad searchings for? I said you best read the book to find out. Merle said, "Doot doot."

No, those are not typographical errors. That's just how one of the characters in the book speaks. And yes, it's about a turtle and a mouse dear… looks more like a children's comic? Don't be fooled, it's loaded with sentimentality that will appeal to any adult who has experienced separation from a dear and loving friend.

After settling down from the excitement of finally having the pleasure of reading this book with my own eyes (my Thompson collection is at last complete!), little did I know I was in for an emotional ride, how much the story (which I suspect is based on Craig's own life experiences, only unlike in his work in "Blankets", these bits are camouflaged behind the endearing cute characters) reflects my own recent experiences. Great timing...

In the story, Chunky Rice decides to leave home to look for something. But every time he is asked what he is looking for, he replies with this:"I don't know…" He seems undecided but he is sure that he needs to look for it, whatever it is. And in order for him to do this, he has to leave everything he has grown familiar with, his belongings and even his best(est) friend, Dandel. Both of them suffer from this, how everything that seemed familiar, suddenly grow with meaning because of their sentimental value… but at the same time becomes meaningless because of each other's absence.

There are other characters who also reflect different levels of separation, acceptance and loneliness. There's Solomon, who suffers from an unforgettable childhood trauma involving his brother and pet dog, and then finds peace while taking care of an injured bird, Merle. Expectedly, the bird regains the strength of her wings, and flies away. There's this Siamese twin conjoined at the torso sharing vital organs leaving the option of separation impossible. Then there's Chuck, the captain of the ship, who tries to cope up with past issues with his brother and braves a storm. Their lives intertwine. Every frame resonates with symbolism and emotion (be careful, some scenes are bound to pull heartstrings… I found myself crying in more than one). Craig Thompson's art is delightful, and if you like his style, you are in for an eye-treat.

It's a thought provoking book…critiques even describe it as "an alternative-comics answer to Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince." You may end up asking yourself the very question the book poses. Why would you leave the things that you are most familiar with? I need to grow, move on, heal, hope once more… Sometimes, letting go helps you accept that things just cannot be, that you can't have everything… As Leo Buscaglia would say, "Why hold on the very thing which keeps you from hope and love?"…Letting go may even be the only way you can say that you love someone…

I won't reveal the ending of the book (if it really does end, I also won't tell). "Doot doot!" (the sound) for me represents things that are best unsaid. Though it's a sound commonly associated with censoring words that are not meant to be heard, we must realize that this attempt at concealment also reveals itself… we eventually understand what's behind "doot doot", its real meaning. I would rather use the words "Mizpah" a Hebrew word meant to represent the emotional bond between people who are separated (either physically or by death): "The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another…"

Here's my tribute to Craig Thompson's work… I just couldn't help it…

Legilimens 2 coming up soon…