Gwapoman 2000: Hari Ng Basagtrip # 1

Last Komikon, Aaron Felizmenio of Frances Luna III Illustration Firm released the first part of the GWAPOMAN sequel entitled HARI NG BASAG TRIP. First thing you will notice about it is the minimalist cover -- a black and white piece by international superstar Stephen Segovia. Inside art chores is all done by Aaron. And I must say this is his best work yet. The uncleanliness of his lines together with the washes complements the mood of the story. When I look at the art, it does not seem unfinished being uncolored and all. Frankly, it looks awesome in black and white. I hope Aaron keeps this art style for the remainder of the volume. It works. Perfectly.

Story-wise this episode is a lot easier to digest/understand than his previous releases. I don't know if it's because I am already familiar with most of the characters or because the story does not jump around and is quite straight forward. The pacing is great, alternating between the hero Rajah Aguila and Gwapoman's crew. I liked Rajah Aguila's background being a bit of a show boat. I liked his costume changes. I liked the interaction between Alas and Margaux, Alas and Mang Tan (May kiliti ako dyan). Basically, I found an appreciation for Alas. He is awesome. I liked that we learn a bit more about Gwapoman's background and that he's bit angrier this time around. I liked what little I saw/learned about Kartada X. Ooh, and that ending: totally, didn't see that coming. Nice one, Aaron. Nice one.

Ang Astiging Boy Ipis: Reptullo's Revenge

OH MY F*CKING GOD! This book is bad-ass. Mike Ignacio delivers a retelling(?) of the Boy Ipis mythos and it is without a shadow of a doubt, a masterpiece! An unexpected ride that will make you crave for more.

In the book, not only did Mike re-introduce Boy Ipis' origin, he also demonstrated his world building skills by introducing a bunch of interesting supporting characters and a villain with purpose. Not an easy task on a single issue but I think this TPB format that the Frances Luna boys are using has given Mike the space and freedom to do what he does best -- tell an awesome story. And I think Boy Ipis has now moved from a western "superhero" format to a "shonnen" style epic.

And in a surprising twist, Mike handled the art chores on this 100-pager himself (with ink/tone assists from some friends). His style reminded me of the art from Combatron/Tinay Pinay from the olden days of komiks (at least for me). I can say that not only is Mike a great storyteller, he also has a great eye for action. He has delivered the most awesome and brutal fight sequence I have ever seen in a local book. This book is surely one of the best buys from the last Komikon. I hope Mike releases the next volume very soon.