Reviewing RAMBOL and TROPA # 1

I was finally able to get my hands on Gilbert Monsanto's Sacred Mountain debut releases. First up is the flipbook RAMBOL KOMIKS which features Alagad Inc. (not pictured) and Metropolitan. What is most noticeable is ALAGAD INC's art style which gets much inspiration from Japanese manga and anime. The story is about some supernatural beings, most probably ancient deities of some sort, coming down from their domain to send a challenge to Earth's mightiest champions. A group called Alagad Inc. re-recruits some of its best agents to help in this time of crisis. On the flip side is Gilbert Monsanto's METROPOLITAN which brings back Monsanto's old characters from his 90's stint in Infinity, Sonic, GASI etc. Drawn by Monsanto himself, this Metropolitan features quite a lot of fight sequences. There is also some hint that the Biotrog character featured in this book may not be the Biotrog we know and grew up with.

Next is TROPA. This comics stars a group of high school friends imbued with different abilities via different circumstances. I'm not saying no more. All is explained in this "origin" issue. This comic was drawn by different artists like Gilbert Monsanto, Luisito G. Antonio, Jim Jimenez, and others. Though I was first bothered when I learned about this via Monsanto's blog, I was quite satisfied with the implementation and the results. Each artist draws each of the main character's origin story. Hopefully once we get a non-flashback story, we'll also get only one artist per issue.

All in all, I found the both books quite satisfactory. The materials used for these releases are also quite different from the komiks back in the day. Komiks before were printed on newspaper-like materials, Tropa was printed on glossy paper probably the ones used on magazines while Rambol on some thicker paper. My only big problem with the books specifically the flipbook Rambol Komiks was the coloring. Although Tropa was fully colored, Rambol only had colors on the first few pages, the rest were black and white. I would have preferred to have everything in black and white instead of having only the first few pages colored. I'm OC that way.

Review: MARK 9 VERSE 47

When I went to KOMIKON last weekend, my intention was to get a lot of local TPBs. Yes, indie komik creators now publish their komiks in TPB format. I usually don’t get single issues if I don’t know the creator or work, so the TPB format is appealing to me. First, it looks more professional than photocopied comics. And second, I get to read a whole lot more of the story.

One of the titles I got was MARK 9 VERSE 47 by Maika Ezawa and Tepai Pascual. I read volume 1 at the airport while waiting for my flight back to Singapore so forgive me if I don’t remember a lot about the story. It’s about a mysterious man named Visdei who was tasked to look for a certain gatekeeper. He has the ability to see angels and demons but aside from that he is blind. There are a lot of other character introductions here and I kinda forgot some of them except for the main antagonist named Mal. The second volume which I read just now depicts the “origin” of Visdei. It’s a more compelling read than the first one since we learn how Ron Hunter turned from a vicious a-hole prize fighter to the agent of God we first met. My only problem with the second volume is that it ended (bitin!). The art on this title is gorgeous. Depicted in manga-style, the action sequences and layouts are dynamic. You can tell that the artist really knows her craft because you’d think that this was really a manga from Japan. I hope the next time I go to Komikon there is already a third volume available.

Bayan Knights # 1

Since I was not able to attend KOMIKON last Saturday, I was not able to get a copy of Bayan Knights # 1 ...until today. Anyways, here goes the review:

NO MAJOR SPOILAGE! The issue deals with the aftermath of a bloody battle dubbed as "The War In Metro". But this war is not yet over. Still, a mysterious enemy is threatening the peace of the country and one man has made it his mission to stop whatever it is they're planning. But first, he must recruit heroes who will fight at his side.

I love this issue! I was already spoiled for the storyline 2 months prior but man, seeing the words on the art was awesome. As I've said before, the art is Gilbert Monsanto's best work to date. I love me those details. Reading the script for this 2 months ago, I was really psyched. It's a team book but the team is composed of superheroes created by different people -- the first time in Philippine komiks (I think). I like the way each character is introduced and how each of them plays a relevant part either in the plot or making the book more fun. Although, some characters do really stand out from the rest. Yes, Boy Ipis, I'm looking at you and all your ridiculous side comments.

Here's hoping we don't have to wait too long for issue # 2. Damn, it's hard reviewing this without giving away too much. So I'll be cutting this short. Oh before I forget, there are also 2-page spotlights ala DC's Secret Origins backup feature. This should give readers additional background information on some of the Bayan Knights.

Komik Book Kollektor

So, I've decided to compile a list of where you can read free Filipino komik books in the interwebs legally. Please feel free to add more links in the comments section.

"BAYAN KNIGHTS" by Bayan Komiks
• Bayan Knights # 7 pages 1 to 9

"COMBATRON" by Berlin Manalaysay
• Project Combatron

"CODENAME: BATHALA" by Jon Zamar and Judd Abinuman
• Codename: Bathala

"DARNA/CAPTAIN BARBELL/etc. FAN-FICTION"
• Barbell Reps! by Frances Luna III Illustration Firm
• Darna Lives! by Gerry Alanguilan & Arnold Arre
• Digmaan Webcomics pages 1 to 68 by Gilbert Monsanto

"MASKARADO" by Reno Maniquis
• The Complete Comic Strips
• Maskarado Adventures

"RODSKI PATOTSKI" by Gerry Alanguilan and Arnold Arre
• Rodski Patotski: Ang Dalagang Baby pages 1 to 9

"SANDUGUAN" by Gener Pedrina
• Sanduguan: Himagsikan
• Sanduguan # 4 - All Out War, Chapter 1

"SERVANT" by Geoffrey Borgonia
• Servant # 1

"TRESE" by Budgette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, Atan
• Book 1: Murder On Balete Drive
• Book 2: Unreported Murders
• Book 3: Mass Murders
• Book 4: Last Seen After Midnight
• Book 5: Midnight Tribunal
• Book 6: High Tide At Midnight
• Precinto 13
• Stories From The Diabolical

DISCLAIMER: I cannot vouch for any links in the comment section. As such, please be careful in clicking these links. Once I've verified these to be clean of malware, I will add them to the post above. Thank You.

Geoffrey Borgonia's SERVANT # 1 and 2

Another day, another review. w00t. Servant created by Geoffrey Borgonia tells the story of Gabriel Barreon, a call center agent slash superhero. His origin is that he is the son of the king of the pagan gods of old. Sent to our world for his own protection, Gabriel grew up as a human, taught about truth, justice and power and responsibility. He's also a geek and a big nerd.

The first issue of Servant also introduces us to the Del Maestro sisters: Katsuko, the brainy and uptight sister (who for some reason looks evil to me even though it seems that she's not) and Alexandra the carefree (and hotter) younger sister. There is also Victor, the patriarch of the Del Maestro family who seems to be the evil man behind the curtain. The weakest of the bunch though is the Mighty Ruler whose line delivery IMHO is a bit cliched.

The art on this book is rendered in 3D and is gorgeous. It looks like Borgy spent a lot of time creating the models for this. It reminds me a lot of ReBoot, one of my favorite programs growing up. My only problem is that the girl clothes needs a little loosening -- literally. They look too tight around the chest areas. Come to think of it, the same goes for Gabriel's civilian t-shirts. It's a bit distracting but still, as I said, gorgeous. Something that I think really needs work here are the fonts in the dialogue and also the speech balloons. The narration boxes in issue 1 looked a lot better but was changed in issue 2. One thing I found that improved in issue 2 though were the panels. It looked more like a comic book with the panel borders in there.

All in all, these are good first issues. It raises a lot of questions like: Who attacked Servant? What happened to Servant's world? What plans does Victor have? Does Gabriel like Alex (the obvious choice) or Katsuko (twist!)? Or maybe it's the girl reporter whose name I can't remember off the top of my head. Here's hoping that the next issues I read would be the collected edition. And yes, I am also beginning to shift my komiks collection from single issues to trades because TPBs would look better on my shelf.

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.