SUMMER KOMIKON Comics Review: SULYAP 2
ESPIRITISTA by Niño Balita-------------------------------------------------- I've read Espiritista before it's been featured in SULYAP 2 and I must say, when I read chapter 1, I'm an instant fan. It's not just because of the story but the purity of the concept/idea. I reviewed Espiritista before and one thing that wish is for Niño to improve on his art. I'm hoping for that art style to go out there. There's a lot of potential from him so I hope Sulyap 2 is a step that may make him break out of that shell. I am yearning for that moment!
SULSI by Ronzkie Vidal ----------------------------------------------------- Ah! The Rose Among the Thorns. I've also reviewed SULSI before so I'll just reiterate what I said. Ronzkie is one of the gems among the pool of talented artists. Her artwork is unique. The details are amazing and when you put her work with the other artists, you'll be able to point out what's hers immediately. Sulsi is the lightest (and cutest) amongst the collection. Whenever I see Sulsi, I'm longing for plushies of the characters. It's a title yearns for merchandising! :)
DARWIN'S ASSOCIATION OF DELICIOUS EVILNESS by Carlorozy Clemente -------- This is the first time I've read Darwin's because I'm always a tad late from the time he sells out his copies. NOW I HAVE THEM! YEH! Anyway, chatting aside, I've been a fan of Carlo from the day I read his Aparisyon and Filipinas '70. His artwork and storytelling is amazing and you could tell that it's his work in a pool of artworks. Darwin's, however, is a different animal. I think Carlo already found his style and I think he's gonna stick with it for some time. Darwin is about a bullied kid who's only goal is to dominate the world. And the thing he needs to do first is to get members in his Association of Delicious Evilness. The story is awesome. The art is superb. And it's all about EVIL. What's not to like?
BULAS by Jonas Lechuga ---------------------------------- Jonas Lechuga is one of the talented artists I've seen today. When I see his work, I always see it as an art from an animation series. I can sense a bit of Mike Mignola there somewhere. His art has the same vibe as Judd Abinuman's art. It has that dual form that can be seen in comics and animation. This is actually very rare. I do have some concerns about the storytelling. Bulas seemed to me like it's divided into two stories. The first part is like a part of a RPG's cinematic cuts. It introduces the world, a couple of characters and a gem (that talks) and then after an unexpected run in with a possessed bone ape, Manja (the first character in the chapter) was sucked it a wormhole. Then another set of characters come in. I had some difficulty of connecting the introduction and the rest of the chapter. There's also a jump from one page to the next so the I couldn't follow the story very well even if I re-read it over. That's one point that I wish Jonas would improve on. Maybe having an editor would help. Having a fresh pair of eyes to look at your work is always good move. Still, I'm a fan of Jonas' art. It's so clean and it's oozing with awesomeness. I'm looking forward for more Lechuga works!
CRIME-FIGHTING CALL CENTER AGENTS by Noel Pascual and AJ Bernardo -------------------------- The crime fighting duo! I've reviewed CFCCA before so I'll say it one more time. This comic series is about pure crazy storytelling and delicious artwork. A chemistry that's most likely stand out in a crowd of comics-- What am I saying? Of course it did. They've been selected for SULYAP 2! If I may add, I think filipino flavor is very evident in this comic series. I'm not saying the others doesn't have it. THEY DO. But this comic series has that very pop filipino flavor and I'm coming from the call center agents, the dialogue and humor. To be exact, it's a story that most filipinos can relate to. AJ's art is very unique and it's too awesome that you should look at it for more than you should. This is definitely SULYAP worthy.
PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH MY BONES by Lariz Santos ---------------------- Cover, awesome. Art, superb. Story telling, brilliant. It's simple and engaging at the same time. I heard this didn't make it to the indie market as a single print so It's a good move for Komikon to get this out! It's one of my top choices from the collection. It's a good one shot story and the artwork is love. I'm a fan now. ANG GANDA!
THE HOTDOG PRINCE by Francis Martelino --------------------------------- A series with a roster of fans all over the metro! The Hotdog Prince is surely one of the most memorable characters in the indie comic scene. Who would forget the nose on the forehead? Well, for you to know how'd that happen, you should read it. It's a light and funny comic series. I just don't know how Francis came up with this idea or even come up with the character but I'll be damned-- it's funny. The first chapter has a random type of storytelling. So I'm kind of wanting more from THP. Is there a deeper story behind his existence or do we just accept that he exists. Haha! I don't know. Let's see.
LUNA by JP Anbuzitis De Torres --------------------------------------- The most serious storyline from the collection. This has a dark tone to it with a talk of evil creatures, folklore and prophecies. Anbuzitis excels on telling the story with his panelling. Take out some of those copy and it'll still work. The art is great so it's a loss for me if the copy gets in the way. That's a room for improvement I'll be looking for the next chapters.
Overall, SULYAP 2 is an awesome anthology. The collection of indie comics in SULYAP 2 are all gorgeous and worthy of following. It has variety for both stories and art so for a first-timer local comics reader, this is one of the books I'll recommend. Compared to the first SULYAP, this one's bigger and has a better quality of cover and printing. Plus the cover is by Stephen Segovia! *Holy shackles* And like what I said in the foreword, SULYAP isn't just an anthology but a jumping point towards something bigger. It's a milestone. So I hope these artists/writers will make more of this milestone. Go for gold guys! :D
