LIST: Pinoy comics creators and publishers to check out for your TBR list
Are you into comics and looking for new reads?
At the four-day Philippine Book Festival (PBF) at the World Trade Center Manila, Filipino comics were among the literary pieces showcased in addition to the numerous titles readers could sink their teeth into.
Local artists are breathing new life into the genre, showcasing fresh stories with elements grounded in our culture. If you're looking for new comics to add to your TBR list, here are a few titles, creators, and publishers we spotted at the PBF Komiks section—which is open until April 28—for you to check out.
Point Zero Comics
If you're into slice-of-life, heroes, and local fantasy written in Filipino, Point Zero Comics has a wide array of books and stories for you to discover!
Jon Zamar, a comic creator under a group of self-publishers called Point Zero Comics, revealed that his fondness for comics inspired him to create his own. He is also part of the organizing committee of Komikon–the longest-running comic book event organizer.
It all started in third grade when he and his friends began creating comics. In 2002, when he was 21 years old, he began selling his own comics.
“Yung thought na hindi mo pala kailangan mag trabaho for a comic book publisher but still be able to create comics, 'yun 'yung nagtulak sakin sa comics,” he said.
Drawing inspiration from his Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons, Jon's works are localized versions of fantasy stories as well as local epics and folktales.
Some of the titles he has worked with under Point Zero Comics include Codename Bathala Omnibus, Digmaang Salinlahi: Koro ng Dalamhati, Strife: War of Generation, and many more.
Check out their Facebook page as they share snippets and teasers of their comics.
Kwentoon
Isa Songco, a writer, shared that Kwentoon wants to empower positivity and values in children through comics.
“Kasi ngayon parang puro negative [yung] nakikita natin online especially during the pandemic. There are a lot of cases na negatibo yung naiisip ng mga bata, self-harm, so that’s where comics comes in,” she said.
She noted that comics can be an alternative way of entertainment that is not too heavy text as some children are not fond of reading.
Some of the titles under Kwentoon include Kwentoon Filipino Manga Anthology, Duende, Plush Brigade, Wishful Thinking, Rey Haribon at ang Mga Engkanto at Aswang, Ms. Periwinkle, Detective Occult Squad, and Sierra Madre Destroyer of Winds.
Find their latest stories, updates, and upcoming events here.
Tarantadong Kalbo
If you're always scrolling on social media, you have probably come across Tarantadong Kalbo’s comic strips.
Kevin Eric Raymundo, a.k.a. Tarantadong Kalbo, creates comic strips that featuring activism, political commentaries, and other humorous content.
He is also the artist behind Tumindig which prompted a strong political activism movement in the Philippines that allowed and empowered Filipinos to express their views against oppression.
“Noong pandemic kasi na stuck tayo na kani-kanilang bahay, and [I] felt that I needed to document or make a commentary sa mga nangyayari, like how the government mishandled the pandemic ganyan and nagtuloy tuloy na siya,” Kevin said.
He added that Baby TK, his recently released book, is inspired by his stories and anecdotes from when he was a child as his passion for drawing and comics started.
Visit Tarantadong Kalbo’s Facebook page to view his works.
MIXD Comics
MIXD Comics is a team of local self-publishers that publishes a wide variety of comic books in different genres.
GN Santiago, the founder of MIXD Comics, has a book titled Rave Force that might be the perfect comic book for sci-fi lovers.
The story follows Ayumi Ozaki Yoshida, a.k.a. DJ Heart, a well-known celebrity in Amethyst City and one of the president's three children. After a series of unfortunate events, she then turned into Revivant – a cybernetically enhanced human which made her question her humanity.
GN’s childhood dream of becoming a comic artist is what prompted him to create his own works.
“Parang naging safe space ko na din. Passion project, so dito ko nalang ibubuhos yung panahon ko, it’s healthier. Tsaka it is a childhood dream, ito talaga yung pangarap ko noon,” he said.
When asked about what are the popular genres in their publishing, GN shared that readers are mostly enticed with genres including fantasy, sci-fi, and slice of life.
Some of the titles in their publishing house include Rave Force, La Historia Komiks, The Propaganda Project, The Gunless Agent, and more.
Komiket
Komiket is a non-profit organization that advocates for Filipino comics and publishes a wide selection of comic books from local creators across a variety of genres and themes.
This includes Tori Tadiar’s SAGALA, Twinkle, Twinkle; and Ilustra. Komiket also publishes inclusive comics from creators such as CJ Reynaldo’s Whatcha Saying – a comics about sign languages by a deaf creator; Boys Love stories like Levi Sabarre’s Dante, Damian, and Pascual the Pusang Kayle, and Kar Vic’s Sari Sari story.
Its founder Paulo Herras started as a comic creator in 2012, with one of his comics Buhay Habangbuhay turned into a full-length film starring Iza Calzado.
Aside from publishing comics, Komiket also conducts workshops and stages comic festivals to give local comic creators a platform.
“We want to hear diverse voices, very strong voices, very interesting concepts and ideas. Also, we want to show that Filipino creators are very talented creators and they deserve more readers,” Paulo said.
“Every move that we make, the intention is to grow more readers... [S]ome of our books win awards, some of our books get translated in other languages, and hopefully that would be another reason to convince readers, Filipino readers, to support local comics,” he added.
