KA-BLOG!

This post is a reaction to the Pinoy Komix Biz article "How Do You Revive the Filipino Comics Industry?"

Or, more specifically, a reaction to this statement made in the aforementioned article:

"Look what's happening today: almost every kind of Filipino comics that came out in the stands appeared infrequently and irregularly such that we are now left with only four active comics publishers. And we're not even sure if some of them are serious in helping develop the local comics biz. Almost every local comics creator takes his precious time in creating his "work of art" because his "art reputation" and "ego" is at stake. He wants to do it himself and needs no assistants to preserve the purity of his so-called "vision". The printing facilities here in the Philippines are below par? Goodness, then we'd better go and work for the U.S., Hong Kong, Korea, or whatever country's comics industry where we'll get paid better and our work printed better. Improvise? Be resourceful? Work within the limitations? Are you kidding? And ruin my precious artistic vision? You say we're on a tight deadline to come up with a story or drawing? Hey, I know. Let's just copy those obscure American or Japanese works and put some minor alterations in there. No one will ever know. After all, you did say to be resourceful, right? Comics production should be taken as a 'fun activity' with no consideration as to cost. They are oftimes the subject of a "kiddie" school project or thesis by rich kids who lead sheltered lives. Use those slick, glossy pages, and stand-out computer coloring at all times to get that muy perfecto "work of art". We'll price it only for the few, westernized rich market segment who can afford it. Forget the mass market. They are too poor to be a market for our kind of art product anyway. Where's my friend, the vulture collector? Did he sell my original comics pages without informing me or giving me a percentage? Almost anybody can be a comics creator or artist nowadays where mediocre work is passed off as a 'work of art' because there are no objective standards in art. Everything is relative: Art, Love, Morals, so who's to judge? With that kind of passivity, with that kind of bohemian intellectual promiscuity, our local comics scene is now dominated the American and Japanese products such that almost everybody prefers them than comics that are locally produced. Its not a media war, its an "art" war. Good stories and art. These two buddies will save the day. Spare me."

Well, how quick are we to judge.

Does he think that local komiks creators (specifically "indie" creators) are Prima Donnas who take their sweet time making "art" when the whim strikes them? Wrong-O.

There may be a few who think the way he described them above, but most of the creators I know have to put food on the table. Mr. Author (he doesn't even have the balls to identify who he really is) is correct in stating that the komiks industry is dead. There are no paying jobs in komiks locally. That's why these independent creators (myself included) put out their stuff infrequently. We have other jobs that demand our immediate attention. We do komiks because we love to do komiks. Most of us don't profit from it, but by God we do it because we don't want to see local komiks die permanently.

I am of the same thought that the local komiks need businessmen. It can't be revived by artists and/or writers alone. Todd McFarlane's business became successful because he eventually stopped drawing and concentrated on the business side of things. You can't juggle both art and business. That way leads to ruin.

What the local creators are doing are sacrificing their time and money, in the hopes that somehow some risk-taking entrepreneur will take notice. That somehow the businessmen will take a crack at reviving the industry.

Mr. Author, don't be too quick to judge. I agree with some of your points, I disagree with others. But don't attack the selfsame people who want the komiks industry to be "born again," so to speak. We all want the komiks industry to thrive again (at least I hope you do).

And if I may, comments in your blog have to be approved by you first. And I don't see any comments in your blog. I have commented some time ago, but it seems you didn't approve it. Come on, have the balls to put your money where your mouth is. Don't go all high-and-mighty that other people's opinions don't matter.

Anyone interested in reading Pinoy Komix Biz, click here.