MODERN COMICS MASTER MIKE WIERINGO PASSES AWAY



When I opened Newsarama's website today, I had quite a shock. Mike Wieringo has passed away due apparently to a heart attack. I was dumbfounded and a little choked up. I visit his website everyday, read his daily blog and download the d(almost) daily sketches that he puts up. I didn't know him personally, but because I was following his blog I felt like I had gotten to know him a little bit.

He came off as a very humble, generous and life-loving kind of guy. He was a vegetarian, and he went to the gym regularly. So it really is a shock that he died quite early at the age of 44. I remember him blogging about some back problems he once had, but that's the only health-related problem that he blogged about.

Reading some of his peers' reactions, he was very loved by the comic book community at large. Both by his fellow professionals and fans.

I'll miss reading his blog, and I'll miss looking at his art. Thanks, Mr. Wieringo.

Read more here and here.

You can also check out this great book about him, available from twomorrows.com.

The biggest event in Philippine Komiks is here once again! Like it says in the poster, it will be on November 17, 2007, at the UP BAHAY NG ALUMNI, UP Diliman. I'll be sharing a table with Alamat Comics' Budjette Tan, and maybe a few other creators as well. See you there!

Just got this email from Mr. Boboy Maniquis. Very funny. :)

Top 10 Reasons Why There Couldn't Be a Filipino-American US President

10. The White House is not big enough for in-laws and extendedn relatives.

9. There are not enough parking spaces at the White House for 2 Honda Civics, 2 Toyota Land Cruisers, 3 Toyota Corollas, a Mercedes Benz, a BMW (Big Mean Wife), and an MPV (My Pinoy Van).

8. Dignitaries generallyare intimidated by eating with their fingers at State dinners.

7. There are too many dining rooms in the White House - where will they put the picture of the Last Supper?

6. The White House walls are not big enough to hold a pair of giant wooden spoon and fork.

5. Secret Service staff won't respond to "psst...psst"

4. Secret Service staff will not be comfortable driving the presidential car with a Holy Rosary hanging on the rear view mirror or the statue of the Santo Nino on the dashboard.

3. No budget allocation to purchase a karaoke machine for every room in the White House.

2. State dinners do not allow "Take Home".

AND THE NUMBER 1 REASON WHY THERE COULDN'T BE A FILIPINO-AMERICAN US PRESIDENT IS...

1. Air Force One does not allow overweight Balikbayan boxes!

I'm back! Again, blogger has been blocked in the office, that's why I haven't blogged for so long. But now, I've got this newly-installed internet connection at home. Bwahahahaha! Ahem...

Anyway, there's been all this hoopla lately about Carlo J. Caparas' new line of komiks coming out this September. There have been some negative things said about it, there are some positive things also being said. That's perfectly normal. Personally, I'd like it to succeed. I'd also like to see other publishers take a crack at producing komiks, too. That way, creators will have a lot of options. Plus, I wouldn't want to see a new komiks industry monopolized just by one or two companies, like what happened before. Monopoly is never a good thing.

Anyway, let's wait and see what's going to happen. Things are happening in the local komiks industry, and I for one am hopeful for its future.

A funny conversation between Kuki and Jade...

KUKI: Jade, I'm going to miss you because i'm going to Baguio.
JADE: Huh!? Why are you going to BAG ME?
KUKI: No, I'm going to BAGUIO.
JADE: Ohhhh... Okay. After bagging, where are we going?

BLOG FILLER #12!

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver".

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what his statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and to get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The silversmith answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy-when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

CHRIS BENOIT UPDATE

A tragedy made much more tragic...

From wwe.com...

Benoit's death part of a double murder-suicide

Written: June 25, 2007
According to lead investigator Lt. Tommy Pope, of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, in Fayetteville, Ga., the deaths of WWE Superstar Chris Benoit, wife Nancy and son Daniel were the result of a double murder-suicide, WWE.com has learned.

Benoit failed to appear both at Saturday’s live event in Beaumont, Tx., and WWE’s Vengeance: Night of Champions in Houston Sunday night, after informing WWE of a family emergency. Several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning prompted concerned friends to alert Richard Hering, VP of Government Relations for WWE, Inc. Hering, in turn, spoke with Fayette County sheriffs Monday, and requested that they respond to the Benoit residence to check on him and his family.

Authorities representing the Sheriff’s Department initially had a difficult time entering Benoit’s new Fayetteville home Monday afternoon, which had been guarded by two large German Shepherds roaming freely around the property. Once authorities entered the residence, they quickly located the bodies of Benoit, Nancy and Daniel. WWE was notified of the discovery at approximately 4 p.m.

At 10 p.m. Monday night, Lt. Pope held a press conference in conjunction with Scott Ballard, the district attorney for Fayette County. The press conference officially ruled authorities’ findings as a double murder-suicide from within the home.

WAGA, a FOX-owned and operated television station in Atlanta, reported that investigators believe Benoit killed his wife and 7-year-old son over the weekend, then himself on Monday.

The three bodies have been received by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab, in Decatur, Ga., where autopsies will be performed Tuesday morning. Toxicology reports will not become available for at least two weeks.

WWE.com has further information relating to both the investigation and the cause of death, but the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department has requested that WWE.com not release any additional details at this time.

ANOTHER WRESTLING TRAGEDY... CHRIS BENOIT FOUND DEAD

This came as a shock to me when I first read about it today. Even more shocking is that his wife and son were found dead with him. Really tragic.



From www.newsday.com...

WWE WRESTLER CHRIS BENOIT AND FAMILY FOUND DEAD
BY ALFONSO A. CASTILLO
alfonso.castillo@newsday.com

Renowned pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and their 7-year-old-son, were found dead Monday afternoon in their Fayetville, Ga. home, Atlanta police said.

Police would not give any details on how Benoit, 40, his wife Nancy, and son Daniel died, other than to say they were not shot to death, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported Monday. Authorities are investigating the deaths.

The news came just a day after Benoit mysteriously pulled out of a World Wrestling Entertainment pay per view event, during which he was expected to be crowned Extreme Championship Wrestling world champion. Various pro wrestling news sources reported that Benoit was unable to appear at the event due to a family emergency.

"There are no further details at this time, other than the Benoit family residence is currently being investigated by local authorities," the WWE said in a statement on its Web site.

Benoit was a 22-year ring veteran and perennial favorite of wrestling purists, who praised his high-intensity style and technical acumen. His aggressive wrestling technique earned him the nicknames "The Crippler" and "The Rabid Wolverine." In 2000 and 2004, he was named Oustanding Wrestler of the Year by the Wrestling Observer newsletter and in 2004 he was named Wrestler of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine.

The Edmonton, Canada native trained to become a wrestler in Calgary, and honed his skills in Japan before becoming a regular on U.S. national promotions in the mid-1990s. Benoit's career highlight took place in New York, when he won his first World Wrestling Entertainment world heavyweight championship in Madison Square Garden in the main event of WrestleMania XX.

Benoit cried as he celebrated in the ring with his wife and son, as well as best friend, wrestler Eddie Guerrero, who died in 2005.

"Wrestling has consumed my life," Benoit said in a 2004 WWE career retrospective video. "Wrestling is my mistress. It's my passion. It defines who I am as a person."

WWE last night canceled its scheduled live 3-hour "Monday Night RAW" program, which coincidentally was originally billed as a "memorial service" for WWE chairman Vince McMahon, whose character was recently killed off in a controversial scripted storyline.

McMahon opened the show from center ring in an empty arena and clarified that Benoit and his family had died "in reality." McMahon called Benoit "one of the greatest WWE superstars of all-time."

MAGKANO NGA BA MAG-PUBLISH NG KOMIKS SA PILIPINAS?

That's the question on the minds of the local creators. Let's break it down a bit, okay?

Ito ang specifications ng ating hypothetical komiks:

6.625" x 10.25" (Standrad comic book size)
Glossy, full-color cover
Black & white interior pages, newsprint paper
20 pages (24 including covers)
10,000 copies

Actually, kapag magpa-pa-print ka ng komiks, 10,000 copies ay conservative number na. And sa mga printers, the more you print, mas mababa ang cost. Puwedeng magpa-print ng mas konti, pero tataas ang cost per unit.

Iyung natanong kong printer, ang estimate nila overall na priting cost ay Php100,000. Ang sabihin, cost per copy ay 10 pesos lang. Parang mura, di ba? Sandali, di pa tayo tapos.

Kung ikaw ang sole creator at wala kang binabayaran na artists at writers, iyan na ang magiging cost mo per copy. Pero let's say na gusto mo lang maging publisher, so kukuha ka ng writers at artists. Ilagay na natin na ang ibabayad mo sa artist ay Php1,000 per page. Teka! Ang mahal ba, 'ika niyo? Iyan na siguro ang mura at fair price para sa artists. Alam niyo ba, kumikita ang mga illustrators ng around Php3,000 per spot illustration, depende kung saan gagamitin (mababa na iyon ha?). O kaya puwede silang gumawa ng storyboard (max siguro of 20 panels) for around Php10,000 to Php20,000. Ikumpara mo sa isang komiks page na Php1,000 lang ang bayad, aling trabaho ang pipiliin mo?

So, may Php1,000 ka, multiply by 20 (number of pages) equals Php20,000. Ang writer, ilagay mo na sa Php500 per page (again, mura na iyan). Php500 x 20 = Php10,000. So, if you add all of the costs above, it would amount to Php130,000 ang gastos mo. Ang cost per copy, Php13. Wow, mura pa din! Puwedeng ibenta ng Php20 per copy!

Hep hep hep! Hindi ganyan mag-presyo ng mga products na hindi consumer goods. lalo na sa mga libro, magasin, at komiks, dahil hindi naman lahat ng kopya ay mabebenta. At teka, kailangan mo din ng distributor! Paano mo ibebenta ang komiks mo sa Pilipinas kung walang magdi-distribute nito?

Nagtanong na din ako, at ang mga freelance distributors, minimum ay 40% off ng cover price mo ang kukunin. Minimum iyan, ha? Some distributors charge as much as 60%. Sila na ang bahala makipag-usap sa mga bookstores, newsstands at iba pang outlets na puwedeng pagbentahan ng komiks mo. So kung Php20 mo lang ibebenta, lugi ka pa kasi yung Php8 mo, napunta sa distributor. Php12 lang mapupunta sa iyo, lugi ka pa ng piso per copy.

Wala kang choice kundi itaas ang presyo mo, para makapag-break even ka man lang. Kaya't ang mga publishers, x4 or x5 ng cost ang pinapatong nila. Remember, NOT ALL COPIES OF YOUR COMICS WILL SELL. Masuwerte ka na kung kalahati bebenta.

Ito ang dahilan kung bakit hindi na puwedeng i-presyo ang komiks na tulad noong dati (huli kong naalala ay Php15 ang cover price). Malamang, minimum of Php50 ang magiging cover price ng komiks.

Ang isa pang tanong... Kaya bang bumili ng Pinoy ng komiks sa ganitong halaga? Ka Randy, ikaw na lang ang sumagot niyan. hehe. :)

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to all my fellow Filipinos! Ipagmalaki natin na tayo'y mga Pinoy!


Art by Jon Zamar

In keeping (a bit) with the Independence Day feel, here's a sneak peek from the back-up story included in the next issue of Maskarado, featuring a team-up with flag-based superhero Kalayaan...



On a completely unrelated note, the 6th PHILIPPINE TOYS, HOBBIES & COLLECTIBLES CONVENTION (or TOYCON for short) will be held this weekend, June 16 & 17 at the SM Megatrade Hall at SM Megamall. I'll try to be there, but i can't guarantee it. Although I can guarantee that Maskarado comics will be sold there courtesy of my good friend Ariel.

And from what I hear, there will be two US comics artists who will be guests at the TOYCON. One will be longtime Marvel artist Walter McDaniel. I don't know who the other one will be.

It's kinda funny. I met Walter McDaniel many years ago during the short time I lived in New York. My cousin was his sister's co-worker, and I had the opportunity to meet him (I went straight to his home!) and show him some of my stuff. He then accompanied me to the Marvel offices and introduced me to some editors. One editor gave me a sample script to test me out (it was an issue of WARLOCK AND THE INFINITY WATCH). I think I still have those tryout pages tucked away somewhere. I even got a ton of complimentary comics. They never did get back to me. Haha. After that, Walter signed some comics for me, and we went our separate ways.

I next saw him at the 1998 San Diego Comic Con, though I never got to introduce myself again and talk to him since he was busy setting things up at the Marvel booth. Now, he's coming over to Manila, and I can't help thinking it's such a small world, after all. Who knows? Maybe this time I'll get around to talking with him again. :)