It's been a while since I've posted here, huh? I've been posting more on my capsulezone site since I find myself not wanting to talk about much online these days and just posting artworks is good enough for me.

But what prompted me to post is a book that I really, really enjoyed and like to recommend to everyone. I don't think it's a book that doesn't need my help in promoting it, but here it is anyway...


Jeff Smith's BONE. It's a real page-turner. I couldn't put this massive book down. Each chapter makes you wanna see what happens in the next one. And the next. And the next... And so on until you realize the story's finished and you still want to read about these characters some more.

Highly recommended. If the one volume edition is too pricey, Scholastic has individual volumes that are much more wallet-friendly. Read this. You won't regret it.

The previous week in comics was abuzz with the passing of two industry greats, Joe Simon and Eduardo Barreto.

Joe Simon is, without a doubt, a comic industry legend.

But personally, I am much more saddened with Eduardo Barreto's passing. Growing up reading comics, he was (and is) one of the people whose work I admire the most, right up there with John Byrne, Al Williamson, and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.

That's why I am glad that even though I didn't get to know or work with him, I still got the chance to have my work published alongside his, in the Captain Action Winter Special.

So to Joe Simon and Eduardo Barreto, thank you.

If anyone reading this is on Facebook, check out Maskarado on the ComixTRIPS app! Click here to sign in and enjoy lots of Pinoy comics!

Also, the 2011 KOMIKON is this Saturday, November 19, at the Bayanihan Center, Pasig City. Click here for more info.

Comics Bulletin gives Graphic Classics Volume 21: Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery 4.5 bullets!

Antonella Caputo and Reno Maniquis's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is everything you could want for an adaptation of the classic story. Caputo's cuts are judicious, keeping the flow of the story intact. The characters of the proto-Holmes and Watson and the world they live in come to life in Maniquis's art. It has a naturalistic feel to it, which makes the horrific moments that much more dramatic.

Read the full review here.

Just a quick plug...

Captain Action King-Size Special #1 arrives at comic shops this Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011! Be on the lookout for any of these three covers...



This continues the story arc from Captain Action: Season 2. Enjoy!

CAPTAIN BARBELL COSTUMES THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT

It's been a while since I've updated this blog, no? But anyway, I'd like to share the initial costume redesigns I did for the recent version of Captain Barbell. Here we go...

Among the four costumes shown here, this is my favorite. I went back to the colors most associated with Cap, but made the blue darker. To give him touches of metal texture (to associate him with is namesake, the barbell) I gave him a breastplate and metal accents on his wrists and boots. I think it gives a regal quality without it being outdated. I also tried the almost-sleeveless look, to hearken back to what Mars Ravelo intended originally, that of a circus strongman look without necessarily having him go shirtless like his original costume.

This is the closest to the previous "all-yellow" look, with the metal piping and metal emblem, now bigger for more visibility. To liven up the colors I added blue and red, again the colors most associated with him. The belt buckle looks like a barbell plate, and touches of metal were also added, like the armbands and the steel-toed boots.


This was my second choice, a bit sleeker with some deep red metallic accents to break up the monotony of the yellow. The cape is more incorporated into the costume, and also shorter than what we're used to (similar to Captain Marvel) so it won't get in the way when he engages in fisticuffs. The chest emblem was made to look more like his original emblem, the one seen on the belt buckle of the shirtless version. Again, the belt buckle looks like a barbell plate.


Here's anothe sleeveless version. I think it works well for Cap. Although that would require the actor who will play him to work out in order to achieve those shoulders and biceps. Maybe that's one reason the sleeveless look was disapproved. :) I purposefully simplified this version, since it's become de riguer for superhero costumes to have unnecessary design elements (I'm looking at you, DCnU). To overcome the simplicity, I went with the metallic accents again, with barbell plates on the boots, armbands and buckle. The chest emblem design gradually flows into the form of the cape, and I think the resulting shape near his shoulders look a bit like wings, suggesting the power of flight.

As the title says, these designs weren't approved. They wanted a much more sleeker design, so I did versions of that. I'll post them next time, and one of those designs led to the costume that Richard Gutierrez donned in the 2011 TV series.

Amusingly, the intention was for the costume to look sleek, but the final costume constructed for the TV series turned out to be bulky. Sigh.

I was flipping through TV channels some nights ago when I caught a bit of Spartacus: Blood and Sand on HBO (It's on HBO here in the Philippines). It got me wondering... Why do all shows about ancient Rome (and even the new series The Borgias, set in Italy) utilize British accents? It's kind of silly, right? Shouldn't they be speaking with Italian accents? :)

Metro Comic Con 2011 starts this Saturday, May 7 at the Megatrade Hall 2 at SM Megamall. It will run until Sunday, May 8. So if you're looking for something different to do this Mother's Day, this is the place to be! :)

Artist David Lloyd (V for Vendetta, among other things) will be one of the guests so don't miss out on meeting him and all the other comics creators like Tony DeZuniga, Philip Tan and a lot more at the con.

Saturday is also Free Comic Book Day, and Comic Odyssey is the most fervent supporter of this event in the Philippines. So you can also head on over to their branch in Robinson's Galleria to get free comics. I've heard that the first 600 in line will get as much as 50 free comics, so get there early, THEN head on over to SM Megamall for the Metro Comic Con! What a sweet day for comics!

Tomorrow will be my second day of teaching kids about comics creation. I'm still a bit nervous, truth be told. The first day wasn't a complete disaster, I just had a hard time having the kids open up and tell me about the stuff they like. They're good kids, albeit a bit shy. They don't even talk to each other. As Charlie Brown would say, "Good grief!"

I could tell that some of them had a hard time grasping the basics of anatomy, since all of them were more into cartoon comic strips and manga than the traditional "realistic" stuff that I do. I'm hoping I haven't bored them too much and that they'll all still be in class tomorrow. He he.

Here's hoping the activity I've got lined up tomorrow will be more to their liking. Also, it will be a group effort, so I'm hoping the interactive nature of the project they'll be doing will break the ice and they'll finally have fun with each other.

Fingers crossed!

The April issue of Previews has the solicitation for Captain Action King Size Special #1, and I am very excited. I never thought I'd see the day when a comic I drew would have a cover by one of my childhood idols, John Byrne.

The stories in this issue were supposed to be Captain Action Season 2 issues 4 and 5, but to give readers more bang for their buck Moonstone collected two issues into one big special issue. Hopefully those of you who'll pick it up will agree it's worth it. :)