Dick Giordano has passed away. As a kid growing up in the 1980s, it's hard not to have known about him, especially if you read mostly DC Comics like me. He was a good artist, not spectacular, but a good one nonetheless. But for me, I'll always remember the enjoyment I got every time I read his "Meanwhile..." columns in the pages of the DC titles that I read. That might sound weird to some people, but I genuinely enjoyed all the things he talked about, be it news on upcoming titles, sharing some of his personal experiences, encouraging fans, featuring new talent... It was a good read for me. So, I guess it's only fitting that I say... to you, Mr. Giordano... Thank you and a good afternoon.

PHANTOM/CAPTAIN ACTION #1 will be available in comic stores next week, March 31, 2010!

For a sneak peek, head on over to comixology.com for a 12-page preview! Thanks a lot to Moonstone Books' editor-in-chief Joe Gentile and writer/editor Mike Bullock for giving me the opportunity to work on this. Also thanks go out to Captain Action Enterprises' Joe Ahearn and Ed Catto for their support.

Working hard on more comics projects for 2010. Will keep things updated here. :)

SUMMER KOMIKON 2010
April 17, 2010, Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman

Inglourious Basterds

Just saw this film recently (yes, I'm way behind when in comes to movies), and I'm really wondering why so many people are so "bravo!", "excellent!", and all that about this movie. Me... not so much.

Okay, so from here I'll be assuming you've seen the film so you'll know what I'm talking about.

Some parts were brilliant, especially the opening scene. Very tense, and you can really feel the emotion from the characters. One other scene that was executed well was the bar scene where the spies were trying to avoid an incident with the German soldiers. Very Tarantino (which means it's talky), but again, the tension was built up excellently.

What really bothered me with this movie is that the titular characters, the Inglourious Basterds, were not really important to the film at all. You could remove them from the movie and it would have made little difference. The main plot about the orphaned Shoshanna's revenge on the Nazis would have been sufficient to carry the movie, even without the Inglourious Basterds involvement, which really doesn't involve them as the movie went along. It just so happened they had the same goals in the end. And even if the Basterds weren't there in the climactic scene, Shoshanna's revenge would have still killed Hitler and the Nazis.

Come to think of it, if they just jettisoned the Basterds altogether, and made it a simple tale about Shoshanna's revenge plot, I guess I would have liked this movie much better.

Phantom/Captain Action is PREVIEW's STAFF PICK for January 10!

From the PREVIEWS website:

Those of us who are old enough to remember the Captain Action toys of the 1960s will recall that one of the coolest facets of the action figure was the ability to change from the Captain persona into one of a host of popular superhero characters. This alone made the toy extremely valuable to kids because the figure became two toys in one and gave you more opportunity to develop complex and often convoluted play schemes. In a flash, he could be transformed into Captain America, Batman, Flash Gordon, the Lone Ranger, or the Phantom to mete out justice to the collected plastic villains of said scenario.

This month, the folks at Moonstone have stepped into the fantasy battles of yesteryear by pitting Captain Action against the Phantom in their first-ever comic book crossover (since the original toy allowed you to crossover the characters during play). There is something incredibly nostalgic about this pairing that has me incredibly interested to see what writer Mike Bullock and artist Reno Maniquis have in store for the iconic heroes. Moonstone has been cranking out a respectable and quality line of comic books for over ten years and they seem to have really found a strong niche with these classic pulp inspired characters. If you enjoy classic action fare or are a fan of either character, this series is a must to check out in March! If only I still had the toys.

I find it kind of funny when, in popular fiction, a guy who has mad fighting skills holds off multiple attackers, and the attackers just keep on coming. Much like when a superhero fights a bunch of henchmen, these henchmen just keep on attacking and in the end they get their butts kicked.

I mean, seriously, if I was one of those henchmen and I saw this guy disposing my comrades left and right, I would think twice about jumping into the fray. Chances are, I'd wind up in a hospital (or even dead, if the particular guy happens to be someone like, say, Wolverine).

So why do these guys keep on doing it? Or maybe they get recruited to be cannon fodder because they're total idiots and their purpose is to be exactly that? But, hey, if I were an evil mastermind, I'd recruit guys who're very, veerrry good at fighting. That way, I can defeat Batman or Daredevil or Bruce Lee with just a few henchmen. Quality trumps quantity, right?

So, to all henchmen out there, think twice before attacking a lone guy. And to all evil masterminds, think twice about what kind of guys you hire to be henchmen. :)

A new year, a new direction for me. January has been very hectic, but in a good way. For those who don't know yet, I've started freelancing full-time this month. Workload-wise, it's been very fruitful. Jobs keep coming in, and hopefully the trend will continue throughout the year.

Working at home has it's benefits... I save up on train and jeepney fare since I don't have to go anywhere (except on occasions where I have a meeting or I need to get my paycheck for a particular job done). The stress of commuting is also gone.

I don't snack on junk food too much anymore. The office pantry was stock full of junk food that it's hard to resist it's siren call. And I also save up on the money that I would otherwise use to buy junk food, too.

Best of all, I get to greet my daughter every time she comes home from school. Seeing me when she arrives puts a smile on her face, and it also puts a smile on mine, too.

I do miss my morning runs from the train station to the office, though. I occasionally get to run at the track of a nearby sports stadium, but sometimes there's a lot of work to be done so I have to start with it bright and early. Hopefully I can get back on track (no pun intended) with my running this February.

But overall, life has been better. I'm looking forward to this new phase with a lot of optimism. :)

Merry Christmas to all!

Press release: December 17, 2009 -- The popular Paranormal Podcast will be closing its 2009 season with a BANG -- featuring a special roundtable discussion centering on 2012.

2012 has received immense coverage in bookstores, newsprint, television, the Internet and most recently in theaters with Sony's epic 2012 film by director Roland Emmerich and starring John Cusack.

People around the globe want to know: What will go down on 12/21/12 at 11:11 GST? Apocalypse ... Euphoria ... or another Y2K non-event?

Best-selling authors Marie D. Jones (2013: The End of Days or a New Beginning) and Marshall Masters (Planet X Forecast and 2012 Survival Guide) join host Jim Harold to discuss award-winning comic creator/publisher Robert Heske's new book - 2012: Final Prayer, An End Times Anthology.

Ms. Jones and Mr. Masters (both of whom have appeared recently on the History Channel's Nostradamus Effect) also mash with Heske about the 2012 phenomena in general, offering varied opinions and lively debate on diverse scenarios ranging from catastrophic events to a global "awakening of the human consciousness."

The Paranormal Podcast, which interviews various authors and paranormal experts such as Stanton Friedman, Brad Steiger, Dr. Bob Curran, Alien Abductee Stan Romanek, Nick Pope and Jim Marrs, is among the top 25 Science Audio Podcasts on iTunes. Each show averages 8,000 to 10,000 downloads with a devoted audience spanning the globe.

The show was taped in November and will be posted on Monday, December 21, 2009. For more details, visit the website at www.paranormalpodcast.com.

To buy 2012: Final Prayer from Heske Horror, go to www.zaldiva.com, www.amazon.com or visit myebook.com (i.e., the bookshop) for a digital download.

Hey guys! Remember this post a while back?

I'm happy to announce that it all came into fruition. Watch out for this in March, 2010:

PHANTOM-CAPTAIN ACTION #1 (of 2)
Story: Mike Bullock, Art: Reno Maniquis
Cover A: Art Thibert, Cover B: Mark Sparacio, Cover C:Michael Gilbert
32pgs, color, $3.99

Together again for the first time!

The Phantom and Captain Action were forever united in the 1960s when the original Captain Action toy was released with a Phantom costume, allowing Cap to transform into the Ghost Who Walks. Now, for the first time, the two timeless titans collide in the first concussive crossover ever created.

When an international intelligence cartel makes a surgical strike for global control, UN committee member Diana Palmer-Walker and her legendary husband are all that stands in their way, but when the Ghost Who Walks goes missing, the only one Diana can turn to is none other than - Captain Action!

Don’t miss history in the making! (Covers A & B available separately)

Here's a sample page of my pencils for the interior art: