The guys of Sketch Pad Studios (which includes me) will be at National Book Store Power Plant Mall on December 5, 2010 starting at 2pm. Hope you guys drop by!

Oh, and there's this obscure comics artist named Leinil Yu who's gonna be there too. :)

KOMIKON 2010


The 6th Komikon will be on November 13, Saturday at the STARMALL Trade Hall in Mandaluyong (corner of EDSA and Shaw Blvd.). I'll be slumming with Ariel Atienza and Lyndon Gregorio at their table, so thanks guys for letting me join you.

I'll be selling some stuff, so for those interested here's a list of what will be available from me:

Phantom Captain Action issues 1 and 2 (Moonstone Books)
Domino Lady issues 2 and 4 (Moonstone Books)
Wall of Angels issues 5 and 6 (Twenty To Six Books)
Graphic Classics: Ambrose Bierce (Eureka Productions)
Sequential Suicide: Slop (803 studies) note: only 1 copy to be sold

And some leftover copies of Maskarado: Visions and Marvelous Komiks Preview.

And hey, if you buy 3 or more copies of anything I'll throw in a copy of Domino Lady #1 for free (I didn't work on that one, though).

Sounds good? Good! See you on Saturday!

Employment Opportunities...

Anyone out there needs a job? See below for some jobs you might be qualified for:

A. Graphic Artist:
1. Preferably male but female applicants are okay
2. Accepting fresh graduates as long as he/she knows how to do FA (final art)
for offset printing
3. Proficient in the use of Adobe Illustrator (very important)

B. Technical Assistant:
1. Female with pleasing personality
2. Can operate simple machines (but will be trained once accepted)
3. Can handle walk-in clients
4. Computer literate, fast learner
5. Honest and punctual
6. Undergraduates are welcome to apply

C. Account Executive:
1. Female, with pleasing personality
2. Responsible, hardworking
3. Has good communication skills
4. Computer literate
5. Undergraduates are welcome to apply

Please send your CV and portfolio (for graphic artist applicants) to second.edition@yahoo.com

Phantom Captain Action #2 Review from comicsbulletin...

Reviewed by Ray Tate...

"Reno Maniquis, Keith Williams and Bob Pedroza contribute illustrations that lends visual impact to Lady Action's burst of color on the scene. Their Captain Action is a stalwart figure but one prone to youthful body language, especially when faced with defeat.

Maniquis, Williams and Pedroza present the Phantom as larger than life. The Ghost Who Walks moves as quick lightning, and his footfalls are powered by thunder. He tumbles. He leaps. He vaults. The artists display a lifetime of training in every one of the Phantom's moves. It's what you expect. It's what you get.

The Phantom & Captain Action really surprised me. The Phantom wasn't denigrated. I came away liking Captain Action more than I did. Bullock is Moonstone's Phantom writer, and when he draws the Phantom out of the shadows, this book sings."

Rad the entire review here.

AL WILLIAMSON, March 21, 1931 – June 13, 2010
Thank you for being such a great inspiration to me.

Phantom/Captain Action #2 Preview!

Head on over to bzzurkk.com for an 8-page preview. Release date is on June 23, 2010!

The two timeless titans collide in their first crossover. Captain Action and Diana have tracked down the Phantom's kidnappers, but when the bullets start flying, and their plan is shot full of holes, the entire world may come crashing down around them before their mission is accomplished. Guest-starring Lady Action!

Written by Mike Bullock and Ed Catto, with art by Reno Maniquis and a cover by Art Thibert.

So, I'm a bit late in reading stuff and just got around to reading the "death of Ryan Choi" recently. I think it was done as both shock value and to garner a strong reaction from comic fans (which it did to great effect).

I didn't follow Ryan Choi's career as the All-New Atom, mostly because I found the Silver-Age Atom Ray Palmer boring as hell (same way I feel about Barry Allen). The only time I found Ray Palmer interesting was when he became a loinclothed hero in Sword of the Atom. But seeing the reactions of people online, I guess Ryan's a much more interesting character than his predecessor.

But, come on. How stupid was Ryan Choi during his last moments, really? You know the most obvious way for a guy like him to avoid getting killed in that instance? Just shrink down to sub-atomic levels and wait for the bad guys to leave. Not a cowardly move, considering he knew he was outclassed. At least he would have lived to fight another day.

I don't get the hoopla surrounding the killing of Prometheus by Green Arrow. He certainly has done it before, as far back as Mike Grell's excellent LONGBOW HUNTERS, even. So why are the other heroes giving him so much grief over this? Prometheus certainly deserved it.

Was the Mike Grell Green Arrow retconned? But it was during that series that Ollie got killed, and certainly his relationship with Shado is still in continuity. It just gets so confusing, really. Or maybe the slate got wiped clean when he was resurrected during Kevin Smith's run (which I still hold as the sloppiest excuse for a comic character's resurrection that I have ever read).

Anyways, I find what's happening to Arsenal much more interesting. So I guess I'll follow that storyline instead.

Came across this nice review for Phantom/Captain Action #1 over at brokenfrontier.com. What really struck me was this particular statement...

"Artist Reno Maniquis never strays from the grid format during talk portions of the story and rarely ever stays within panel borders during a brawl. This pattern he sets focuses the reader’s attention on the many action scenes. It gives the sense that the talking parts are small breaks between fights, which makes the story move at a fast pace."

I never really noticed myself doing that kind of thing when I draw. But looking back at the pages I drew, it's kind of amusing to see that, yeah, I really do stick to the grid format during quiet scenes, and then my characters break out of the panels while in action. I guess it's something that I'm doing subconsciously.

Read the full review at the link above or click here.

REMINDER: Summer Komikon 2010 is tomorrow, April 17! I urge everyone reading this to attend, although I myself am not sure if I can make it. :P

Phantom/Captain Action #1 will now be out in April instead of this week.

But you can still see the preview pages here. :)