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:

SUPER SUIT

I just finished reading Tom de Haven's IT'S SUPERMAN! novel, and I'm currently reading Geoff Johns' and Gary Frank's SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN. It got me to thinking about the origins of Superman's costume (or uniform, if you like).

SECRET ORIGIN brings back the original explanation of the super suit... it was Kryptonian cloth that was as indestructible as Superman. It's okay, but there would be times that Superman would get bruised or wounded by forces stronger than his skin, so wouldn't that mean the suit would be torn, too?

IT'S SUPERMAN! reveals that originally, Superman was using a suit made out of ordinary fabric, so it would tear up most of the time. He finally gets an indestructible suit courtesy of arch-enemy Lex Luthor. Who just mails it to Superman as a gift of sorts. This origin of the suit was kinda "meh" for me.

Out of all the different explanations on how Superman's suit is as invulnerable as he is, the one most plausible (for me, at least) is the one John Byrne cooked up for his THE MAN OF STEEL miniseries in the 80s. In the story, it was revealed that Superman had an aura which protects stuff that's really up close to his skin. Which makes his skintight suit almost as indestructible as he is. Of course, when going up against something that would hurt even his "invulnerable" skin, The suit would also get torn. It also mean that his cape could be torn, since it wasn't skintight, but that's okay. The only drawback is he can't protect people with his cape like he used to. The aura also explains away why a man would don spandex in order to fight crime. Since normal clothes would tear up, it only makes sense for him to wear something that could be protected by his aura, right?

Any Superman readers out there? Which super-suit origin do you like most?

(image from www.zimbio.com)

OBLIVIOUS

There are two very different reasons why men and women have car accidents.

Most men are just plain reckless. It's simple stupidity.

Women, in my analysis, are just oblivious to their surroundings. And it's not just while driving.

Case in point: One morning while walking to the train station, two women walking from behind me bumped me on both of my sides, making a momentary "me" sandwich. At first, I thought it may be a pickpocketing scam, but upon checking my valuables nothing was missing. Plus, both women looked actually surprised that they bumped into me, as if I was a wall that was suddenly in their way. But, even if I wasn't there, they would have bumped each other. And it was a very wide sidewalk, with pedestrians walking around comfortably. And how in heck would you not notice someone who's in front of you?!?!

Another case in point: When walking on my own, I usually walk up or down escalators. One time while I was walking up one, two women were busily chatting away in front of me. I said a simple "excuse me" and one of the women almost literally jumped out of her skin. She exclaimed "AAAYYY!!!" and then proceeded to mutter under her breath (but was clearly audible) "nakakagulat naman yung mama." What the heck is so startling with a simple "excuse me?"

Another example: On the elevated walkway from the Ayala business district going to Greenbelt... three women who do not know each other are walking side by side. Now, that walkway is wide. But they've occupied almost the whole path that most people were having a hard time squeezing in between them. It would have been a bit understandable if they were friends chatting away and being oblivious to their surroundings, but THEY DID NOT KNOW EACH OTHER and were simply walking at the same pace, oblivious to the fact that a small crowd was gathering behind them trying to get through.

Last example: Just this morning, while getting into the elevator, I let a woman who was there go into the elevator first. As soon as she got in, she keeps hitting the "close door" button while I was still on my way in. That was just WHOA.

Is it any wonder that most victims of bag snatchers are women?

So ladies, please keep your wits about you whenever you walk (or drive).

2012: FINAL PRAYER

The world ends on 11.15.09 - that's when award-winning indie comic publisher Heske Horror (www.coldbloodedchillers.com) releases its anticipated doomsday anthology "2012: Final Prayer." Just like Armageddon, this release promises to be a "global event" with cataclysmic graphic tales, short stories and brief essays from creators from around the world: US, UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Scotland and South Africa.

Get a sneak peek here!

Read an interview with author and editor Robert Heske here!

Drew a title page illustration for a short story in this book. I'll post it on www.capsulezone.tk when I'm able. :)

May 2010 is the target date for the release of the all-new Western Classics: Graphic Classics Volume Nineteen. The lead story will be an adaptation of Zane Grey's grand western prototype, “Riders of the Purple Sage”, illustrated by GC newcomer Cynthia Martin. Also included will be Bret Harte's “The Right Eye of the Commander”, by David Hontiveros and Reno Maniquis, Gertrude Atherton’s “La Perdida”, by Trina Robbins and Mark A. Nelson, and John G. Neihart’s "The Last Thunder Song”, adapted by Oklahoman Rod Lott and illustrated by Native American artist Ryan Huna Smith.

Muelmar Magallanes: Hero

Just read about this on Budjette's blog. After reading all about costumed heroes since the early days of my childhood, not one of their fictional feats can measure up to the heroism of this man...

(story from BBC News)

'Heroic rescuer'

Reports have also emerged of acts of heroism by members of the public during the floods, including Muelmar Magallanes, who rescued more than 30 people, but ended up sacrificing his own life.

With the help of his older brother, the 18-year-old construction worker tied rope around his waist and took his siblings to safety before going back to the house for his parents, according to the AFP news agency.

Later, he decided go back to save neighbours trapped on rooftops. He then dived back in again when he saw a mother and her six-month-old baby daughter in the water.

"I didn't know that the current was so strong. In an instant, I was under water. We were going to die," the mother Menchie Penalosa told AFP.

"Then this man came from nowhere and grabbed us. He took us to where the other neighbours were, and then he was gone," she added.

Witnesses said an exhausted Mr Megallanes was simply swept away by the water.

His father Samuel said: "He always had a good heart. We had already been saved. But he decided to go back one last time for the girl."