My love affair with komiks

Reading makes a full man, conference a ready man and writing an exact man — Francis Bacon

 
As a teener growing up in a seminaryo, I was exposed to reading anything from newspapers used as pambalot ng tinapa to the classics. Every night, I would go to the school’s library to read. It became a habit. Aside from the English classics, we also read Latin material. My Nanay who was a Grade One teacher instilled in me the love of reading. Not a day passes that I will not read a line or two from the books which were available to us. I read books like Robinson’s Crusoe, The Swiss Family Robinson, Robinhood, Mutiny on the Bounty, Silas Marner, Rebecca, Black Beauty, Oliver Twist, Noli, Fili and many others.

Once or twice a month on Sundays when we were allowed to go home (we were like interns in a monastery), I would go to my favorite sari-sari store that rented out komiks magazines, Liwayway, Hiligaynon and Bulaklak. The store was just a few steps away from my house. Komiks reading was a favorite neighborhood past time. The komiks were spread out in one long table like dried tinapa. Some were hung in a makeshift clothesline. Each time strong winds would blow, my beloved komiks would fly like the floral skirt of Mana Medy. We would chase the flying komiks hoping to salvage a page or two of our favorite nobela. Komiks were for rent at 25 centavos and you can bring it home for three days. But the instructions were specific: No crumpled and torn pages, at huwag ipahiram sa iba. I was very dutiful when it came to borrowing komiks. I would care for it like it was a baptismal certificate or a diploma. Over night, I would read and read again the stories to the point of memorizing the dialogues of my favorite komiks characters. My Nanay, although she was not against reading komiks was not aware that I was spending so much time reading komiks, Liwayway and Bulaklak. She would admonish me, “Maruruba it imo mata.” She feared that I would destroy my eyesight by reading in my dimly-lit room whose only light came from the glow of the reliable Petromax. My favorites were Tagalog Ilang-ilang, Tagalog Klasiks, Aliwan, Superstar and Wakasan. I would follow the stories of Maruja, Darna, Lastikman, Facifica Falayfay, among others.

I also borrowed Liwayway, Bulaklak, and sometimes Hiligaynon. Bulaklak was filled with showbiz news and photos of Amalia Fuentes, Susan Roces, Rosemarie Sonora, Liberty Ilagan, Daisy Romualdez, and Romeo Vasquez, Fernando Poe Jr., Ricky Belmonte, Pepito Rodriguez, Bert Leroy Jr., Tony Ferrer, etc.

We also had the Manila Bulletin which arrived in our town three days late. It had a komiks section which came in colorful pages. I would read Prince Valiant, The Phantom, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Popeye and Peanuts. But I loved reading Tagalog komiks more.

When I came to Manila, I got to meet my favorite komiks writers. The most important of them all is Carlo J. Caparas, also known as the Komiks King. I have interviewed direk Carlo and his story is amazing. (His wife Donna Villa is just as fascinating). He used to work as a security guard in one of the companies located in Edsa Guadalupe. Direk Carlo on his spare time would read. One of his favorites is Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage. Then he would translate his thoughts into writing. And when he was given the chance to write for komiks, he wrote as if it was his last piece of work. Direk Carlo has written more than a thousand titles. He is one of the most prolific writers in this country and one of the most respected in this literary genre.

Recently direk Carlo launched five new komiks titles that bear his name — CJC Filipino Klasiks, CJC Super Funny, CJC-OFW Superstories, CJC Gwapo and CJC Tagalog Klasiks. The launch was led by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando and mega producer Donna Villa.

The President said that her administration “fully supports the creative growth of the komiks industry which is not only a popular form of entertainment but an artistic vehicle for values education and employment enhancement.” The President also praised Komiks King and Presidential Medal of Merit awardee Carlo Caparas “for staging the Komiks Karavan nationwide and forging a partnership with Sterling Publication headed by Gerry Lim to provide the komiks industry new avenues for growth.” The Komiks Karavan hopped around Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Boracay, Silay, Bohol, Bulacan and other parts of the country.

Among the fresh titles fans of the Komiks King have to watch out for are: Gagambino, Kroko, Saan Pupunta and Pusong Sugatan, Ang Hiwaga ng Kadena de Amor, Andres de Saya, Beauty Queen, Panday Kid and Blanco Negro. Other new, exciting komiks titles that can be read in the CJC komiks are Gilda Olvidado’s Daang Patungong Langit; Rod Santiago’s Elastica and Bangaw; Joelad Santos’ Maximo Kamao ng Maso and Mundo at Langit; Nerissa Cabral’s Pagkislap ng Tala and Sa Muling Pagbabalik; and Elena Patron’s Sukob sa Puso, among others.

The affair culminated the Komiks Kongress launched by direk Carlo and Donna Villa.