Komik relief

MANILA, Philippines - While you might’ve forgotten the last time you read a copy of Funny Komiks, Filipino comics, in general, are far from dead. We have a long history with the art form —Jose Rizal once made a strip about a monkey and a tortoise — talented artists from Tony DeZuniga to Leinil Yu made waves with their work for DC and Marvel, and local comic conventions, along with spirited independent artists, are constantly pushing new materials out into the public.

From a classic tale of a man searching for the truth, to conyo aswang fighters, to a talking existentialist chicken, Supreme flips through local comic books from then and now to bring you this — a comic book “mixtape” to help you see the what’s in store for komix’s future.

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El Indio by Francisco coching (1953)

Mr. Coching is the granddaddy of Filipino comics. Way before Hollywood churned out one comic book adaptation after the other, we’d been doing it with most of Coching’s repertoire. In fact, more than 50 of his serialized comics were made into films. His masterpiece, El Indio, is about Fernando, a man who went back to the country to make his father pay for his shortcomings, only to become entangled in a fight against the oppressive mestizos who ruled the land. Although it was originally serialized in Pinoy Komiks, a remastered collection of every issue was released as a possible Social Studies resource for students. Whoever said learning was boring, anyway?

Lexy, Nance, & Argus: Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll by Oliver Pulumbarit (2004)

Originally serialized in Pulp magazine at the start of the new millennium, Pulumbarit’s sexy and nerdy tale about three Gen-X’ers makes Lena Dunham’s Girls seem embarrassing (more than it should be). Although the book constantly makes references to “The Force” and the characters are slightly reminiscent of Daria Morgendorffer, there is an underlying theme about self-discovery and spirituality that’s very much 100-percent Pinoy. It’s a bit raunchy, yes, especially with the Y Tu Mama Tambien-esque threesome and the “adventures” they tackle that require no capes (or clothes) at all, but there’s not a komik that’s quite like this that managed to be edgy and heartfelt at the same time.

Elmer by Gerry Alanguilan (2009)

Elmer is the antithesis to every pa-cute animal movie out there. Set in an alternate Philippines where chickens are as intelligent as humans, Jake Gallo is fed up with the way he’s being treated by these clucking humans. After his dad’s funeral, he is given Elmer’s old journal which chronicles the rise of their kind and the injustices that his father had to endure. There’s a reason why Alanguilan is the ultimate Komikero. He understands where we stand from his knowledge about our past, and takes strides with his engaging story and art to push the boundaries further. Elmer is critically acclaimed worldwide and even that guy Neil Gaiman is a vocal fan.

Punnx Komix by JP Cuison & Dennis Nierra (2010)

Kids, while the familiar cover layout is enticing with the halftoned art and the promise of hilarity inside, we should note that you should stay the f**k away from this batsh*t crazy parody of Funny Komiks. For example: Tinay Pinay, the pandesal-snacking supergirl, is turned into Tinay Moran, a superhero with a penchant for flashing her panties à la-Annie from Shaider. Punnx Komix aims to bring the nostalgia back while giving you something completely different. With two volumes out, we really couldn’t help but wait for the third issue in 3D.

Stories by Rob Cham (2011)

Unlike most artists, Rob Cham likes to talk about himself in his work, not for the sake of self-indulgence, but mainly for the reason that he’s an interesting guy. People flock to fantastic tales about superheroes and such, but oftentimes, its what’s real that affects us the most. The two volumes of Stories is filled with vignettes, hilarious musings, and bits about life, dirty hipsters, and rabbits all drawn from Cham’s experience.

Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles by Digital Art Chefs;  Crime-Fighting Call Center Agents by Noel Pascual and AJ Bernardo (2012)

You might shrug off the comic book adaptation of Erik Matti’s Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles as merely a publicity vehicle for the big-budgeted movie, but this one is done entirely right. Basically, you have Budjette Tan of the popular Trese series waving his magic wand to condense the hefty material from Jade Castro, and Michiko Yamamoto. You’ve got a young group of artists rendering the bloody great colored panels that are reminiscent of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Plus, you get a (spoilerific) preview on this technological feat of a movie.

Meanwhile, on the Internet, Pascual and Bernardo of Kowtow Comics are making their mark with their hilarious take on the aswang genre. While Tiktik is about family, Crime-Fighting Call Center Agents (READ: http://kowtowcomics.com) focuses on a barkada of conyotic call center agents and their unlucky encounters with the supernatural. The thing about being an online comic is that CFCCA has the freedom to be whatever the hell it wants to be, and Kowtow sure knows how to keep a genre’s heart beating.

Headlights by Mariano Ching (2012)

Mariano Ching’s limited silkscreened comic, Headlights, is a sight to behold. As part of From the Black Lagoon, an exhibit held at The Department of Avant-Garde Clichés that aims to “follow the fantastic forms and alternate meanings generated by classic B-movies,” Ching shows a bit of his dark side in this collection of illustrations featuring rabbits eating snakes and a certain album from The Smiths. Each illustration is paired with a song made by the one-off band, The Bearded Ladies (Listen to Vesuvian at numberlinerecords.com). Headlights is a great visual and sonic experience that strays from the usual comic book tropes to bring something new.