4th San Pablo City Comics Festival

The Fourth San Pablo City Comics Festival is an event that is meant to celebrate Philippine comics by gathering together today's most popular comic creators to interact with their readers. At least 50 different artists will be on hand to promote and sell their comic books. The festival will be held at Roño's Place, a…

Elbikon 2018

The biggest comic convention south of Manila is back on its fifth annual run. Organized by the Graphic Literature Guild (GLG), ELBIKON is all set to host over a hundred exhibitors, including Manix Abrera (Kikomachine Komix), and Toto Madayag (Libreng Komiks). ELBIKON is where artists can showcase their crafts in the form of comic books,…

New comic book challenges Maria Clara image

Text and photos by Kimmy Baraoidan There is a need to arouse historical consciousness in each individual Filipino because we are drowning in neo-colonial culture, writer and civic intellectual Epifanio San Juan Jr. said in a recent forum. With Philippine history vanishing from the school curriculum and the alarming ignorance among the youth about the martial…

Elbikon 2017 draws crowds once more

Text and photos by Kimmy Baraoidan Comics, books, zines, stickers, art prints, postcards, bookmarks, knickknacks – Elbikon 2017 in a nutshell. For four years now, the Graphic Literature Guild (GLG), a student organization from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, has been hosting Elbikon, each year bigger than the last. Over a hundred exhibitors…

Elbikon 2017

Get ready for the biggest Elbikon yet! Mark your calendars and head over to the UPLB Baker Memorial Hall this coming Saturday, February 18, 2017. Doors open at 10:00 a.m. With over a hundred exhibitors, this year's Elbikon is bringing together established and up and coming local comics artists. This year's speakers include Asshulz, Hulyen, Norby…

Surreal realities in Manix Abrera’s News Hardcore

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan Comic strips courtesy of Manix Abrera “At dahil hindi natutulog ang balita, nakatutok kami beinte-kwatro oras (And because the news never sleeps, we are tuned in twenty-four hours),” goes the spiel of veteran news anchor Mike Enriquez of GMA Network–a mantra that everybody in the media would come to know as early…

Libreng Komiks, Kikomachine 12 to be launched

It's a good year for local comics so far. Regular comic cons in and beyond the metro keep comic artists and fans connected and updated. Local artists are emerging. The scene is very much alive. Two of the country's popular comics artists are set to launch their books. Toto Madayag will make his debut into the printed world…

Elbikon 2016 revitalizes local comics scene

Text and photos by: Kimmy Baraoidan Elbikon 2016 is on its third year—stronger and better than ever. Held at the Baker Memorial Hall in the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Elbikon gathered local comics creators and enthusiasts from the metro and nearby areas for a day of fruitful exchanges and sharing of all…