a heartfelt thank-you

A couple of days ago, I decided to collect on the sales of "The Lost" at CQ Megamall, and to my surprise, I had P3000 in sales! What this means is that there are still people who continue to buy our comics even if they're as old as the hills (2001) and the cover price cannot everbe considered competitive (P160@), as compared to Culture Crash or Summit Media's W.I.T.C.H. (which, by the way, Nikki picked up and we both loved immediately - its a great book for its audience, despite my usual reservations that it wasn't Filipino). Even "Ruin", our little book, posted sales! My little sales figure may seem insignificant to a lot of people, but to me and mine, its a godsend. It proves to me that there is a small following who are willing to spend of the type of comics we make and read the type of stories we tell, despite the higher than average pricing. (Note: We do not just set any old price we want, it's a result of economics. If I could have priced it at P25 I would have.)

So, thanks to every reader we have, old and new and upcoming! Sadly, like most of the Filipino comics of my generation, I was unable to maintain a consistent release schedule. The truth is that this happened not because of lack of content (I had already paid for and received art for "Sister Moon" and "Asian Girl", and have seen pages for "Men of Action" for "High Adventure") but because of the lack of sound financing. But while publication has slowed to a snail's pace, it does not mean I've given up. No way. It's just a matter of intelligent and realistic goals and timing.

publishing things I've learned

1. never do a serial.
2. do not make promises when you are flush with cash and ambition.
3. trust that your work will find an audience.
4. come to terms with the reality of the marketplace.
5. always write something you would read yourself
6. more pages does not mean better story
7. complications do not mean the end of the world
8. "publish or die" can be interpreted in different ways
9. capitalize on your strength but be mindful of your limitations
10. marketing and distribution are paramount

best comic story i've read this year

is found in Dark Horse's Happy Endings TPB. Katie Mignola (age 7) and her father Mike Mignola present "The Magician and the Snake". In 6 pages, they floored me and Nikki. These 6 pages alone are worth the $10 cover price. I hate to say it, but I enjoyed this short story more than the recent "Third Wish" storyline in Hellboy. Nothing, nothing I've read this year comes close to this story. Go. Buy it. Now. As bonus, you get another mindfuck from Tony Millionaire's Sock Monkey. And oh, there are other creators there too.

table talk

If Erap somehow wins the 2004 elections, will you stay in the country?

If you do decide to leave, would you go to the US? Canada? New Zealand?


walkabout

From Modern Tales (a webcomics pay site), you can see the first three chapters of the online comic The Makeshift Miracle. There's always interesting reading at Wired and Harper's. Check out the post-orgasmic thrills over here. Read Jessica Lagner's "Chaos" in the poetry section here. Check out the babe gallery of our local FHM. And then, before you bash me for only thinking of women as objects of desire, read these thoughts on feminism and tell me what you think.