MANY people, for your information, are of the opinion that the current crop of YOUNG Filipino comics artists LIKE YOU are actually unoriginal and too influenced by the comics cultures of the U.S. and Japan.

I included Alfredo’s work in many of my comics over the years including my Winged Tiger series with more than 200 featured guests from George Lucas to Lat in Malaysia. Sadly, since we begin this Cartoonists Across America tour in 1985, we have had very little coverage from the American comic book press. In 2005, I took the mantle of the Godfather of the Modern American Graphic Novel (Eisner has been called the Father and his book appeared in 1978, a year after mine) and slowly, we see that the comic book world is starting to pay attention to the hard work that myself and many other writers and artists did back in Long Beach California from 1970 to 1987. Alfredo was very much a part of those years and often slept in my gallery and Moebius became a good friend as well after 1982 when he came to Los Angeles to work on Tron. I am writing and drawing a 30th anniversary graphic novel called CAZCO: What a Long Strange Trip Its Been to document the years 1972-2007 — the first 32 full color preview will be ready for the San Diego Comic Con — NBM which did a reprint of a French graphic novel that same year is also publishing a new full color hardcover version of my best selling Dinosaurs Across America book. It will be in San Diego as well.

Please stop by the Cartoonists Across America booth - I am always happy to talk about Alfredo and the many artists worldwide that I have known.

It was great seeing Heidi in New York this past month for the BookExpoAmerica convention! I am glad to see this blog!

If anyone’s interested in reading more of this person’s thoughts, go here:

http://pinoykomixbiz.blogspot.com/

He (or she) has a lot of valid points, but I don’t see why he (or she) always feels the need to attack the present crop of Filipino creators.

Dra. Soledad S. Reyes, a Filipino historian and social scientist specializing in the Filipino comics culture had this to say in 1984:

“Like Proteus, the komiks will continue to transform itself; but as long as it continues to relfect the collective reality of the Philippines, it will survive…and prosper.”

Mr. Alanguilan has been braging in his site that he and his “Americanized” kind are the new “industry” that is rising above the demise of the old, traditional and largely Roces-owned komiks industry of yesteryear. They call themselves “indies”.

But has their kind of cottage industry really prospered? Has it been reflecting the collective reality of the Philippines? Is it even surviving? They’ve been at it since the 1990s and until now, the 21st century, their expensive “grahic novels” are still ignored by the mainstream majority.

Mr. Alaguilan and his friends may continue to put a blind eye on these things but the fact of the matter is, their kind of comics is a marginalized cult in the Philippines supported by a small, insignificant westernized” elite audience. In a country where there are more poor people and there is a widening gap between a rich “westernized” minority and the poor, Mr. Alanguilan and co.’s Americanized comics are definitely the minority.

2 points-

As a Filipino cartoonist, I’m glad that there’s been such interest in my country’s artistic output. Just wish that at least one female was profiled i=here and in the Newsarama article- granted, there aren’t many popular Filipino women artists, but if you’re gonna go with a Seven Seas guy like Hai, what about Shiei, who also works with Seven Seas? What about Andrea Peterson, the American-Filipino creator of the webcomic ‘No Rest for the Wicked’?

Second, I noticed that several of the artists profiled seemed to be uneasy with manga - okay, Whilce Portacio and Joel Chua- being considered a ‘Philippine art” and would rather that Filipino comics harken back to the golden days of ‘komiks’ and Alcala, Darna, etc. Or guys in tights. Or guys in furry loincloths. What is up with that?

Filpinos should be embracing any and all influences that can enliven the artform. Besides, very few Filipinos of my generation know what the hell we are anyway- we’re still trying to figure out what our culture is, let alone what our comics style is….don’t stress about it! Just draw what you like!

The fact that we’re Filipino should be immaterial. The onyl way to make truly good work should be to put the art first, the Filipino-ness second.

That said, I weep for the day I found a rare out-of-print book collecting Alfredo Alcala’s art, selling for 200 pesos ($4) at an antique shop at MegaMall, and putting it down “for later.” Of course I never saw it again.

I echo Gerry’s sentiments of thanks for writing this article! I’m glad that people have begun to take notice of komiks again.

I sent a couple of copies of Elmer #1 to Publisher’s weekly, but I’m not sure if it got there…. I’d love to send you a copies of both #1 and #2… just let me know where to send it.

Thanks very much for this article! Me and the rest of us active in Philippine comics today appreciate it very much.

I’m glad Heidi is keeping this in the limelight.

If you, me, and my copy are ever in the same place at the same time, be ready to be hit up for an autorgaph!

heidi, any chance that book you did will go back to print? i’ve been looking for that and satan’s tears forever. i would’ve called coching the eisner of the philippines, myself.