Many have believed that the comics industry in the Philippines has long been dead. The death is evident in the fact that there are very few locally company-published comics that have survived in today’s market and most of them are either published by newspaper publications (comic strips) or those that are published by the likes of Anvil (“Pugad Baboy” by Pol Medina), Visprint (“Kikomachine” by Manix Abrera, “Trese” by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo) and Summit Media (that publishes “Bakemono High” and “Foldabots” in K-Zone, and their first ever Philippine graphic novel “The Underpass”).
But what has changed? Why is today’s Philippine comics industry seen as “dead”?
Perception of the Philippine Comics Industry as Dead
Looking back at the history of the Philippine comics, the apparent difference between the then and now are the subsistence and proliferation of comic publications and their products in the past. During 1916 to 1962, Ace Publications, the first comic-magazine publisher in the Philippines, a subsidiary of Liwayway Magazine, reigned supreme in delivering their titular brand of “Komiks” to the Philippine populace.
Theirs was truly the golden age of Philippine comics where the stories told were of the Filipino’s own lore, society, culture and its own inequities. At this point in time, writers and artists alike were paid per page and the comic publishers held and defended the rights of their stories and characters. This gave way to stiff competition but the comic medium was all in all relished by the Philippine masses as affordable, enjoyable, easy to grasp and made their lives a little lighter altogether (the stories depicted greatly reflected the nuances of their time and often hit close to home).
After the golden age, a steady decline of the Philippine comic industry followed, which was heralded by the untimely demise of Ace Publications which was caused by an employees’ strike. These workers demanded that they get paid the same salaries as the writers and artists which were unacceptable.
Among other factors, the decline of the Philippine comics industry was seemingly brought upon by the rise of new forms of media entertainment. The Philippine comic book then had to contend with the antics of real life people on screen.
With the rise of the information age, a new media competitor of the comics emerged: the Internet. This deluge of new information also paved the way for the present birth of “Pinoy Manga” where the comics and stories created are largely inspired by the Japanese anime and manga, thus losing the innate Philippine values, culture and arts in Filipino creations.
With the growing number of Filipino audience preferring these new forms of media, where was Philippine comics supposed to go?
Philippine Comics Today
Although now there aren’t any big publications that are focused on creating Filipino comics, the current Philippine comics industry is housing a number of independent creators whose aim is to supposedly revive this dead industry. These creators range from the “totally indie” authors who self-publish their works on the internet or in-print, to established comic artists whose works have been published here and abroad by publication companies, and those that dabble in both worlds.
The comic industry here in the Philippines has not “died” as they say although its current condition isn’t necessarily what you would call “healthy.” As shared by Filipino comic creator Elbert Or (creator of Bakemono High), the comics industry is suffering from stunted growth because of a lack of participating parties but “the comics as a medium is alive.”
The comic market enjoys a unique blend of personalities and stories but altogether it is still too small to be considered healthy. As both a boon and an ill to the present comics’ scene, no two stories are alike, even if they are in the same genre. The market still allows for the existence and competition of originals instead of it being a market where fighting off hordes and hordes of cloned products is the summation of a daily exercise.
In a forum held during the first ever Metro Comic Con last August 8, guest speaker Andrew Drilon shared how the internet can help budding comic authors develop and spread their works. Mr. Drilon built his career through making use of the internet by publishing his works online and reaching an international audience. He is quite well-known in the US independent comic’s scene for both his writing and art style.
Independent Filipino comic creators usually have a limited run and center their marketing to the yearly comic conventions that give them the physical space (indie comic booths) to sell their works. Others without the capability to push their books in distributors resort to guerilla marketing where they sell their wares directly to the customers.
A prime example of how these independent creators can reach their audience can be seen in Budjette Tan’s and Kajo Baldisimo’s “Trese.” After self-printing and reproducing the earlier issues of Trese by themselves, they took it to comic stores whose owners they knew personally in order to create an avenue for Trese. Seeing the slow pull movement of the comic, they then decided to publish their works on the internet to introduce the story to everyone. It did garner a large fan base. And because of its popularity, it caught the attention of Visprint publishing company that offered to print their comic book.
Survival of Philippine Comics
Aside from the apparent fact that the Philippine comics never died because of independent creators’ love for creating comics, comics in the Philippines didn’t die because of other communication-related reasons. Although comics wavered in its popularity as a pastime and medium for the masses, many businesses and organizations still use comics to disseminate information. Some examples include Meralco’s fliers that educate their customers, and a movement called “Subsidiarity” whose aim is to use comics as their vehicle to let the masses know how to vote wisely.
Furthermore, the comic strip thrived in the pages of newspapers all this time because they depicted how life constantly ebbed and flowed like the very waves that crash down at Manila Bay. They took the everyday situations the common Filipino found himself in and made them into satires, parodies and social commentaries. The Philippine comics breathed as the Filipino people did; it bled when they bled and laughed when they laughed. It stayed alive in spirit, amidst the hearts of the creators who dug deep down and found the courage to stay and work through the growing pains the industry was going through.
Comics vs. Other Forms of Media
Aside from the above-mentioned reasons why the Philippine comics survived, another reason is the low cost of producing comics. With comics, all the author really needs is a paper, a pen, an idea and the craft to create. With other forms like television and film, it requires a lot of man-power, equipment, and a big budget to shoulder the expenses incurred.
Comics are also quite friendly to their audience. A comic is easy to understand, not text heavy and with the visuals acting as context clues, even the young set can get the message.
In newspapers, editorial cartoons serve to reinforce the stands and opinions of the people behind the articles and the paper itself. It shows the strength and power of imagery in professing a point or an idea to a wide audience.
Philippine Comics in Bloom
And now in the year 2009, comics seem to be on the rise. Usually there are a few yearly comic conventions being held, the UP Komikon for one and the other the Mangaholix convention.
This time, however, there have been many comics-related celebrations: the two UP Komikons (May 16 and October 18 respectively), the Metro Manila Comic Con (August 8 to 9), the Mangaholix convention (this coming November 21 to 22), and the Philippine International Comics, Cartoons, and Animation Festival (or PICCA Fest, which was held last October 15 to 18). Given this, it shows that the industry is trying to get back up on its feet and that the current society is now once again turning its eye on the possibilities the comic market has.
The Challenge
But getting one’s work published here is supposedly hard because the industry is dead. This is not the case however according to Elbert Or. Publishers like Anvil have never closed their doors to comics; it’s just that there aren’t any people going to them with their works.
What serve to be the main obstacle in the way of independent creators getting their books published is their belief that comics is dead and that it needs to be revived. By accepting that comics as a medium is still alive, Mr. Or shared in the interview that a better way for independent creators to address it would be to sell the “stories” instead of focusing on “comics” per se, as evident in the ubiquitous slogan “Buy our comics. Support local comics.” It’s not because you should buy it because it’s a Filipino comic, you should buy it because it has a strong story that speaks to you as a reader.
People as an audience will always be looking for good content, as shared by Andrew Drilon in the Metro Comic Con forum. A successful comic is not just attractive art but is also made up of good content, good ideas and a good story that came to life through comics as a medium.
And in the process of coming up with that great idea, Budjette Tan encouraged Filipino creators in the recently-held forum called “Ideas Alive,” in which he cited Grant Morrison. Budjette said that “you’ve got to remember that in the entire history of the universe, you’re the only you that has ever existed and ever will exist. There is nobody in existence who is you, and no one can ever see the world the way you see it and tell the rest of us how it looks. And it might be so different and so beautiful that it can change the world.”
--- Written by Arvin Jesus R. De Leon
--- Edited by Czarina Denise D. Flores
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