ika-siyam

 This is a not-so-review/bullet reviews of the indies we acquired from the past two Kons.  May contain spoilers.


Shinkei Hanketsu #1-2

I like the printing quality of this title...it's really sharp.

Shinkei Hanketsu has a really interesting premise.  You have a gangster type of guy who will pay for his past sins via an
interesting punishment. It has a lot of potential.

As for the pace, it's a little too fast for me.  It was so fast, that the part where Yakusubi took over the old man's body didn't quite work for me.  I know he will be empathic during the "possession phase", BUT I think he needed to know the old man a little longer before he "feels" remorse.  It could have been one whole chapter.

Slow down a little next time maybe? Let your readers sink in...  


Salmon Komiks #2

Salmon has this signature story flavor that I like.  Feels much like Short Program series by Adachi.  Yung bitin niya, bitin talaga na walang kasunod...halos lahat open ended, and I like that a lot.  The humor is also very subtle... :9


Salmon Komiks #4

THe group finally decided to start a series...and I find it intruiging.  ^3^  The flipperman was trippy.  


Darwin's  Association of Delicious Evilness #2-4

As usual, Carlo's art is impressive.  THe story got intersting when they started recruiting members for the group.  I'm not sure what Carlo used for the original art, but I love the sketchiness.

I still have a problem with the changing font sizes, but meh...  I still like the story and execution a lot.  :9


Hunger


More than anything, this comic is a social commentary.  Although I think the comic is not for everybody. It's worth checking out since you get to see Marius' opinion on the topic...no matter how surreal the interpretation is.  It's raw and I like it. ^w^


Nino Balita - Espiritista #2

Nino is getting better at storytelling.  The script is still really good, and I enjoyed it a lot.  ;3

***

Okay, still not done reading everything...it's just a few more titles.  But please bear with me on my updates since my baby's finally here and taking over my universe... ^_^;

Stay tuned for more...


--joanah t.c.

Hi guys!  I know I haven't been uploading stuff here...sorry about that... ^_^;

BUT that doesn't mean Cresci Prophecies is on hold!  I recently finished the inks for chapter 26 (2nd chapter) of Vol. 4., and I'm currently working on the letters.  

I'm also planning to make another round of Indie Thang soon.

Now having said that, I won't be able to attend the November Komikon, and I won't be able to make copies of Vol. 1...

I'll be having a 2-3 month hiatus from comic production, because...I'm preparing to be a Mom (ultra nervous right now)... ^_^;
I know the baby and comic production sked is gonna drive me nuts, but I'll try my best to release Vol. 4 next year.

So, if you want to check out the current progress of CP, you can view it on CP's FB page --> www.facebook.com/CresciProphec…

Anyway, that's it for now!  I'll review the Indieket stash next journal, so stay tuned!  

--joanah t.c.

********

Reserve:

  -- vol. 1
Rawr -- Vol. 3

*******
Events:

This is a not so review/bullet reviews of the indies I got over the last few cons.  This is the last batch I got from SummerKon.

May contain spoilers...


Ink Jinks -- Horror Asylum #1-2

Pacing is good.  Naaalala ko yung mga wakasan komiks.  I like the gritty art.  However, the stories in issues 1-2 feels the same.  Different situation, but almost the same story.  Probably because of GIRLS, and the setting.  I even wondered if they were connected...but H.A. is probably composed of stand alone stories.  I could be wrong... But generally I liked it.  


Paolo Herras -- Noodle Boy #1

I like the silent panels, nice mood too.  Pacing is okay for print...but a little too long as a web comic me thinks.  Since the issue was pretty short, it serves as an appetizer for me.  The script is okay, just got a little confused with analogy part, but I got the hang of it. I found it quite interesting, I'm just hoping there would be more stuff happening next time.  


 Karuma #00

When I first saw Karuma, and most of the author's titles, I was wondering about how much she spent on the colored pages... O_O.  The whole thing was in color! Anyway, script and pacing is pretty nice!  A lot of stuff happened on the issue.  Some of the lines got cropped since there was very little space from the edges.  Overall, it's pretty interesting.  


 Slash #2-4

The pacing improved a lot on the following issues.  I like the shots and fight scenes.  I still get confused when they mention about Slash and def (defense) sometimes, but I guess I'll get used to it.  I found a part of Issue 4 a little abrupt (when Alizeti came back to her house), but I guess there's more to come, so the author is speeding up some of the details in the story. It got pretty interesting, so I'll check out the next issue.  ^_^

 D.ICE #1

Pacing is okay, and the story is quite interesting.  :3
However, I'm not a fan of colored paper.  ^_^;  Not sure if the comic ran through the Riso process.  The first 4 pages (painted parts of the comic) didn't go well with the printing.  The first lines in the first page faded on me, and the blue paper made it more difficult to read (that also made it difficult to read the articles).  Also, the top and bottom margins are a bit too big for the comic layout.

Setting the production aspects aside, the script in pretty nice, and I still want to know what happened to those girls at school...


Nino Balita -- Ang Inuuod Kong Puso

Probably the author's most bizarre title so far.  The situation was so silly, that I can't help but agree with the protagonist's parents.  ^_^;;  But I gotta hand it to Nino that he's really good with making entertaining stories.  


/FL3 -- Agawan Base #1

Following the concept of Patintero, Agawan Base is another interesting sport topic.  Script and pacing is still okay.  Since the set of characters for this story is different from Patintero, I'm expecting this title to get a little more interesting or have a sort of "survival mode".  Running the around the city is an interesting part of the game, and I'd like te story to take a more serious turn in the future.    (but then again that's just me)


 School Run #6

Macoooooooooooooy.... ibang klaseng bitin 'tong 6.  Please sundan mo agad, masyadong gut-wrenching yung dulo~!  >___<



 Dragon Kid #6

Pacing is and script is okay.  My nitpick with this one is the last page.  I didn't notice where it came from (I though it just went boom), until the author mentioned it in the blurb.  This issue is pretty nice by the way...yung last page lang talaga...


Noel Pacual -- Crime-Fighting Call Center Agents #3 

The punchline is golden!  XD  I kinda spoiled it for myself though (since I turned 2 pages), but since I had to turn back to get it, parang di rin ako na spoil.  XP Pinoy humor/popculture reference was used really well... I mean REALLY well.  I'm not sure if younger readers will get it, but I sure had a great time reading it.  XD


Pazin-tave Komiks -- Juanderlandia #2

The comic is getting better by the issue.  All of the author's influences rubbed-off on him pretty good.  The pacing and fight scenes were really nice.  And the designs were just soo nice~!  Next issue please~!  My nitpick is, around 2 lines were cut off the page...be carefull with margins next time.

 Darwin's Association of Delicious Evilness #1

Now, this is one of the most interesting titles in the batch.  The concept isn't new, since there's "Despicable Me", but the treatment is VERY different and much more adult than the former.  While reading it, I had mixed feelings on whether I wanted Darwin to succeed, but I'm also very curious on whether he can achieve his dream.  Expect exploded heads to go back to normal, and more violence  (the gag kind) in the comic.

I'm a little offed by the big font sizes in some of the the boxed narration...smaller font sizes next time (or at least make it a little more consistent)?  ^_^;  But worth the pick-up, so don't miss it!  ;D


***

That's the last of the indie stash~!    I'm now working on CP chapter 26, and hopefully I get to finish that before my comic-making hiatus.



--joanah t.c.

********

Reserve:

  -- vol. 1
Rawr -- Vol. 3

*******
Events:

This is a not-so-review/bullet reviews of the indies I got during the past Kon.  This batch came from Summer Komikon 2012. 

May contain spoilers…

 

Studio 4 Eyes  --   I Han it for Love #1-2

Pacing and story is pretty good.  Lots of funny moments too! 

When I read the first issue, I never expected the story to turn a different way in the 2^nd issue.  The first chapter hooked me, but the 2^nd one intrigued me a lot.  Looking forward to the 3^rd installment!  :3

 

Studio 4 Eyes/Gervi  – Team Gemini  #1

The script and pacing is okay…  I just had a bit of trouble following what was happening in the action scenes.  The lineart also needs a few thicker lines here and there  (the part where the monster appeared was the best page).  Adding some tones could also help identify a few shapes…  ^_^;

 

Studio 4 Eyes/  Crystal Shadows  #1-3

Story is quite interesting and pacing is good.  I just found the 3^rd chapter a bit short. 

 

  Aliguyon

The art looked really nice…but it was partly ruined by comic sans (sorry!), it just didn't match.  Medyo bitin  din yung  storytelling.  ^_^;

 

  Please be Careful with my Bones

The story was funny, nice and bitter at the same time.  LOL on the election joke.

 

Pinsel Project/  /Wynell Patricio –  Banakalz: Seeker of the Lost Relics #1

The concept is pretty nice, and the story is quite interesting.  I think it can do away with the story info page, or maybe save it for the next installment. 

I got  a little confused with the "Five Countries"  page, since I still took the country name blurbs as captions (even if it wasn't boxed…probably because of the commas that followed each name).  It would have helped if Aerokana was in a separate panel, or just include the other names of the country in the script/narration.  When I read the next page, I had to return to the 5 countries page, since I missed which country was ruled by the Levi.

Pacing and shots were also okay.  Overall it was interesting… worth a second pick-up… :3

 

Infinity Manga/Kakashi Motou – War Zero #1

The storytelling, script and shots were ok.  I can see the how Oda's influence rubbed-off on the author, and based on the choice of shots, he learned well. 

I would have preferred the title and dialogues be done digitally (or at least the dialogues could use a ruler).  Most of the lines were too cramped, or had too much space.  Fortunately, I had no problem reading  the lines.  Panels need to be drawn a bit thicker, since the art has enough details on it to drown-out  the panels.  Shadows also need to look more solid/uniform too.

Overall, I still liked it.  :3

 

Infinity Manga/Pschoket/Valkrie – Ma'lakh's Tale  #1

Story, script  and pacing is okay.  I had a little problem following with the visual-storytelling .  I do get that I have to read the bakery scene along with events in the Infernal Region.  The confusion started when the angel started transforming, and other characters started coming in (probably because the angel and Malach's hair looked the same, save for the horn). 

The shots are okay though, I still got the hang of the story.  Thicker panels next time maybe?  :3  I still find it interesting enough to follow….and the characters are quite interesting too.  :3

 

Ink Jinks Comics/Jake Vicente --  Tonio T. #1

I  really like the funny script and the pacing is pretty good.  Honestly, I didn't like the cover art.  However, I like the interior art, and I like the funny facial expressions.   

I got confused at the end of the chapter.  The author  made a nice buildup around the Martial Law history, and ended the chapter with a surprised Tonio…and then "FIN".  Waitaminute…no follow-up on that one?!  If ever issue 2 is going to continue that scene, do avoid putting "FIN" at the end.  Otherwise, you just made an unsatisfactory read for me.  "FIN"  can be used if there was closure (for the story), and I didn't get any.

But since I really like the script, and the story already got me interested, I'll most probably pick up the next one…

 

  Mukat  #8-9

This time, Mel's art became a little more detailed.  I kinda envy that he can make a comic like this back when he was in College (I wish I could do backgrounds too…but talent escapes me).  The handwriting got cleaner too.   I like the shots, and the scene shifts worked very well. 

Also liked the fight scene between Birai and Prince Eric.  Eric was soo cool!  X3  On the other hand, the rising  posts of the prison in issue 8 wasn't that clear to me (I had to look back several times to check how it appeared). 

But of course, I still like the story, and I liked it that Mel will be updating Mukat's art soon~!  

 

Nino Balita – Espiritista  #1

Nino took a bite at serialization.  This is different from the first 2 titles I read from him.  I think bagay yung art style niya dun sa kwento.  :3  I like the pace, the script and the overall storytelling.  For a tiny comic book, it's pretty much packed with action and info.

It's an enjoyable read for me.  I'll be sure to get the next one. 

 

***

 One more batch to review from the Summer Komikon!   So watch out for the last mixed stash bullets next time~!    

-- joanah .t.c.




********

Reserve:

  -- vol. 1
Rawr -- Vol. 3

*******
Events:

Indieket 2013
August

This is a not-so-review/bullet reviews of the indies I got during Summer Komikon 2013 (at last).

May contain spoilers …

Pampolina/Centeno – Shiroi Akuma
The script is okay.  My main nitpick would be… the font size and font.  You know my issue about Comic Sans, so let's talk about the size.  It was way too big, bigger than most of the word baloons.   When the size of a normal dialogue becomes bigger than the word balloon, it clutters the layout of the page.  The text covered a lot of the lineart, and makes it confusing  to follow.  In this case, the text overpowered the art.  Toning down the font size and thickening the lineart would do the comic good.


Paraluman: Ala-ala ni Maria  #3
The story is still intresting, and my old nitpick for the title is still there.  The switch between thoughts, or the person talking still confuses me.  Sometimes the spoken dialogue is outside the bubble, sometimes not.  Keeping the format consistent (thought dialogues would remain baloonless, spoken words baloons kept in balloons, at least for the rest of the issue ) could help avoid confusing readers.

I kinda like the twist in the end.  :3


Marco Dimaano/Kriss Sison – Ninja Girl KO! Indie Special #2
Still funny with clean lines!  Even if the authors mentioned that they probably won't  go back to the old story, I think it's still connected, so it's all cool to me.

 Luzviminda #0
I like the story and script so far.  I wish I could draw old people as good as Ray though.    The yellow paper takes a lot of getting used to, I still prefer a less brighter color or white when reading.  ^_^;


Salimpusa/Double Jeff – The Tales of Wiz #1
The script and story is interesting enough for a 2nd buy.  It's a little short though, and I have no idea what could happen in the next 5 issues…hopefully more pages and events next time?  :3


Mulong Gonzales -- The Noc Show
I liked most of the strips, especially the ones I can relate to (jeepney rides, types of friends).  In the smoking jokes…I could relate more to the girl who dumped him (sorry… ^_^; ).  But I do agree that hold-uppers should be stricken by lightning… >: )


 Mekanismo Prelude
Unfortunately, I read #1 first…but I guess it's okay.  I like the grays here more than in issue #1, but photocopiers and gradients dont mix well, so that's probably why the author switched to tones instead.


Dark Bulb Comic/Nelz Yumul – Shatter Space
Shatter Space still has that underground indie feel.  The art is highly stylistic.  Though I appreciate the unique look, the visuals can sometimes be a little confusing.  The big dots probably look good in color, but in black and white, the tones are a little too overpowering.  It's still a nice trippy read, and I'm looking forward to the cute animals in suits.  

 Lakan at Makisig #2
You can never go wrong with this series .  Still highly entertaining.  

and Eric Tang – The Megalodon/The Cretaceous
I sometimes forget how imaginative, and how spontaneous kids are.  Reading the two titles is like listening to a kid's story about what he dreamed the other night.  It's quite trippy for me, and I quite enjoyed it.  :3

and Eiji Tang – Captain Piggy
Like his brother's work, the comic is quite amusing.  Compared to Eric's story,  Captain Piggy has more of a plot to it.  It's a cool read for kids me thinks.  :3

One Floor Up #1
I started reading  this over at DA, and I really enjoy reading the strips.    The author excluded a few earlier strips from the compilation, but it still works without showing Diwa moving out of her parent's house.   Having celebs as neighbors is an interesting setup, and like the script and the characters a lot.  

 Coin and Flour Vol. 1
I'm really happy this got printed, since I really like Jayron's stories (and I don't have an andriod phone… ^_^.  I enjoy reading  the series.  Even if the story seems light hearted, I have a feeling Coin and Flour's cute relationship would have troubles along the way…and might not have a happy ending.  Hopefully I'm wrong, since I love the pairing~!

Jayron's art changed in the 3rd chapter though, but the story still remained interesting.  The hard copy had some problems with cropping.  Some of the dialogues were cut out, and hopefully they fix it next time they release a new volume.  

****

Finally, I'm eating through the SummerKon stash!  I still have more to read, so stay tuned for future reviews!  



-- joanah .t.c.


********

Reserve:

  -- vol. 1
Rawr -- Vol. 3

*******
Events:


Toycon
June

Indieket 2013
August

GTMACCCon 3
August/October

KOMIKON 2013
November

****


Cresci Prophecies: Book of Arcen
Vol 1. (340) -- compiled 1-8, note me or e-mail for orders
Vol. 2 (390)-- compiled 9-16
Vol. 3 (410) -- compiled 17-24
Vol. 4 (2014) -- concluding Arcen


Available at:

Comic Odyssey (Robinson's Galleria)
-- Vol. 1 and 2

Books Wagon Experiments (see link --> rockersworld.com/?p=295  for address)
--has back issues 1-9

....AND Comic related conventions... ^_^v

Brought to you by !


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