The Story So Far: Episode Zero
Officially, my comics career started last year, around February 2004. In this post, I'll briefly talk about the things that happened before that [Stan Lee] momentous, milestone of a month! [/Stan Lee]After getting out of college, I took part in the production of our college yearbook, which took a significant amount of my time. It was a lot of work, but it was fun and was a tremendous experiece. Along the way, I managaed to cajole my way into getting my college comic, Optiman (The Economic Avenger!) added as an extra feature in the book. Very, very cool. I also did the cover, which can be seen here.
So, as that thing was coming to an end, I was at a crossroads in my life. Do I pursue comics, which is something I've always wanted to do? Or do I take up a "regular" job, at least for awhile, to make use of what I'd learned (and what my family invested in) in college? Bear in mind that I had been out of the comics loop for years, and didn't know a single thing about the industry, local or foreign.
Unfortunately for my UP professors, I decided to take the plunge into the world of comics. I knew that I had to make a sample, and maybe mail it off to Marvel, Top Cow, DC, whoever. So my first attempt to do a proper sequential sample would be my favorite heroes, Cloak and Dagger.
This was around the time that Marvel was looking for talent for its Epic line, which was pretty good timing. I remember downloading and printing their release forms, feeling really giddy and excited about the whole thing. Marel would later cancel its Epic line, so I wasn't able to send my package in, but at least, it was a fun experience.
It was also around this time that I met my first honest-to-god comic professional, Gerry Alanguilan, at a small con in Shangri-La. Yes, I'm probably the only Filipino comic fan who had never met Whilce or Leneil in the past (still haven't). I remember being very excited about the whole thing, as Gerry had told me via email that he'd critique my Cloak and Dagger sample.
I found a few days before the con that Leneil and Gerry were working on Superman, which I thought was very cool. See? Out of the loop!
I watched in the crowd while Gerry inked a sweet Batman sketch which Leneil had done the previous day. After his demo, I nervously approached Gerry with my sample. Hahaha, my hands were actually shaking while I handed him the pages! He caught all my mistakes, of course, and politely pointed out to me that I should use professional tools when I work. My parallel lines weren't even parallel! Overall, Gerry gave me a good critique, and I took a lot of things out of that.
Right after that meeting, I went straight to National Book Store and got a triangle, a portable drawing table, and a french curve set, which I still use today. My lines are parallel now! Well, most of the time, anyway... hehehe.
About a week or so after that, I stumbled upon the alamat yahoo group, which is where a lot of local pros and fellow aspirants hang out. I even saw a post by Whilce. This, of course, blew my mind. However, bear in mind that I didn't know anyone from the local scene, so the only names I recognized on the list were Budj Tan, Whilce, and Gerry.
Hehehe, this is where I first came across Wilson Tortosa's name. I saw some of his art online, which of course, rocked. I remember thinking, "wow, this guy can really draw! He has potential to become a pro!" Little did I know that he already WAS a pro! I could be the only person to recognize Wilson Tortosa's name from the yahoo group first, before learning about his Battle of the Planets run!
I later ended up buying Wilson's scanner, which has been a TREMENDOUS help in my short career. I've been doing fairly well for myself lately, so maybe the scanner is magic! Hehehe. But seriously though, if I make it big, I'm planning on selling the scanner at the same price that Wilson sold it to me, so it can help yet another aspiring artist out. I think that'd be cool.
Wilson has also generously given some of his free time to critique my samples, and has been a good influence as well. He really knows his fundamentals, and is very, very good at making dynamic lay-outs, poses, everything!
Very nice, that yahoo group. Also met some fellow creators there who've since turned into friends. Wilson D, Jeff V, Paulo and Chez, Joel, Fero, etc., etc.
Whew, this is longer than I expected. Gotta wrap it up quickly... uhh, the end! (How's that for quick?)
posted by butch @ 3/22/2005
1 Comments:
Hey, your only trip down memory lane and you cut your own studio mates short of a proper introduction.
Muntik na akong maikyak pero I got only a little blog time here.
You met me before you got Tortosa's scanner. And you forgot our squatter like existence in Burger King.
Halatang tinamad na pagdating sa creation of Bad S Studios. But I guess tayong mga "founders" lang ang worth mentioning. :P
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