The Top 4 Most Successful Komiks of This Generation (Part 1 of 4)

*Read all: (Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4)

This post was supposed to be in high spirits when I first thought about it. But after finalizing the shortlist, it turned out to be… quite depressing.

Four! I spent days gathering views from different people in an effort to extend the list to at least five. I originally wanted to do a top 10! I did research until minutes prior to this writing, but I couldn’t add more even if I wanted to. I’d only be fooling myself and you if I did. What a realization!

No wonder the local komiks industry is hardly moving! Too many slots are still vacant. Like a passenger jeepney in a station pila, it won’t go forward until all seats are filled up.

Now don’t be confused. I know there are a lot of really good pinoy komiks out there. If I am to do list for that, everybody knows it is going to exceed way past four. But I’m counting down the titles that had sufficient commercial success and publicity. If you are to dispute this list and thinks other titles should be included, hit the comments! I’ll be very happy to hear it. 

So without further ado, Komiks Manila proudly (still proudly) presents to you these icons, “The Top 4 Most Successful Komiks (1990 to present)”.

All those empty seats must drive the most passionate of komiks enthusiasts and fans crazy! So to you, the talented Filipino Komikero, I challenge you: many slots that are supposed to be occupied are vacant. Go secure your posts! It’s about time we get moving on this journey.

The  Scorpio Nights neighbor upstairs is insatiable. 

First off the list at number four is the hard-hitting, angst driven story of a gun-wielding man who lost his entire self, the moment he lost the woman he loves. It’s a story that kicks you in the face, then later, you feel its impact right through your heart. WASTED by Gerry Alanguilan (first ashcan issue: 1994, completed: 1996) delivered to Filipino komiks fans something that caught them off guard, something new or something they haven’t received from local komiks for a very long time.

Its overall premise is actually a cliché: a guy is dumped by his girl for someone else; he gets extremely miserable; so he goes out blowing people’s heads off with a pistol and a bag-full of ammo! But Gerry is not your average storyteller: he pushed the story to the extreme! He massacred a band of fags; choked to death a public smoker ‘til blood flowed through his arm; and sent a politician flying down from a high-rise building. Such kinds of bloody gore weren’t seen in the local industry before. At least not in the way Alanguilan told them.

He even believed his mom when she said; “Ang gwapu-gwapo mo anak!”

Extracting all his emotions from real-life experiences, and pouring all those glorious angst in a vessel that was to become Wasted, Gerry engages the reader with his honest and very personal story. The writer’s vulnerability during the time of its writing is very apparent in every page, and it induces the reader to become vulnerable as well. And when everything is set, Gerry delivers the final blow in the final chapter, Chapter 8. This in my opinion is the chapter that sealed Wasted as a premium reading material, proudly Filipino-made.

But what is it that put Wasted in this chart? Wasted is not anywhere near to being a household name after more than a decade its first printing. It is only familiar mostly to hardcore komiks fans and maybe to their immediate acquaintances. Other than that, the book hasn’t gained enough popularity to reach the masses’ majority, or at least a significant percentage of it. Despite getting published twice in compiled editions, getting serialized in Pulp Magazine, and getting posted as a web comic (yes, it’s available for free online!); Wasted’s commercial success is still kept in the minimum by the looks of it.

Nibs ignored the “BAWAL UMIHI DITO” sign for the last time. 

But success is measured not only by how many copies you sell and how much money you make. Impact is another gauge that defines achievement. And in this yardstick, Wasted champions the pinoy indie komiks scene.

Everyone who read the book has his story. Budgette Tan’s writes, “…in Wasted’s case, it hit me hard and then I started laughing… Then later I asked myself: Why the hell was I laughing?” (Apologies if I misquote, my Elmer #2 copy is not handy at the moment.) In my case, well, I just remember my heart pounding fast. It was hard to put down the book. I had to go back several pages and re-read it before I was able to finally put it down. Obviously, there was shock… and then followed a massive, lasting aftershock. The last time I checked, that aftershock has reached all the way to Russia! (Wasted in Russian. Read here, Vladimir!)

An artist or writer who just read Wasted and knew even just a little bit of history behind the tale would most likely want to create his own komiks. It was a learning experience just as much as it is inspirational. That of course, I say in terms of knowing your capabilities, which is most especially true during the late 90’s. Through the book, pinoy artists knew that he have no boundaries on which stories to tell and most importantly, he doesn’t need the big companies in order to get “published”. Wasted painted an idea of how far a humble, Xerox-produced mini komiks can take them.

The independent komikeros scored high in Wasted. The independent titles that are sold in booths at the annual Komikon are a testament to that. God knows what’s in store for them and how far they’d go. But to many komikeros, it all started with the story of a man with a broken heart… and a loaded gun. 

Hard-headed Peter Petrelli didn’t listen to his brother, Nathan. 

Every warm blooded pinoy komiks fan should know where to find Gerry.

He is also an active video blogger, friends. I wonder if he already made a video that discusses Wasted. I scoured his videos in YouTube, but I wasn’t able to find one. He has A LOT of videos. I really hope he makes one on Wasted.