ALAMAT: ORIGINS

[Addendum 4] (3 of 3)

In prepping ALAMAT: ORIGINS, Budjette Tan conducted a trio of Q&A's with me covering AVATAR, HORUS, and DHAMPYR.

Some of the Q&A content made it into the story Intros in ORIGINS.

Most, did not.

So I'll be posting the Q&A's here, uncut, so you can all see what was left on the cutting room floor.

Third up: AVATAR.

1 Same question – what’s your elevator pitch for AVATAR?

 

A beloved hero’s “best friend” (ala Jimmy Olsen)/youthful sidekick, crippled during a brutal supervillain battle, is given a chance to become that hero, oblivious to the sinister machinations going on behind the scenes of his very own “origin” story.

 

2 At this point in time, you’d already written Horus (and maybe Bathala?) – what was your approach to writing another guy with a cape? What was the impetus that got you excited to tell the story of Avatar?

 

One of the many things I’ve learned over the years is to never question the inspiration.

If an idea presents itself, and I’ve kicked all the tires and deemed it sound enough to take out on the road, on a journey that appears worthwhile, headed towards an intriguing and interesting destination, then I just slam those keys home, rev the engine, and head out on that highway…

 

So when AVATAR popped into my head, I didn’t really stop to think, “Well, it has to be different from those other Superman archetype characters I’ve written”; that consideration comes later, in the molding of the material.

Trust the process is another thing I’ve learned, so you drive down that highway the inspiration has presented to you, and you trust that the journey will be different from those you’ve taken before.

 

Plus, AVATAR (one of whose core ideas is: what if someone whose ability to move freely had been taken away from him, was suddenly given a chance to fly*) came around after a significant amount of time in which I wrote nothing, a sustained period where no idea seemed potent enough to pursue. It was a creative wasteland I was tired of inhabiting, and AVATAR was the rescuing hand that took me out of it.

 

So, really, there was no second guessing about me writing “another guy in a cape”. It was actually me leaning in and embracing all of that, an attitude that I’ve adopted time and again since then.

 

* In retrospect, given the creative rut I was in at the time, that metaphor is definitely not lost on me.

 

3 If AVATAR reached up to issue 100, what would he be doing? How would you make that milestone issue super special?

 

I imagine issue 100 would be the culmination of the whole “Terra Armada” subplot, when the fact that Tiercel is really a manipulative SOB who’s positioned all these heroes as pawns and expendable pieces on his chessboard has become common knowledge to Avatar and Horus.

The war they’ve been unwittingly trained for should reach its end at that point, and, well, it really isn’t actually a happy ending, honestly…

Would that make it “super special” enough…?

:P

 

And there you go.

While I also re-lettered AVATAR, it was more for the sake of readability.

Because the original publication was oversized, it was essentially shrunk down to the dimensions/proportions of ALAMAT: ORIGINS.

If I'd left the original lettering as it was, the issue would have possibly been a difficult read. So it was a matter of increasing the font size, rather than a full-on remastering ala HORUS.

Additionally, since the request was for "first issues", that's what appears in ORIGINS; the main story in AVATAR issue 1.

But there's actually a Prologue chapter, which ran in the final issue of PANTHEON, with art by the one and only Carl Vergara, where we see Tiercel make the offer to the crippled Saul that turns him into (the new) Avatar.

Maybe (hopefully?) we'll get to see that one reprinted too, somewhere down the line...

I think that's all I've got for now...

Honestly not sure if I'll be back with more ORIGINS posts, but if you have any specific questions (about AVATAR or HORUS or DHAMPYR) then that would ensure my return...

So, any questions, please feel free to leave them in the Comments section and I'll see what I can do to answer them.

you can't drink just six,

Dave

ALAMAT: ORIGINS

[Addendum 3] (2 of 3)

In prepping ALAMAT: ORIGINS, Budjette Tan conducted a trio of Q&A's with me covering AVATAR, HORUS, and DHAMPYR.

Some of the Q&A content made it into the story Intros in ORIGINS.

Most, did not.

So I'll be posting the Q&A's here, uncut, so you can all see what was left on the cutting room floor.

Second up: HORUS.

1 Same [first] question – what’s your elevator pitch to get people to read HORUS?

 

You’re a gifted college athlete, and you wake up one morning with a tattoo on your arm, a tattoo that allows you to change into a freaking SUPERHERO!

Crazy-awesome insanity ensues!

 

2 What inspired you to have twins as your main characters? And what kind of tension did you have in mind by having only one of them get the powers?

 

I’ve long been fascinated by the Beloved Executioner motif; the idea of betrayal coming from a loved one, like a brother, or more pointedly, a twin. It’s an idea I revisited in BATHALA, where I took it to some dark conclusions.

My end point for the Daly twins in HORUS is certainly not as dark as what we see unfold in BATHALA, but it would have hopefully been a torturous emotional wringer for both brothers to undergo before emerging on the other side.

Some of the bones of contention between the brothers begin to rear their ugly heads in the published HORUS stories, one seed in particular foregrounded in the story reprinted [in ALAMAT: ORIGINS], while the static of growing up unable to escape the shadow of a more popular sibling (a twin! So why aren’t we exactly alike?!) plays constantly through the narrative background.

 

3 Which version of Superman inspired you in your writing of HORUS?

 

Definitely Superman: The Animated Series, from the second half of the ‘90’s. (I’m also really enjoying My Adventures with Superman, BTW.)

The fact that I gave the main character the last name Daly (after STAS Superman voice actor Tim Daly) is a dead giveaway.

 

For those of you who were with Alamat from the early days, you may note that HORUS is really TATTOOED, but filtered through an Egyptian myth/STAS lens.

I loved the foundational idea of TATTOOED so much that I thought it would be interesting to take that core concept and apply it to a more all-ages title, and thus, we have HORUS.

 

4 If HORUS could have a cross-over with any comic book character, who would it be and what would they do?

 

Given the STAS influence, definitely Superman, who has become, over the decades, the comic book/spandex archetype of the Solar Hero (among many other things, of course).

They’d settle into a mentor/mentee set-up (one of the many things I frequently return to in my comic writing) and battle some darkness/shadow-themed villain, probably Set… 

 

And there you go.

Since the opportunity to re-letter HORUS presented itself, I took that shot to effectively remaster the story, polishing up the text (or, in some cases, writing new material), to further underscore plot points or themes.

So even if you'd already read this issue in its original incarnation in PANTHEON #1, the story as presented in ALAMAT: ORIGINS should hopefully be a more fulfilling read.

BTW, on page 339 of ORIGINS, the cover Tony used for HORUS is actually the back cover of AVATAR #3, art by Kai Legaspi. (Since we didn't have an actual HORUS #1 cover.)

Plus, on page 340, the creator credits should read David Hontiveros and Carl Vergara.

And, having mentioned AVATAR (also co-created by Carl!), the Q&A for that should hopefully go live sometime in the coming week.

If you have any questions about HORUS (or DHAMPYR), please feel free to leave them in the Comments section and I'll see what I can do to answer them.

you can't drink just six,

Dave

 ALAMAT: ORIGINS

[Addendum 2] (1 of 3)

In prepping ALAMAT: ORIGINS, Budjette Tan conducted a trio of Q&A's with me covering AVATAR, HORUS, and DHAMPYR.

Some of the Q&A content made it into the story Intros in ORIGINS.

Most, did not.

So I'll be posting the Q&A's here, uncut, so you can all see what was left on the cutting room floor.

First up: DHAMPYR.

1 For new readers, what’s your pitch that would get them interested In DHAMPYR?

 

You’re a half-human, half-vampire hybrid, who’s become quite adept at hunting down those blood-sucking freaks.

But you’re really looking for one freak in particular: your father…

Family reunions can be such a pain in the neck.

 

2 Aside from Vampire: The Masquerade, what inspired you to create these characters and that world of vampires?

 

As you’ve noted, Vampire: The Masquerade (and by extension, White Wolf’s World of Darkness RPG universe) was the main inspiration for DHAMPYR.

A key inspirational element here was the Vampire campaign I ran with a group of players that included none other than Carlo Vergara himself. DHAMPYR’s setting (that very particular Goth-drenched San Francisco spectacularly brought to (un)life by Oliver) was also influenced by that Vampire campaign.

 

Beyond that RPG inspiration, I also wanted to write about family dysfunction, and I felt that if I could write something fantastic, where you could actually strip away all the genre markers (the vampire/occult stuff) and still have a functional narrative (a son trying to come to terms with an absentee father and the wreckage of his family caused by that person), then I could possibly have a story worth telling.

 

3 If you created Dhampyr today in 2024, do you think you would end up with a different set of characters, a different layout for the world?

 

Interesting question.

Two ways to answer that.

 

One: if, for whatever reason, the specific idea for what eventually turned out to be DHAMPYR came to me today, it would then be a period piece, in that, there’s something very particular about the Goth scene in the ‘90’s, when the ‘80’s (and Goth’s “birth” in the late 70’s) were still a recent memory, before the drift of certain elements of the subculture towards the mainstream (see: emo).

 

So I can’t quite see that DHAMPYR narrative set in the present day, without having its, ahem, fangs filed down, certainly from a visual/aesthetic standpoint.

So the story we told in DHAMPYR, characters and all, would still probably be set in that time frame.

 

The other way to answer your question: if a general idea came to me to write about a half-human, half-vampire hybrid in the year 2024, that story would definitely not be the story we told in DHAMPYR, but another beast entirely…

I highly doubt that it would have that Goth aesthetic, either… so, at the very least, the characters wouldn’t look the same…

 

4 What do you remember from the night the book was launched in Synergy, during Halloween?

 

That sea of PDBs (People Dressed in Black).

So awesome.

:D

So there you go.

After all this time, I am still extremely proud of what Oliver and I were able to achieve with DHAMPYR.

The fact that DHAMPYR was the title that made the Manila Critics Circle establish a Comics Category is still both mind-blowing and humbling for me. Sure, we didn't win, because the Circle has a rule that the voting of the judges needs to be unanimous for a book to be considered a "winner", but that doesn't take anything away from the reality that DHAMPYR was the inaugural title for the Circle's Comics Category.

It broke through the ceiling.

Boom. 

The next Q&A (probably HORUS) should hopefully go live over the weekend?

If you have any questions about DHAMPYR, please feel free to leave them in the Comments section and I'll see what I can do to answer them.

you can't drink just six,

Dave

ALAMAT: ORIGINS

[Addendum 1]

So I got my compli copies of ALAMAT: ORIGINS (thanx so much to Rome for the coordinating) and wanted to note a few things.

Firstly, that this will hopefully develop into a series of posts centered on ORIGINS and the stories between its covers that I had a hand in writing. Random notes and observations to hopefully put those stories in the bigger context that they're a part of.

Secondly, in Karen's Afterword, she notes a conversation in which an "un-God" is mentioned.

Now, time and memory will do this to you, but I, for one, do not recall this conversation.

Time and memory.

And age.

It happens.

I do want to point out however, that the "un-God" is certainly not my idea at all.

Fans of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol will recognize the description as that of the Decreator. (Still one of the most chilling things Grant has ever written, that sadly, did not quite make the translation in the TV adaptation.)

So, I dunno... maybe time and memory did the same thing to Karen (three decades ago, man! SMH.), but the "un-God" is not an idea I came up with.

The Decreator... that's all Grant.

Anyhoo.

Hope you picked up (or intend to pick up) ALAMAT: ORIGINS, which chronicles our early efforts at comic book writing.

Hopefully I'll be around here again soon with some more ORIGINS Addenda.

you can't drink just six,

Dave

PIMP MY STUFF
WELCOME TO THE 'VERSE

I love world-building.

I love the feeling that not only are character arcs and subplots and the main narrative progressing as each chapter is told, but that also, brick by brick, the reader is being exposed to the world in which the narrative is unfolding.

I had this discussion with Carl Vergara after this year’s Summer Komikon; that my fascination with world-building is undoubtedly rooted in the decades of role-playing I managed to notch up with my brothers and friends (Carl among them), particularly those campaigns that I ran.

As a player in an RPG campaign, all you have to do is step into a single role, Method act that role to the hilt, and hope that the Polyhedral Dice Gods look down on you favorably.

As a Dungeon Master/Judge/Referee/Storyteller though, not only do you need to keep the campaign’s narrative--present and past--straight in your head, you need to also inhabit several roles (playing all the NPCs--non-player characters--that interact with your players’ characters), creatively deal with whatever curveballs players sometimes have the tendency to lob your way and which will directly impact on the narrative’s future, as well as know, somewhere at the back of your head, what’s taking place in other parts of the setting that the players may be very far away from.

It’s a lot to keep track of, but it all becomes worth it when you’re told by appreciative and grateful players that they had a blast during the campaign.

I told Carl that I had belatedly realized that everything I learned from RPGs, I had somehow managed to apply to my writing, that that RPG ethos stuck, and has subsequently served me well.

Which is where The ‘Verse comes in.

I’ve already talked elsewhere about the 5 comic titles I’m working on--alphabetically, AGYU, DAKILA, KADASIG, TATSULOK (aka Δ), and URIEL--all being set in the same universe, the world I first introduced in my novella, PARMAN.

Upon Budjette’s suggestion, an umbrella imprint was conceptualized, something that could immediately indicate that, Yes, these comics are all set in the same universe. These 5 titles may be telling their own stories, but those stories are all taking place in the same world.

Thus, we give you The ‘Verse, the third name I suggested, and which I came to in a rather casual and accidental manner. But it was a name Ian, Budjette and I liked the sound of, so here we are.

With a great logo by the mighty fine Mr. Sta. Maria.

So.

Welcome to The ‘Verse, a world that will be built across several comic titles, not just by me, but also with the indispensable help of the mighty fine artists I have the privilege of collaborating with.

You’ve seen Ian and Xerx’s stuff; hopefully, you’ll be seeing my other collaborators’ work soon as well.

From all of us, to all of you, we hope you make The ‘Verse a regular reading destination.

you can’t drink just six,

Dave

XS: To all the mighty fine folk who stopped by the Alamat table at the October Kon, and everyone who’s spreading all the love about our work across the wild world of the Internetz, thanx so much for all your enthusiasm and support.

AFTERTHOUGHTS (72)
POST-KOLEKTIB THOUGHTS

First off, thanx so much to all the good people who descended upon Kolektib to see the wild menagerie that was us, all the strange and colourful folk the stellar Nida G.R. has gathered under the VPE umbrella.
Also, I should again apologize profusely to Pogz, for the non-meeting.
To one and all, whether you were at Kolektib yesterday or not, I’d be remiss in my pimping duties if I didn’t repeat: the Penumbra horror/dark fantasy novellas Takod, Parman, and Craving, written by yours truly, are available in book stores (as are all the other wondrous tomes put out by Visual Print Enterprises).
Pelicula, meanwhile, is online here. It’s up to Reel Five, Chapter 34, where an important discussion is conducted in a basketball court in Tondo.

And since I’m already here, I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge a number of individuals, for stuff above and beyond…
To the following, whose patronage and help have kept the Iguana well-fed and stocked with reviews: Jeb, Carla and Ed, Bianca, Beau, and Reg.
To Nida, for getting Penumbra out there.
To Budj, Carl, and Karen, for all the support (moral and otherwise), over the long years.
To all of you beautiful people, many, many, many thanx.

And to all of you who’ve dropped by to keep the Iguana company, thanx to you as well! She appreciates your visits…

(Takod cover design by Wawi Navarroza; Parman cover art by Oliver Pulumbarit; Craving cover art and jacket design and Pelicula logo by Carl Vergara; Habagat design and pin-up by Ian Sta. Maria.)

AFTERTHOUGHTS (71)
PIMP MY BOOK (9)
CRAVING

The following is an excerpt from the Penumbra horror/dark fantasy novella, Craving, written by yours truly, and published by Visual Print Enterprises.

The sun was just beginning to set, and Anne was on her way back to the house from her daily walk along the beach. Every other day of the week, Lester accompanied her, but today was Thursday, and Thursday was Clean-Up Day, so she went solo on Thursdays, careful to pack her cell phone in her canvas tote bag, in case of…
Well… just in case.

Anne sighed. She was so grateful for Lester, for his patience, his understanding. As difficult as this and the past two pregnancies had been for her, Anne knew it was doubly hard for her husband, who had no choice but to simply be there, by her side, unable to carry the whole burden on his shoulders.
Which she knew he would, without a doubt, without a moment’s hesitation, if he only could. But this was her burden, by virtue of gender and biology, this was hers, and she felt blessed to have Lester there, always, strengthening her resolve by his mere presence.

Anne smiled, a small, tender smile, as she walked along the dirt road leading up to the Doctora’s house, walked in the Daisy Duckzilla walk, as Lester had dubbed it. Anne had perfected a shuffling, shambling lope that was slow and awkward, but got her to where she wanted to go, safe, and in one piece.
“And that’s what it’s all about these days, huh, Junior?” she cooed, rubbing her stomach through the thin summer blouse she wore.
Dimly, she heard something.
She stopped, frowning.

There, off in the depths of the waist-high talahib to the side of the dirt road.
What sounded like a cat… yowling…
No. Not a cat. Not yowling.
Wailing. Crying.
“Oh, my God,” Anne whispered.
It’s a baby, she thought. It’s a baby that’s been abandoned, and it’s hungry and thirsty and how am I supposed to reach it? There could be snakes in there, and, oh! Snakes! And that poor baby! Lester!

And she began to dig through her bag, frantically. Then she noticed the crying getting louder, closer to her.
Frozen, she watched as the stalks of grass bent, and now, there was the sound of brittle snapping, and something (something?) crawled through the talahib, towards her, the crying definitely louder now, more insistent.
Anne backed away, slowly, her eyes transfixed, watching the swaying, the bending and snapping, marking the path, the trajectory.

And then the crying stopped. No winding down, no softening. Just a clean, dead stop.
But the grass was still being disturbed, upset by the movement, the resolute crawl of whatever it was.
Anne resumed the Daisy Duckzilla walk, a little faster now, pulling the cell out of her tote bag, the sound of crunching, snapping blades of grass deafening to her.

As she flipped her cell phone open, the giggling began, a high-pitched, lunatic sound.
She didn’t look back, didn’t wish or want to, she just kept walking, walking, her eye on the mango tree, which was yelling distance from the house, whispering the “Hail Mary” beneath her breath.
And though the giggling continued, an awful, manic noise, the sound of movement through the grass stopped, and Anne imagined blades of grass being pulled apart, eyes watching her, boring into her back.

But she still didn’t look back. She just walked, tote bag in one hand, cell phone in the other (in a skeletal, white-knuckled grip), leaving the giggling behind her, the “Hail Mary” still on her lips.
“… and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus…”
And the giggling just went on, and on, and on…

If the above tidbit has suitably intrigued you, Craving is available in bookstores. (And if you don’t see it on the shelves, ask for it, please.)
Or, if you’re so inclined, you can drop by Kolektib (Shop 33 in the Cubao Expo) this Saturday, May 24, 2008, and attend “9 in 1: Kolektib Intelidyens,” where I will be among the menagerie of wild writers and artists the good people of Visual Print Enterprises will gather for your awe and amusement.
Craving (and lots of other goodies) will be available there.
It’s from 3pm to 6pm, this Saturday; see Afterthoughts (67) for more details.
Hope to see all you fine folk there!

(Craving art and jacket design by Carl Vergara.)

AFTERTHOUGHTS (67)
If you happen to be in the area this coming Saturday, May 24, 2008, you may want to drop by Kolektib (Shop 33 in the Cubao Expo), where Visual Print Enterprises is throwing “9 in 1: Kolektib Intelidyens,” a to-do featuring myself and a whole bunch of other writers whose work has been published under their auspices.
I’ll be there pimping the Penumbra novellas (Takod, Craving, and Parman), Carl Vergara will be there pimping ZsaZsa Zaturnnah, and Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo will be there pimping the Trese compilations. (Check the image above for the full line-up.)
If you like any or all of these curiosities, come on by!
That’s Kolektib at the Cubao Expo, May 24, from 3pm to 6pm. (You can find more details here.)
Hope to see all you fine people there!

(Top image courtesy of Visual Print Enterprises; bottom image features art by Carl Vergara, Oliver Pulumbarit, and Wawi Navarroza.)

AFTERTHOUGHTS (26)
a.k.a. “PIMP MY BOOK” (2)

Thanx to everyone who’s checked out Pelicula.
And thanx to those who’ve left comments here at the Iguana.

To Martin: I’m glad you loved what you saw in the first four chapters, and I’m really glad that ritual got you the way it did.
What can I say? Lovecraft and the Al Azif (a.k.a. the Necronomicon): a winning combo.
I’m stoked that you’re enjoying the tone and the mash-up of elements and genres. As I mentioned in Afterthoughts (23), Pelicula involved a lot of firsts for me, and I’m pleased as punch with it.

To I.K.Ida: Thanx for liking the Penumbra novellas. Hope you’re enjoying Pelicula too.

To those who haven’t checked it out, go to the website designed by the very excellent Carl Vergara. Updates are weekly. Then leave any comments you may have back here.

Thanx again, one and all.

(Image from Pelicula website, website designed by Carl Vergara, Habagat icon designed by the equally excellent Ian Sta. Maria.)

AFTERTHOUGHTS (23)
a.k.a. “PIMP MY BOOK”

First off, to everyone who stopped by at Komikon 3, either for the kind, encouraging words, to have their stuff signed, or to pick up the Penumbra novellas, my humble thanx.

And now, just to make this sound official:

PELICULA: AN ONLINE NOVEL BY DAVID HONTIVEROS

Fame is a power many dream of possessing. It is a power Luis Conrado is very familiar with, especially when he assumes his super-powered alter ego Habagat.

Having the power to fly with the eagles, the strength of a hundred men, and the ability to withstand pain and injury can sometimes pale in comparison to the shining, blinding power of fame.

Standing in that blazing spotlight for too long, Conrado does not notice the ones standing in the shadows. The architects of his fame. The ones who hold the true power.

>>> Read the first four chapters of PELICULA at: http://www.davidhontiveros.com/

Also at the site, a gallery of the super-hero Habagat. With illustrations by Carlo Vergara, Ian Sta. Maria, Kajo Baldisimo, Bow Guerrero, Ronnie Tres Reyes, Dennis Crisostomo, Arvie Villena, Reno Maniquis, Oliver Pulumbarit, Aldin Viray, and Edgar Tadeo.

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

The seed for Pelicula was innocuous enough: very casual talk about some Internet rumour or other. Somehow, that spark collided with my long-abiding interest in live-action superheroics, and a novel was born.

Having completed the trio of Penumbra novellas (Takod, Craving, and Parman), I felt ready to tackle a longer story, and Pelicula appeared to have enough meat to warrant a novel-length treatment.

What ultimately emerged was not only something I hadn’t exactly anticipated, it was also a lot of things I’d never really attempted before in my fiction: it was a parody, a satire, a romance, and had gobbets of words and dialogue in Filipino and Taglish.

I’m proud of Pelicula, and extremely thankful to three individuals who helped in its genesis and in getting it to where it is today: Nida, who saw it first in its entirety and gave it a thumbs up; and Carl and Budj, for all the support and help over the years.

And now that it’s toddling off onto the World Wide Web, I can only hope it amuses, entertains, and enlightens you, just as much as it amused, entertained, and enlightened me, in the process of putting it all together.

David Hontiveros

November 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Hontiveros is a National Book Award-nominated and Palanca-winning writer, with three horror/dark fantasy novellas (under the Penumbra imprint) out in the market.

His short fiction has appeared in such publications as Story Philippines, Philippine Graphic, and Chimera, while his articles and film reviews have been published in Philippine Graphic, the Manila Times, Mirror Magazine, and Manual.

So, if you want to check out Pelicula, just surf on over to the website.
The Penumbra novellas (Takod, Craving, and Parman) are available in bookstores, and if you don’t see them on the shelves, please ask for them.

(Image from Pelicula website, website designed by Carl Vergara, Habagat icon designed by Ian Sta. Maria.)