AND NOW... A FEW (MORE) WORDS ABOUT SEROKS
 
Congratulations to Andrea Abulencia, whose presentation of her paper--at the POSTHUMANITIES IN ASIA: THEORIES AND PRACTICES International Conference held at the Umeda Campus, Kansai University, in Osaka, Japan, on June 8 and 9--was, in her own words "well-received."

For the record, the paper is entitled "Pirated Identities, Real Fictional Selves: The Posthuman Clone Narrative in David Hontiveros' Seroks Iteration 1: Mirror Man as Philippine Contemporary Science Fiction," as can be seen in the image below.

Once again, thanx so much to Andrea and all you other mighty fine folk who continue to spread the good word...

you can't drink just six,

Dave

AND NOW... A FEW WORDS ABOUT SEROKS
 
I've just been informed that Andrea Abulencia, who chose SEROKS Iteration 1: Mirror Man as the subject for her thesis in 2016, has written another paper on it.
And this time, she's presenting her paper at the POSTHUMANITIES IN ASIA: THEORIES AND PRACTICES International Conference being held at the Umeda Campus, Kansai University, in Osaka, Japan, on June 8 and 9.

And while I've always been both thrilled and humbled every time something I've written is chosen as the subject for an academic paper, I've never made announcements before.
This time though, the paper's being presented.
At an international conference.
In the land of Ultraman, kaiju, tokusatsu, and the late, great Satoshi Kon. (All of whom/which, incidentally, were referenced in SEROKS.)
For all that, I thought it was blog post-worthy...

So, if you happen to be in the Osaka neighborhood this coming weekend and presentations of academic papers are kind of your thing, then hey, check out the conference.
And tell Andrea (now a teacher at the University of Asia and the Pacific; hope the presentation goes well!) you read about it here at the Iguana!

And before I wrap up, I'd just like to say thanx so much to all you mighty fine folk like Andrea, who find resonances in my writing, and help spread the word about them.

Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita.

you can't drink just six,

Dave

SEROKS ART (DIGITAL PRINTS) AVAILABLE

SEROKS art pieces by the mighty fine Alan Navarra are now available! (Shades not included.)
See here and here.
And for other pieces (including non-SEROKS art), check out Alan's Instagram.

PIMP MY STUFF
APRIL 12 2014 SUMMER KOMIKON

For all you mighty fine folk who plan to be at the Bayanihan Center next Saturday, April 12, for this year’s Summer Kon, these are the new ‘Verse titles that are launching:

DAKILA: Buwan

Issue 1 (of 3)

By David Hontiveros and Jason Confesor

P110.00

18-year old Brandon Ramirez has been a superhero for almost 3 months now, and as if things weren’t complicated enough, he’s gone and fallen in love… with a lunar princess… who’s got a jealous childhood friend who happens to be a demon-werewolf hybrid, and who’s just decided to turn up the crazy in time for a really important dinner date!

Dakila. 18 years old. Cosmic champion.

All of a sudden, acne and getting a driver’s license are so not a big deal.

URIEL: Hekhalot

Issue 2B (of 4)

By David Hontiveros and Michael Urbano

P50.00

Uriel is a mighty arel, held in reverence and awe by his fellow arelim, feared and despised by the shedim hordes.

And right now, his fate and existence lies in the hands of his seven-year-old mortal charge, Maleck de los Santos.

Uriel journeys to the diabul in an attempt to find a solution to his current problem: he must now find a way to leave Maleck’s body without harming the boy.

Meanwhile, Maleck’s doctor is sucked into the supernatural goings-on surrounding his young patient…

PLUS!

This baby should also be available at the Visprint table…

 

SEROKS Iteration 2: Once in a Lifetime

By David Hontiveros; illustrations by Alan Navarra

Return to the dystopic future world of SEROKS Iteration 1: Mirror Man in Once in a Lifetime.

Here, we meet two more of the 8 seroks of the world’s first superhero, Paladin, engineered from the DNA of popular yesteryear movie star-slash-disgraced ex-Philippine President Federico Rubio.

And find out more about the ones we’ve already met.

Plus, there’s also the world’s second superhero, Paladin, Jr., an enhanced clone of the tragically deceased movie star Taylor Kon, who’s teamed up with the first Paladin.

All that, and the rest of our SEROKS cast--Originals, Templates, or dupes--who are joined by some new faces, some familiar-looking, some not, and some, not even human.

So, while I’m uncertain as to the current status of Once in a Lifetime as far as the local bookstores are concerned--not sure when it’s gonna be stocked on shelves--it’s a safe bet copies will be available at Summer Kon.

So there we go.

Hope to see all you mighty fine folk at the Bayanihan Center next Saturday (April 12) for this year’s Summer Kon hijinx!

you can’t drink just six,

Dave

PIMP MY STUFF
SEROKS ITERATION 2: ONCE IN A LIFETIME

All right, the time is almost upon us...

I’ve been informed that SEROKS Iteration 2: Once in a Lifetime is currently in the process of actualization (i.e. it’s at press even as I type this).

SEROKS Iteration 2: Once in a Lifetime follows the original SEROKS Iteration 1: Mirror Man.

It, like its predecessor, is a collection of short stories set in the dystopic future world I first visited in the Palanca Award-winning “Kaming Mga Seroks.”

As with the first Iteration, the stories are by yours truly, with accompanying illustrations by the mighty fine Alan Navarra, all brought to us by the Visprint crew.

Keep your ears tuned for another announcement when the book’s ready for dissemination and it becomes available in bookstores across this grand nation of ours…

Huzzah!

Plus, if you have yet to pick it up, please check out SEROKS Iteration 1: Mirror Man at those aforementioned bookstores... 

(SEROKS Iteration 2: Once in a Lifetime Front and Back Covers and SEROKS Iteration 1: Mirror Man Front Cover by Alan Navarra; the Iteration 2 images are the original files Alan sent me, so I imagine they may look slightly different in the final print.)

SEROKS: PALADIN(S) CHARACTER DESIGN CONTEST
UPDATE

Greetings, Earthlings.

So we’ve officially come to the close of the Character Design Contest tied into my latest Visprint title, SEROKS Iteration 1: Mirror Man.

At this point, I’d like to say “Thanx” to anyone and everyone who’s shown support for SEROKS, by picking the book up, by spreading good word of mouth, by prattling on about it on that darn newfangled thang they're calling the Interwebz, or yes, by joining this just-concluded contest.

The winner will be informed via email of his (or her) triumph in the senses-shattering bloodsport that was this contest within the next week, and will see his (or her) winning entry published in the pages of SEROKS Iteration 2: Once in a Lifetime.

And yes, for the official record, there will only be one winner, because for some reason, no one chose to send in an entry for Taylor’s costume; all we got was for Roqué’s.  (And I don’t need to tell you, Taylor’s bummed about that.)

Meanwhile, the quasi-contest/comic book Artist Search continues, with a slight tweaking: if you’re interested in a comic book collaboration with me, then just email me (bakemono68@yahoo.co.uk) with samples of your art (sequential comic book pages, preferably; 3 to 5 pages, or more, if you’re so inclined--the more, the better, so I can more effectively gauge your strengths and range; also preferably featuring established comic book characters--try not to send in any pages which feature your original characters).

You can also choose to send me links to any online galleries (deviantart pages or the like).

Please use the Subject Heading: Art Samples – Your Name.

There’s no longer any need to prepare samples based on SEROKS. I’d just like to see your art, the particular style you call your own, the way you tell stories via panels and pages.

As always, any questions, you can leave them in the Comments section of this post, or email me at the above address.

Once again, thanx to everyone who’s shared their kind words about SEROKS with me, and those who’ve spread the word on the vast and sprawling Interwebz.

Your generous support is heartily appreciated.

If you haven’t picked up your own copy, SEROKS Iteration 1: Mirror Man can now be found on the shelves of the country’s leading bookstores.

And if you don’t see it on the shelves, please ask for it.

And don’t forget, SEROKS Iteration 2: Once in a Lifetime is soon to follow.

You can check out a preview of it, courtesy of the mighty fine Alan Navarra, here.

you can’t drink just six,

Dave

PIMP MY STUFF
SEROKS
 
In case this is all new to you, SEROKS Iteration 1: Mirror Man, from Visprint, is a collection of linked short stories all set in a dystopic future world where everything can be pirated, even people, a world first seen in my Palanca-honored SF short story, "Kaming Mga Seroks."

It's got illustrations by the mighty fine Alan Navarra, and, as can be construed from the full title, it's also the first in a series of SEROKS collections.

For those who are interested in reading the original Palanca awarded short story, it can be found online here, at the mighty fine InterNova, run by the mighty fine Michael Iwoleit. (Look! Downloadable as a PDF!)

And, courtesy of Alan, we're giving you the first look at SEROKS Iteration 2: Once in a Lifetime.
Crazy-awesome, yeah?
And for those who've read Iteration 1, yes, there will be more Dolores in Iteration 2...

you can't drink just six,

Dave
 

SEROKS: PALADIN(S) CHARACTER DESIGN CONTEST
UPDATE

Greetings, Earthlings.

If you haven’t heard, we’ve got an ongoing Character Design Contest (details here) tied into my latest Visprint title, SEROKS Iteration 1: Mirror Man, which can now be found on the shelves of the country’s leading bookstores. (And if you don’t see it on the shelves, please ask for it.)

This announcement is to inform all you mighty fine people that the contest deadline has been extended to May 25, 2013.

So, for those of you who may have thought we didn’t give enough time for you to cook up your entries, well, you’ve now got more time.

So come on, then. We’d like to see your creativity in action!

Again, all other contest details remain the same and can be found here.

Plus, there’s the other contest open to any comic book artists who’d like to collaborate with me; details for that are here.

Thanx again to everyone who’s shared their kind words about SEROKS with me, and those who’ve spread the word on the vast and sprawling Interwebz.

Your generous support is heartily appreciated.

you can’t drink just six,

Dave

PIMP MY STUFF
SUMMER KOMIKON 2013 TITLES

For all you mighty fine folk who plan to be at the Bayanihan Center this Saturday, April 13, these are the new titles that are launching:

AGYU: Surfacing

Issue 1 (of 3)

By David Hontiveros and Vinnie Pacleb

Elias Sandoval has always felt different.

Being half-enkanto will do that.

But not even the strange difficulties of his childhood could have prepared him for what he is today: a decorated proeliator of good standing in the Royal Enkanto Guard; world-renowned mixed martial arts heavyweight champion; and now, the buwaya’s chosen to bear the mantle of the legendary hero, AGYU.

And that’s only the beginning…

Join Elias months after the events chronicled in Kadasig: The Skeleton at the Feast 1, as he dons the garb of Agyu for the first time, and quickly starts to make some enemies…

Δ: A Vision of Dust

Issue 2 (of 4)

By David Hontiveros and Xerx Javier

In the many rooms of the House that is the World, there are arelim and shedim. Most men know them as angels and demons.

On occasion, both these races have been known to spill their seed onto humankind, producing hybrids forever caught between species, having characteristics of both, but belonging to neither.

Miguel Samson is one such hybrid.

He is the second point of our triangle.

Miguel has caught up with Lora… and Lucio, who just happened to be with Lora at the time. But now that he has, what’s he going to do with them?

And what’s his connection to Lucio?

SEROKS Iteration 1:

Mirror Man

(Available at the Visprint table)

SEROKS FOR SALE!

MANY MODELS, MANY USES!

FOR SECURITY, MANUAL LABOR, OR SEX!

CHOOSE FROM A WIDE VARIETY WHILE STOCKS ARE AVAILABLE.

CALL ARNEL AT 09108-SEROKS.

I first explored this dystopic future world just over ten years ago in the short story, “Kaming Mga Seroks,” which went on to be honored with a Palanca Award.

Now, alongside artist Alan Navarra, I’ve returned to that world in Seroks Iteration 1: Mirror Man, the first in a series of short fiction collections set in a world where everything is a commodity, and everything can be pirated, even people.

A world where the truth is ugly and a fake can be a hero.

The following comic book titles will also be available at the Alamat table:

KADASIG

Volume 1: The Skeleton at the Feast

Issue 1 (of 5)

By David Hontiveros and Ian Sta. Maria

Kadasig has served the Lady Ibu for centuries.

He was human, once. But today, he is a living, breathing kutummu, his skin now merely the scabbard for the seemingly infinite array of weapons he draws from inside himself, weapons he shapes from his own flesh and bone, to best serve the Lady in the only way he truly knows how.

He is the Lady’s kallaapu; her knight, her enforcer.

He is her beet tilli; her arsenal.

He is her kak daami; her bloodstained weapon.

And she is about to use him to finally lay her enemies low…

Picking up where the Underpass story, “Katumbas” left off, “A Life Less Ordinary” is the first of five chapters of The Skeleton at the Feast, chronicling the further adventures of the tsinelas-wearing badass, Kadasig.

This “second printing” is for all those who didn’t get to grab a copy at last year’s October Kon, and contains a number of Kadasig fan art pieces personally selected by Ian to run in the comic’s pages.

And, the non-‘Verse title:

BATHALA: Apokalypsis

Issues 1 to 5A/5B (of 7)

By David Hontiveros and Ace Enriquez

What if there was only one superhuman in the whole world?

What if the world was about to end as predicted in the Book of Revelation?

What can one superman do to hold back the hand of the Almighty?

Plus, if you’ve happened to have joined either of the two Seroks-related contests, you can also submit your entries to me, at the Alamat table.

See all you mighty fine people at the Kon!

you can’t drink just six,

Dave