ALAMAT: ORIGINS

[Addendum 5]

As I've mentioned in the earlier addenda, I relettered the AVATAR issue, and remastered HORUS.

Doing so afforded me the opportunity to see the pages before printing proper.

I did not get the same chance with DHAMPYR.

So I got to see the DHAMPYR section at the same time most everyone else did: when they got their copy of ALAMAT: ORIGINS.

Now, for a bunch of reasons, I have yet to read through the DHAMPYR section page-by-page.

But while I was randomly flipping through ORIGINS, I did note that the page sequence of the DHAMPYR section was... wonky.

So, for those of you who may have been confused with the apparently teleporting/time-travelling characters blinking in and out of scenes, please refer to the page sequences below:

225-234 / 237-238 / 301-302 / 239-298 / 235-236 / 299-300 / 303-306

The DHAMPYR section in ORIGINS runs from page 225 to 306.

We're fine with the initial section (pages 225-234), then we need to jump to pages 237-238, then jump to pages 301-302, then back to page 239, all the way through till page 298, etc, etc.

(Just follow that string of page numbers to read the story in its correct sequence.)

I've made the pertinent parties aware of the wonkiness, and hopefully, these errors will be rectified in any subsequent print runs of ORIGINS.

For now though, if you find yourself scratching your head at the way characters blink in and out of scenes, then please refer to the page numbers string above, which should clarify things nicely.

you can't drink just six,

Dave

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

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 30, 2022)

ARENA Glossary (1)

ARENA GLOSSARY

domaz

the winner of the previous Tornos, who acts as a scorekeeper/referee/impartial observer for the current one

numen (pl. numina)

omnipotent entity (considered by some as a deity) who views the Tornos as idle entertainment; each numen acts as a patron for a pehon

pehon (pl. pehonem)

fighter chosen (and often abducted from their home dimension) to represent a particular numen in the Tornos

taumaz

a group of four pehonem temporarily allied together

Tornos

a tournament the numina mount on a regular basis, in which pehonem battle each other till only one remains undefeated, becoming the winner, and subsequently, the domaz for the next Tornos

Vahta

the isolated location from where the numina observe the Tornos

(the) Vanayis (The Wish Without Limit)

the ultimate prize of the Tornos, a reality-altering wish

If you haven't read the first episode of ARENA yet, and have absolutely no idea what those funky words are all about, then please click on the logo above for front row seats to the Tornos.

(Click on the logo, people...

Click on the logo and engage...)

ARENA is brought to you by the tag team responsible for the DAKILA: Siyudad story arc--the mighty fine Pytr Mutuc on art and colors, Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters.

As with PODERICO POWERBOMB!, ARENA is also one of the many, many entries in the Webtoon "Call to Action" contest, so, we need as much support as all you mighty fine folk can muster...

We need what Webtoon calls "engagement"...

So, please, engage away, people!

And please be kind enough to help spread the word; feel free to share the ARENA link to any and all, particularly those you feel would groove to its distinctive beat.

As I've said before, my mighty fine collaborators Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc, and I, need all the support we can get, and all the support all you mighty fine people out there can muster.

Thanx so much!

you can’t drink just six,

 

Dave

Thanx to my mighty fine co-creators on PODERICO POWERBOMB! and ARENA, Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc.

Thanx to all you mighty fine folk helping to spread the word.

(ARENA logo designed by Pytr Mutuc.)

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 27, 2022) PODERICO POWERBOMB! Glossary (1)

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 27, 2022)

PODERICO POWERBOMB! Glossary (1)

                                                                    

What you'll find here, though we're calling it a glossary, can actually be looked at as a primer as well.

For anyone who's read (or is about to read) PODERICO POWERBOMB!, and who happens to be unfamiliar with Filipino myth and folklore or things like Filipino place names, then we've got you covered here.

Our intent is to present an updateable glossary/primer, in that new terms and entries will be added as new episodes are released, and these updates will hopefully be of service to those who may be encountering these terms for the first time.

To wit:

PODERICO POWERBOMB! GLOSSARY

BGC

Bonifacio Global City, a “financial and lifestyle district” located in the city of Taguig in Metro Manila

bruho [broo-ho; from the Spanish brujo]

male witch, sorceror, witch doctor; often a practitioner of so-called “black” magick

danag [da-nag]

race of vampiric humanoids

datu [da-too]

title used to denote the ruler of a particular group or community; equated with “chief” or “prince”

diwata [di-wa-ta]

spirit who protects the land and those who dwell upon it 

huevos [hoo-we-vos]

eggs

huevos rancheros [ran-che-ros]

literally, ranch-style eggs

kantahan [kan-ta-han]

singing

mijo [mee-ho]

contraction of mi hijo, "my son"; a term of endearment sometimes used regardless of blood relation

Pasay [Pa-sai]

city located in Metro Manila

Pasig [Pa-sig]

city located in Metro Manila

We hope that helps those who might have stumbled on some unfamiliar terms...

PODERICO POWERBOMB! is brought to you by the tag team responsible for the Dakila/Fr Trese DEVIATION crossover, "Iunctura"--that would be the mighty fine Marv del Mundo on art and colors, and Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters.

Click on the image below to join Team 'Rico!

Please be kind enough to help spread the word; feel free to share the PODERICO POWERBOMB! link to any and all, particularly those you feel would groove to its distinctive beat.

My mighty fine collaborator Marv del Mundo and I would greatly appreciate the support.

Thanx so much!

you can’t drink just six,

 

Dave

Thanx to my mighty fine co-creators on PODERICO POWERBOMB! and ARENA, Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc.

Thanx to all you mighty fine folk helping to spread the word.

(PODERICO POWERBOMB! logo designed by Marv del Mundo.)

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 24, 2022) [Updated with New Link]

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 24, 2022)

[UPDATED with NEW LINK]

Is!

Now!!

Live!!!

Click on the logo, people...

Click on the logo and engage...

ARENA is brought to you by the tag team responsible for the DAKILA: Siyudad story arc--the mighty fine Pytr Mutuc on art and colors, Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters.

As with PODERICO POWERBOMB!, ARENA is also one of the many, many entries in the Webtoon "Call to Action" contest, so, we need as much support as all you mighty fine folk can muster...

We need what Webtoon calls "engagement"...

So, please, engage away, people!

If all goes well, this will hopefully be our foot in the Webtoon door, and for those of you who are familiar with my writing, you'll know that there is still so much more story to be told...

And, if you haven't checked it out yet, there's also

                                                                    

which you can find

PODERICO POWERBOMB! is brought to you by the tag team responsible for the Dakila/Fr Trese DEVIATION crossover, "Iunctura"--that would be the mighty fine Marv del Mundo on art and colors, and Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters.

You can check out some promo art here and here, or as a tag team combo, here.

Please be kind enough to help spread the word; feel free to share the PODERICO POWERBOMB! and ARENA links to any and all, particularly those you feel would groove to their distinctive beats.

As I've said before, my mighty fine collaborators Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc, and I, need all the support we can get, and all the support all you mighty fine people out there can muster.

Engage away, people!

Thanx so much!

you can’t drink just six,

 

Dave

Thanx to my mighty fine co-creators on PODERICO POWERBOMB! and ARENA, Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc.

Thanx to all you mighty fine folk helping to spread the word.

(ARENA logo designed by Pytr Mutuc; PODERICO POWERBOMB! logo designed by Marv del Mundo.)

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 19, 2022)

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 19, 2022)

                                                                    

Is!

Now!!

Live!!!

See?!

https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/poderico-powerbomb/all-manner-of-things/viewer?title_no=787924&episode_no=1

(Actually, both images above are links too, so, hey, please feel free to click away...)

Brought to you by the tag team responsible for the Dakila/Fr Trese DEVIATION crossover, "Iunctura"--that would be the mighty fine Marv del Mundo on art and coloring, and Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters--PODERICO POWERBOMB! is one of the many, many entries in the Webtoon "Call to Action" contest, so, as I said in an earlier "Check This Out", we need all the support all you mighty fine folk can give us...

While a majority of the judging percentages lies in the work itself and is determined by Webtoon's judges, there is a percentage taken up by "engagement."

So engage away, people!

If all goes well, this will hopefully be our foot in the Webtoon door, and for those of you who are familiar with my writing, you'll know that there is still so much more story to be told...

As for

from the tag team responsible for the DAKILA: Siyudad story arc--Pytr Mutuc on art and colors, Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters--this should hopefully go live sometime later this week...

You can check out some promo art here and here, or as a tag team combo, here.

Please be kind enough to help spread the word; feel free to share the PODERICO POWERBOMB! links to any and all, particularly those you feel would groove to its beat.

As I said, my mighty fine collaborators Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc, and I, need all the support we can get, and all the support all you mighty fine people out there can muster.

Engage away, people!

Thanx so much!

you can’t drink just six,

 

Dave

Thanx to my mighty fine co-creators on PODERICO POWERBOMB! and ARENA, Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc.

Thanx to all you mighty fine folk helping to spread the word.

(PODERICO POWERBOMB! logo designed by Marv del Mundo; ARENA logo designed by Pytr Mutuc.)