Dissent

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#junkterrorbill #masstestingnowph Human rights are inherent to all human beings whether saints or criminals. Human rights aren’t there to “shield” criminals as some attest. It’s enshrined in our laws to protect ordinary citizens from the abuses of the state. The more we disregard these rights arbitrarily, the weaker our institutions become and the more dangerous it becomes for all of us.

A post shared by Rommel Joson (@rommeljoson) on Jun 4, 2020 at 4:05am PDT

Komura; Creator's Grant

In 2018, I won the first Komura; Creator’s Grant for a zine project I made with Ivan Reverente and Abi Dayacap (my wife). We called it Takatak Komiks—inspired by the sound ambulant street vendors made when selling cigarettes and candies.

June 2018, I saw an online call for zine proposals for a newly formed grant. I’m always on the lookout for things to fuel or fund some of the ideas that have been percolating in my head for years. I felt this was a great thing to get into. The barriers to entry were very few and I already had an idea that was in my head for over 10 years.

For years, my friend Ivan Reverente, my wife Abi, and I had been tossing around an idea for a packet of mini-comics. We’d never gotten around to doing it because real life always got in the way. I decided to go ahead and enter it as a proposal for the Komura; Creator’s Grant. If it got in, we’d get an extra push to do because of the money and the deadline. If not, well…no harm done.

Below are pages from the proposal I sent.

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Here’s the final design and some of the mini-comics we included inside.

Hue Can Do It!

Covers by Asa Montenejo

I’ve been meaning to blog again for months, but life just got in the way. And as the months rolled on, it became harder and harder to get back into writing in the blog. Well, I hope I can remedy that in the coming months starting with this post, the title of which refers less about about a proclamation of self-encouragement and more about the latest adult coloring in the market.

Recent months have seen an explosion of various adult coloring books in bookstores, and so far the demand just keeps growing. Makes one wonder if everybody is THAT stressed. Hue Can Do It is Summit Books’s entry into the adult coloring book category. It comes in two volumes and features works from over 40 Filipino artists.

My page in the coloring book.

Here’s another one of my pages.

The books were launched last August 29, 2015 at The Philippine Literary Festival organized by National Book Store and held at Raffles Makati. Here’s video coverage of the event I found on the internet by Moki Magpantay.

Left to Right: Paolo Correa, Koi Carreon, Mika Bacani, Nelz Yumul, Asa Montenejo

Left to Right: Me, Manix Abrera, Brent Sabas, JP Cuison (partially hidden), Ariel Santillan

Studio Dialogo past and present. Left to Right: Harry Monzon, Rommel Joson, Ariel Santillian, Ray Sunga, Liza Flores, Abi Goy, Jamie Bauza

Artists included in the two volumes are Abi Dayacap, Abi Goy, Abi Montana, Alysse Asilo, Angela Taguiang, Apol Sta. Maria, Ariel Santillan, Asa Montenejo, Blic Pinas, Brent Sabas, Camille Chua, Camz Dagal, Clare Magno, Domz Agsaway, Electrolychee, Epjey Pacheco, Fran Alvarez, Frank Perez, Gica Tam, Harry Monzon, Isa Natividad, Jamie Bauza, Jap Mikel, Jaykee Evangelista, JP Cuison, Kay Aranzanso, Koi Carreon, Liza Flores, Manix Abrera, Mawee Borromeo, Mika Bacani, Nelz Yumul, Nicole Lim, Paul Eric Roca, Paulo Correa, Pergy Acuña, Raine Sarmiento, Ray Sunga, Reg Silva, Robx Bautista, Rommel Joson, Sergio Bumatay III, Tasha Rye, and Wiji Lacsamana.

The books were designed by Studio Dialogo with covers by Asa Montenejo. Visit Studio Dialogo’s facebook page at http://facebook.com/studiodialogo.

Each Hue Can Do It book is PhP 295 and can be bought at National Bookstore, Fully Booked, Powerbooks, Mini-Stop and 7-11 convenience stores, and Robinsons and SM Department Stores and supermarkets. Visit Summit Books here or Summit Media at their facebook page at http://facebook.com/summitmediaph.