Leinil Yu. Gerry Alanguilan. Edgar Tadeo. Roy Allan Martinez. Jay Anacleto. Gilbert Monsanto. Whilce Portacio. They are legendary comic book artists with thousands of pages created among them, who paved the way for hundreds more men and women in the comic book industry that are now creating waves and opening the local network to the international market.
“Do you want to be part of a book that’s gonna feature a FIlipino character?” asks C.B. Cebulski, Marvel Comics’ editor-in-chief, to Comic Odyssey’s head honcho Sandy Sansolis.
Cebulski was talking about a limited-edition variant cover for Marvel’s “War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1,” featuring Cebuana superhero Wave.
“I saw the solicitation but didn’t know anything about the title,” Sansolis says. “All I knew was that it was going to feature a new Filipino hero, and I was already sold. ‘Okay, I’m on it!’”
As more superheroes are made known through their cinematic adaptations, the audience for the original medium is rediscovering the value of this form of storytelling. Comic book creation has sprouted several talented individuals, both here and back home, that have been forging their identity through their art, all while proudly representing their beloved motherland.
Get to know some of the Pinoys who were in the NYC Comic Con.