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Aug

22

TIMAWA Online!

Filed Under My Comics, Online Comics, Timawa | 19 Comments

Timawa is my somewhat serious stab at doing a proper “superhero”. It was not my first attempt, as I was involved in the still in limbo but completed LAKAN. I created a superhero for that called “Katutubo” who could absorb tectonic and volcanic energies of the earth and use it for a variety of things like seismic bolts, earthquakes, etc. Katutubo is part of the Timawa universe of Apolaki Warriors engaged in perpetual battle with the Sidtaka Warriors throughout the entire history of the Philippines and well into the future.

The character in “Timawa” is the present day Apolaki Warrior doing good deeds in the mean streets of Metro Manila. Unlike Katutubo, he is not super powered, but he is highly athletic and is adept at all kind of ancient Filipino martial arts. He is also fully tattooed with long flowing hair. The reason for the hair is probably because I myself had long hair when I created the character. When I’m going to do Timawa now, he’ll have short hair (but not thinning like mine).

I’ve always had difficulty doing superhero stories. It’s hard for me to find an emotional connection that would help me do it properly. This is why a lot of the stories I have done aren’t superheroes. I couldn’t find that “thing” that would help me do this right.

Before doing any project, I have to have the “thing” or whatever it is that makes the idea click for me and make it work. I have it for Elmer, Humanis Rex and Rizal, but the “thing” for Timawa was a long time coming. Watching an awful B-Movie trailer before a showing of the Transformers, I finally hit upon the “thing” that would finally allow me to do Timawa. I have to say that when I do Timawa now, he will look completely different.

The short story I did for Alamat 101 in 1995 and this unpublished short story “Jumper”, from 1997 are probably the only Timawa stories I will do where he will look this way.

“Timawa: Jumper” has a long history. I was trying to find a style that was comfortable for me to do quickly, but doesn’t look rushed or compromised in the details. I always began drawing with outlines and went in later with the cross hatchings. But I’ve always thought that the outlines look rather nice and I thought what would happen if I didn’t come in and do hatchings and just leave the outlines alone? Or perhaps enhance them even more? This is how I came to do the drawings for this short story. I’ve been trying to refine it through the years, and RIZAL will be the latest project where I will be implementing it.

As for the story, one can tell by the very first page alone, I was still a bit pissed. But not much. I completed 6 pages in 1997, but only finished the last 2 pages many years later. You can see much later how my sensibilities, storywise and artwise, have changed in the last few years. All I can say is that when I did the last 2 pages, I was no longer pissed, but was completely happy about where I was. And this short story is proof, at least for me, that I can’t help but put myself in whatever work that I do.

This 8 page story is now going to be serialized at Webcomicsnation.com beginning TODAY at 1pm (Philippine Time), which can be read at THIS PAGE. The story will run 8 pages, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Comments

19 Responses to “TIMAWA Online!”

  1. Jonas Diego on August 22nd, 2007 1:09 pm

    At last! I will be able to finally read the complete story. :D

  2. johnbecaro on August 22nd, 2007 1:57 pm

    wow! sa wakas..makikita ko na ang timawa ..thanks po sa access Sir!

  3. Josel Nicolas on August 22nd, 2007 2:27 pm

    Im just wondering what that awful b-movie might be? The only awful b-movie trailer Im aware of right now is “Skin Walkers”. I’m going to watch it though because I loved that one line in there: “Im NOT human! … I’m BETTER than that!” :D

  4. Budjette on August 22nd, 2007 5:33 pm

    will you also upload the TIMAWA story that came out in Alamat101? :)

  5. PJ Magalhaes on August 22nd, 2007 7:12 pm

    That looks great Gerry. I did not really get how i am to see the other pages (the dates and manner just did not get through my thick skull) but if i can see the rest i will. It looks great. Plus it gives me fodder to ask you things next time i catch ya online! Please keep it up (i am trying to learn about the culture of Phillipino comics through you dude :D)

  6. khumpleetist on August 22nd, 2007 11:22 pm

    I will check out this next Monday. Advance thanks.

  7. Rod Samonte on August 23rd, 2007 12:19 am

    Gerry,
    Love the perspective. This is where the architect in you comes in handy. What is that word behind the guy on the ledge, RIZAL? Mucho anticipation for the rest of the story. Didn’t want to bring this up, but I guess, Oras Mo Na! has been shelved, right?
    Rod

  8. Gerry Alanguilan on August 23rd, 2007 12:39 am

    Hello Rod…

    Yeah… Doing Oras Mo Na the way I did simply took too much time. But I will eventually continue doing it when my skeds eased up a bit.

    Hello PJ! The first page is the one that’s available now. Page 2 will be on Friday, and will continue MWF.

    Budj… won’t be uploaded that one. :)

    Josel… I honestly don’t remember the title of the movie, but it had a kind of Highlander feel to it.

  9. Andy chavez on August 23rd, 2007 6:52 am

    I will be looking forward on this. BTW, is there any way you can post some art from the Lakan comics. I pretty much sure it’s one of the few comics that should have came out.

    can you post some please or can you direct me to some site that has the art that should have been used on that comics.

    thanks again.

  10. Josel Nicolas on August 23rd, 2007 7:20 am

    Maybe… Maybe it was highlander, cause there’s a new movie coming out of it (Its purpose: To fuck up the franchise even more, they say)

  11. Gerry Alanguilan on August 23rd, 2007 8:48 am

    Hello Andy! There’s a little bit of Lakan art here:
    http://www.alanguilan.com/sanpablo/intrvw2.html
    I’ve been thinking that I’ll just go ahead and post the entire thing online very soon. My part of it, at least.

    Josel, if it was Highlander, I would have known, being a HUGE fan of the first movie, and the TV series, and I’m actually waiting to see the new movie. They really should get someone from outside the circle of filmmakers to make new Highlander movies because they’re running out of GOOD ideas. Like what they’re doing with Star Trek now. Getting someone like JJ Abrams to direct it, and have the writers of Transformers to write it, I mean… that would make for a really kick ass Star Trek movie!

  12. Jim Arroyo on August 24th, 2007 9:30 am

    Hey, I picked up that issue of Alamat 101. The Timawa storyline really stood out for me. It was topical (the whole Mayor Sanchez thing being fresh in the collective consciousness at the time) and boasted the best art of anything in that anthology, with apologies to the other contributors. I always wondered if there had every been any follow-up to that which I had just missed because it sold out, but seeing how it wasn’t, well, I’m excited to learn that you’ll finally be revisiting this character, or at least this concept. I’ll be anticipating this one eagerly!

  13. Gerry Alanguilan on August 24th, 2007 10:07 am

    Hello Jim! Looks like I’ll be doing new Timawa stories sooner than I expected! :D

  14. Jim Arroyo on August 24th, 2007 10:42 am

    It would be a great follow-up to Elmer. You’re kind of like the Ang Lee of comics: you never seem to the same thing twice (at least not in a row) :)

  15. Jim Arroyo on August 24th, 2007 10:43 am

    Erratum (He he, excuse my excitement to type the comment):

    It would be a great follow-up to Elmer. You’re kind of like the Ang Lee of comics: you never seem to DO the same thing twice (at least not in a row) :)

  16. Jim Arroyo on August 24th, 2007 10:49 am

    By the way, do you have any extra copies of WASTED (ANY edition, doesn’t matter if it’s the first print or the hundredth) lying around, or would you know where I could find one? I’ve read it and loved someone else’s copy, but could never find one for my own collection.

  17. Gerry Alanguilan on August 24th, 2007 11:00 am

    Hello Jim! Thanks man!

    Re: Wasted… no more copies lying around unfortunately. I don’t know where one can find more copies… but I do plan on having a new edition (apparently the last one wasn’t the “Final” edition) reprinted next year after I’m all done with Elmer.

  18. Jim Arroyo on August 24th, 2007 1:24 pm

    Ummm…maybe you could call it Wasted “Redux” or “Director’s Cut…” or…or…ah well :p I’ll just be glad to get hold of one. Thanks!

  19. rica marie v. aquino on November 18th, 2007 6:06 pm

    bwisit!!!!!!!!! kailangan q ng kwento mo!!!!!!!!!!!