06.28.2016

Meet Nald Tabuzo…

Isa si Nald Tabuzo sa mga manunulat ng Black Ink na kayang magsulat ng western at eastern style na comics. Kabilang sa mga una niyang kuwento ang series na The Reapers, Bloodhounds, at X.O. – The Fighting Senadora. Sumunod na mga sinulat niya ang mga SHORTCUTS na Chichiru, For a Pair of Legs, Rose, Some Sweat, Some Love, Fearless, A Trip to Mierville, Xana, Hashtag Love, Hashtag Time, Hashtag Riva, at The Rocker and The Balladeer. Naging bahagi rin si Nald ng mga proyektong base sa mga Precious Hearts Romances na pocketbooks. Isinulat niya ang comics manuscript ng Wandering Heart, Blue Nights, My Favorite Bully, at An Encounter to Love. Bukod pa doon ang mga naisulat niyang stand-alone na comics na Z at Dark Sun Treasure. Sa dami ng nagawa niyang istorya masasabing prolific writer na siya. Pero sa tingin namin hilig lang talaga niya ang pagbabasa at paggawa ng mga kuwentong kakaiba. Kung nais ninyong malaman paano siya nagsimulang magsulat, heto ang sagot niya…

TRIVIA: Nald Tabuzo also uses the pen name Kuting na Basa.

Sa local comics ako nag-start magsulat. Walang partikular na writer na masasabi kong naka-inspire sa ‘kin. I think, nagsimula ang interes ko sa writing o storytelling sa Funny Komiks. As a kid kasi, parang dinadala ako nito sa ibang mundo. Lumalawak ang imagination ko. And in the process, gusto ko na ring lumikha ng ibang mundo—na ma-cre-create ko lang through writing.

Sa manga, I could say na late bloomer ako. Bago sa ‘kin ang mundong ito, at hanggang ngayon, patuloy pa rin akong nag-aaral sa iba’t ibang aspeto nito. Mas nakakapanood ako ng anime kaysa nakakabasa ng manga. Recently, natapos kong basahin ang “Your Lie in April”—sa online lang.  Nagustuhan ko ang kainosentihan at kaseryosohan ng manga.

Karamihan, galing sa Komikon at Black Ink ang koleksiyon ko ng graphic novels o manga. Hindi ako ‘yong serious collector talaga. Since I write scripts, parang given na magkaroon ako ng mga gawa ng ibang artists o writers para mabasa ko rin sila, at suporta rin kasi ito sa kanila. ‘Yong bulk nito, nakuha ko from 2012 to present. Sana, dumami pa ang raket para mas madagdagan pa sila. ^_^

05.31.2016

Meet Gino Pornasdoro…

He is among the male writers of Black Ink. His first published book was Love Scheduler, followed by Date With the Prince of Hell, Blood With Benefits, and recently The Girl in White Dress. If you’re wondering who inspired him to write and which books does he reads here’s what we can share…

TRIVIA: Gino is good in writing stories with Romance but he loves reading Shounen manga.

Si Ohba Tsugumi (author ng Death Note at Bakuman). Siya ‘yong nag-inspire sa ‘kin magsulat ng manga. Actually ‘yong manga talaga niya na Bakuman ang naging trigger ng interest ko. Kasi no’ng napanood ko iyon na-inspire ako gumawa ng  manga story (na kahit kailan hindi sumagi sa isipan ko). Since hindi ako marunong mag-drawing kaya challenge talaga sa ‘kin ngayon ang pagiging writer ng manga. Pero iniisip ko na lang na magiging successful rin ako kagaya ng mga manga author sa Japan na story lang ang sa kanila na gaya ni Ohba Tsugumi.

One Piece ang paborito kong basahin sa lahat! Nalaman ko ang anime/manga na ito noong grade school pa lang ako; noong ipinapalabas ito sa TV tuwing hapon. Nagagandahan kasi ako sa mundo ng One Piece kasi halo-halo ito (may dinosaur, giant, dragon, sky island, etc. pero hindi nagiging off sa main theme). Pero ang pinakagusto ko sa One Piece ay ‘yong Art of Foreshadowing (gawa-gawa ko lang po ‘yong term na iyan). Napaka-powerful talaga ng foreshadowing kasi nakakatulong ito para ma-expand ang storyline ng isang manga na hindi nagkakaroon ng feeling na parang ipinilit lang para madugtungan. Kahit na die-hard fan ako ng One Piece eh dalawang volume lang ang meron ako ng manga nito kasi ‘yon lang ang abot ng pera ko. ^_^

 

04.26.2016

Meet Godley Malabanan…

Siya ang kauna-unahang gumawa ng Girls’ Love na comic book na inilimbag ng Black Ink. Ang World Canvas ang pinakamakapal na ginawa niyang proyekto pagkatapos ng mga SHORTCUTS na Keeping the Heart Close at Ang Tigre at Ang Kuneho. Kung nais ninyong malaman kung sino-sino ang mga artist na nag-inspire sa kanya, heto ang mga sagot niya…

TRIVIA: Gumagawa rin si Godley ng iba’t ibang proyekto para sa ibang bansa at indie group.

Madaming artist ang nag-iinspire sa akin. Pero ang pinaka-nag-iinspire talaga sa akin ay sila Sidu, Akiakane, Kuroboshi Kouhaku, at Fuzichoco. Namamangha ako sa skills nila sa paggawa ng composition, background at character designs.

Para naman sa pagsusulat, ang mga idol ko ay sila Itou Hachi, Takeyama Jin, at Yotsuhara Furiko.

Favorite kong magbasa ng mga yuri manga pero nagbabasa rin ako ng iba’t ibang genre tulad ng shounen, romance at gore. Wala akong specific titles na maibibigay para sa ‘faves’ ko dahil madami akong series na sinusubaybayan at hanggang ngayon hindi ko pa sila nabibigyan ng rank sa isip ko. Wala rin sa koleksiyon ko ang mga titles na iyon dahil marami sa kanila ang hindi pa licensed in English.

Pero kung tatanungin ako kung anong libro ang pinaka-gusto ko sa aking manga collection, iyon ay Kisses, Sighs and Cherry Blossom Pink ni Milk Morinaga. Ang libro na iyon ay koleksiyon ng mga GL one-shots. ^q^

 

 

04.12.2016

Meet Jake Vicente…

He started as an illustrator for Black Ink. The first project he illustrated was A Trip to Mierville. Then he wrote a twenty pages story entitled Ice Man and The Queen of Ice. Soon he focuses on creating the comedic stand-alone series Tonio Tikbalang, a story about a young boy who is actually a tikbalang and was trying to blend in with the humans. Then he wrote a psychological novel entitled Nox Mundo, and did a little bit of an experiment with the illustrations he included in the said novel. He also shared with us the various books that he reads and his favorite artists.

TRIVIA: Tonio Tikbalang started out as an indie comics and was sold during the Komikon event before it was rewritten and published by Black Ink.

My favorite western artists are Todd Mcfarlane (Spawn) & Leonardo Manco, the dark and gritty art style is really eye-gasmic. My favorite eastern artists which I also used as references are Miwa Shiro (I like the black and white style with less tones even for the shadings), Hyung Tae Kim (anatomy), Kim Jung Gi (perspective), Tite Kubo (manga art style that is both clean and somewhat gritty), Sui Ishida (his overall style in delivering his story in the manga Tokyo Ghoul).

I also read Bleach though I’m not really happy with how it’s going since the start of the Quincy invasion, I find it hard to drop as it was one of my favorite before. My current favorite is Tokyo Ghoul, I like the story and art style. Though I’ve read it as soon as the translations came out.

03.29.2016

Meet Crisca Jallorina…

She is among the prolific artists of Black Ink. She already illustrated for SHORTCUTS, stand-alone, and novels. She also wrote a novel and few comics manuscript. Currently, aside from having thirteen published work, Crisca is busy illustrating the upcoming volumes of Stray Ghost. We wonder… how many books she can still read despite her busy schedule and who are the sources of her inspiration? Here are what we found out…

TRIVIA: Crisca uses the pen name CJ Dee whenever she does a BL project.

The Filipino artists who inspired me back in high school are Jennyson Rosero and Kriss Sison. They are illustrators from Questor Extreme Mangamania which I collected back then.

Iyong pinakauna kong nabasa na international manwha ay Ragnarok: Into the Abyss by  Lee Myung-jin. I am a player of an MMORPG Ragnarok Online tapos napadaan ako sa booksale. Then nakita ko na may manhwa pala siya so binili ko iyong nine volumes na available pero hindi na ibinalik ng nanghiram. Sa ngayon naman, ang inaabangan ko na lang ay Tokyo Ghoul: Re. Wala na kasi akong masyadong time na magbasa ng maraming manga.

Nagsimula akong mangolekta noong May 2013, binili ko iyong ikalawang release ng SHORTCUTS. Iyong pic, hindi pa lahat ng BIC ko ay nandiyan. Iyong iba kasi hiniram tapos iyong iba naiwan ko sa bahay ng lola ko. Every may release ng BIC bumibili ako.

03.15.2016

Meet Ice Habunal…

She was not an art student but Ice knew how to draw some manga illustrations. And it only started as her hobby. Her first illustrated work was Ang Babae sa Waiting Shed (published under SHORTCUTS) followed by a 60 pages project entitled Samantha, The Simple Fashionista. Ice is currently working outside the Philippines while doing some projects for Black Ink. When asked who inspired her to draw here’s what she says…

TRIVIA: Ice first applied as a writer but she was offered to apply as illustrator instead.

The artist who inspired me to draw was Yuu Watase. I’ve always loved Fushigi Yuugi, especially Ayashi No Ceres and that’s when I started copying her works. That was also when I started making my own comics in hopes that one day, I could be as good as her. At present, my biggest inspiration is Kagerou Usuba because her artworks are just so beautiful. Unfortunately, my manga collections are few since mahal ang mga ito. Iyong mga nabibili ko lang mostly ay iyong mga nasa Booksale. He-he.

Most of the mangas I read are shoujo pero nagbabasa din naman ako ng mga shounen mangas like Naruto and Tokyo Ghoul, pero mostly shoujos talaga. Iyong mga inaabangan kong titles ay Last Game at Fukumenkei Noise. May iba pa actually kaso nakakalimutan ko ang titles. Hu-hu. Recently, I was addicted with the shounen manhwa, Noblesse. Ang ganda kasi ng drawing style plus the story is very engaging and funny!

03.08.2016

Meet Regine Lim…

She first illustrated Date With The Prince of Hell and soon Fake Job. Although both stories are categorize under the genre Romance each book stand-out on its own. DWTPOH is about a human falling for a fallen angel while FJ is about a male cross-dresser working hard for his younger sister. Each book manage to become memorable because of the character design made by Regine.

TRIVIA: DWTPOH became an unexpected best seller and has been reprinted while FJ is at the Top Ten list during September to December of 2015 and during January 2016.

We asked her for her references and here’s what she says…

I’d say there are A LOT of artists that inspire me to draw and write stories (though I lean more to drawing of course). Most of the artists that inspire me are Otome Game Illustrators and some are Manga Artists. I can’t really say it depends on the genre of the story because I’m mainly interested on their art. For me, I guess the genre comes next after loving their art?

The main artists(and works) I look up to are Kazuki Yone (Hakuouki), Udajyo (Brothers Conflict), Hanamura Mai (Amnesia), Mochizuki Jun (Pandora Hearts), Hagiwara Daisuke (Horimiya), Matsuri Hino (Vampire Knight), and Yamamoto Yamato (Owari no Seraph). Their artworks are amazing and I’m simply speechless with how their minds come up with their illustrations. I love seeing detailed works and that’s the main reason why I look up to these artists. I also like how they’re able to maintain their styles from really serious illustrations to whimsical and bright ones. Their consistency is also something I really look up to and is something I hope to achieve someday as well.

 

 

I’ve read a lot of manga that became favourites of mine like Vampire Knight, Pandora Hearts, Owari no Seraph, Horimiya, Taiyou no Ie, The Sleepy Residents of the Birdcage Manor. I’m also into reading Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji, Tsubaki-Chou Lonely Planet, Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist, Short Cake Cake, and Ten Count. The ones I’ve mentioned are pretty much the notable ones I’ve read. As of now, I only have hard copies of Vampire Knight and Owari no Seraph.

I started reading Vampire Knight when I was in my freshmen year of high school and probably started collecting the manga when I was in my senior high. I discovered OnS just last year when I decided to buy its first volume when I first found it at a bookstore!

03.01.2016

Meet Peachy Balais…

She is a full-time illustrator and her first published work is the Boys’ Love story entitled Tagila. It was first launched during the Blush Convention last year. Soon her second book BTS (Behind The Scene) was launched during the Mini Comics Festival at the SMX Convention Center during the 36^th Manila International Book Fair.

TRIVIA: BTS ang unang proyekto ni Peachy pero mas naunang i-publish ang Tagila.

 

We asked Peachy who are the artists that inspired her and here is her list…

Kisaragi Hirotaka (BL mangaka)

He has a really nice art style (according to baka manga updates he’s a guy). Parang fusion ng shounen and BL style.

CLAMP

I grew up with CLAMP. I really liked and learned a lot from their detailed artworks.

Lee Myung Jin (Ragnarok manhwa)

I collected his manhwa and learned a lot in female anatomy from his art style.

Katsura Hoshino

Her art is simple but captivating. I also like the fact that a woman is behind a top shounen series D Grayman.

Takeshi Obata

He’s keen to details and has a very flexible art style.

Masashi Kishimoto

Well, I grew up with Naruto so he influenced me as well. I really enjoyed his simple yet dynamic style.

Yuusuke Murata

My absolute favorite mangaka!!! Sobrang astig niya!!! I have no words to describe his art, just pure awesomeness! He inspired every fiber of my being to be a shounen mangaka someday!

Takehito Inuoe

I’m one of those na nahumaling sa Slam Dunk. Both in story and art, this man is the master. He’s also one of those mangaka that inspired me to be a shounen mangaka.

Naoko Takeuchi

Yeah! Sino’ng ‘di naadik sa Sailormoon? I learned how to draw females from her. Her art style is charming and makes you feel all girly inside, ha-ha-ha!!!

Kazusa Takashima

One of my first BL meisters. She has a really good grasp with anatomy and detail as well. Hopefully she’ll be back soon. ; 3 ;

Ayane Yamano

Another BL meister. Her artworks are really seductive and I learned how to draw love scenes from here hue-hue-hue!

Matsushita Yoko

Mangaka of Yami no Matsuei, fantasy and mystery with BL undertones. Her style is simply gorgeous. I specifically like her creative paneling and how she layout tones. Her stories are really exquisite, as well as dwelling with Japanese culture and folklore, and she executes it in her own detailed way.

Atsuko Nakajima

She is a character designer and animation director for a few anime like Ranma1/2, You’re Under Arrrest, Getbackers, etc. She can do gorgeous bishies and ikemen as well as pretty and cute girl characters.

Alvin Lee

His artsyle is fusion of manga and western style. It’s really dynamic and captivating. He’s my benchmark in western style art form.

Elmer Damaso

One of the first Filipino mangaka that inspired me to be a mangaka as well. I grew up with his art since the Culture Crash era. I feel quite honored that he’s also working for Black Ink.

Aldin Viray

Another Filipino mangaka which I find inspiration from. His artwork are gorgeous specially his female characters.

Wilson Tortosa

A Filipino artist. His art style is somewhat a fusion of western and manga style. I really admire his line arts on how clean and crisp they are and very dynamic as well.

Sa ngayon paborito kong basahin iyong mga gawa ni Yuusuke Murata (One Punch Man and Eyeshield 21). I’ve been following his works since college years ko pa (it’s a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away aha-ha-ha!). I’m learning techniques from him in drawing dynamic movements and perspectives. I’m also catching up with Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, last year lang ako napasok sa jojo craze and yes medyo addictive itong manga na ito ha-ha-ha! For BL I’m tuning in to Ogeretsu Tanaka’s works because they’re so damn gorgeous aha-ha-ha!!! Unfortunately wala akong collection ng works nila, boohoo. Umaasa lang ako sa online.

I’m also following a few doujinshi artist. My favourite doujinka is Ituka. She mostly draw Tiger and Bunny Doujinshi. I’m waiting for her to be a full-pledged mangaka kasi sobrang galing niya in terms of story and art work. She’s one of the contributors in a Tiger and Bunny Anthology comic (which I have a copy, yay!).