By Constantino Tejero
Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines–It’s the first of its kind: A diario novela; an unheard of convergence between the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the king of “komiks” himself, Carlo J. Caparas.
“To Have and to Hold” starts September 3 and every day thereafter except Sundays. Its first strip is a grabber, with frames illustrated like a movie’s storyboard. As can be gleaned from its title, it is a love story. From the first few panels the reader can discern a Romeo-and-Juliet situation between lovers Arvin and Jennifer.
Caparas says he is aware that his entering the Inquirer is seeking new readers, that is, aside from his mass-based built-in readership he has to reach new ones in the corporate world, the bureaucrats’ offices, the academe, even the politicians’ lairs.
He says he had thought this over — and so in his story he has business rivalries intermeshing with personal lives; scenes shuttling from “lansangan” (streets) to mall to corporate tower to Forbes Park; dialogues fluctuating between street Tagalog and straight English with Taglish in between.
Yes, we can expect poverty and injustice to be tackled soon, but first and foremost, as Caparas insists, the komiks writer’s duty is to entertain.
“To Have and to Hold” will run six days a week for six months in the Inquirer, after which Caparas will follow it with a new diario novela. (Running duration may be adjusted to readers’ demand, though. After all, “Pieta” and “Kahit Ako’y Lupa,” his two longest-running komiks novels, had to be extended to four years so that circulation wouldn’t dip.)
When President Macapagal-Arroyo gave in February the Presidential Medals of Merit to the five pillars of komiks — Tony Velasquez, Francisco V. Coching, Mars Ravelo, Larry Alcala and Caparas — it was like laying wreaths on tombs, as four of these people had already died, and so had the komiks.
People who grew up on it and have become busy adults do not realize that their favorite medium of entertainment, information and instruction as youngsters had long vanished from the cultural landscape. It was mostly blamed on the entrenchment of TV culture and the Internet.
In its heyday, komiks was a billion-peso industry and was said to be even bigger than the movie industry. The two coexisted for decades as their relationship was often symbiotic. But with the coming of the so-called “alternative platforms” from which to access information and entertainment, there was no way for the komiks to go but out.
From an average circulation of nearly 200,000 copies a week in 1984, with half of the 200 komiks making money, it dropped to 2,000 in 2004 with only one circulating, Atlas Publication’s Pilipino Komiks. That year, the lone survivor had to close.
And it wasn’t the only ailing mass medium, either. Similar signs could be seen in newspapers which were also reeling from diminishing circulation.
Newspapers have since been taking various innovative measures to sell copies, short of resorting to a buy-one-take-one promo. Some do tie-ups with hamburger chains, others sponsor celebrity events.
The Inquirer, true to its corporate image (resolutely A-B and Upper C readership), goes to the root of the problem and tries to solve the twin evils of illiteracy and diminishing readership.
One program being held in its premises is a series of reading sessions for kids, including street children and physically handicapped kids. It aims to cultivate a new generation of readers and make reading attractive again.
The Inquirer also struck on a wild idea: To bring back readership and get a broader mass base, why not run komiks stories in the paper? What’s more, the two mass mediums would be helping each other.
And so the Inquirer went to Caparas. After all, the guy has written over 800 novels and short stories for komiks, and some 100 screenplays many of which he himself directed.
Last Tuesday, Caparas signed a contract to write for the nation’s No. 1 newspaper what is now called a “diario novela,” with art by Arnel A. Avetria.
Caparas says a commissioner from the Komisyon ng Wika has asked him to revive the komiks as it can greatly help people learn the national language.
In the caravan he is doing with wife Donna Villa in the provinces, where he gives lectures and workshops on komiks writing and illustrating, he has seen how people have wanted the komiks to return.
Early this year, in a reunion of komiks writers, illustrators and various former employees of the defunct industry, he learned of the plight of his colleagues who lost their jobs. “Out of 10 people na kinumusta ko, eight had already died (Out of 10 people I asked about, eight had already died),” he recalls.
The Inquirer venture may prove to be a blessing in disguise. It could all at once energize various industries and mediums — komiks, newspaper and movie. “They go hand in hand,” says Caparas.
The movie industry is clearly also on a decline. But with the revival of the komiks, who knows what source materials movie directors could find to activate their art, as it once did with people like Lino Brocka and Eddie Garcia?
“May foothold ang nobela sa komiks bago ipagawa sa pelikula (Novels have a foothold in comics before they become movies),” says Caparas.
He means a movie based on komiks would already have a built-in readership, which could then translate into a box-office hit.
And a revived industry, of course, would generate jobs. After all, the komiks has not really died. It was just in a three-year coma.
21 Feedbacks on "‘Komiks’ by Caparas returns big-time"
Jonas Diego
I think it’s safe to safe that it was more than a three-year coma.
Gerry Alanguilan
Comics is a collaborative medium that cannot exist without a writer and an artist. For many decades, the regard to komiks creators have been lopsided, giving much more credit and compensation to writers when it comes to having the work translated to mediums outside of comics, like TV serials and film.
I have a sincere hope that in current efforts to revive komiks as a viable medium and source of material for TV and film, that the artist be given equal credit and compensation and not simply a “balato” as was the tradition in this country for many years.
Think Siegel-Shuster, Stan Lee-Jack Kirby. Equal billing, equal credit, equal compensation.
It’s only the right thing to do.
Proserfina
Carlo J. Caparas is ingenious and have a heart of gold. Writing novels and directing movies made him popular and is now a millionaire. He is blessed with a beautiful and smart wife Donna Villa and two children. The last time I saw them was at the Cascades concert in Tagaytay. Despite all his accomplishments he remained simple and down to earth as well as his wife Donna. Then later I saw them on T.V. promoting their Komiks for kids. They are now encouraging and helping people with talents to draw and paint to join them. I’m glad that he and his wife are both giving the unfortunate but talented people a chance in his world. Bless their heart and more power to them. I have a brother who has a degree in fine arts but never had a chance in life. His face lit up when I mentioned to him about Carlo’s Komiks for kids. I hope my brother is strong enough to apply and try his luck. - Proserfina of California
Jess Guim
In my first years of attempt to be a komiks scriptwriter, too, I’ve observed the “tayu-tayo” system in the industry. It’s mostly the friends of the komiks editor who gets accepted scripts. I’ve even seen or read lousy short stories by-lined by cashiers of the publishing company. With the revival of the industry, I hope this kind of corruption should be totally be removed. This is the observation that disgusted me to write again for komiks, and have a permanent job instead for my daily bread and butter.
ultraguy
Sobrang nakakalungkot nga. Tapos bukambibig ni CJC bubuhayin daw niya ang komiks,teka namatay ba ang komiks? At kung nabuhay man ito definitely hindi siya ang bumuhay. Anong tawag niya sa mga indie comics na nagsulputan,sa grupo ng Alamat,kila Whilce portacio at gerry Alanguilan,Mango comics ( na kung san nirevive ang Darna at lastikman ni Ravelo),anong tawag niya sa pugad baboy,Alipin,baltic and company beerkada etc,anong tawag niya kila Arnold Arre at Carlo Vergara (na ginawang pelikula ang zsa zsa saturna). Ito ba ang patay na industriya? Ito ba ang industriyang gusto niyang buhayin? Ito ba ang patay na industriya na bukambibig niya? Mabubuhay ba ang komiks kung sasakupin niya ang halos kalahati ng comic page ng inquirer at patayin ang 5 o anim na koiks dito. Mabubuhay ba ng lumang style ng story telling at art style ang “namatay” na comic book industry ng pinas?Kahit man lang sana iphotoshop o kulayan ito ay hindi magawa. (buti pa yung ragnarok) O baka gusto lang niyang ibalik ang glory days niya bilang komikero?
Sana lang ay sinsero talaga si CJC sa pagsabi niyang “bubuhayin” niya ang komiks (kahit na buhay na buhay ito,salamat sa mga indie artist etc). At sana ay talagang “buhayin” niya ito at hindi parang “zombie” na kung saan “binuhay” galing hukay pero kung ano ang itsura niya nung ito’y mamatay ay ganun parin ang wangis.Kailanagn natin mag-evolve para talagang “mabuhay” ang komiks (kung patay nga talaga ito)
arman T. Francisco
I’m one of the komiks writer who who had a painful experienced when it slowly sink. Together with some of the veterans writer/artist like Nar Castro, Karl Komendador to name a few we almost beg the publisher to pay us for the materials we wrote and illustrate in which they already published and sold at the market. The publisher issued a 4 months post dated but later we discovered their account were already closed. I hope the new publisher may treat their writers/illustrators with decency.
erik rodriguez
just would like to comment: in one of the issues it read: ..theirs is a love that is destined to outlast forever..the use of the word outlast is wrong,it should read :to last forever..if you say..to outlast..it means to say there is a continuation in the sentence..to outlast forever -what?
alindahaw
but what happens to the cancelled comic strips (especially the pinoy ones) because of the larger j. caparas diario novela?
The ComicRelief new-comer in PDI is not exactly a comic relief. « bahala na
[...] It’s a love story. Carlo J. Caparas’ diario novela “To Love and to hold”. [...]
syeri
It is already late for me to say my sentiments on the publications move to remove 7 strips in exchange for Carlo J. Caparas’ daily comic. Still, my opinion counts.
It is an outrage for our part as a cartoonist to be dismissed that easily. It is hard enough for a local artist to have his/her work published in the newspapers because foreign syndicated strips are chosen over theirs. Artists have been told a lot of times that there is no longer space for their works. How easy was it that you have replaced 7 strips to accommodate Mr. Caparas’ daily comic that could have been resized to the old serialized comic strips? The space his comic occupied was not properly used. Four to five panels for such a huge page and text that could be read 2 feet away. I tell you, the local strips removed didn’t deserve to be replaced. For a person to have been dubbed to “save the comic industry”, did he have to trample on others works for his to be seen?
In behalf of my fellow cartoonists, please put into consideration placing the local strips back. Carlo J. Caparas can have his strips on a different page or the Sunday papers. He already has the P10 comics. Does he have to take the place of us cartoonists too?
In your article there was written “. . . After all, the komiks has not really died. It was just in a three-year coma.”. That is not true. Maybe Carlo J. Caparas was in a coma, not comics. Where was he the past 3 years?
Bing R.
Sobrang na-miss ko ang Komiks. Naalala ko sa province. pag tahimik sa sala, that means lahat kaming 6 na magkakapatid e nagbabasa ng komiks. My mother, would tease us:”O, me exams ba kayo bukas? Dibdiban ang review a!” So, I am so glad to hear that Komiks is back. But I have a problem… SAN BA MABIBILI ANG KOMIKS NA TO? I went to some bookstores and they said, wala daw silang komiks don. Please reply to my email and please inform me where to get these CJC Komiks. Thanks
arnel
ang galing mo idol carlo j….sana ako maging katulad kita…sana magtrbaho ako sayo.. im from los baños….talent ko ring gumawa ng comiks eh…
aklanon
sir, mahigit one month na poh namin hinihintay ang series 6 ng komiks.. sabik na naming malaman ang mga kaabang-abang na tagpo! hinihiling ko poh sanang ipalabas nyo na poh ang 6th series bago magpasko!!!.. libangan kasi naming magbarkada ang magbasa ng komiks.. ipagpatuloy nyo po ang napakagaling na paggawa sa mga komiks!! saludo poh ako sa lahat ng mga writers at comic illustrators!!.. galing!!
shailaija
hay sana muling umunlad ang komiks dahil maraming kabataan ang ang mahilig gumuhit at dun nila maipapamalas kung gaano cla kaggaling sa pagdrawing
na miss ko na rin ung funny komiks na lging dinadala ng papa ko kapag pauwi na c papa ko gleng work. ung kwento ni eklok, at ni pitit at marame png iba. sana lng bumalik ung dting kasiglahan non
jimmy formas
thanks for coming back the comics indusrtry here in philippines but.i think there something a bigger mistake sabi nga ng kilala kong kaibigang artist na galing sa up diliman ay ang style ng format ng komiks ay masyadong 50s at itoy black and gray.ask ko lang po hindi po ba puwede baguhin ang lokal komiks natin dito sa pinas young sumusunod sa uso like digital age at ang anatomy at mga shading ay masyadong 50s ang dating ng style nila.dahil ang mga artist na magaling daw at humahawak nito ay batikan na sa komiks.at tumanda na sa ganitong larangan so ang style nila ay pa ulit ulit na lang at wala pag babago.bat di po kato mag hire ng bagong artist illustrator at ibahin ang style ng drawing at format ng komiks.kahit na ito ay black ang gray .
salamat po sana po ay makatulong din angpuna kong ito sa lahat ng nagmamahal sa komiks.sapagkat isa rin po akong artist.
shailaija
sana naman bumalik na ung komiks kc mahilig pa naman ako magbasa nun? d ko na 2loy alam kung ano ung kasunod na istorya na bnabasa ko sa gwapo komiks. ano na naman ba ung problema?
carlyn
“to have and to hold” is such a good story.,everyday, inaabangan q talaga ung issue,.
may thrill yong everyday episode that’s why u cant jaz sit there f u’l know na nandyan na young issue for that day,.
thanx to carlo caparas for bringing such fun to many of the filipinos!
maxine
Ive been trying to find the comic strip/novela in the Inquirer comics section and I can’t seem to find it. Did it end already? When if so? thank you very much.
BREMS
IDOL KO SI MR. CARLO….LALO NA ANG KANYANG ”PANDAY”…NA AALALA KO NOONG BATA PA AKO,NAKIKIBASA LANG AKOSA MGA KOMIKS NG KABITBAHAY NAMIN NOON DAHIL WALA AKONG PAMBILI,HANGGANG SA NAWALA NA BIGLA ANG KOMIKS,,,NGAYONG BUMALIK NA ANG KOMIKS NA SIYANG HINAWAKAN NGAYON NI IDOL,AY LALO AKONG BUMILIB SA MGA BAGONG STORYA,NA-IMPROVE NA ANG MGA COVER NYA NA KATULAD SA MGA SIKAT NA COMIKS SA AMERICA ANG”MARVEL”,PERO ITONG ATIN SARILING KOMIKS NA PAMBATO TALAGA SA BUONG MUNDO,,NGAYON TULOY GUSTO KONG MAKAPAGTRABAHO SA INYO MR. IDOL,,NAKAKAGAWA KC AKO NG 3D ANIMATION,MODELLING IKA NGA NA ANG SOFTWARE PO AY ”CINEMA 4D”…..SANA PO MAPANSIN NYO PO ANG MUNTI KO PONG PANAWAGAN….KUNG INTRESADOPO KAYO ANG AKIN PONG EMAIL AY bremsc@yahoo.com…IYAN LANG PO AT PRAY KO NA LALONG GUMANDA ANG HINAHARAP NG INYO PONG KOMIKS…SALAMAT PO..
naks
may alam ka ba kung san ako pwede makabili ng combatron Funny Komiks?
Faustina
Nasubaybayan nyo ba ang KATREENA sa comics page ng Inquirer nuon? pinagbidahan ito ni Katreena at Dr. Guiller, Si Apen at Pomping ang mga nakakatuwang karakter dito… ginugupit ko ang strips nito nung araw.
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