‘Komiks’ creator on the medium’s future and being a viral hit

Gerry Alanguilan—TWITTER

Gerry Alanguilan, a comic book writer-artist since the ’90s, still believes that support from the government is essential and can go a long way for the industry.

“A shift in the way comics is perceived needs to happen,” Alanguilan told the Inquirer. “For decades, comics were considered cheap entertainment for the masses, and a means by which instructional material can be disseminated. It needs to be perceived as a serious art form and an important part of our culture.”

Alanguilan, who created and initially self-published the cathartic “Wasted” miniseries over 20 years ago, also eventually wrote and illustrated “Elmer”—about the struggles of sentient, talking chickens—which earned him various accolades, including an Eisner Award nomination for best graphic album in 2011.

The comic book creator is also a komiks historian and a curator of the Komikero Komiks Museum in San Pablo, Laguna, which features works by artists from different periods in the medium’s history, as well as by those based in the area.

The comic book creator is also a viral sensation.
“Hey, Baby!” is a 59-second video of Alanguilan slowly grinning at the camera at different parts of his house. It was uploaded in 2009, was featured in entertainment programs and web shows, and has gotten over six million views to date.

Excerpts from the chat:

What can be done by the government to help out the industry? Money can be set aside to offer grants to promising creators [and for] national and international festivals. The government can offer a distribution network that will help sell their works across the Philippines.

What’s the biggest challenge in maintaining the Komiks Museum? The biggest challenge was getting it off the ground. I had an online museum for years, but I’ve always dreamed of having a brick-and-mortar one. The stumbling block was always money. I was extremely lucky when friends offered me a room in their gallery/café to display my art. I proposed they turn it into a museum, and I’m so happy they agreed. It’s such a thrill to be able to share even a little bit of komiks history this way.

“Elmer” book cover

How would you describe the local scene now, and how viable a source is it for film or TV? The quality of independent comic books by our local creators has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 10 years. I wish more film and TV content creators would look at new comics more, and visit the numerous conventions so they can see for themselves.

A lot of films and TV shows that adapt comics still look to properties created decades ago and, to be honest, a lot of them are really getting old.

You’re inking pages for Marvel—how does that feel, decades later? Working for Marvel is a job [that] I enjoy doing because I get to work on the characters I grew up with. But there’s nothing like the thrill of creating my own characters and writing their stories.

What was the original intention behind your “Hey, Baby!” video? I made the “Hey, Baby!” video [when] I took a break from Marvel and was trying to explore my creativity in different fields. YouTube was making it easy for me to indulge my interest in filmmaking. I just filmed myself horsing around the house with comedy skits and video blogs. Out of that came the video.

I made it, and forgot about it. Then, it went viral. It was on “The Graham Norton Show.” A Japanese film crew interviewed me for it. Nowadays, a screenshot from that video makes the rounds as different memes. Some funny, some unflattering, some downright inappropriate. But I can’t do anything about it anymore!