Yesterday around lunch time, I took time out to attend a geek and special interests event that targeted South Metro Manila and Cavite residents. It was the Komiket South 2019 event held at the ground floor of SM Southmall in Las PiƱas City.
The place where the creators, fans and buyers gathered.
To put things in perspective, Komiket is an affordable komiks and art market that aims to discover new creators, readers and launch new komiks. “Komiks” is a local term referring to comic books produced by local creators. Decades ago, there were several comic books (or pages published on magazines) published here in the Philippines that highlighted local society as well as the fantasy talents of local creators. Such comics were published in Tagalog, the leading local language here in the Philippines.
The event was a nice gathering of creative people, most of which were artists who showcased their talents through the forms of comic books, stickers, posters, post cards and other collectible items. Such items were offered to customers who passed by out of curiosity or with intention to buy.
Pop culture art in the form of cards, pin-ups and stickers.This particular booth attracted a lot of young people.A view during my walk through.
Along the way, I met with Damy Velasquez III, one of the creators selling independently published comic books. We had a nice chat about what were displayed, he allowed me to browse a few of the comic books and I decided to purchase one of his comic books titled The New DI-13 #1 (pronounced as “dee-trese” which ironically rhymes with Dick Tracy). Once I read it, I’ll publish a review here.
There were other indie comic books from other creators also displayed nearby. Among those I checked had black-and-white and Tagalog language presentations. There were some comics with color though.
An artist writing down something.Button pins and stickers of Don Fumar.
Komiket South 2019 was a lively event that took place on May 25 and 26. It’s nice to see such events get held here in South Metro Manila and I hope that more of these will be held in the near future. There is nothing like meeting the creative people behind the artworks, the comic books and other collectible stuff.
If another Komiket or something similar happens within the south, I would attend it.
I remember decades ago when superhero comic book collecting was exciting with trends of comic creators unleashing their newest owned projects and comic book publishers publishing new comic books expanding their existing universe.
In 1992, Marvel Comics announced the launch of the 2099 universe which highlights a far, futuristic possible universe of their comic book universe laced with visual inspiration from Blade Runner and an emphasis of what the future would be like had private corporations had more control over people and society.
What kicked off interest with the 2099 imprint was the announcement of Spider-Man 2099 which is obviously a far future counterpart of the famous Peter Parker Spider-Man people knew.
Here is my look back at the comic book Spider-Man 2099 #1.
Released in late-1992 by Marvel Comics, Spider-Man 2099 #1 came with a hard cover laced with red foil and in the middle was art of the superhero chased by flying police officers. The image easily reminded me of Peter Parker Spider-Man escaping from police officers who thought he committed crime.
With its story written by the legendary Peter David and drawn by Rick Leonardi (who drew some Spider-Man comics previously), the comic book introduced readers to Miguel OāHara who is a very talented geneticist working for Alchemax with an interest on the original Spider-Man (Peter Parker). As head of the companyās genetics project (working under Aaron Delgado who answers to R&D Vice President Tyler Stone), the Latino OāHara planned to create new and powerful beings called ācorporate raidersā (which reflects Alchemaxās planned control over them).
OāHara intends to create a new being with abilities and specialties similar to that of the classic Spider-Man and it is clear in the story that he has vested interest with him having existing records from the past.
The classic Spider-Man referenced in this page.
Even with very high-tech equipment and resources, a genetic experiment using a living person went horribly wrong which brought way down OāHaraās morale and spirit. Discouraged and filled with guilt he visits Stoneās office to express his desire to resign. Seeking to calm OāHara down, Tyler offers him a drink and at this point of the story things really start taking twists leading to how OāHara becomes Spider-Man of his era. Youāll just have to read the comic book.
From a visual standpoint, Rick Leonardi did a nice job bringing 2099ās society to life with those high-tech machines, floating vehicles, buildings with very futuristic designs, nice looking action, etc. On pages 2 and 3 youāll see Spider-Man 2099ās first-ever appearance literally coming straight at you which is to say the least memorable. Oh yes, the late Al Williamson inked the art.
Storytelling was nicely paced. The chase and action scenes in the start were pretty fast and clearly Peter David took his time controlling the pace when it came down to emphasizing characters and telling the back story. He really defined Miguel OāHaraās personality and within a few minutes any reader will realize that the protagonist is not the ātypical and likableā hero some would expect.
In fact Miguel OāHara is somewhat arrogant and even had the guts to stand up to Tyler Stone. Heās a lonely guy as well and spends a lot of time interacting and depending on Lyla, a holographic aid with artificial intelligence.
Spider-Man of 2099 in action!
With regard to the presentation of genetics, Peter David was clearly influenced by the 1986 movie The Fly directed by David Cronenberg. Even that movieās title was mentioned in the comic book. That being said the story shed light on the risks and possible unethical approach to scientific experiments that involved the manipulation of human genetics. Along the way it clearly dramatizes the complete power and freedom (and abuse perhaps) Alchemax enjoys with its operations and that nothing could stop them.
Overall Spider-Man 2099 #1 is worth looking for and collecting even though it is decades old. Sure it has that 1990s vibe in terms of visuals but it is indeed refreshing to read especially after reading many of todayās āmodernā art in comics (especially with the recent Spider-Man 2099 comics). As far as importance is concerned, Spider-Man of 2099 is truly valued by Marvel and clearly the character truly defines the 2099 imprint. It is no surprise that Spider-Man 2099 was brought back when Marvel launched a new line of 2099 comic books back in 2015.
Even until now Spider-Man 2099 #1 is still one of the very best 2099 comic books ever released. It is a classic in its own right. I suggest visiting your local comic book store to find an existing copy of it.
Thank you for reading. If you found this article to be engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy bookĀ The World of HavenorĀ is stillĀ available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check outĀ my servicesĀ andĀ my portfolio. Feel free toĀ contact meĀ as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook pageĀ Author Carlo Carrasco.
Authorās Note:Ā This article was originally published at my oldĀ Geeks and VillagersĀ blog. What you read on this website was an updated and expanded version. In other words, this newest version you just read is theĀ most definitive version.Ā
Author Carlo Carrasco 