FCBD Philippines | Is Reading Relevant?

05.06.2019 – Twelve years since 2007 Free Comic book Day in the Philippines has gotten bigger than anyone have imagined. The lines have gotten longer the crowds become massive that there’s a fine line there between which actually reads and those join in just because the word has something to do with “FREE.” In this generation of digital age the lingering question if there are still people really reading these type of medium? FCBD is considered “the Christmas for Pop Culture Nerds” no doubt the crowd would be there for pageantry.

FCBD 2016 | Post-Event Recap & Stories!

05.07.2016 – Free Comic Book Day in the Philippines is one of the most anticipated events of the year. This is part mini-comic con, Christmas, all rolled into one massive event party for comicbook fans! FCBD in the Philippines has become an annual event since 2007 which started by Comic Odyssey and the rest has followed the tradition to cater for their fans, would-be comicbook readers and people who are getting interested reading comics again.

Sights & Highlights: SIXTY SIX Signing Event!

06.13.2015 – SIXTY SIX the graphic novel was launched earlier today at Comic Odyssey in Fully Booked which also give the artists the chance to meet their local fans who followed the series when it was first released in 2013 as single issues. The compiled edition which is published by ANINO will also include the fourth and final chapter of the series that is exclusive to this release.

FCBD 2015 Highlights at Comic Odyssey | Fully Booked!

05.03.2015 – While there has been five venues where Free Comic Book Day was being held all over Metro Manila. There are also minor branches of Fully Booked that given away one free comic to their regular customers. For Comic Odyssey their regular customers also received three free comics at each of its stores. The main event held the biggest FCBD at Fully Booked’s flagship store at The Fort since both companies started collaboration in 2013.

FCBD 2015: The Life of Standing in Line!

Illustration By Rommel "Omeng" Estanislao

05.03.2015 – Free Comic Book Day in the Philippines without a doubt has become more than a day to pick up a free comic book, but a game changer after one individual stood there during the first Saturday of May in 2013. Life standing in line is not the most glamorous part being there. You got to understand their dedication even though some would comment in social media that these people don’t have a life. You may not know the real story but most of them came prepared for it.

FCBD 2015: Comic Odyssey | Fully Booked Update!

05.01.2015 – Comic Odyssey and Fully Booked can be considered the stores that s reintroduced Free Comic Book Day in the Philippines. Both companies has have been successful organizing comic-related events even before FCBD was established. It’s the only place people would remember to attend the annual Free Comic Book Day since Comic Odyssey (2007) and Fully Booked (2008) started this event.

Nautilus Comics: What Arnold Arre Revealed on His Talk!

12.07.2014 – Nautilus Comics organized a small talk featuring Arnold Arre who recently re-released two of his works from the early 2000s. The first one was “Trip to Tagaytay” a short story penned is as a sort of love letter to wife Cynthia Arre. The second book is the “Mythology Class”, a 2000 National Book Award the very first graphic novel to receive such award by the Manila Critics Circle. It was released at Komikon 2014 with three different covers that were long awaited.

Happy Batman Day!

Fans of all ages line up at Fully Booked hours before they open the doors for Batman Day.

Most people retire at 60 but at 75 our favorite caped crusader, the only Dark 
Knight recognized and loved by generations is on full throttle with a new movie up in the works, with none other than his buddy Superman. (Even if fans are still at odds with former Daredevil Ben Affleck wearing the famous cape and cowl), a new origin series Gotham from Fox is also on the way, with Bruno Heller on the helm (it's on my watch list). In 75 years Batman has been immortalized in all sorts and forms of media, from series, television series, publishing and merchandise and this has allowed him to be discovered and loved by generations who have looked up to a very human superhero (not an alien, not a god) but an ordinary guy who drew strength from a tragedy and faced his fears to fight evil and seek justice as The Dark Knight.    

Batman Day: 75 Years of the Dark Knight!

07.27.2014 – Batman has been the iconic figure for DC Comics and celebrates its 75th anniversary as created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. For more than seven decades he’s everyone’s all-time favorite superhero with no special abilities. All of the world everyone raves about Batman and other heroes have been inspired by the character that fights in the shadows. There have been various iterations adapted in all forms of media from animation to live action films. Saturday was a celebration for fans who lined up as they show their passion for the Dark Knight.

Free Comic Book Day 2014: Post-Event Coverage!

Sorry for the late post - work has been in the way :P 

I don't belong to this generation of hand held device-dependent kids who download and upload everything; from the movies that they watch, the music that they listen to, to the books that they read. I can't say that I don't do these as well since I do but I would  still say that I'm a bit old fashioned since I prefer books over e-books and such. I grew up leafing through pages of whatever reading material I could get my hands on and reading from the light a flashlight (when it's already past bedtime) or the light of a candle (when it was black out-there were a lot of those in the 90s). Whether the kids of today could find the image of a holding a book and reading by the light of a candle impossible next to horrifying I'm glad (and relived) to see that steps and feats are being done to preserve the love of reading from a book or a comic book.

Last year we braved the heat and the lines for Free Comic Day (see the blog post HERE) It is an annually celebrated event (all over the world!). When you look it up on Wikipedia, Free Comic Book Day or FCBD is a promotional event to get new readers into independent Comic Book Stores. It's also a good way to get readers interested in reading good old fashioned comics. 

Free Comic Book Day has also made a dent in the local scene since it is also a great way to celebrate the local artists that we have. FCBD is held in different branches of Fully Booked and this year - Filbar's had a go at it as well. Stores invited local artists who got to share their work as well as meet fans and make new ones as well. For the past two years we've been going to Fully Booked at The Fort to celebrate Free Comic Book Day :) 

INS + Charlie Adlard: All Out War Zombie Bust!

05.11.2014 – When you talk about dedication and passion it shows when you actually adored what you do not because everyone was into it. For the team behind Imagine Nation Studios (INS) they will be defined by these words. Their success is about hard work and being passionate for the things they enjoyed most. INS is Lawrence Aliwalas and Milchy Pe who enjoyed watching The Walking Dead television series and reading the comics, which made them produce this exclusive zombie bust…

Sights & Highlights: Charlie Adlard at Fully Booked!

05.11.2014 – Charlie Adlard, the British comic book artist popularly known for The Walking Dead series with creator Robert Kirkman. He started his work in TWD since 2004 with issue #7 and currently in the Philippines courtesy of Fully Booked. Its Charlie Adlard’s first trip to the Philippine Islands who arrived Friday, and was at the Fully Booked flagship store accompanied by store CEO Jaime Daez by Saturday afternoon. The event started past 2:10 PM for the Q & A then followed by a signing event at 3:30 PM.

Comic Odyssey + Fully Booked: FCBD 2014!

05.04.2014 – Free Comic Book Day in the Philippines is the most celebrated event by fans that grew up and getting introduced to reading comics. It’s been established by Comic Odyssey in 2007 and Fully Booked in 2008, while the rest followed. There are four stores participated this year counting Comic Odyssey and Fully Booked as one store while the list includes Filbar’s, Druids Keep Collectibles and Planet X Comics. The biggest event no doubt is from Comic Odyssey and Fully Booked yesterday.

Tintin Shop opens at Fully Booked!

05.04.2014 – Tintin is a popular Belgian comic series by a cartoonist named Goerges Remi who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The popular series first appeared in French on January 10, 1929 published Le Petit Vingtième, a youth supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle. The series was released on the spin off Tintin Magazine and by 1950 Hergé Studios was established which produced the canonical series of twenty-four Tintin albums.

Aquaman & The Others Signing with Lan Medina!

04.08.2014 – Last Saturday Comic Odyssey hosted another comic book signing with Filipino artists Lan Medina at the latest store in Fully Booked, Greenhills. His last signing event he did the artwork for Marvel’s Minimum Carnage Alpha in 2012. His latest work brings him to the world of DC Comics launch of a new title in Aquaman & The Others #1 that came out with two covers. Local fans troop to the new branch of Comic Odyssey to support Mr. Medina in his latest endeavors with DC Comics.

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane: Book Review

When I read the summary of the book from it's back cover (as I was doing some book 'window' shopping) and I honestly did not know what to expect from the story. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I was thrown into a thrilling adventure of a mysterious world existing within our own.

New Comic Odyssey at Fully Booked Promenade!

12.16.2013 – If you’re a comic book reader and probably lives in the area of San Juan in Metro Manila, chances are your options to pick up a new title has not been limited for the need to travel great distances. The options to picking up your pull list have been closer to home now that Comic Odyssey has finally opened its fifth branch at Fully Booked. It’s the third shop opening inside Fully Booked this time at Promenade in Greenhills. The store opened last Friday and still filling up stocks of neat stuff at the new location. It’s an early Christmas treat to regular customers who lives in the area.

Sights & Highlights at Art with Heart!

11.24.2013 – Art with Heart has pulled an impressive collection of talented individuals from the Philippine comic community and Urban Lifestyle (group of visual, street and graphic artists) doing one goal help raise funds from the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. The Philippines have great talented individuals and when it comes to the “Bayanihan” spirit everyone pulled together to mount an effort to help. The event organized by Fully Booked with Comic Odyssey and Vinyl on Vinyl made it happen on a Saturday.

Art with Heart: Silent Auction & Live Art!

11.19.2013 – Art with Heart: Silent Auction and Live Art happening this Saturday is presented by Comic Odyssey, Fully Booked and Vinyl on Vinyl. The event gathers a collection of talents from visual, street and comic artist. This is not the first time all three have teamed up to raise funds. They have done this back in 2011 for Vinyl + Splash to raise funds for another charitable institution.

Post Coverage: Halloween ComicFest!

My Baby Sister Isay in her Iron Man Shawarma shirt from The Perfect White Shirt - (which is my birthday gift to her by the way) with Batgirl. 

Hey guys! My baby sister Isay will be guest blogging with us. She's the real comic geek in the family and she went to Fully Book's Halloween ComicFest. Paul and I had a Baptism/First Birthday to go to. So without further adieu - here is Isay's first and hopefully not last post with us. :)