| 11.06.2013 – When you go to Komikon the first thing you do is find the comic books that where advertised in the social media. Most of title sold out through “word of mouth” which becomes hot sellers for being relatively unknown.
If you heard of Ariel Atienza chances are you’ve been to Komikon. He mostly can be found going to art gallery launches but have you seen his work lately? A few would remember his creations but for the casual ones you should know his diverse works… |
There are a lot of good titles that come out whenever Komikon comes along and that include Indieket. But it depends on the would-be reader’s perception if it’s good or not. This also depends on how the artists bring out their work and with Ariel’s case he doesn’t much advertise to let you know what his projects right now.
But if you went to the comic shops which support Filipino komiks in general you might have come across seeing “Hand Drawn, Quartered, & Other Tell-Tales.” This of course is not his oldest work or his regular comic strip. Ariel Atienza for all reasons is frank and would do well to promote his works more online. Much more than he's doing right now. But what Ariel lacks in his less than attitude online makes up for his passionate works on paper.
Originally for those who follow Ariel would have heard about “Class” or “West Side” two comic strips that exist in the realms and experience of his college days. “Class” appears on the Manila Bulletin while “Westside” used to be appear in a Filipino-run foreign paper folded during the economic downturn had hit the US in 2008.
“Class” has been around along Lyndon Gregorio’s “Beerkada” it's just that the former has less mass appeal. While Lyndon’s creation had grown into a community known as the “Beerkadets” the other is more of the stories hit closer to home with comedic proportions.
But “Hand Drawn, Quartered, & Other Tell-Tales” is much more personal than the two works Ariel is associated with. This gives you a closer look on the artist and how he shares you an in-depth look on some of the projects he has done. This includes some unreleased works that you might find it interesting.
There five stories featured in “Hand Drawn, Quartered, & Other Tell-Tales” and this already Volume 2. This was a follow up to volume 1 that was released in 2011 and then he came up with a sequel that was released in Komikon 2012.
The volume 2 collects some of his unreleased works and projects that he didn’t share much in public which is compiled in this book. The stories are: “No Myth”, “In Between Panels”, “A Shepherd’s Story”, “Revolucionario”, and West Side’s “Kundiman.” In this compilation it also explores Ariel’s approach in art style that has not been seen for a long time. It’s interesting but for those looking for an extravagant comic book that has mass appeal this isn’t for you.
“Hand Drawn, Quartered, & Other Tell-Tales” attracts those who would appreciate not only the story but the getting to know the artist on how he put up this book. You could see the details how Ariel worked his way through five of these stories.
“No Myth” this story was kept in his drawer or in hid hard disk drive for so long that it deserves to be shared. If you read the simple premise you would wonder where he gets his ideas for his stories. You might be surprised to know this also had a cameo of a character from a well-known series. Of course keeping a spoiler free for you to have a curiosity on how it turned out is all up to you.
“In Between Panels” has no relation to his personal blog but it shares more about the artist himself. How he sees his experience retold in a comic book where Ariel himself is the character in this chapter. More like an exaggerate version of himself but with humorous complexities that a few would find it interestingly deep.
“A Shepherd’s Story” was an original story that was released in Christmas 2011written by a Pastor named Jack Kelley at: GraceThruFaith.com
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Ariel illustrates this story with details and the middle section of this compilation is “the heart itself.” For those who simply like less elaborate extravagance it makes you see that the world celebrates Christmas in a bigger perspective. It’s a greeting card to everyone who would appreciate this compilation in the simplest way.
“Revolucionario” is based in one part of the Philippine history from 1896-1901. Ariel tries to expand and contribute in dispelling a misconception that part of history. The artwork is more of a serious tone done in pencils shading. The language is in Filipino Tagalog and Ariel once mentioned if he’s going to compile the two volumes of “Hand Drawn, Quartered, & Other Tell-Tales” it will be in English.
West Side’s “Kundiman” is something Ariel wants to tell a story and this does not appear in the regular series. The art is less cartoonish and more serious side due to the events that happened in 9/11 but you’ll get to respect its nature how it’s being told.
The last part of the page would feature all his works and the variant cover for volume 2 that only appeared as a limited release in UP AME 2012. This of course includes description of the artist and how he started doing comic strips. The interesting about this book was the first part in “No Myth” but I’m sure you’ll have an idea what it’s all about.
“Hand Drawn, Quartered, & Other Tell-Tales” is not for the mainstream reader but a book about the artist’s works outside “Class” and “Westside” which built Ariel Atienza’s career in the Philippine komiks community. It’s a great portfolio piece and at the same time shares his personal insights through is passion doing comic books.
For more about Ariel Atienza’s future projects and other works LIKE The Art of Ariel C Atienza on Facebook and follow on Twitter at: @kartoonista
Visit the official site at: komikerokomiks.blogspot.com/
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