Manix Abrera: This comic book artist is a rock star

Manuel Luis Lorenzo Abrera slips into the auditorium quietly, in the middle of a seminar on "Literature from Shakespeare to Bob Ong: Bridging the Divide Between the Popular and the Canonical." He looks like just another student attending the forum - blue jeans, dark blue shirt with a rainbow on it, sneakers, a backpack slung over his shoulder. Had he not been spotted by a couple of fans, he could have easily passed for a regular guy. But Manix Abrera isn't a regular guy. For one thing, he creates comic strips for a living. On top of that, he isn't your stereotypical artist either. Manix is also athletic. In fact, the closest thing he has to a routine is rowing with the UP Dragonboat Team thrice a week. Apart from that and his deadlines, everything is up in the air for the 28-year-old rock star of the comics world. A few more students approach him, hugging copies of "Kikomachine" comics they want him to autograph. "Kuya, may crush sayo 'yan!" someone shouts. The girl blushes a bit but says "Meron nga, ano naman?" Manix shakes his head and smiles, embarrassed. The only other time I can recall seeing this level of devotion from literary fans was at Neil Gaiman's book signing. Of course, Manix doesn't yet have an international fan base. After all, his dialogue is mostly in Filipino. But locally, he may be the biggest literary star around. As his fellow Visprint author Alan Navarra says, "If he publishes a piece of paper, it will sell." Manix began making comic strips as a little boy. Fortunately, he didn't have to deal with parents wanting him to be a doctor or a lawyer, since his father was none other than Jess Abrera, creator of the "Pinoy Nga!" and "A.Lipin" comics.

Influenced by a steady diet of Voltes V, Manix was fond of drawing robots and castles. His father kept a lot of those drawings, including some of Manix's first comic strips. "Pambatang comics talaga 'yung ginawa ko, pero 'yung characters mga presidents," Manix told me, saying that he would imitate his father's political strips which usually featured Cory and Marcos. At 11, he completed "Flat Tops Boy", a story inspired by the then-trendy haircut, and in his teenage years, "Boy Tigyawat" (literally zit-boy or acne-boy) gained him a spot at the Philippine Collegian - the University of the Philippines' official paper. This was the first comic strip he shared with others. He modestly refers to his acceptance into the Collegian as "chamba," and he recalls his days there as a turning point in his life. "Napaisip ako na mahal ko pala talaga 'yung comics," he says. Another "chamba" was getting a regular space on the funnies page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Manix and two fellow Fine Arts majors submitted a proposal, and their comic strip "Garapata Blood" was chosen. They agreed to divide the work on rotation, Manix would do the strip for one week, JP Cuison for another, then Bheng Densing. When another space freed up, Manix took on a solo project and "Kikomachine" became a permanent installment. Apart from the added pressure of not having breaks, unlike when he was working with two other artists on "Garapata Blood," the most difficult thing was creating the story."'Yung drawing madali na 'yun e, kaya mo nang paspasin 'yun - 20 percent lang 'yun, 80 percent iisip ka talaga kung ano 'yung kwento," Manix says. Eventually, he got the hang of it. "Habang tumatagal, mas nasanay na akong maging observant sa paligid. Dumadami yung napapansin ko na parang, ay, puwede ko 'tong gawing comics," he says. "Kikomachine" is turning ten years old this year, and Manix is showing no signs of slowing down. If anything, he's pushing further ahead. Pol Medina once told him that he could make a living from his comics. "Basta, go ka lang nang go," Manix recalls. His father gave him the same advice. "Basta gawin mo lang 'yung gusto mo, huwag mo isipin 'yung pera, darating nalang 'yun," his father told him after Manix resigned from his first and only job with an NGO, where he found himself creating his comics in the fire escape because it wasn't allowed at work. After three or four years of making comic strips, Manix went to bookstores and copied publishers' e-mail addresses from books. "Inemail ko silang lahat, tapos kung sino 'yung mga mag-reply, ibig sabihin may pag-asa," Manix says. This led to a meeting with Visprint's Nida Ramirez, who agreed to publish Manix's comic strips in a series of books. The "Kikomachine" comics sold like pancakes and became his bread and butter, and last year, Visprint produced his book of silent comics, despite the high production cost.

The concept was 12 strips in full color, with not a single word. "Ibang-iba siya sa Kikomachine, hindi siya makulit. Iniba ko talaga," says Manix, explaining that he had always wanted to try other forms of comics. "Marami ka pang puwedeng ma-explore," he adds. That Visprint agreed to publish "12" had both advantages and disadvantages. The obvious advantage was that the book was out and available to a wider audience. Without a language or literacy barrier, anyone who could see could appreciate the comics. The unfortunate part was that Manix had entered one strip from the book,"I See," in the Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards last year, and it would have won had it not been published during the contest period. He just shrugged this off, smiling and saying, "Okay naman, nakakatuwa nga e. Akala ko hindi na tuloy yung contest. Pero okay lang kasi at least nalabas ko na rin siya." Manix is one of the most even-tempered people you'll meet, according to JP Cuison, who cannot recall ever seeing Manix upset. JP and Manix met as college freshmen and have gone on many adventures together, from "Garapata Blood" to their band, "Kikomachine", to ziplining dressed as Superman and Ironman. Just last weekend, Manix joined JP and his family on a trip to Tagaytay. "Para nila akong anak din," says Manix, who often joins his friends on trips to different provinces, one of his favorite methods for gathering material. Manix has interests that are varied almost to the point of being confusing, including film, literature, diving, rowing, music, culture. These days, Manix can be spotted playing for Gorgoro, a Pinoy rock band whose frontman is not a man, but a puppet. He can also be seen rowing with the UP Dragonboat team, or diving with the Marine Biological Society. But with these many activities, what Manix does is zoom in on a particular idea and articulate it in a few frames with clever drawings and tastefully funny dialogue. Back inside the auditorium, he tells me he's nervous, despite having his speech ready. It's recycled, from a previous forum at UP Los Baños, and all the comic strips in his powerpoint presentation are his. He asks me if I think it's vain, and is quick to explain that it was a requirement for the Los Baños forum. Before I can assure him that no one will mind that his presentation is filled with his comics, his name is called and he walks toward the stage, surprising the girl next to me who squeals, "Nasa tabi ko lang pala si Manix!" The only thing that betrays his nervousness is his shaking hands, but otherwise, Manix has complete control of the auditorium. The students hardly have time to catch their breath from laughing. Manix thinks comics can be distinctly Pinoy when culture comes out in the strip, not through the drawing style or the storytelling. "Makikita mo, 'uy Pinoy 'to, kasi malalabas mo 'yun kahit subtle lang," he says, adding that it's a pity that others just imitate strips from other countries. "Ang yaman yaman ng culture natin, ang dami dami nating puwedeng gawin pa, parang sa paligid lang natin," he says. Manix also draws inspiration from current events. "Ang magandang role ng comics, pakita mo 'yung mga issues na nangyayari ngayon, tapos, sana makapag-spark siya ng discussion dun sa magbabasa. Hindi ka lang nagpatawa, kasi may ibang comics na parang, naglalakad, may nadapa, tapos 'yun na 'yun, tawanan na. Parang kulang e. Mas maganda talaga kung may sinasabi talaga," he says. His examples include a strip set during Ondoy, where two friends stranded on a rooftop with their laptop decide to set up a Facebook account to ask for help. Several hours later, they're still stranded because one of the characters is trying to find the perfect profile picture before posting an SOS. Then there's a strip about jeepneys, and how there is always space for one more passenger. "Grabe 'yung juxtaposition ni Jesus Christ, Buddha, tapos biglang may sexy, halo-halo talaga. Ang daming religious figures, baka nga kasi pinapaalala na humingi tayo ng patawad sa Diyos kasi harurot sila lagi baka mamatay tayo," he jokes. "Sinusubukan natin mapakita talaga yung kultura natin. Oo masarap talaga libutin yung buong mundo pero mahalin mo muna yung sarili mong bansa," he tells his audience. He gives examples like the butanding and the alitaptap - "kapag nakita mo iiyak ka nalang sa ganda." "Twilight? Vampires? Pakitaan niyo sila ng tiyanak masisiraan sila ng bait," says Manix as the audience bursts into laughter. He shows more of his strips, featuring Gayuma, Catanduanes style, the Sto. Niño, the perya, and the ubiquitous 'kwan.' If he's still nervous, it doesn't show, and the audience can't seem to get enough of him. It's a far cry from the Manix Abrera of 10 years ago, when he was so insecure about his work he didn't even want to sign it. "Ang corny corny, corny talaga, parang nakakahiya, ayokong ilagay yung pangalan ko," he says. Now, he not only signs his own work, but random things his fans want signed. What exactly is it that makes Manix comics such a hit? It's not about skill or talent, Manix says, despite the fact that he has both. For him, it's about the drive. "Kasi marami kang madadaanan na obstacles talaga, wala nang maisip, walang naman talagang nagbabasa yata. Dapat gusto mo lang talagang gawin," he says, despite the fact that in his case, it's hardly just a personal hobby. Most of his fans are avid readers, the type that cut the strip out from the newspaper and compile them. One of his fans, Jonallin Yang, was introduced to "Kikomachine" by her best friend in high school who would do exactly that. Apart from the humor, she cites content as the reason she enjoys reading the strip. "'Yung tipong hirit na sa katropa mo lang maririnig," she says. On the other hand, it's not just about getting people to laugh. "Lahat ng strips niya, may sense, sobra. May hirit tungkol sa isyu-pulitikal, at kung anu-ano pa. Halos palaging may mapupulot ka, kung hindi aral e kalokohan," Jonallin says. Finally, she likes the attention to detail in his drawings. While it's been said that Manix tends to be text-heavy, his complexity and depth are appreciated by his youthful audience. "Umiba siya sa trend ng komix strip sa 'Pinas. Usually matatapos sa punchline para sa joke, 'yung sa kanya more on the sitwasyon. Hindi punch line sa dulo na acheche," says JP Cuison. The thing about his comics is it has a lot of heart, and so too the artist who will encourage others by telling them it isn't about skill or talent, but desire. "'Pag gusto mo talaga, okay 'yan e, lalabas, kasi ang daming mga ibang nakikitang gumagawa ng comics, 'di naman sila magaling mag-drawing, medyo olats, pero makikita mo na gustung-gusto nila 'yung ginagawa nila, tapos makikita mo 'yun sa gawa nila na grabe binuhos niya talaga yung puso niya dito. Tapos parang sa paraan na 'yun, ang ganda ng gawa niya," he says. "Meron siyang sinasabi kahit sobrang gago siya, sobrang wala lang, pero meron kang nakuha sa kanya, napaisip ka ng kahit konti," he says, adding that he is drawn to comics like Pugad Baboy and Calvin and Hobbes. “Doon ko nakita na ang simple simple lang ng mga kwento niya, mga gawa niya, pero pag inisip mo ang lalim din eh, grabe." The same thing has been said about Manix's comics. Given the squealing fans who hound him for autographs, he could get away with rock-star airs. But the nearest thing to that is his constant interjections of "rakenrol." Despite his outgoing nature, there's a certain tentativeness about him. His close friend Selena Salang remembers meeting Manix in 1997. Their parents introduced him to her as a boy from La Salle, so Selena spoke to him in English, assuming he would prefer it. "Ang hirap hirap nun!" Manix says, recalling the conversation that was more than 10 years ago. It turns out he was just too shy then to say he would rather speak in Filipino. He made up for his shyness with his sense of humor. Selena recounts being angry with him once, yet still laughing out loud while reading his comics. "His humor transcends personal connections," she says. "Ganoon ka-intense!" Despite the exuberant conversation, he really is shy. The word he uses most often is "parang" - he says it before and in between sentences, as if it would kill him to say something with conviction. Which is not to say he lacks conviction - it's out there for the world to see, his thoughts drawn inside the comic strip box. - HS, GMANews.TV