Goodbye, Vergil...

This is the post that we did not want to write, but yesterday, August the 21st, we lost our friend, Vergil Espinosa.

Our last Komikon with daVerge. Original photo by +Renie Palo 

We just want to remember him now as a beautiful soul who laughed with us, shared dreams with us, and always, always kept the faith.

He will be most dearly missed :(

Pinoy Komiks Assemble: Local, Int'l Artists Contribute to Charity Auction

FILIPINO HEROES,
11.69 X 16.54, by Carlo Vergara

BIDS have started to come in for the artworks included in the Pinoy Komiks Assemble charity auction we wrote about in our last post. One of the early favorites is this inked original by Zsazsa Zaturnnah creator Carlo Vergara. Running bid as of this writing is PhP5,500 and the final bid could be much higher during the live auction on Saturday, the 16th of November, at the KOMIKON.

POLGAS, 9 X 12, by Pol Medina Jr.

Another potential favorite is cartoonist Pol Medina Jr.'s take on a local rite of passage. Pol is among the major crowd-drawers at the Komikon and we've seen his readers lining up to have their books signed even after the official close of the Kon. With a starting bid of PhP1,000, we expect a number of fans to 'outpig' each other for a chance to own this piece.

Original X-TREME X-MEN Issue 7, page 8

We're also seeing artwork being created or donated by Filipino artists who are presently working on international comic book titles. Among the early contributors was Stephen Segovia who donated at least two pages from his run on X-Treme X-Men. 

Joining Stephen is our good friend, Ed Tadeo, whose work recently appeared in Dynamite Entertainment's The Bionic Man. He created two watercolor paintings for this auction and the 9x12 Batman/Superman tribute we're showing here is a steal at the current bid of PhP500.

Original water color by Ed Tadeo

Other artists, including Marvel superstars Mico Suayan, Harvey Tolibao, and Leinil Francis Yu, have pledged their participation, and many more original pieces will be auctioned off on the day of the Komikon itself.
This is heartening news as, now more than ever, every peso counts for the beneficiaries of this fundraiser.

1K Buys Verge a Day, Bohol Quake Victims Not Spared by Supertyphoon

   Last August, Vergil Espinosa's cousin, Etey Buendia, informed us that Verge's supply of dialysis fluids was running low, and from Verge himself we learned that he uses up about PhP1,000 worth of dialysis fluids daily. So quite literally, every thousand buys Verge another day until he is able to get a kidney transplant.

"He is recovering well but still needs a donor for a kidney transplant," according to Etey, "Malaki pa din ang medical bills nya kaya this fundraising project will be such a big help for daVerge. Thank you again for all your support." 

As previously announced, part of the proceeds of the auction will also be going to the victims of the Oct. 15 earthquake in Bohol. The ravages of Supertyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan) last Friday have undone a good part of the previous relief efforts as the entire island is once again without power and the number of homeless has risen. We would like to plead with everyone to please continue to contribute to all relief efforts. A quick round-up of donation centers and a guide to donating via SMS can be found on Johnny Danganan's blog and donations can also be made to Gawad Kalinga's Operation Walang Iwanan.

 Waiting to hear from friends in Leyte 

At the same time, we're anxiously awaiting word from friends in Leyte, especially after seeing how the typhoon has just about obliterated Tacloban City. As another friend pointed out, "It's like Armageddon down there."

Jaybhoi at one of the earliest Bayan Knights meetings.

 We hope and pray that Jay Acosta and Nico Medroso along with all their loved ones are all right. We know that cell sites are still down and it may take days before communication lines are restored, but we would like to believe that we will hear from both of them again soon. 
These young, incredibly talented artists are family to us. Please join us in praying for their safety, and for all of the thousands affected by this new calamity.

Art Auction for Verge and Why We're Going Back to Bohol

Our friend and cultural hero Johnny Danganan along with artist Lui Antonio and the KOMIKERO Artist Group have organized an art auction for the continued treatment of Vergil Espinosa who still needs four rounds of dialysis daily. Part of the proceeds of the auction will also be donated to the earthquake relief efforts in Bohol. For a chance help and own an original work of art by some of the best comic book artists in the local and international scene today, please attend the 2013 KOMIKON on Nov. 16, 2013 at the Bayanihan Center in Pasig City. Do spread the word!

UPDATE, 27.10.13: Some of the artwork up for auction can be seen from Johnny's Facebook album Para kay VERGIL ESPINOSA at mga biktima ng lindol. Featured are all original work by Karl Comendador, Norby Ela, Lui Antonio, and an 11 X 17 penciled page from X-TREME X-MEN Issue 6 by Stephen Jorge Segovia.

Invite! Bid! And go help a good cause! :D

Still Our Bohol

Since the 15th of October, Myke and I have been constantly talking about Bohol, a place that's dear to us for so many reasons.

Today, 12 days after a 7.2-magnitude quake tore up our beautiful island and shattered its many churches, burying memories, and history and people alike, we feel no different. If we could, we'd go back this very moment and help the people of Bohol rebuild. Although, from the news reports we've seen, it seems the Boholanos have wasted no time in shaking off the dust of the earth and standing firm on soil of their birth.

Days after the quake, people were already talking about how Bohol's tourism industry was coping with the disaster. This article, Quake-hit Bohol looking to lure back tourists is heartening, as is this article, I will lift up mine eyes: Project Kisame captures the church ceilings of Bohol on the concerted efforts to preserve what remains of the province's heritage structures.

Recently, our favorite Amarela Resort on Panglao Island updated its Facebook page and cheered us with this news, "We are happy to inform you that most of the resorts in Panglao Island including Amarela, did not suffer any significant damage and remain fully operational. Our staff and their families are all safe." Browsing through TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet, I learned that the Bohol Bee Farm on Panglao Island was operational too; and now a newly released article confirms that the Loboc River cruises have resumed (Loboc river cruise kick-starts Bohol tourism revival; new viewing deck for Chocolate Hills opens)

We've been going to Bohol yearly since 2011 and we're planning to stay longer next year to better see the island how the island has transformed. There’s ‘opportunity in tragedy’ in Bohol, reads the Inquirer's banner headline today and we would like to do our part in helping the people fully seize that opportunity.

We aren't going back just to be tourists all over again though. Bohol will always be at that part of our own little narrative where we found ourselves suddenly on the same path... White shores seen in clear light with the same feeling of contentment. We visited the island for the first time nine years apart, yet we both found ourselves home.

Til the next story...

This one by the way is already five years in the making, so allow us to indulge ourselves in another round of Bohol-themed nostalgia ^_^

Clawie and Ida on Panglao Island from 2011-2012

Artist Vergil Espinosa Battles Kidney Failure

A real hero fighting the good fight

HE was at every meeting and every KOMIKON, met all of his deadlines, and wowed us with the incredible detail of his artwork every single time. It didn't matter if what he was doing was entirely gratis, Vergil Espinosa, aka daverge, delivered with a wallop. Even now, more than a month after being diagnosed with kidney failure, Verge continues to be dedicated to his art. We asked his cousin Etey Buendia who has been organizing a a fundraiser for Verge, what else he needs at this time and Etey told us, "Maybe some comics, and a few sketchbooks."

 So, we're mailing Verge a little package tomorrow and hopefully we'll be able to send him another later on. Those of you who would like to send Verge comics and sketch pads too can mail the package to 78-B Don Ramon St., Talayan Village Q.C. If you are a local creator and can spare extra issues of your work, we're sure he'd love to see your books too.

Gifts for a good friend

Donations can also be made to Vergil's personal savings account -- BPI Savings acct. name “Vergil Aaron Espinosa” acct.no. 3249007306. Thanks again to Etey Buendia for providing us with the information.

Other comics creators are doing what they can to lend a hand too. International comic book artist Gerry Alanguilan recently auctioned off the original inked art to Indestructible Hulk #2 Page 12 for Vergil's benefit. The auction ends today, but if the deadline will be extended, we'll post an update here. You could also check out the related Flipgeeks article.

We're looking forward to seeing Verge again at the next comics event. Just like old times. 

Rock on, Verge. Mahal ka namin!

Verge with fellow Bayan Knights creators Renie Palo, Nidgel Bailon, and Jon Paloma

At a Bayan Knights meeting with the Sarge himself, Gilbert Monsanto

Verge and Lapis Ko To co-founder, John Becaro at the 2010 Metrocon

Verge at the 2011 Summer Komikon with inker Ray Ferrer

Verge and the Bayan Knights roster of creators at the 2011 Komikon (Photo by Renie Palo)