Comic Fiesta 2022: comics review

With a four year gap since my last trip to Comic Fiesta - I had skipped 2019 one due to work commitment, and then Covid happened - I was very excited to finally be returning to what is undoubtedly the largest anime/comic/game etc convention over here. 

While personally, the highlight of the event was catching up and meeting with friends and other like minded fans - which regrettably came with a healthy dose of dealing with bullshit lines and sea of people  - I know that this event was a chance for me to check what some of the most brilliant and hardworking artists have to offer - and that to really optimize the experience, I would want to at least plan in advance to seek out booths which are exhibiting comic books (in which this interactive map is a godsend!)

Seriously, take a look at the annotated map I prepared prior to attending the event:

I didn't end up buying from ALL the marked booths - but I damn tried to at least have a look-see! 

And what of them? Just how many comics did I end up purchasing off the event? Well:

And so after spending a week with them, I figured a review is in order… Since it's Christmas and all, consider this my present: some rambling subjective thoughts on some shitty comics... among other comics! 

Shhhh, Doraemon. I know

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The subjective experience of being autistic

Awkward. Introvert. Not good with people. Weird. In my own world. Obsessed. Difficult. Naive. Unable to read the mood. Too serious.

Those were just some of the adjectives and descriptions that have been thrown towards my direction - and mostly I felt were unjustified. I was just doing my own thing, not really wanting any trouble, so why I was getting these unsolicited and hostile remarks…?

Out of all the descriptors, there was one that no one had suggested, and it was one that made everything fell into place: autistic.

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Neurosis' A Sun That Never Sets turns 20

Following my previous writing on the albums Through Silver in Blood and Times of Grace by  influential Post Metal act, Neurosis , this writing will focus on an album that celebrates its 20th anniversary today. 

Let's talk about Neurosis' A Sun That Never Sets. 

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Neurosis' Through Silver In Blood turns 25

It's time to talk about the iconic album (with an iconic album cover to boot) from the juggernaut of Post Metal: 

Let's talk about Neurosis' Through Silver In Blood, which celebrates its 25th year anniversary today.

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Faults' Artists Highlight: Alphonse Mucha

Welcome to Faults' Artists Highlight, where I write about artists or works whom I took influence from, the ones which I admire, or artists whose works which I found fascinating. In the series, I will be writing about my experience with the highlighted artists, attempting to identify aspects of their works that resonated with me.

The Arts: Painting (1898)

My exposure to the work of Mucha goes a pretty long way, albeit an  indirect one: I had came across countless works that were in no doubt indebted to his work for many, many years... yet I had not known of the art movement that affected the sensibilities of the artists, much less the man associated with the movement!

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Faults' Artists Highlight: Hiroaki Samura

Welcome to Faults' Artists Highlight, where I write about artists or works whom I took influence from, the ones which I admire, or artists whose works which I found fascinating. In the series, I will be writing about my experience with the highlighted artists, attempting to identify aspects of their works that resonated with me.

As is the case with most people, my entry point into the work of Hiroaki Samura is through what is widely considered his magnum opus, the almost 20 year long running Blade of the Immortal series. I had joined in the series quite late - a bit past when the series was to be halfway of its total run - and the exact moment I first came across his name was not from finding out about the series itself per se, but rather having read an interview with an artist that namedrop Samura as well as Terada as one of his influences. 

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Dead Fish Chronicle's Arah Timur: 10 Year Anniversary

(Because I have been heavily influenced by them in the creation of our own doujin comic compilation, this post might as well double as Fault's Artists Highlight!)

The Arah Timur anthology is a series of Touhou Project doujin comic compilation by the circle Dead Fish Chronicles, spanning a total of six books. The first of the series was released in Comic Fiesta 2009, and with today being exactly 10 years since that release, I would like to do a sort of retrospective of the series of books.

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