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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Faults' Artists Highlight: Katsuya Terada

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.

In the early 2000s, there was a local artist in a local comic magazine with a decidedly different art style that had caught my eyes. Granted, it was not a style that I was interested in (not to mention the rather murky and sparse storytelling...), but it was a decidedly different take from other more conventional manga art style that was all the rage back then...

Puppeteer Lee

It wasn't until some time later where in one interview with an entirely different artist where one name was cited as an influence, and it was from the illustration work for a certain anime movie where I had my first encounter with the artist that made me go, ah, I can see the influence of this artist on the work that other artist earlier...

Such was how I was initially introduced to the work of Katsuya Terada.

Blood: The Last Vampire

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Faults' Artists Highlight: Yoshitoshi Abe

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. I will be writing about my experience with said artists, and attempt a deeper look into what was it about aspect of their works that had resonated with me. 


Like so many other people growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s, I have been exposed to the influx anime/manga/Japanese art during a time when I had decided to dabble with drawing. While I initially started aping the popular shounen style art during that time, I did not particularly have any artist that I strongly ripped off based off from.

I wasn't thinking in such depth during that time, but looking back at it now, I would say that although I was very much attracted to the stylized style brought about by the anime/manga art during that time, I yearned for something darker, something more atmospheric and mysterious...

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Neurosis' Times of Grace turns 20

What's this? Touhou meets Neurosis?

A rather odd choice, if I do say myself, given the two sharing almost no similarity whatsoever (and I’m curious at how many out there who happens to be fans of both)... but if I could use the former as an excuse to talk more about this mighty band, well then…!

With their sixth record celebrating its 20 year release anniversary today, I figured this would be a good occasion to talk about this phenomenal record, and explore some aspect of this influential yet enigmatic band.

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Ms. Patchouli

‘Ms. Patchouli, what went on in your head?

Oh, Ms. Patchouli , did you talk to the dead?’

Saw a drawing of Sumireko ala Aleister Crowley, and that had gotten me to think about that one song by Ozzy Osbourne, and… nasi lemak?

Also:

Comic Fiesta 2018 report comic

I haven’t done these small post-event comics in ages (last one was in 2016), so I’m really forcing myself to get me into the rhythm of comic making again lol

Anyway:

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2019: burning with positivity, or positively burning?

Thought I'd start to use the blog more to post some of my drawings - though don't count too much about that promise just yet!

Summary of art: 2014 - 2018 (a 5 year review)

I recently started to think about where I was going with my progress in art, and realized that I haven't posted that much of art in here from the period of me picking up drawing again back in 2014...

.. so, I would like to take the time to dive through the older pieces, hopefully to see them again with a more objective view:

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Comic Fiesta 2018: reflection and review

I noticed that among the last recent post on this blog was that of Comic Fiesta (way back in 2016), and from the time of that writing, I have managed to participate in the last two years as booth owner under the collective circle of HiBiscuits. And I thought, well I have some things to talk about, and I haven't updated the blog in ages, sooooo.

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RIP Chris Cornell

I'm sure by now most are aware on the news of the passing of Chris Cornell last Wednesday - in what is reported as him taking his own life. While it might be tempting to debate on the exact nature of how he died (for example, whether drugs had an affect in his action prior to his death), I can't help but felt an eerie feeling when, the first thing I thought when I heard of his passing - this was before the report that it was suicide - was one particular interview on one of their song, Outshined:

"I don't know how everyone else feels...but I definitely go through periods of extreme self-confidence, feeling like I can do anything. Perhaps a fan will sense that, like in a performance, and the hero image creeps out. But then someone will say something, however insignificant, or I'll get something in my head and, all of a sudden, I'm plummeting in the opposite direction, I'm a piece of shit, and I really can't do anything about it. That's where "Outshined" comes from, and why I'll never consider myself a hero."

Chris Cornell 

Admittedly I haven't listened to Soundgarden in ages, nor have I listened to much of Cornell's other works... I did however remember being stuck in a dark period years ago - and it was from coming across the quote above that got me to rant on the subject of ego and... well, I'm not sure what the hell it was that I rambled here.

News like this never fail to shake me to my core - I go through occasional dark periods, and at times I do wonder if I was going to make it...? I'm not sure if that battle is going to be settled anytime soon, if ever, but I'm damn trying. 

Whatever the exact circumstances were, it's a shame that he was to be gone early. Rest in peace Chris Cornell, a lot of us are gonna miss you man. 

Some drawings I did

I've been slow in drawing recently, so I thought I'd put up some pieces that I've been working on earlier this year, for some friends.

I have a couple of pieces that I was planning to finish for last month (March)... so I'd better work on them through this weekend, yeap.

So... old...

It was my birthday last wednesday. Nothing uneventful, though I did go through some old work from way back during high school, and marvelling at the long period of time until recently where I don't take drawing that seriously.

Anyway here's one from 2005-2006ish. Hard to say, since I didn't date my drawings back then:

Fun fact: The Pillows were formed the same year I was born 

I guess this is an update (+art dump)

I've been mulling over the purpose of writing out thoughts out here on the 'net: and it was not because of the fear that whatever I say will go into the void (though that used to be my fear, I admit...)

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Thoughts on Comic Fiesta 2016

This is in by no way a review of the event - far from it, as it's more a rambling and introspection.

It is precisely because I am in such a mood that I decided to write in here, after... wow, almost two years of silence here? Huh.

Just as my visit to Comic Fiesta yesterday, really, what I wanted is to dig deeper into myself. It is not merely to announce my presence, of being here for the sake of being here.

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