Far From Neutral Notions - Philippine politics, culture and stuff

Kinuye’s a personal favorite of mine, a really sinister character from the Legend of the Five Rings CCG and RPG. Here I did a version of the card “Lessons of Pain”.

The only part that I actually put any detail into was the face:

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Songs from the Wastelands is an epic chronicle of post-apocalyptic Earth, and is the brainchild of longtime friend Allan Robles. Below is the third page of a 12-page dry run we’ve been doing.

Take note though that this is not meant to be a stand-alone read; much of the back story will be revealed by the “real” comic book; this is, for all intents and purposes, a sampler. It just so happened that Allan and I were in our “wouldn’t it be cool if…” moments, so just to get our feet wet, we did this.

Here we see Damien in pursuit of the ‘Alpha Male’, who leads him to a forested area, away from the valley. I’m not sure how efficiently we’ve been able to convey his sense of paranoia, but suffice it to say that at this point, Damien is very jumpy.

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Songs from the Wastelands
Allan Robles, Story & Pencils
Jorge Cosgayon, Inks

Popularity: 3% [?]

Songs from the Wastelands is an epic chronicle of post-apocalyptic Earth, and is the brainchild of longtime friend Allan Robles. Below is the third page of a 12-page dry run we’ve been doing.

Take note though that this is not meant to be a stand-alone read; much of the back story will be revealed by the “real” comic book; this is, for all intents and purposes, a sampler. It just so happened that Allan and I were in our “wouldn’t it be cool if…” moments, so just to get our feet wet, we did this.

This battle scene was the biggest sacrifice we had to make, since we were constrained by our 12-page limit. The original concept called for at least a two-page spread featuring tons of carnage and gore. Yes, I am a boy I’m still not comfortable with the decision to cut it short, considering that the battle plays a huge role in Damien’s decision to leave his wife. I guess this is the best time to mention this, though: the battle had to take place at a certain time, given that Damien’s adversaries possessed certain… advantages… that were nullified by a certain phase of their moon, which, of course, doesn’t occur very often.

There’s a lot that happens between the panels; after Karl gives the order to ready their weapons, they are ambushed at the rear, and chaos ensues. Damien decides to go after the ‘Alpha Male’ alone, ordering Karl to take charge.

Because of the changes to this scene, panels 1,2, 4 and 5 weren’t pencilled in, and I had to draw them myself, which explains why the art’s a bit different. This was also the page where I didn’t have my Intuos 3 with me, so I think I consumed an entire bottle of liquid paper for this one.

Please note the Beauty and the Beast reference… “This [the] beast is mine!” I fought long and hard to get that one in. It was supposed to be: “Take whatever booty you can find, but this beast is mine!” but saner heads prevailed and I agreed to compromise. My undying gratitude to the person who spots the next Beauty and the Beast reference.

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Songs from the Wastelands
Allan Robles, Story & Pencils
Jorge Cosgayon, Inks

Popularity: 1% [?]

Songs from the Wastelands is an epic chronicle of post-apocalyptic Earth, and is the brainchild of longtime friend Allan Robles. Below is the second page of a 12-page dry run we’ve been doing.

Take note though that this is not meant to be a stand-alone read; much of the back story will be revealed by the “real” comic book; this is, for all intents and purposes, a sampler. It just so happened that Allan and I were in our “wouldn’t it be cool if…” moments, so just to get our feet wet, we did this.

Here Adam, a mysterious sage/advisor, informs Damien of the possibility that his wife may not survive childbirth, as the baby is “breached”, or feet first. This causes Damien to snap at Adam with a veiled threat should Adam fail. Looking somber, Damien steps out and orders the attack.

This also marks the first appearance of Karl, Damien’s second-in-command. His is an interesting background in that he was never meant to be a major part of the story - just someone for Damien to relay his orders to. But I liked how I inked his hair, which reminded me a lot of Robert Ludlum’s Sonnenkinder theories - perfect aryan children born of perfect aryan parents - so he became this Swiss-German blonde ubermensh marksman (because I always imagine Swiss-Germans to be the best snipers in the world - thank you very much Combat Missions), but since he lives in a world where sniper rifles are very scarce and high caliber bullets are non-existent, he lugs around a shotgun instead (not shown).

Also note Karl’s earpiece; in this world, most people are born with certain mutations that, for the most part, serve only to disfigure. Karl is an ‘elf’, those born with mutated ears or a heightened sense of hearing. It’s not a radio, it’s just a covering. Damien’s mutation is in his right arm extending to his shoulder, so he wears a special armor to cover it up.

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Songs from the Wastelands
Allan Robles, Story & Pencils
Jorge Cosgayon, Inks

Popularity: 2% [?]

Songs from the Wastelands is an epic chronicle of post-apocalyptic Earth, and is the brainchild of longtime friend Allan Robles. It’s been in the back of his brainpan for the better part of a decade, but it’s only recently that he decided to start working on it. The image below is the first page of a 12-page dry-run that we hope to publish or have published real soon

Take note though that this is not meant to be a stand-alone read; much of the back story will be revealed by the “real” comic book; this is, for all intents and purposes, a sampler. It just so happened that Allan and I were in our “wouldn’t it be cool if…” moments, so just to get our feet wet, we did this.

Here, Damien, the protagonist, is about to lead an attack against their enemies, the outcome of which may be very crucial to their goals. They’ve planned this for a long time: certain strategic elements had to be evaluated in choosing the place and time for the battle. Unfortunately, the attack also coincides with the time his wife is about to go into labor, and Damien had to make a very painful decision.

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Songs from the Wastelands
Allan Robles, Story & Pencils
Jorge Cosgayon, Inks

Popularity: 3% [?]

State of national emergency lifted

President Arroyo lifted Friday her declaration of a state of national emergency following assurances from security officials that the danger from a coup plot had receded. ABS-CBN News

Red Herring:

• in detective work, mystery fiction, and puzzle-solving, a false clue which leads investigators, readers, or solvers towards an incorrect solution.
• in politics, a minor or even phony issue trumped up as being of great importance, in order distract from more important issues that might help the opposing party.

With the emergency lifted, policement detailed to the Daily Tribune offices have been pulled out. Philippine Daily Inquirer. However, according to Press Secretary and concurrent presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye, they would check if the media reports are already committing libelous or seditious statements against the President. The Daily Tribune

Anakpawis Representative Rafael Mariano noted [however] that the President did not make any categorical statement that warrantless arrests, media muzzling, and the “no permit-no rally” policy would also disappear, along with the lifting of the emergency declaration. ‘Detained’ solons want Arroyo’s clear statement on plight

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye Friday said rebellion charges filed against suspected coup plotters will remain despite the lifting of the state of national emergency. ABS-CBN News

It’s curious because, as one blogger points out, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is still conducting its investigation into the alleged coup plot. The real masterminds have not been named. The financiers have yet to be discovered. The nature of donations amounting to millions of pesos made by Joseph Estrada’s foundation to groups of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has not yet been determined… [it’s like saying] we still can’t prove that the situation ever happened – but we are sure it did and we are sure that it is over.

I’ve mentioned more than once that GMA has been VERY successful at staying glued to her position and crushing any opposition. While oppression does stoke the fires of rebellion, it can keep it in check too… for a while anyway, and only if the flames aren’t a full-blown conflagration yet. Calculated doses of oppression can keep people guessing long enough that in the confusion, no one will be able to come up with sufficient resistance. GMA’s tack so far has been to do something, then recant, then do something again, just enough to keep everybody guessing and thinking, and not acting.

The lifting of her controversial declaration is a move along those lines, and it’s very Marcosian. You’ll remember that when Marcos lifted Martial Law in 1981, it was met with a collective sigh of relief - only to be replaced by Proclamation 2045: some controls were loosened, but the ensuing New Republic proved to be a superficially liberalized version of the crony-dominated New Society, and the abuses made norm by Martial Law were still perpetuated. Proc 2045 served it’s purpose for Marcos though: it appeased the US enough to look the other way, and lulled many into thinking that the worst was over.

A closer look at the circumstances behind the lifting of PP 1017 reveals that it is much the same animal as Proclamation 2045. Why was the state of emergency lifted? To answer that, you need to first ascertain why it was imposed in the first place. If the root causes for the initial declaration are no longer present, then it follows that PP 1017 is no longer valid, right? So examine the root causes: it was reported that the declaration was a reaction to a coup plot by several members of the military and political opposition. So since PP 1017 is no longer in effect, this must mean that the DOJ investigation has been concluded and the coup plotters have been dealt with - neither of which is the case at the moment. Furthermore, party-list lawmakers who are charged with rebellion and presently holed up at the House of Representatives are still facing arrest according to Justice Secretary [si]Raul[o] Gonzales. Why is that? Doesn’t the lifting of the state of emergency signify that there is no longer a threat to national security? According to Gonzales, they are charged with rebellion; that’s not a threat to national security?!? Then Gonzales issued a statement earlier today saying that it will continue monitoring the media, and singled out that it will analyze the one-week coverage of ABS-CBN on the emergency rule. Damn, I’d love to have a puff of whatever he’s smoking lately.

So, here’s how I see it: GMA says the emergency has passed, everybody’s relieved, then she goes on with arresting political radicals for rebellion and clamping down on the media. The only real difference between this and Martial Law is the lack of a declaration. So people won’t pay as much attention to what she’s doing; after all, the emergency’s over, isn’t it? Very clever smokescreen, that. The perfect red herring. Marcos would be green with envy if he wasn’t already covered with molds.

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