Decades-old komiks masterpiece restored
MANILA, Philippines - More than half a century after it was first serialized in Pilipino Komiks, Francisco V. Coching’s masterpiece El Indio comes back to life in all its black-and-white glory.
Restored by Gerry Alanguilan and Zara Macandili from newsprint, El Indio is the sequel to Coching’s El Indio, which originally came out as a komiks serial in 1952 and 1953, and is, for the first time, released as a full-length graphic novel. The book features new material including a foreword by the artist’s widow Filomena N. Coching, never-before-printed silent art pages, an expanded character list, and the vivid recoloring of the original series cover art, making it the ultimate collector’s item.
“The field of vision within every frame is deep, and the line is charged. The life force and confidence of form do not wane, the Tagalog is lofty, and the intricacy of cultural furniture very adept,” art critic Patrick Flores said in praise of what has been said to be among Coching’s best work.
Artist Leinil Francis Yu agrees, saying, “One only needs to study Coching’s work in El Indio to fully grasp realistic yet dynamic figure drawing and layout.” The novel, Yu added, is “One of 'komiks’ best, ever.”
The book’s introduction details how comics virtuoso Gerry Alanguilan and assistant Zara Macandili went through a painstaking process in restoring Francisco V. Coching’s sinuous lines and dramatic shading from decades-old newsprint.
“This (book) is merely a glimpse of what we have had in our history,” Alanguilan writes in the novel’s introduction. “There is so much more than many of us have yet to see. I hope this is the start of our recovery of an art form that has too long been left by the wayside.”
The book was published by Vibal Foundation, Inc. (VFI) with permission from the Francisco V. Coching Foundation. For inquiries, call 712-2722 or 712-9156.
El Indio is available at leading bookstores.
