Look! Up in the sky!

Reboots have become a trend in the last few years: taking what was there before and attempting to make something new out of it. Philippine folklore has not escaped this latest trend. Of course, a lot have tried and failed. But the secret to bringing back our classic Philippine folklore isn’t in rebooting them, but modernizing them. Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo of Trese created a comic book world wherein our past folklore creatures live in our current metropolis and the comic has proven to be a success. As much as Trese has gotten a lot of attention, it isn’t the only comic making its mark in updating our folklore for a new audience. Writer Mervin Ignacio and artist Ian Sta. Maria have created a comic book called Skyworld that hopes to achieve the same success as Trese. The story involves our mythological creatures (referred to as the “Sons of Heaven”) in a war that has been ongoing in a world up in the sky. Skyworld stars a “Tikbalang Prince” who seeks vengeance versus the “Queen of the Aswangs” who murdered his father. So yes, this isn’t your lola’s old folklore. The tikbalang actually goes to modern day Manila and goes to a young man named Andoy for help. (SPOILER ALERT: Apparently, Andoy has to fulfill a prophecy that dates back to the time of Lapu-Lapu.) With this, Skyworld is crossing over elements from classic Philippine folklore into our nation’s history. It’s an epic alternate take on Philippine history and pop culture.

“Every legend hides a lie” is the tagline of Skyworld but it’s no lie that it’s turned out to be a huge success.

Skyworld presents a new take on storytelling for Philippine comics. Combining folklore and history made the book so much more exciting. Many Filipinos are fans of Roman, Greek and even Norse folklore but they forget that our very own myths are just as rich. It just takes the right story to make our folklore shine. Thankfully, Mervin and Ian are just the men for the job. Skyworld is truly a work of love for both creators. Mervin almost stopped making the book but it was his passion for comics that made him continue the story; meanwhile Ian Sta. Maria kept on illustrating Skyworld because of his deep love for comics. You can see both creators give it their all in the pages of the comic. The story is truly inspired and the art is crisp with detail and energy. Like Trese before them, Mervin and Ian are a new breed of local comic creators with a visionary story planned and the proper talent to make their stories come alive. Skyworld is the prime example of a little book that could go the distance.

It’s no secret that comic books are a niche market. But Skyworld is now showing signs of becoming a crossover hit. It has been a best seller in National Book Store and its demand has been increasing. Why not pick up a copy today and support our local guys? Skyworld presents a compelling story that highlights the very best of Philippine folklore. Volumes 1 and 2 are available in National Book Store.

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Have you read Skyworld? What did you think of it? Should there be more stories of our folklore set in modern times? E-mail us at jiggyandjonty@gmail.com.