MIBF 2026 | Discovering Nordlys

This past Friday, the only reason I went to this year’s Manila International Book Fair was to meet a good friend who recently launched his latest book, and it's been four years since he came back from living in Denmark. It was good to see him, but before I got to see him, a bit of confusion cleared up. Amidst the miscommunication making me think I missed his signing session, I decided to spend time exploring the second-level halls of this year’s MIBF. I actually stumbled upon the Norwegian Embassy, which is kind of out of place for a booth that promotes interesting books. But I was sorely mistaken to think that caught my attention...

Manila In't Book Fair 2019 | Scenes From 1st Day

09.12.2019 – The fortieth Manila International Book Fair has finally opened. It is the biggest annual ‘book’ event that brings educators, publishers, writers, creators, illustrators, fans, and everyone who still appreciate reading a good book or a graphic novel that sparks imaginations and inspirations. To sum up the late afternoon trek to the SMX Convention Centre is a prelude to the wild that is about to happen this weekend. For someone who has been visiting this event since those school days this event never loses its lustre. Every year there’s something to look forward to and for this year it’s some books that where hyped.

Don't Panic! | The Struggles of Jared Paige

08.23.2018 – Australia is not just influenced by the American culture when it comes to graphic novels or comic books. Most of the independent scene is starting to build up in South Australia thanks in part for Greenlight Comics in supporting the grassroots in getting their voice heard when it you talk about self-published material that is rarely seen in other countries that is dominated by established publishing houses. Original graphic novels created by writers and artists are a rare thing nowadays that is dominated by the superhero genre that is being mined in other multimedia. But there are others you want to stretch their creative juices and rarely does it get the spotlight. Sometimes it stands out due to the art style or how compelling the narrative is well written. Then there are both combinations that you might catch it like lightning in a bottle. Then there’s Ben Mitchell a graphic artist who have found his creativity in telling his story. His first graphic novel “The Storm Clouds” had a cult following in some parts of the Australia region. The New South Wales-based artist has found a hit in his original creation that spawned two more books. It’s impressive that his self-published work is getting quite the word of mouth with “Storm Clouds” going on several more print runs. But “Don‘t Panic!” the sequel to the beloved series may be something more than Jared’s story.

Get Into Libraries | A Graphic Novel World

07.11.2018 – Graphic novels has come a long way being acknowledged not just a four colour page comic book. But a rich source of stories with images that is now the basis of what movies, television series, and other medium that defined its literacy among the shelves of books that you’ll find in a library. In other countries, libraries are a dying breed that most gravitate to popular opinion than what is important to the future generation. Kids these days have been spoiled with the technology that they have as to compared to the older generation that prefer the tactile feel of the inks, smell, and pages of a graphic novel.