Anino komiks to look out for in 2022
Some time back in 2021, Anino Comics, the komiks imprint of Adarna House, put out an open call for submissions, to be considered to be part of their lineup. They made their selections, and quietly honed them during most of last year.
Now, at least three titles are ready for release in the next few months, happily announced as this year entered. Since this is Adarna House, they will definitely be available nationwide.
‘My Ghost’ (Dione Kong)
Originally, this was a set of Instagram posts all about a little ghost musing about various small and big things in life, especially about a life lost. This was then released a few years back as an independent zine compilation during the Komikets.
What made this sequence memorable is how beautiful it was in the quiet, and how wise about life and death. Even if it is about a ghost, this is very adorable and accessible even to children, with nicely detailed, controlled illustrations.
The Anino version will be released some time in February. They are already accepting preorders here.
‘Isang Ulaging Matabagka’ (Mong Barcelon)
This is new to me, too, so this is the blurb from Anino:
“Matabagka is an adaptation of an episode of the Ulaging epic that narrates how Matabagka, sister of Agyu and the fiercest female warrior of Nalandangan, saves her beloved land and people against the feared Imbununga Ho Anlaw—a heroic act that even her brother Agyu, leader of Nalandangan, didn’t have the strength nor courage to carry out.”
Emiliana Kampilan of Dead Balagtas already has high praise for the book, in its good sense for both battle action and attention to detail. And if you manage to impress Dead Balagtas, that means the telling of the folklore is more than good.
This will be released sometime in February. They are already accepting preorders here.
‘Josefina’ (Russel Molina and Ace Enriquez)
The summary is short but already intriguing: “Josefina is a manananggal during WWII Philippines who discovered her humanity when she adopted an orphaned child.”
Both given creators are komiks veterans, and Russel Molina already created the Sixty-Six series with Anino.
The komik was developed through the 2020 Barlaya Workshop for Graphic Literature that Anino sponsored. This is definitely expected to maybe have some drama along with the dose of horror.
This story is expected around April 2022.
Anino may also have a few more komik titles coming during the year, so keep your eyes and social media feeds open for any news. We hope you enjoy these coming selections!
