Graphic/Fiction and Gaiman Updates

So I'm still here a the Ad Congress without Internet access (ignore how this post got uploaded).

I hear Ruey de Vera has a review of Expeditions but there's a copy being sold here at the Ad Congress. There's three fur versions: a comic version trade and hardcover (P600 and P900 respectivel although the former seems to have run out here and the latter is the only one being currently displayed), a hardcover (P800) and a softcover (P500) version of the fiction. Both feature a lovely cover by Leinil Yu and an introduction by Neil Gaiman.

Also, Neil gave his talk yesterday and hopefully once I fix the sound, I can upload it by next week along with a transcript (short of my mp3 player being stolen from me). =)

Walang Pahinga has some pics and coverage of various events at the Ad Congress including Neil Gaiman's talk.

Updates on Everything in General

Well, first thing's first, I'll be leaving for Subic tomorrow morning. For work. So I highly doubt it if I'll be online until Sunday. And because I'm there for work, there's also a chance that I won't get to attend Neil Gaiman's talk. Apparently the company's booths are really, really far from where the conference is being held so...

Second, one of my dedicated readers have been those following my RPG podcast updates. Again, I highly doubt it if I'll be able to compile it and post in on the message boards on Thursdays. Here's my concession: here's what I've come up so far. I expect the list to double by Thursday. The fact of the matter is, when I wake up on Thursday morning (or Wednesday evening in the US), that's when a lot of that week's podcasts suddenly get updated. Here's some last minute plugs: check out RPG Radio. It's a podcast that's nearly two months old and with two podcasts to its belt. I missed it two weeks ago but the second episode tackles Thieves World and has an interview with Robert Schwalb. Can I vouch for it? No. I'm currently downloading it. (Didn't notice the date.)

Lastly, be sure to drop by Fully Booked on Sunday, 3 pm. Aside from Neil Gaiman being there, it's a great opportunity to support budding speculative fiction authors and comic artists. Oh, and here's some advice: come early. Really, come early. The name Neil Gaiman tends to draw in huge crowds. So be there at around 11 am (that's when the bookstore opens).

Graphic/Fiction Awards on the 25th

After reloading the Fully Booked website for the nth time, it seems that Pinoy Gaimania's spies are true!

On November 25, 2007, 3PM at the Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street courtyard.

Award-winning and internationally acclaimed author Neil Gaiman will be launching the compilation EXPEDITIONS and will award the winners of the 2nd Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards.

This event is free of charge.

Disappearing on Nov. 21-24, 2007

My boss's boss (I have lots of bosses) called up yesterday as I was about to leave the office to say that I'll be going on a trip on Nov. 21 - 24, 2007. Suffice to say, there'll be no blogging updates on those dates unless I can manage to find an Internet connection in Subic (but I don't own a laptop so finding a reasonable Internet cafe will be the biggest dilemma). Hopefully I can have my regular line-up of podcasts on Oct. 25, 2007.

There's a part of me that doesn't want to go to this trip because this means I'll be missing out on the Graphic/Fiction Awards, not just because I think I have a good chance of winning (sorry, no false modesty here!) but because some of my friends will be seeing their names in print on that day and I want to be there to support them. But since there's no announcement yet from Fully Booked, hopefully the launch will be moved a week later.

Oh, as to where I'm going, well, I honestly declined the initial offer but my boss insisted. It looks like I'm going to the Philippine Ad Congress. And as long as Murphy's Law isn't in play, I have my trusty recorder. I'm doomed to being the Neil Gaiman scribe.

More Neil Gaiman Updates

Banzai Cat called up to tell me that there are tickets to Neil Gaiman's appearance at El Centro, Subic on November 24, 2007 for P1,500 (the ad is in the November 3, 2007 issue of the Philippine Star). It'll be from 9 am onwards. That had me thinking and checking on my sources.

Anyway, apparently I missed out on Neil Gaiman's other appearances in the Ad Congress. Here's his schedule:

November 22, 2007:

9:10 am - 11:10 am - Speaker for "Imagination and Creativity in the Contemporary World"

11:10 am - 11:30 am - Q&A

November 24, 2007:

9:00 am - 11:00 am - Neil Gaiman Book Signing

Anyway, as for the Fully Booked Expeditions, as far as In-Print is concerned, it's on November 24, 2007. Whether it pushes through on that date, since there's no formal announcement yet, remains to be seen. It's also possible that they'll have him presenting the awards by proxy/live telecast or something.

Edit: Pinoy Gaimania and New Worlds has more updates regarding the November 24, 2007 signing.

Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards Part II

Just got back from Fully Booked and the date of the awarding will be on November 24, 2007 from 11 am - 1 pm at Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street.

And those counting the dates, Neil Gaiman is scheduled to speak at the 20th Advertising Congress on November 22, 2007 from 9:10 am - 11:10 am. You can do the math.

Neil Gaiman Says Writers are Otters

Guardian Unlimited has a feature Neil Gaiman where he talks about his writing craft, his popularity, and his childhood:

"Five years ago I was exactly the right level of fame," he muses. "If you weren't a fan of mine you probably hadn't heard of me but I could always get my calls returned if I needed to. Now I'm at a point where I will be recognised in public which is really weird as an author because authors don't get recognised and suddenly I find myself bouncing from a completely private individual to having somebody saying 'I'm a big fan of yours' and it throws me. I don't expect it and I don't imagine it."

Signed M is for Magic Up for Auction

Just to help draw in some new clients for Jasper of Avalon.ph, a signed copy of M is for Magic (by Neil Gaiman) is up for bidding. Unlike Jasper's other signed books, this one starts at a low price of P100.00. He also has a selection of other interesting books so do check them out.

EXPEDITIONS: The 1st Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards Compilation

From Fully Booked Online

COMING SOON!

The long-awaited book compilation of the winning entries from the 1st Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards will be launched by end-November at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street, together with the awarding ceremony of the 2nd Philippine Graphic Fiction competition with Neil Gaiman as co-presentor!

Entitled, "EXPEDITIONS" the book will compose two parts: Prose Fiction and Comics.

EXPEDITIONS Fiction features the winning stories, "The God Equation," "A Strange Map of Time," "The Great Philippine Space Mission," "The Omega Project," and "Atha" as well as selected short listed works. EXPEDITIONS Comics will showcase the winning "Hika Girl," " SPLAT!," "Defiant: The Battle of Mactan," and "Dusk" along with selected short-listed entries.

As promised, the Foreword is written by Neil Gaiman, with the cover art by Leinil Francis Yu.

Details on the book launch will be announced soon.

Follow-Up to the 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards

Budjette Tan has been investigating what ever happened to the winners of the 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards and when the compilation of the winners' work will be compiled. Here's the response from Natalia Diaz, Marketing/PR Manager of Fully Booked:

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We are launching the compilation of the first book at the same time of the awarding ceremony, with Neil there, end November. Title is "Expeditions, " with a foreword by Neil and the cover by Leinil Yu. It is being printed as I type this.

Interestingly enough, isn't November when the Philippine Ad Congress will be? Hmmm...

Stardust Review by Newsarama

Steve Fritz at Newsarama has a review of the movie Stardust.

Me being out of the movie loop (aside from the fact that the movie is starring Robert de Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer), I didn't know that Claire Danes was starring. So does that mean the movie won't be showing here, or is the Claire Danes ban due to criticizing the Philippines of cockroaches an urban legend (or expired)?

Neil Gaiman at the 20th Philippine Ad Congress

From Budjette (email)

International Luminaries Headline the Congress

The tentative roster of speakers alone is enough reason to flock Subic for the 20th PAC. Tony Wright, chairman of Lowe Worldwide, is discussing “Strategic Planning in the New Order, Keeping Pace with the Changing Norms of Universal Archetypes.” Linda Locke, chairman of Leo Burnett Singapore, shares her thoughts on “How to Engage Consumers Beyond Traditional Media in the Asian Context.” Acclaimed author of various science fiction and fantasy works in graphic novels, Neil Gaiman visits the country again but this time to expound on “Imagination and Creativity in the Contemporary World.” CEO and president of Universal McCann Nick Brien complements the theme with his topic “Breaking Barriers in the New Media Landscape” with case studies such as Lynx “Flygirls” and Axe “Gamekillers” Campaign International. High-profile speakers sharing global views on important issues basically mean getting your money’s worth and time well spent.

You can read more about the Philippine Ad Congress at Adobo Magazine.

M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman

The book's title is an homage to the short story collections of Ray Bradbury and is a worthy successor. (Now if only we had twenty three other short story collections to complete the alphabet.) Gaiman's stories in this collection are easy reads that hopefully young readers will get into as well as adults. It has a diverse set of stories, everything from mystery to coming of age to horror. There's even a poem that managed to sneak into this collection. Suffice to say, the language Gaiman uses is quite easy to understand yet nonetheless charming. A welcome read for any occasion, although the hefty hardcover price might detract some people from buying it immediately. Personally though, it's well worth the purchase.

Rating: 4.5/5.

InterWorld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves

What amazed me about InterWorld is how Gaiman and Reaves managed to tell a story full of science-fiction elements and concepts yet is quite accessible to any reader--young or old. The premise is simple and isn't anything new as sci-fi tropes are concerned: a kid with no sense of direction discovers he can travel the multiverse. Of course over the course of this short novel, various themes and issues are tackled without detracting from the story. The strength of the book, I think, are the characters. Joey Harker, the protagonist of the novel, is quite sympathetic and compelling, yet he's not the only interesting character. There's the mysterious Jay, the wise Mr. Dimas, and the various cast of villains. If there's any lacking in the book, it's the sense that there's something more. Once you finish reading InterWorld, you know it's begging for a sequel and that the journey has merely begun. The novel can best be summed up with the following words: simple language, big ideas, lovable characters, compelling story.

Rating: 4/5.

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Anansi Boys for me can best be described as Gaiman's latest attempt to write a novel-length comedy and achieves mediocre success at best. It's not his first attempt to do so as he did an excellent collaboration with Terry Pratchett on Good Omens, but the comedy of this book seems like Terry Pratchett's style (minus the footnotes) with less of a bang. That's not to say that there aren't funny parts, but they're rather low-key and not the laugh-out-loud type. Thankfully, Gaiman is nonetheless a good writer, period, which is why Anansi Boys isn't simply a punchline type of book. The plot is interesting, and more so the characters. Drawing from African folk lore, among other sources, Anansi Boys has just that right mix of mythical and modernity plus shreds of pop culture and literature (K, anyone?) references. Overall not a bad book but it's also far from Gaiman's best work.

Adventures in the Dream Trade by Neil Gaiman

When I first saw Adventures in the Dream Trade, I was genuinely surprised because I never knew it existed. I found it in a specialty bookstore, and was going for a relatively high selling price. Still, thinking that it was a rare Neil Gaiman book, I shelled out the cash for it and I did find out it really was a rare Neil Gaiman book due to its small print-run. And anyone who's read it will know why.

Adventures in the Dream Trade collects various introductions and essays by Gaiman, a few poems, songs, really short fiction (the equivalent tern would be fast-food fiction), and several months worth of blog entries tackling the publiation of American Gods. Why do I mention this? Because it shows you who should buy this book. Adventures in the Dream Trade doesn't really have a huge, encompassing story for most people to read, and the snippets of fiction that it has, as good as it is, isn't worth the price I paid for. There are two kinds of people who should read it, much less buy it. First are those die-hard Gaiman fans, who must know everything about him and read everything he writes. It'll be a cheaper investment to buy this book rather than purchase, say, every comic or book he's written an introduction for. The seconnd type of person who could wade through the thing would be people genuinely interested in the book publishing process. Gaiman's blog entries provide an insightful look at the industry, post-submission of the manuscript for American Gods. We find out the nitty-gritty of editing, translating, reviewing, and touring. Oh, and Gaiman really loves Sushi a lot.

The first part, which is perhaps the second chunkiest part of the book, contains lots of introductions and essays by Gaiman. Going through the first half of them can be tiring, because most of them can be summed up as 90% (or 99%) of comics is trash, and guess what percentage this one belongs to? Of course you might be tempted to get the comics/books yourselves after reading the intro, but that's your perogative. It gets better in the second half as it's more insight into Gaiman and the kind of fiction he likes rather than blatant plugging of a title.

The poetry part is a short segment and it's simple. It's not really long. Then we come to the songs he wrote for the Flash Girls, except he's no Weis & Hickman, so we don't really know the tune or beat the song is sung to. But you're a die-hard Gaiman fan, so you won't mind.

Then the real meat of the book are his blog entries, minus the pictures he posted on the website. Now penny-pinchers might argue why pay for something that's on the web and free? Because reading in print is different and it's easier to have them there all ready to read, instead of waiting for your browser to load each and every page. And as I mentioned above, it's insightful for those who want to know about the publishing industry, or Gaiman in general.

The last part contains a few, rare, short stories. They've been published before, but good luck looking for those original publications. And they're three pages long at most, so don't hold your breath. Still, Gaiman's writing is still good working with such conditions.

Obviously, the book rules out mass-market consumption because of the subject it tackles (then again, there were a few thousand Neil Gaiman fans bothered to show up during his visit here, so reprinting it for the Philippines might not be a bad idea). Still, would-be-writers planning to start a career as a novelist might want to pick up the book, as well as the rabid Gaiman fanatic.

Rare Book Find

Sometimes, when you browse for books, you're actually looking for a book you know that exists, and just haven't seen it on local bookstores (until then). Rare is it when you stumble upon a book that you didn't know exists. The picture above is one such find as I was browsing through the shelves of Booktopia yesterday.

Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards on TV

This just in while randomly channel surfing, the Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards will be a segment in tonight's (and tomorrow night's) G3 show on Hero Channel. That's at 8 pm.