Komiket
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Komiket |
| Dates: | 2015-present |
| Frequency: | Quarterly - sep-annually |
| Location: | Philippines (most often NCR) |
| Type: | pro, festival, workshop, awards event, non-profit |
| Focus: | Alternative and independent comics and art |
| Organization: | Komiket |
| Founder: | Paolo Herras, Mark Navarro, JP Palabon, Tepai Pascual, Jon Zamar |
| Founding Date: | April 5, 2015 |
| URL: | Official website, X/Twitter |
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Komiket is a paid-admission[1] comics and art marketplace/convention held in the Philippines (mainly situated within the National Capital Region)[2]. It is regularly held seven times per year, with each instance sometimes held in different cities and malls across the country, and with slightly modified names for some of the events (for example, the December event is generally referred to as PasKomiket or Komiketmas). It is often cited as the largest comics convention in said country.
Although its primary focus is on locally-produced, independent comics and graphic novels, other forms of creative expression are also welcome, too, as it positions itself as a main gateway for both first-time and established local (and independent) comic and art makers and enjoyers, including fanartists themselves.
Aside from providing a highly-open, accessible space where comics and art creators and readers/enthusiasts can meet up and share techniques and ideas to each other, as well as sell merch and copies of their creations, and do on-the-spot drawing sessions on-site, through seminars and booths, it also holds an annual award event for recognizing outstanding people and their own creations within this shared community, called Komiket Awards, as well as an onsite bookstore (Secret HQ) in Poblacion, Makati, and a highly-organized online version, titled as the Philippine International Comics Festival (PICOF), for the expressed purpose of bringing Filipino-made comics to the wider world, regardless of any constraints and borders.
Posters
Every iteration of Komiket thus far has a specially-made artistic poster made for the convention, either created by well-known or pseudonymous creators; thus, whilst maintaing a vague sense of the Filipino comics community, these posters feature a specific art style expressed by them.
Komiket Awards
The Komiket Awards are the organization, and in extension, the convention's way of recognizing the best of the notable comic makers, storytellers and illustrators within the Filipino comics and art community, be it through mastery and creative expression of the subject/s involved in such works, attention to detail and ingenuity, overall impact across general audiences and societal aspects, and so on.
Part of said awards ceremony is an accompanying annually-published compilation called Komiks Cum Laude, which features winning graphic novels and comics from each edition.
Additional Publications
Aside from the aforementioned compilation publication above, which exclusively features winners of the various categories in the Komiket Awards, the organization also publishes an annual zine/booklet-style comics compilation, named Kommunity, which in turn features creative works by participating local artists/comics makers in the convention itself.
Controversies
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Komiket Pride 2023 Twitter/X Posts
In the days leading to the then-awaited Pride-themed edition of Komiket, simply named as Komiket Pride, which was to be held on June 16-18, 2023 at the Ayala Malls the 30th, co-founder Paolo Herras made a series of now-deleted tweets on social media platform Twitter/X that, rather than celebrating and supporting local LGBTQ+ creators within the community, appeared to confusingly exclude them from participating in the convention. Several users, especially comics and art creators who have been either gone to past events or just recently gearing up to join for the first time, were quick to point out the hypocrisy, especially the convention's overall track record on inclusivity and acceptance of said marginalized sectors.
"Welcome to Komiket Pride 2023! Now 90% queer!" Don't you realize how hilarious that sounds?
— Watdahel_MarceI, Twitter (X) post (June 8, 2023)Imagine being queer and not making it on the shortlist in tabling at a con ADVERTISED for queer artists only to find out you were disregarded to let non-queers table at said event, in the name of 'inclusivity,' during Pride month of all months
— lou_quorice, Twitter (X) post (June 7, 2023)
Later that same day as lou-quorice's tweet, Herras retracted the offending tweets and in their place, then put up a note-written apology on his personal Twitter page, detailing his apparent contextual mistake, and that he indeed didn't consult the rest of the organizing team beforehand:
Hi everyone, Paolo here. Since we founded Komiket, and as part (of) both the komiks and LGBTQ communities, it has always been my desire to have a space to be inclusive of everyone who wanted to showcase their talent through komiks and original art.
I should have consulted with my team before we put up the message. I was feeling the pressure and made the mistake, some steps were skipped, and for that I'm sorry. But through my own oversight, I didn't realize the impact on the community and those who didn't get a chance this year. I understand I have hurt all your feelings, and for that I am truly sorry.
I and our small team behind Komiket will learn from this, take it to heart and do better, with a lot more thoughtfulness. Thank you for this lesson, I will not take it for granted. I hope that you'll all be there to support all our exhibitors and show our pride, and we'll continue to create safe spaces for everybody.
— Paolo Herras, Twitter (X) post (June 7, 2023)
Most artists and exhibitors took this apology as genuine, although there are others who still refuse to account for the noted transgression by the convention's organizers at the time its official account published the tweets. Amidst the ensuing backlash, some are urging to support local LGBTQ+ creatives who are going and and are exhbiting their works at the convention's venue, despite the circumstances[3].
Notable Works and Creators
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
- Kikomachine (Manix Abrera)
- La Historia Komiks (Maou No Sekai)
- My Name is Agung (Ma-i Entico)
- Pugad Baboy (Pol Medina Jr.)
- Haitori (Tori Tadiar)
- Tarantadong Kalbo
References
- ^ Anecdotes from both convention-goers and fans, as well as official announcements and press material/articles cite the admission fee being PHP50 in the first editions of said convention, with the price eventually doubling to PHP100 in later instances, owing to the rising costs of running such an event, as well as sustaining both the local comics market and various non-profit initiatives in the country.
- ^ There are a few instances in the past wherein Komiket itself is held at activity areas in malls (for example, at Bonifacio Global City, and UPTC in 2023), rendering it as a mostly free-admission event; in this case, the mall's organizing committee shoulders most of the event costs for the organization.
- ^ Komiket co-founder sorry for remarks on non-LGBTQ+ artists in Komiket Pride archived version. Rappler.com. (Published June 8, 2023; accessed February 16, 2024)