Apol Sta. Maria and the art of 'Alamat ng Panget'

“Bakit may mga panget sa mundo? Ano ang ibig sabihin ng badorable? Sino ang nag-imbento ng banana cue?”

 

Such questions hardly seem life-changing, but these are exactly the sort of random musings Apol Sta. Maria turns into art. Beginning with a few doodles and sketches in a notebook,  Apol eventually completed more than 100 pages, which he then decided to publish as “Ang Alamat ng Panget and Many Others.”  

The self-published comic book is a collection of short stories he came up with in 2009, when he was working at an advertising agency in Vietnam.

 

Like many artists, Apol’s love for drawing began as a child. In his room, an entire shelf is filled with notebooks full of his artwork, including some from when he was 11. Apol shared that he stopped drawing for a time, even as a Fine Arts student in UP Diliman. 

 

"Gusto ko maging colorist noon," he said.

 

Coraline provides first push

 

Apol rediscovered his love for drawing in 2005, through the Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards, initiated by Neil Gaiman and Fully Booked, and where Apol won second place for his Photoshop drawing of Gaiman’s character Coraline.

 

"Tapos noon, na-enjoy ko uli mag-drawing, kasi matagal na akong hindi nag-drawing," said Apol, who began to create plenty of morbid drawings – bloody children and headless creatures – to the delight of many, including his boss. "In-encourage niya ako mag-drawing, kahit office hours. Nanonood lang siya, tapos kuwentuhan," he narrated.

 

But things were different when he went to work in Vietnam. "Hindi ako masaya sa work, sobrang nase-stress ako palagi. Nahihirapan ako sa work, ang hirap ng demand ng boss na 'yun, pero ang dami kong natutunan sa kanya," he shared.

 

It was then that he tried his hand at comics. At the time, his drawings were mostly digital, but circumstances forced him to return to paper and pencil. "Hindi kasi ako makapag-drawing sa computer, kasi ang laki ng monitor. Parang nadidiyahe akong makita nila 'yun na nagdo-drawing ako ng hindi work, kaya bumalik ako sa comics sa papel," he said.

 

When he would finish a story that he found amusing, he would email it to a handful of friends. "Kapag natutuwa ako, shine-share ko. Ine-entertain ko na nga sarili ko nung time na 'yun." 

 

Eventually, he decided it was time to print the book. Using his savings from Vietnam, he was able to print 300 copies for the first run. "Ang dami kong pinamigay sa mga tao na kilala ko lang, kunwari sila [director] RA Rivera. . .mga idol ko noong time na 'yun," he said. This proved to be an effective strategy, because the book’s popularity grew by word of mouth. "Nabigay ko siya sa mga tamang tao yata," Apol mused.

 

For his birthday that year, he celebrated with a book launch at Nomnomnom restaurant, where he sold copies of the book for P150. Still using his own money, he printed 500 copies for the second run. The choice to self-publish is both due to lack of time, as well as a desire for freedom. 

 

"Wala rin akong time na mag-arrange ng production, na dumaan sa proper na editor o publisher. Hindi ko maaasikaso, kunwari 'pag na-censor, wala akong time na asikasuin na palitan 'yun o ayusin," he said.

 

Scare rides with Romero and Jackson

 

Apol shared that an early fascination with horror inspired him. Unlike most little kids, Apol was allowed to watch scary movies, which he greatly enjoyed. At least this is what his parents tell him.   

"Sobrang matatakutin ako, so hindi ko alam kung na-enjoy ko 'yung natatakot ako noong bata ako. Lagi nila akong sinasama, ni Mama lalo na," said Apol, who would watch George Romero zombie films like “Dawn of the Dead”. 

 

Michael Jackson's music video for “Thriller” was his favorite. "Sinasayaw ko 'yun noong bata ako," he said.

 

Apol also enjoyed books, particularly Jose Aruego's "Juan and the Aswangs," a copy of which belonged to his sister. He still has the copy, and he brought it out to show me a page full of bats. "Ito 'yung pinaka haunting na image para sa 'kin dati. Tingnan mo, sinulatan ko ng pangit," he told me, adding that he found the book extremely scary.

 

"Tapos binabasa ko pa rin siya kahit takot na takot ako,” he said, turning to another page to show me drawings of batibat. In Ilocano folklore, the “batibat” is a vengeful spirit that lives in trees.

 

 “Kaya takot ako sa mga bamboo dahil diyan. Ayan o, may ghost kasi 'yung mga batibat. Scary pero ang cute nila 'di ba," said Apol, who could be describing his own art. He named Aruego as one of his influences, pointing to the way the eyes are drawn in the book, and comparing them to how he draws eyes for his characters.

 

Apol's early exposure to things "scary but cute" comes out in his creations, such as “Ang Alamat ng Panget”. At first glance, the thing might be mistaken for a coloring book. In fact, many who buy the book ask Apol if they can color over it.

 

Asked why he thinks the book sells, Apol said it makes people laugh. "Nae-enjoy nila eh, parang, hindi ko ma-explain pero parang natatawa lang sila," he says.

 

"Kasi parang siguro kahit na sobrang crude nung pagkaka-drawing, feeling ko nakatsamba ako na naka-drawing ako na may expression talaga. . .kahit banana cue lang sila kunwari, para silang masaya talaga," he says.

 

Simple is quicker, simple is more 

 

Explaining his decision to use simple drawings, Apol says it takes too long to draw properly. "Kasi hindi talaga ako marunong mag-drawing na tama," he said. In order to make the comic book funny, the drawing has to be quick. "Parang dapat mabilis 'yung lines para sa 'kin, para walang effort. Naiisip ko 'yung story as I draw. Minsan nagsisimula lang sa title," he said.

 

If you’re looking for happy endings, you should probably look elsewhere. But part of the appeal of Apol’s stories is that, despite the weirdness, his characters resonate with readers.   

“Ako kasi ‘yun,” said one reader, pointing to his favorite character Bob-Eye, named for his one eye that bobs.

 

"Ginawa ko siyang outcast. Binu-bully siya kasi normal 'yung mga tao. Tuwing dumadating siya, sasabihin pa lang 'yung pangalan niya ibig sabihin goodbye na agad. Parang, 'yan o, nag-hi siya tapos, 'Bobeye!’ tapos alis na sila. So naglaro siya mag-isa," Apol said.

 

Apol also does ‘panget portraits,’ which began when he made caricatures of his friends at Art in the Park 2011. At a recent wedding, the groom got Apol to do “panget portraits” for the guests instead of the usual photo booth. 

 

Apol shares that he sometimes worries that people might not get it. “Nakaka-kaba kasi may mga tao na baka 'di nila ma-gets, na panget sila. Hindi siya 'yung traditional na caricature so kailangan ko i-explain minsan,” he expressed. So far, there have been no complaints. “Kasi ang bilis ko lang ginagawa tapos 'pag may nakuha ako na part nila natawa sila agad.” 

 

Sometimes viral vids hit hardest   

Early this year, Apol released “Mga Kapana-panabik na Kaganapan sa Ating Internet”, based on a YouTube video that went viral in 2006. 

 

"Hindi siya nalaos sa 'kin ever," says Apol, who saw the video as an opportunity to make something longer than his usual five pages.

 

"Gusto kong gumawa ng proper comic book na 'yung traditional na 24 pages ganun. Pero nakaisip ako ng way na magawa 'yun na hindi silent na hindi magdoo-doodle ako na walang mangyayari. Hiniram ko 'yung dialogue nun na nakakatawa tapos nag-try akong gumawa ng ‘story’ based doon," he says, adding that he plans to release more comics this year, possibly another collection as thick as “Alamat ng Panget.”

 

Apol also released “Isang Pahina”, a collection of sketches and musings. Filled with puns like the Great Barrier If and the Bending Machine, Isang Pahina comes without explanations, but the question on page 3 is all the preparation a reader needs before diving into the drawings: "Hey guys, who's ready for some spontaneity?"

 

This is Apol's strength, as well as what makes his work special. His zines, soft bound and photocopied on mimeo paper, are charming. “Panget” can be pretty, too.

 

For more information, visit Apol's website. – KDM/KG, GMA News

 

Apol Sta. Maria will be at Art in the Park at the Jaime Velasquez Park, Salcedo Village, Makati City on March 16 from 2 p.m. to 12 midnight.