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Manix Abrera: Chronicler of journalists' stories, struggles and secret thoughts
Journalists always chase after the story no matter the time or the place. They find an angle, package it neatly for the public's consumption, and broadcast it to the rest of the world via TV, print, or Web. Whether done for love or money, it can be a dangerous, frustrating, thankless job.
It's a refreshing change, then, when somebody actually chronicles—with a light, humorous touch—what happens when journalists chase after stories.
Specifically, somebody like renowned komikero Manix Abrera, the artist behind the comic strip "News Hardcore."
GMA News Online's own cartoonist extraordinaire Manix Abrera at work. Photo by Roehl Niño Bautista
"Para pwede mo siyang basahin sa isang social context o cultural context."
Indeed, that is probably why the News Hardcore strips are widely shared and tweeted online. News Hardcore 132, "Mga Hindi Pwede Sabihin ng Journalist Pag Nag-i-interview," has been shared 3,993 times on Facebook and tweeted 699 times.
The strip for the week after, "Mga Ayaw Marinig ng Journalist Pagkatapos Mag-interview" has been shared 1,832 times and tweeted 368 times.
Michael Fajatin, who filed the Saksi report, had this to say about News Hardcore 132: “Sobrang natuwa ako sa 'Di Pwedeng Sabihin.' We reporters have to be very impartial. We can't put words into [the interviewee's] mouth, so we have to be very patient. Sometimes, it's hard.”
He went on to say that, “Manix is a good addition to GMA News Online because he has many young fans and this type of humor reaches everyone. It's a fresh look at comics. I'm really happy he's with us.”
Abrera's humorous take on a typical day in the newsroom
Beyond the light-hearted spin on realistic situations, News Hardcore also appeals on the level of verisimilitude—that is, how accurately it can capture certain situations.
GMA News Online editor-in-chief Howie Severino described the comics as, "Giving a voice to ordinary people and how they feel."
He added, "But, iba yung medium niya. It's based on truth and it reflects a reality."
"[He has] very well-placed sources—not [all] necessarily in this newsroom," said GMA News Online photographer Ronin Baustista. Ronin would know, as the seeds for News Hardcore 135 were planted when he casually mentioned to Manix that he had worn a hoodie on a bus just to hide the gorgeous new camera he had been lent to cover a story.
"Nung kinukwento ko 'to sa kanya, 'di ko alam na nagno-notes pala siya," said Ronin. He pointed to a line Manix had penned on the side of the first panel, a line that reads "SALAMAT RONIN BAUTISTA! :)" and added, "Nakakatuwa lang na pwede mong sabihin sa mga tao, ako 'yan, o!"
When asked if the bits Manix added around the original story were accurate, Ronin replied, "Na-capture niya yung subconscious ko."
"I wouldn't say accurately because the comics basically is a funny depiction of a reporter's life," said GMA News Online reporter Marc Jayson Cayabyab in an e-mail interview answering the same question.
"But that's what's fun about the comics—they exaggerate the already stressful life of a journalist, so we could laugh off our problems and stress away," he said.
Marc said that his favorite strip is News Hardcore 13. He could relate to it, as he once won what was then the latest model of the iPad at a corporate event he was covering.
"We have a newsroom policy of returning expensive gifts, so out of courtesy, I still went up the stage to get the prize, only to return it to the media officer anyway," he said. "The most difficult part of it was holding the iPad for a while before I gave it back (without the rainbows and sunset, of course!)."
Catch News Hardcore weekly at GMA News Online's Humor Section. — BM, GMA News
GMA News Online editor-in-chief Howie Severino described the comics as, "Giving a voice to ordinary people and how they feel."
He added, "But, iba yung medium niya. It's based on truth and it reflects a reality."
"[He has] very well-placed sources—not [all] necessarily in this newsroom," said GMA News Online photographer Ronin Baustista. Ronin would know, as the seeds for News Hardcore 135 were planted when he casually mentioned to Manix that he had worn a hoodie on a bus just to hide the gorgeous new camera he had been lent to cover a story.
"Nung kinukwento ko 'to sa kanya, 'di ko alam na nagno-notes pala siya," said Ronin. He pointed to a line Manix had penned on the side of the first panel, a line that reads "SALAMAT RONIN BAUTISTA! :)" and added, "Nakakatuwa lang na pwede mong sabihin sa mga tao, ako 'yan, o!"
When asked if the bits Manix added around the original story were accurate, Ronin replied, "Na-capture niya yung subconscious ko."
"I wouldn't say accurately because the comics basically is a funny depiction of a reporter's life," said GMA News Online reporter Marc Jayson Cayabyab in an e-mail interview answering the same question.
"But that's what's fun about the comics—they exaggerate the already stressful life of a journalist, so we could laugh off our problems and stress away," he said.
Marc said that his favorite strip is News Hardcore 13. He could relate to it, as he once won what was then the latest model of the iPad at a corporate event he was covering.
"We have a newsroom policy of returning expensive gifts, so out of courtesy, I still went up the stage to get the prize, only to return it to the media officer anyway," he said. "The most difficult part of it was holding the iPad for a while before I gave it back (without the rainbows and sunset, of course!)."
Catch News Hardcore weekly at GMA News Online's Humor Section. — BM, GMA News
