Issuu

CONTENTS

02 08 12 16 22 28

PEARLS PEARLS PEARLS KALEB MU

30 35 36

INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD MERCADO

@krinmuart

SHTETL BABE BLUES CYD LEVINE @ploverdere

WHEN I WAS SIX YAWEN @icedpalette

HER FAITH DARIA MUCHA @mavzell

FLYING CHAIR YUKE @yuke_273

WHAT NOW COMICS MICHAEL FRIED @fried.drawz

@richardmercz

HELP LEE FERREL @leefworks

NICKNAMES JAVIER FLORES @javigameboy

Read back issues and submit your comics at inksva.com.

Spring issue deadline: February 27, 2023. Please read submission specs before starting work on your comics.

38 44 52 53 59

IN DEFENSE OF SELF HARM ELIAS ANDERSON @shrimpsharkk

DREAMING IN THE WOODS JERRY LIN @rabbitvjl.jpg

A FATED ENCOUNTER CAT KAISER @sourgummyshark

YOUR WISH REINA MATSUSHIRO @mechacucha

MARGO’S DILEMMA EM ZULLO @emilyzulllo

COVER

APOLLO BALTAZAR @pm.baltazar

DESIGN

NAHIA MOUHICA

PROOFREADING CYD LEVINE

PRODUCTION

ADAM JONES NOIR PURVIANCE LIAH YU

ADVISOR

JASON LITTLE

INK magazine assembles the best comics by students at the School of Visual Arts. All stories are ©2023 by their respective authors. All rights reserved. No work from this magazine may be excerpted or reprinted without permission from the authors. For more information about SVA’s Comics program, visit sva.edu. Special thanks to Christopher Cyphers, Emily Ross, Michael Severance, Viktor Koen, Carolyn Hinkson-Jenkins, Matthew Bustamonte, Kelsey Short and Gerry Newland.

Where are you currently based?

ichard Mercado is a cartoonist from the Philippines. He acquired his BFA in Design Information from Ateneo de Manila University, and recently earned his MFA in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design. His most recent graphic novel Nang Mainlove Ako Sa Isang

I’ve been in Savannah, Georgia, and I just graduated with an MFA in sequential art from SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design).

Sakristan (That Time I Fell in Love with an Altar Boy) was published by Silaw Publishing, and is currently one of the top webcomics on the online Filipino comic-sharing website Penlab. He has previously published work with New Naratif, TEAM magazine, Philippine Star, and Manila Bulletin. This interview was conducted the Small Press Expo in September of 2022. 30

How has your post-grad life been so far? It’s been three months since I graduated. I recently got a book deal, but that hasn’t been announced yet. How long have you been trying to pitch this idea? If you don’t mind me asking. I guess I started working on pitching it earlier this year. And then right after I graduated, I pitched it.

Do you have any advice for people currently making pitches? What has been your experience working through pitches?

Allies, in college. A bunch of friends and I made one. That’s how I started participating in the comics community, and that’s how I got into comics.

In my experience, it’s understanding what the market is. Like, what type of comics they make, and seeing where that could fit. For me, I did a lot of research, and I read a bunch of young adult graphic novels, and see what are the things that are getting published, and then understanding if the stuff I’m making fits in. Is it similar to the things that are getting published right now? Or is it niche, or something? Where are things mostly getting published? And then, how do I get there?

Could you compare how the Filipino comics community has changed since you were in college until now? I mainly make gay comics, because there aren’t many. I feel like there isn’t really a lot of any sort of gay comics, especially for young adults. So, that’s sort of the thing I ended up gravitating towards. I just feel like there’s nothing like that. And then I felt when I started making stuff like that, people were liking it. I guess the first “graphic” graphic novel that I made was called That

Time I Fell in Love with An Altar Boy.

In your experience, how do comics and the general art community differ in the Philippines from here?

That’s what made me engage more with your work. I also like making gay comics, and that’s why I connect with your work a lot. On the topic of That Time I Fell in Love with An Altar Boy, do you think your art process has changed since you made that?

When I was in college, there wasn’t that much of a community. In the Philippines, compared to America, there isn’t really a comics “industry”. It’s really only starting now. Before, there would really only be one or two conventions that you could go to. They’re called Komikon and Komiket. Then it’s mostly indie publishers—so everyone just makes their own mini-comics. They just either print it on their own, or go to a cheap printing shop. That’s how the community was built back home. There weren’t any comic organizations, like Cartoon

When I was back in the Philippines, I didn’t go to an art school. I mean, I was a graphic design major, but didn’t really have any formal training or anything in anatomy or whatever. So, the stuff I was making came out to be a little wonky, but I felt like the heart was there. There aren’t a lot of schools to go to where 31

you can study art, or draw intensively. It’s like, everyone was supporting each other. That’s what I grew up in, in terms of making comics. But I really wanted to learn more. My dream was always to eventually be published in America, so I ended up moving here. Because I had the opportunity to eventually go to art school, I did whatever I could to get into art school so I could push my career there. I know a lot of Filipinos especially have the classic narrative of, “Filipino parent doesn’t want the child to pursue art because you have to go into nursing and stuff.” What was your experience with that? Because I know a lot of Filipinos share that kind of experience. My two sisters are engineers. Again, there wasn’t really an option to go to an art school. There was only one art school in the Philippines, and then my family didn’t let me go there. So, I did graphic design instead. For most Filipino artists, really, their main job is graphic design or advertising, because that’s the only thing you could go into for art. I forced them to support me.

identity has influenced your work? I know you’ve put some cultural content in your comics, especially in That Time I Fell in Love with An Altar Boy. It has a lot of things that I think only Filipinos would really know about or be familiar with.

Do you have any favorite Filipino cartoonists? Or inspirations you have for your work?

I think it’s definitely influenced everything about my work. The way I think about this is like, rather than forcing culture into the story, it’s more of the way I always think. Whatever I write about is culturally inspired, because that’s where I lived. I think that’s the thing I try to be like, as a way to see how people are able to resonate with the stuff I do. I don’t know if “authentic” is better, but I write what I do. I’m being true to who I am, and people are able to connect with that.

One of the artists I really love is Mich Cervantes. They sold like a mini-comic that was like thirty or forty pages with a beginning, middle, and end. It was a more contemporary and youthful kind of story. I got inspired by that. There’s a website that was created recently, because of the pandemic, it’s called Penlab. There are a lot of really good comics that are being published there. If you check Penlab, there’s a bunch of creatives that are coming out.

Do you want your audience to be mostly Filipinos?

How much do you think your cultural

Of course—my main thing is trying to 32

it. I feel like there’s something unique each person has that they can bring to the table. When you make comics, what is your art process like? Because I came from a graphic design background, there’s the design thinking process, and there’s different steps. Part of that stuff is emphasizing, so that’s what I try to do—that’s what I ended up focusing on. I start off trying to find a word. And then I turn it into a big idea first. I try to find out what word I should fixate on, and eventually, “can I come up with a story with it?” I try to find the big idea of it all. What message do you want to tell other people? What are you? For me, since I’m making stories for teenagers, in my head I’m like, what are the things teenagers are concerned about now? And then what are the things not being make stories that are my purpose, but addressed anywhere else? That’s how I the thing that I always want to share is started. In terms of writing the story— that it’s gonna get to something. There that’s how I formulate it. I start small are many stories of being gay in the and try to expand it into a story. I think Philippines. I want to make those for my art process changed, especially bethem. I feel like those stories are also cause I went to art school. Now it’s more able to resonate, not just with Filipinos, straightforward, where it’s like, thumbbut with everyone. And I guess what’s nails, pencils. Although, I do like doing it also really nice with in batches, in five American publish- “Being ambitious is great, but ten pages. Then being realistic is better. Be able or ing, especially in I finish that ten digital publishing, to understand finishing a comic, pages, and move is they’re able to on to the next. and how satisfying it is when accept those kinds After college, I of works, which is a you’re able to finish one.” worked in advercontemporary type tising for two years. It’s a lot of rigorous of story. work, in terms of being able to force yourself creatively to do something, Do you think your definitions of suceven though you’re working in different cess have changed since getting your things and for different companies. Masters? Maybe it’s not something you aesthetically like, it’s something that the client The way to see success for me is being needs. So you force yourself to be able able to make something. And then, beto do that. I guess I’ve been trained to be ing able to get people to resonate with 33

able to do that. So I apply that to comics.

lot of undergrads, people are making really huge or ambitious pitches, which How do you think your queer identity is great. For me, I think my advice is manifests itself in your work? How do to make comics where you can have you think the queer community in the a beginning, middle, and end. Start Philippines differs from here? small first and then create a lot. For me, it’s really the beginning of being I’ve always loved to do things about the able to have a good comic experience. super traumatic type of queer experiIf you’re able to finish something with a ence. But it’s like, this is so dramatic, beginning, middle and end, even if it’s a do people actually enjoy reading this? mini-comic, you’re able to force yourThen on the other side where it’s like, self to understand storytelling. That’s everyone lives in a perfect society. But how you hone your storytelling skill— reality also isn’t that way. It feels like being able to limit yourself first before a lot of these experiences are really you expand it. Especially if you’re going American. And I feel to break into the like a gay experience, “I write what I do. I’m being publishing industry, specifically in Amer- true to who I am, and peopeople really appreica, is different from ciate mini-comics a ple are able to connect with growing up gay back lot. The only way for that.” home in the Philipyou to get into longer pines. In a way, that’s stories, and to make them good, is to where I am able to find myself, in terms be able to know how to execute a small of finding a way where I’m able to share. one first. That’s the advice I always give It’s not that I had a super traumatic life to undergrads. Being ambitious is great, or anything, but my life was not perfect. but being realistic is better. Be able to It definitely influences my work. And I understand finishing a comic, and how feel like being queer in the Philippines is satisfying it is when you’re able to finish different from being queer in America. one. I think that would be my advice. Religion is a part of it. The Philippines is very accepting, especially compared Richard, thank you for taking the time to other Southeast Asian countries. It’s out of your SPX weekend to take part in like a mix of prejudice, but at the same this interview with us! time being super accepting. There are lots of people who have traditional values and it sort of mixes together. I think people are accepting, but there are no laws to protect gay people in the Philippines. Do you have any advice for students who are going to be graduating, or students still in school? How should we make the most of our time in school? I feel like for a