The Callous Blog

    Last Saturday, July 16, 2011, Baguio City held its first ever Comic Convention (at least to my knowledge) and Callous Comics and I were more than happy to participate!
    The whole event was spearheaded by Gerald "Majic" Asbucan, a local Cordilleran artist who recently made waves in the Filipino independent comic scene with his work on Big Fat Ben.  He has hopes of reinvigorating the interest in comic books in pretty much the whole mountain province and several artists, myself included, stepped up to help his cause.
    And so, the epic journey of many comic artists and writers, many of which were based in the nation's capital region (again, myself included) to join this historic event began!
    Baguio, a highly-urbanized city, is nestled high in the Cordillera Central mountain range in the northern part of the Philippines' largest island, Luzon.  At approximately 1,500 meters above sea-level, it is known for its cool climate and lush evergreen trees.  Thus the nicknames, the "City of Pines" and the "Summer Capital of the Philippines".  Its surreal atmosphere is in such stark contrast from much of the rest of the country which made it a favorite destination for many Filipinos and tourists.  To put things into perspective, it is a four to eight hour trek by land from the nation's capital, Manila, but those who embark on the journey don't mind.  Most believe Baguio City is worth the ordeal.


    My expedition to the mountaintop city began the afternoon before the comic con.  It was an unusual time for me to begin a trip to Baguio, as I traditionally leave in the early morning.  It was an unusual time of the year as well.  I was thus treated with rural landscapes so different from what I was accustomed to seeing along the way.  The sun shed quite a different light too, flooding the scenery with gorgeous contrasts as it began to set.  Consequently, I could see very little of the mountains as we began the climb up the snaking roads to the city, as night had already fallen.


    The morning of the comic con I was up quite early.  Ingress began at 6:30 AM, I was told.  So I got dropped off at the entrance of Baguio City National High School, where the convention was being held, and made my way to the gymnasium.
    By now, after several comic cons, I had streamlined the transport of my wares.  I have a rolling bag with everything I need in it and my banner and stand inside a bag I could sling over my shoulder.  But still, with the not-exactly-smooth pavement of the high school, the distance of the gymnasium from the gate, the oxygen-deprived high altitude, the stairs, and plain old being out-of-shape, I was catching my breath by the time I got to the venue.
    All that went away pretty quickly as soon as I saw the event marshals in a little pow wow seemingly planning out how to efficiently go about the day.  But as I inched closer it dawned on me just what it meant to be a part of a "first-ever" anything.  The organizers were in an admirably very controlled state of panic as pretty much everything they needed for the convention had yet to arrive.  Tables, sound equipment, food... everything.