This is my personal blog! Here I talk about many things pop culture, including (but not limited to) comics, webcomics, movies, TV, and music! And of course, I'll talk about Callous!
To join a discussion, just click on the title of the blog post that interests you then you'll be directed to that post's page where comments and replies to that entry reside.
If you've somehow ended up here while looking for the Callous comic strip, just click on the "Home" link above!
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Saturday, May 9, 2020,
Update: Deadline has been moved to August 30, 2020!
Hey everyone!
I hope you're all staying safe and healthy! August 7, 2020 will be the 24th anniversary of Callous and I'd like to celebrate this milestone by once again opening up for guest art and artist promotion! But this time, we'll do something a bit more fun and perhaps help someone in need.
If you're interested, you'll be making the middle panel of a three-panel comic strip! Following the guidelines below, you can pretty much do whatever y...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Saturday, September 3, 2016,
The night before AsiaPOP Comicon Manila 2016, the comic convention I planned to launch Braving Life One Cup at a Time at, I finally got the first batch of copies of the book. Relive the excitement with me here!
As a webcomic artist, I've known the author for quite a long time and have enjoyed his previous forays into comic strips. But having made the transition into writing comic books myself, I can say that Ryan Fisher's accomplishment with Torchlight Lullaby is gargantuan.
It's a thoroughly enjoyable all-ages read with tight pacing and a lovable lead character. There's a sense of urgency from the get-go which makes it a page-turner, but the... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Saturday, August 1, 2015,
BABYMETAL with Babybones circa 2012 (from tvqc.com)
Around March 2014, I first heard of the "metal" musical group known as BABYMETAL. I immediately dismissed it as something I'd probably never get into. If other people were into it, good for them, but I certainly wouldn't be. The premise just sounded like something that could not work. Even the name sounded ridiculous.
Then around a year ago, in July 2014, I chanced upon the music video for Doki Doki Morning through my Facebook time...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, January 4, 2015,
We hear it often: "That was a life-changing experience!" In 1991, while the verbal exclamation was not expressed, I thought the same after watching a certain movie. Not many people remember it but 1991 was a GREAT year for movies. Look at what came out: The Silence of the Lambs, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Beauty and the Beast, Hook, The Addams Family, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Boyz n the Hood, Thelma & Louise, JFK, City Slickers, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (my perso... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, August 5, 2014,
Well hey, I really enjoyed the Guardians of the Galaxy movie! And now there's a trending topic going around my various timelines... sharing your own awesome mix tape! Heck, I'm a sucker for nostalgic stuff like this so here's my mix! This should certainly come as a surprise to those who didn't know me from high school. Here are some rock and metal tracks that came to me from the top of my head. There's no real sense to the songs selected, I just enjoy them! I hope you do too!
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, July 29, 2014,
This Saturday, August 2, 2014, is Komikon's third grand independent komiks market, or more popularly known as Indieket 2014. It'll be at the Bayanihan Center once again, which is along Pioneer avenue in Pasig City, Philippines. The Indieket showcases up-and-coming talents in the local comic industry and top indies receive a free booth in an upcoming Komikon event, among other prizes. I'll be there at table E04! Highlights of my booth include all Callous comic books, M.O.U.S.E. Cha...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, July 29, 2014,
I talked about how much I admired the concept and theme of the band itself in my previous blog post, but how good is their music? That's what it should be about, right? So here, I review their debut album, the self-titled BABYMETAL. The titular trio are SuMetal, YuiMetal, and MoaMetal. The first of which is the band's lead vocalist while the other two are the resident "screamers". The group, no doubt, is a genre-mixing monster. It can become a bit jarring once you get to some of...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Saturday, July 12, 2014,
Three little teenage girls are taking on the heavy metal world with a... unique take on the sacred genre.
Just a few days ago, my high school metal days returned to me when an old metalhead friend posted the above music video on Facebook. He had previously introduced me to the Japanese metal group Maximum the Hormone so I take his recommendations seriously. But... "Babymetal"?!
Admittedly, I didn't know what to think of this group at first. A trio of Japanese Idol girls fusing Bubb...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Monday, January 13, 2014,
The White Queen concept art by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD
It's been a while since we last saw Dr. Rianne Nicah as the Black Queen. To be honest, I thought "Heartstring Pizzicato" would be the last of the fantasy stories in Callous. With Callous appearing in the newspaper, I had to focus on producing gag-a-day strips. But when inspiration strikes it is hard to ignore! The tale of the rage-filled White Queen began to form in my head and I just had to bring this story to life. But there w...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, September 29, 2013,
I'm not a big anime follower. The only ones I ever got truly invested in were few and reasonably far between (Dragon Ball Z, Super Dimensional Fortress: Macross, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Macross Frontier, and Blade of the Immortal). I would hear about One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, and whanot but I just couldn't seem to get myself to give them a chance. For several months, the same was true about Attack on Titan. It took a lot of pushing and clamor from comic convention attendees passin...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, July 9, 2013,
As many of you know, August 7th is the day the first-ever Callous comic strip was published way back in 1996. That makes August 7, 2013 the 17th anniversary of the series!
This past year in particular, with its ups and downs, was the most significant of the comic's history. First, I made the jump across the seas to join the artist alley of a convention outside my own country at STGCC 2012, the Singapore Toy, Game, and Comic Convention (Facebook Page)! It was a great experience and o...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Thursday, August 23, 2012,
Callous Comics ARTIST ALLEY - BOOTH F48
Yes, you read it right! Callous Comicsis going to Singapore! This is the first time I'll be appearing outside my own country in a convention, so I'm really excited! I have no idea what to expect as I haven't even attended STGCC before. Braving the world, indeed! It's also quite heartening to discover that many of my friends from the Philippine comic community will be there as well. So be sure to pass by my booth (F48) and that of the incred...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, August 19, 2012,
The August 19, 2012 issue of Manila Bulletin and its first published Callous comic strip!
I have a sort of superstition that if I divulge too much of what I'm working on, particularly things that really matter to me, it will probably not succeed. Indeed, I had been pushing for Callous Comics to be in the newspapers for some time now but had kept really quiet about it. For those not in the know, the Manila Bulletin is the Philippines' largest broadsheet newspaper by circulation. It's t...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Friday, August 10, 2012,
The Callous Comics Indieket 2012 Video
For this year's 100 Araw ng Komiks campaign, we've been tasked to come up with "fantasy soundtracks" for our respective comic series. As many of you who read this blog know, I've made some "unofficial" music videos for Callous Comics before. I haven't talked about the reasoning behind the songs selected for those videos before so I'll do so for one of them now. Prior to Indieket 2012, we independent comic exhibitors were told that we were being g...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Monday, July 16, 2012,
Rock on! (Photo by Kit Perez)
I've mentioned before how brilliant the Indieket was as a proposed event. After the fact I realized how much of an understatement that was! Within the independent komiks community, the Indieket (short for Komikon's Grand Independent Komiks Market) was one big contest of sorts. Most of the participants were vying for the limited free spots in the independent comics area of Komikon's main comic conventions. The top ten highest-earning comic groups would ge...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Wednesday, July 11, 2012,
Callous Comics is part of another first and an exciting one at that! This Saturday, July 14, 2012, the first-ever Komikon Indieket will take place in the Bayanihan Center in Pasig City. You can find Callous Comics at table I15 along with Komikon 2011 Webcomic Readers' Choice awardee Work in Progress (WIPComics) and the incredible folks of Happy Lockjaw who bring with them their book, Drop Dead Dangerous!
Just this week, the good folks that bring us Komikon announced a new event that's, surprisingly, coming up really really fast! That event is the First Komikon Grand Independent Komiks Market, or "Indieket", for short. It'll be on July 14, 2012 in Hall A of the Bayanihan Center, Unilab Center, in Pasig City from 10am – 7pm. For more information about the event, check out the announcement at the Komikon website! Much has been said regarding the role of the independent comic scene in... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Monday, May 28, 2012,
My spot at the Independent Komiks Tiangge
"Oh my! A BEL BEAN figurine!" That was the delightful exclamation of a regular reader as he spotted the figurines made by Rommel Estanislao displayed on my table. Another fan adored the duckling plushie I recently purchased from a bargain bin and instantly knew it was supposed to be Ling Duck! It was a wonderful feeling to see secondary characters like Bel and Master Ling get as much, if not more, love than Rianne and Cal Duck. And those we...
It's summertime once again here in the Philippines and the premier comic event of the season is just around the corner! On May 26, 2012, all roads of fantasy, adventure, humor, and superheroic excitement lead to the Bayanihan Center in Pasig City! Here comes Summer Komikon 2012!
Once again, Callous Comics will be at the independent comics area, known in Komikon events as the Indie Komiks Tiangge (see the other indie comic creators in the area)! Here's what's in store fo...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, January 31, 2012,
Hello everyone! I just thought I'd give an update on things. First of all, my break from comics that started last October 2011 is over. I realize I never got into the details of why I had to go on break. Although the nature of my comic does deal with my other, more demanding profession, I do try to keep the two worlds apart, hence my reluctance to divulge such information. I will say, however, that I did have to focus on an important task when it comes to my being a doctor, and it h...
Nothing. Nothing could have prepared me for the visceral Komikon crowd. Even after going through the insanity that was Komikon 2010 as an attendee, I was absolutely astounded by the awesomeness of Komikon 2011 from behind the table!
Still early. People setting up their tables.
I arrived in my usual early time for the ingress. I was already quite excited due to my fond memories of Summer Komikon 2011. Once I had my table all set up, I roamed around the convention hall before the even...
Hey everyone! Early this year I anticipated that this blog post would have to be done toward the end of 2011. Unfortunately, it has to come earlier than I originally thought. So, it is with a heavy heart that I announce that I have to go on yet another break from producing Callous Comics until mid-January 2012.
It's sad because the end of any year is a great time to be making comics and to be involved in comic-related things. However, due to non-comic matters it is necessary to ste...
I'm a relative newbie when it comes to the cosplaying culture. However, last October 22nd, 2011, I was immersed in it more than I have ever been in the past. The first-ever Games Toys Manga Anime Cosplay Comics Convention (GTMACCON, pronounced "jee-tee-mah-con") event decided to do something different and feature a cosplaying competition that showcased only indie comic characters created by Filipino artists. I admired the vision of GTMACCON founder Kit Perez and Andrew Villar of Ambu...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, September 18, 2011,
In :
Callous
Storylines, it seems, are never finished, they escape! Featuring the "On Lighter Dreams" Special Edition! You may have noticed that the "On Lighter Dreams" storyline recently ended a bit abruptly. Unfortunately, time and daily energy demands are not on the side of Callous Comics recently, and I had to decrease my comic output per week from seven to three (and then two towards the end of September 2011). I did not want to do this while in mid-storyline, so I heavily edited the latter...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, September 13, 2011,
On September 10-11, 2011, the first official DigiCon took place. Upon hearing of this event I already felt the daunting task of co-organizers Ryan Fisher and Casey Curtis. It was a great idea, having a comic con on the worldwide web. It eliminated many obstacles a lot of comic fans had to face with such events. Location was no longer an issue! I'm sure many of us had thought of the value of such a gathering but here are a couple of people who actually went ahead and did it. And how ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Friday, July 22, 2011,
In :
Comics and Webcomics
Last July 19, 2011, several newspaper and independent comic artists and myself (representing webcomics) appeared in ABS-CBN's morning show Umagang Kay Ganda. The show wished to feature local comics (known as komiks) which have been undergoing a dramatic resurgence lately.
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, July 17, 2011,
In :
Callous
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, ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Wednesday, June 29, 2011,
In :
Comics and Webcomics
Recently I ended up flying to the US for a pretty much unplanned vacation. I took the opportunity to purchase some print versions of webcomics (since shipping rates wouldn't be as prohibitive) and perhaps actually meet some of the creators I've grown to regard as friends. My first stop was LA, California and I placed a few orders online for books, all through Amazon.com. I took advantage of their free shipping as we purchased quite a few more items.
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, May 15, 2011,
In :
Callous
On August 7, 2011, it will be fifteen years since the publishing of the first Callous comic strip! The series has had a long and wonderful history yet, truly, it's all just beginning!
Nevertheless, fifteen years is a significant milestone and I'd like all of you to join Callous Comics in celebrating it! Here are what I have planned:
Open for Guest Art / Comics
One of the features of the Callous Comics website is the Guest Art / Comics page. I've been extremely blessed to receive great contrib... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Monday, May 9, 2011,
My experience with Metro Comic Con in 2010 was so overwhelmingly positive that I absolutely had to take part in MCC again in 2011. I had far more material this time for con-goers to enjoy so I was pretty excited! Once again, like last year, I was the first among the artists in the Indie GO! Valley to arrive. This was the area for Independent comic creators such as myself to set up shop for the convention. The indie tables were located this year in the venue's periphery, albeit right...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Wednesday, April 20, 2011,
Callous Comics and Webcomics: What's Cooking? at Summer Komikon 2011 (Photo by Tepai Pascual)
The 2011 Summer Komikon is done! My second comic con (behind a table, that is) was a good one and Callous Comics did reasonably well considering I was essentially only selling one book. Overall, this has been the most "chill" comic con I've ever been to, in more ways than one. To me, that's a great thing!
Summer Komikon 2011 is coming up fast! This would only be my second comic convention appearance (behind a table, at least) and I'm thankful to say that I'm at least not as blind in my preparations as I was prior to my first 'con. Nevertheless, my excitement has escalated quite significantly after this morning's exhibitor meeting.
This year, the event has been given the alternative name, 2011 Komikon Summer Bayanihan. A "bayanihan", originally, was a term given to the Filipino commun...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Saturday, March 19, 2011,
In :
Review
It's been a while since I wrote a movie review. But there's something intangible about Battle: Los Angeles (it's called World Invasion: Battle of Los Angeles in my country) that compelled me to write one for this movie. Right off the bat, I will tell you this: if you saw any trailer, poster, or TV spot for this movie and thought, "this is gonna suck so bad I gotta see it," I was right there with you. The story didn't disappoint this assumption but hey, everything else was a nice surp... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, March 6, 2011,
In :
Art
Inspector Gadget
So what is it about this fit of nostalgia lately? Well, it all started with a new iPhone app called Inspector Gadget's MAD Dash! The game itself it frustratingly difficult but is filled with glorious bits and pieces of features that truly made me recall the good old days of watching the series on Saturday mornings in my younger years. I previously published my take on Penny and Brain from the cartoon. As for this drawing, I didn't change much. Gadget still has all hi...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, February 27, 2011,
In :
Art
Penny and Brain from Inspector Gadget
"Inspector Gadget... hoo hoo! Inspector Gadget... Go! Gadget, Go!" Man, I LOVE Inspector Gadget (the 80's animated series, not the live-action films) and I've recently been nostalgic about the old cartoon so I decided to draw Penny and Brain. From the inspired theme music to the delightful animation to the fantastic voice acting... there's very little to not love. For those who weren't exposed to this great series back in the day, Inspector Gadg...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Saturday, February 26, 2011,
In :
Art
Candace Flynn and Vanessa Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb
When I first encountered the show Phineas and Ferb on the Disney Channel a few years ago, I dismissed it as another abrasive, cheap, and annoying animated series with nothing but juvenile jokes. Then in the past year, since my son became old enough to appreciate the show, I became more exposed to it and was often "forced" to sit through it. Much to my delight, it was far more appealing than I originally assumed it to be! Nowad...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Friday, February 25, 2011,
In :
Art
Sometime before 2011's Valentine's Day, I came across an offer by Fes to draw a "Heartbreak" sketch of several comic characters for February 15, 2011, "Heartbreak Day". I've drawn Rianne heartbroken before and I was really interested in seeing how he'd do it. However, I'm always up to seeing how any other artist would draw my characters so regardless of the theme, I probably would have taken up his offer. Nevertheless, his idea was particularly interesting. :)
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Saturday, February 12, 2011,
They say a hundred travel books aren't worth one real trip... or that it's about the trip, not the destination. My journey with the Philippine Men's National Football team began not too long ago (circa 2006, "long ago" is relative, I realize) though it has mostly been through television broadcasts of their matches (2007, 2010 AFF Cup, now called "Suzuki Cup", 2008 AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers) and through the various internet forums that have come and gone. The team was already lovingl... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Friday, February 11, 2011,
As you can see on the main navigation bar, there's a page under construction for the store! However, I'm having problems figuring out the shipping of the items that will be on sale there, so for now I'll be selling Callous Comics books and merchandise via PayPal e-mail invoice until things become more streamlined. Look at the items for sale below then send me an e-mail by clicking HERE (caz@callouscomics.com) with the following information:
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Friday, February 11, 2011,
In :
Art
This great piece of guest art was drawn by an old friend and fantastic artist, Andre Cui! I've always been a fan of his style since I met him in college. Thank you so much Dre!
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, February 8, 2011,
In :
Callous
Callous Comics and I were featured in Episode 149 of the Two Guys Talking Webcomics podcast hosted by Kurt Sasso. This episode also featured guest co-host Liz Staley of the mecha comic Adrastus! You can listen to the podcast either on the episode's page on the TGT Webcomics website, through the show's page on Talkshoe, or by subscribing to the series on iTunes. It was a grand old time as usual on TGT! Give the episode a listen and check out the rest of the podcast's episodes and disc... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, January 25, 2011,
Needless to say, today didn't start out like any other day. Just yesterday, I woke up and was surprised to find that I had lost my voice! Then, while in the long process of crawling toward being 100% awake (coffee was still brewing) my celphone rang! It was an unknown number and I contemplated for a few rings whether or not to answer it. After all, with no voice what could I do? But like many times I threw common sense out the window and answered the call anyway. I took a deep breat...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, January 25, 2011,
In :
Art
Whoa! What a surprise! The fantastic Andrew Villar who does the comic strip Ambush sent me this brilliant drawing of his titular character bloodied and bruised with doctors Rianne Nicah and Aimee Queens tending to her wounds, seemingly in mid-battle too!
Ambush is published in the Manila Bulletin, the Philippines' largest broadsheet newspaper by circulation. You can follow Andrew on Twitter as @ambush007!
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Wednesday, January 19, 2011,
In :
Art
Okay, I understand. You're confused. Who the heck is Smuf?
Quite possibly, Smuf is one of the best one-page webcomics out there. It has spawned discussions in several places on the internet. See for yourself. Here is Smuf's website: http://www.drunkduck.com/Smuf/
The great Dr. Orestes Monzon, one of my mentors, has had many exhibits of his photographs in the past. Being a freelance host and voice actor, I had either the opportunity to be a Master of Ceremonies or the honor to introduce him. However, a few months ago the good doctor noticed my passion towards cartooning and invited me to participate in his first exhibit for 2011. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance!
Celebrate the big FIFTEEN: One of the features of the Callous Comics website is the Guest Art/Comics page. I've been extremely blessed to receive great entries from some of the most fantastic comic creators and artists!
I usually put out the call for guest work when I'm expecting down time from producing comics but this year is different. As you might know, Callous Comics is celebrating it's fifteenth anniversary on August 7, 2011! To help celebrate this grand occasion, I'll be opening the ...
"Feeding the Doves" exhibit poster (left) and Callous: Chocolate Chip Wishes and Caffeine Dreams cover (right)
On January 17, 2011, there will be an exhibit in the Philippine Heart Center lobby where Dr. Orestes Monzon will be showing his fantastic photographs next to painted interpretations/reimaginations of them by the amazing Angelito "Jo" Fernando. It's sure to be an exciting and interesting display of different expressions of the same subject.
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, January 9, 2011,
Hey everyone! Happy New Year!
Well, it's January 10, 2011 and my break from the production of the Callous comic strip has ended. That's right, we're back to daily comic strips! Hooray!
Thank you so much to the wonderful guest artists who have graced the web pages of the Callous Comics website to fill in the gaps during my break. Here they are and their respective comic strip contributions!
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Thursday, December 23, 2010,
I love December. This month, the humid heat of this little nook in the tropics I call my home gives way to a nice, cool breeze. Even as you walk down the street there seem to be a lot more happy faces than usual. It's a great time to be in my part of the world!
December, as you all know, is where the holiday season reaches the peak of it's soaring crescendo. You see, in the Philippines, the build-up toward Christmas begins in September. It's that big of a deal here and the festivities are... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Thursday, December 16, 2010,
In :
Art
I made this sketch last September because I had hoped to offer it to Ambush's creator in person. However, such an opportunity hasn't arrived so I figured I'd post it here. :)
Anyways, this is a drawing of mine featuring Amber, the heroine of a popular local comic strip series called Ambush. I stylized her a bit, giving her different sunglasses and all. I don't draw guns very often hence the ridiculous looking pistol. Still, the comic is a fun romp through various action-filled adventures a... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Monday, November 29, 2010,
In :
Callous
The great Rommel Estanislao, Philippine indie comic star and brilliant sculptor, was gracious enough to make this fantastic Cal Duck pendant for me! Isn't it AWESOME?! Thanks Sir Omeng!
Before you ask me if I'm planning to mass produce these... not just yet. I don't feel that there's enough demand to invest in such an endeavor yet. But I may commission him to do full bodied figures of Rianne and Cal one day (when I can afford him).
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Monday, November 22, 2010,
In :
Art
In a recent episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (entitled "Heroes on Both Sides"), Lucasfilm unveiled some new CGI character models of some key characters. Most notable of which, at least in my opinion, was Ahsoka Tano who appeared to have aged somewhat and now exudes a more mature aura about her. Ahsoka by far is my favorite character in Star Wars: The Clone Wars not only due to the mystery of her eventual fate (because of the feature films, we pretty much know what happens to most of the... Continue reading ...
Earlier this year I sat behind a table at the 2010 Metro Comic Con. That was my first comic con whether as an artist or as a fan and it was an absolutely wonderful experience. The one problem with being behind a table is, well, being behind it during the whole event. I didn't get to walk around as much as I wanted to. Nevertheless, it opened my eyes to the wealth of talent in the local indie comic scene.
Comics update schedule: As the year is fast approaching its end, my need to concentrate on non-comic matters have increased. So with great reluctance, I have to put Callous on yet another break. From September 23, 2010 until October 17, 2010 I cannot produce any new Callous comics. Then from October 18, 2010 until October 31, 2010, I'll be updating twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Then from November 1, 2010 until January 9, 2011, I'll be updating only once a week (probably Sundays). ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, September 7, 2010,
In :
Callous
I was faced with the task of redesigning Muscovy Duck after the events of The Land of the Guardians. Will I bring his old spikey hair back or keep his DBZ-style 'do? In the end, I supposed it would have been more feasible to have his last-seen features intact, including the clawed feet. I did, however, give him his flowered Guardian Duck T-shirt back. He's still in his green robe, only it is open and sans belt. I'm currently writing his return in a new storyline which includes bringing b... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Monday, August 30, 2010,
Early 2010 while my fellow webcomic creators were having a grand time in comic cons around the world, I felt a twinge of jealousy. At the time, however, I felt Callous was not ready for a comic con debut especially in my home country where it was practically non-existent in the local narrative illustration scene. When Callous began its daily run in August 2009 after thirteen years of on and off publishing in various print and online carriers, I did the cookie-cutter motions of online comic pr...
UPDATE: September 5, 2010 - Due to the recent site design, I'm requesting that submitted comic strips be at an 850 px width at 72 dpi. I've made the appropriate changes below. :)
I've reached a point in my current training that requires a bit more attention than usual, so I'll have to decrease my comic output to three times a week starting August 29, 2010. Updates will be on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
The good news is that I'll be opening the series to guest art, comic strips, comics, ... Continue reading ...
The concept was simple enough. It started with a fella who felt embarrassed about reading comics in public. He decided to change that and invited the rest of the comic reading world to join him.
At the hospital cafeteria, reading Massimiliano Frezzato's Keepers of the Maser - Ey...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Monday, May 10, 2010,
In :
Callous
I'll be the first to admit that considering the content of my comic series, Callous is not exactly the perfect name for it! The title has little to no relation to the comic series itself! Nevertheless, I stuck with it. Truth is, much like naming your dog something silly like, "Cat", over time it does become endearing.
In July of 1996, I was a fresh face in my university's student newspaper. I submitted my first comic strip as a new artist in the staff. That comic strip didn't make it to pr... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Wednesday, May 5, 2010,
In :
Callous
When I was interviewed for a national newspaper regarding Callous I was asked if I considered my work as a cartoonist as a form of stress-relief. I didn't really know it then, since I felt relatively "stress-free", but since I enjoyed what I was doing I figured it helped.
Oh, how little I knew.
Now after only A DAY of not drawing comics I feel the full weight of what I do on my day job and I can hardly believe I managed to get by during years of putting cartooning on hold when I was starting o... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, May 2, 2010,
In :
Callous
I'm in a bit of a bind when it comes to Callous for the month of May 2010 until June 11, 2010. During this time I'll be undergoing a portion of my specialization training in a different hospital from where I usually work in. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to work on the comic strip while rotating there so I've reluctantly decided to reduce my comic output to one a week. These will be the Sunday comics.
I realize that this comes in pretty short notice (I've been trying to figure ou... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Saturday, April 17, 2010,
In :
Callous
Callous took a somewhat darker turn this week, but it was all in good fun! The Chronicles of Chaturanga story arc came into being one day while watching a fellow physician play online chess.
Online chess had been a running gag in Callous for quite some time. It had always been a real pain for Rianne because she could never seem to win a match.
Personally, there's nothing in the world that tires my mind more than a game of chess. I find it absolutely exhausting! So I gave it up early. But t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Thursday, April 8, 2010,
In :
Callous
The April 8, 2010 Callous comic strip, "New Kicks", was actually penciled several days prior to the actual publishing. The strip was delayed because I didn't feel the original story was appropriate for the series. Sure it may have been funnier but it ended up with Rianne having a really sad look on her face which was heartbreaking to look at!
I never really paid as much attention before to maintaining an overall theme to the series until this strip. Drawing Callous is a joy and I wanted tha... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, March 30, 2010,
In :
Comics and Webcomics
One of the narrative techniques I sometimes use is the "silent frame". This can be used for several purposes such as the passage of time, a jarring pause in thought, a contemplative moment, or even just a moment of silence.
I can't speak for other artists but when I choose to use such a frame it takes me quite a bit of planning to pull off properly.
Let's look at today's (March 30, 2010) comic strip, "Tomorrow", as an example. I wanted the third frame, which is silent, to depict quite a lot. ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Friday, March 26, 2010,
In :
Callous
I'm fairly new to the online comic scene. Although there have been Callous comic strips online since 1997 (Angelfire, Geocities, and Tripod were among the previous hosts), I hardly ever explored other comics in the internet at that time. Furthermore, it seems that online comics, or webcomics, have only truly flourished in the last few years or so with internet access and reasonable bandwidth becoming more accessible to the everyday person around the world. Paperless (digital) content is qu... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Thursday, March 25, 2010,
In :
Comics and Webcomics
I do have another blog apart from this one called, "We All Need A Philosophy" which started as an editorial column in my medical school student paper, Medyaryo (another paper where Callous used to be published in print). It jumped around different servers a lot since 2002 and it was an outlet for my voracious and intense introspection at the time. I hadn't heard of the term "blog" back then and it served as an online diary of my musings on life. Its current home is hopefully its permanent ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Monday, March 15, 2010,
In :
Callous
From the start of this week-long break, Callous will be open for guest comics for display on the website! Even when the series kicks off again on March 22, I'm willing to showcase these comics alongside my own. If you're interested, read on!
Guest material is not restricted to comic strips! You may submit artwork depicting characters or situations from the Callous comic strip and/or anything inspired by the series.
Only G-rated material will be accepted for display on the website. PG-rated ar... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, February 28, 2010,
In :
Callous
I've said before that a lot of my comics are based on personal experiences. Sad to say, the above strips are no exception. Sure, I've put some humor into it and a lot of patients are gracious enough to not make a big deal out of it but I have encountered some who long for that one-on-one with their doctor.
I was still a medical student at the time when I encountered a similar situation. We were on rounds with a notoriously impersonal physician who walks into a patient's room, discusses his ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Tuesday, February 23, 2010,
In :
Callous
Introducing a new character in the Callous gang, Ree Saint John! Ree is an admitted kleptomaniac though an honest one. She often returns what she swipes almost immediately after the act. Otherwise she is a budding artist!
Ree debuts in the Callous comic strip on February 24, 2010!
The Chanceborough News reports Callous-related news, announcements, and events!
Calvin Innes, the artist and animator who co-wrote the Callous comic strip, "Woodchuck Philosophy", gave a nice feature for the series in his blog! Check it out here! http://www.calvininnes.com/blog/?p=808
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, January 31, 2010,
In :
Callous
Callous will be taking a break from February 1 - 7, 2010. I'll be busy with several things pertaining to my day job, particularly certain aspects of my participation in the upcoming annual convention of my specialty's local society.
During this time, you can follow my Callous and comic-related updates through Twitter! Just follow @callouscomics!
If you're interested in my day job, you can follow my personal and medicine-related tweets through @cazsanjuan!
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Wednesday, January 20, 2010,
In :
Callous
The Chanceborough News reports Callous-related news, announcements, and events!
The January 2010 music video is up in the fan page on Facebook! This month features another fun song from Dan Zanes and Friends, "Go Down Emmanuel Road"!
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Saturday, January 16, 2010,
I delved into animation before. I did several stop-motion cartoons in high school but never actually drew for animation. One day, I decided to see if I could do it. So far, it seems I "sort of" can!
There's no Callous animated special or anything coming up, though I would definitely seize such an opportunity! However, I know I'm not the kind of guy who could pull off something like that on my own. Perhaps there's a film student out there interested? Some future Phil Roman or Bill Melende... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Monday, January 11, 2010,
In :
Callous
Talk about things I never thought I'd talk about on a blog... First things first... I've been asked before why the main protagonist of Callous is a girl (considering I am a guy). My usual response is, why not? Does it make a difference whether my main character is male or female? The point is Rianne may be female but really, it doesn't matter. She has the same problems, thinks the same way, and goes through life's struggles like any other person, medically-trained or not.
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Friday, January 8, 2010,
In :
Comics and Webcomics
So, which is more important in a comic strip, the writing or the art?
The correct answer, of course, is that they are both important.
Nevertheless, everyone's got an opinion about it, including me. Since
I do both in Callous, let's take a look at what I believe they each deliver to an overall comic strip. By the way, in no way do I consider myself an authority on the matter, so just take the following as an opinion and nothing more.
The Chanceborough News reports Callous-related news, announcements, and events!
I participated in the Webcomic Secret Santa Exchange for 2009 as a Safety Net Volunteer. I drew a gift comic strip for Johnny Lin's endearing series "Orbit", which grew on me pretty quick! Click on the links to see more!
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Wednesday, January 6, 2010,
In :
Callous
For those of you eagle-eyed enough to notice, you may have observed a very gradual change in several characters' (Rianne in particular) hairstyles. Rianne originally had a hairstyle with "waves" from the part over her forehead which eventually formed an oval that framed her face. This looked fine in black and white but when I decided to publish Callous in color I ran into some unexpected problems. Doing a daily comic strip in my spare time means I need to do my colors quickly and easily so I... Continue reading ...
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Monday, January 4, 2010,
In :
Callous
Yeah, I have several other blogs, but in this one I will talk about the art, writing, and overall production of the Callous comic strip series and online comics in general. For now I'll be working on the basic infrastructure of this blog's site then I'll start writing more uninteresting stuff.
Caz is a practicing licensed physician, professional voice actor/talent, writer, and cartoonist. He has been working on the Callous comic strip since 1996, winning several of The LaSallian's Silver Quill awards for his work. He has written several published short stories.
He currently lives in the Philippines with his wife and two children.
Welcome to the Callous Blog!
I'm not a big anime follower. The only ones I ever got truly invested in were few and reasonably far between (Dragon Ball Z, Super Dimensional Fortress: Macross, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Macross Frontier, and Blade of the Immortal). I would hear about One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, and whanot but I just couldn't seem to get myself to give them a chance.
Talk about things I never thought I'd talk about on a blog...
So, which is more important in a comic strip, the writing or the art?
The correct answer, of course, is that they are both important.
Nevertheless, everyone's got an opinion about it, including me. Since
I do both in Callous, let's take a look at what I believe they each deliver to an overall comic strip. By the way, in no way do I consider myself an authority on the matter, so just take the following as an opinion and nothing more. 
Yeah, I have several other blogs, but in this one I will talk about the art, writing, and overall production of the Callous comic strip series and online comics in general. For now I'll be working on the basic infrastructure of this blog's site then I'll start writing more uninteresting stuff.
Caz is a practicing licensed physician, professional voice actor/talent, writer, and cartoonist. He has been working on the Callous comic strip since 1996, winning several of The LaSallian's Silver Quill awards for his work. He has written several published short stories.
He currently lives in the Philippines with his wife and two children.