Comic Book Conquerors
By Ruel S. De Vera

Filipino artists Gerry Alanguilan, Philip Tan, Wilson Tortosa and Leinil Yu are gaining international acclaim for their work on such comics icons as Superman, G-Force and the X-men

At first glance, the four men appear to be painfully ordinary. But don’t be fooled. Together they can unleased a yellow sun’s power, deploy top secret technology and trigger the mutant gene. They redefine the very dimensions of our perceptions.
 They are Gerry Alanguilan, Philip Tan, Wilson Tortosa and Leinil Francis Yu, four of the hottest talents in American comis books today, their work available in comic book stores worldwide. Alanguilan and Yu are handling the most iconic figure of them all: DC Comics’ Superman. Tan does the monthly visual chores on Marvel Comics’ “Uncanny X-Men,” and Tortosa breathed life into the dynamic “Battle of the Planets” (BOTP) series from Image’s Top Cow imprint.
 Filipinos had toiled in the mainstream comics industry in previous decades, but had to move to the United States to stay in the game. But Alanguilan, 35, Tan, 25, Tortosa, 25, and Yu, 26, represent a new paradigm. Today, the Internet allows these four artists to stay in the Philippines and work for the big boys at the same time, their work seen by millions all over the globe.

 Yu’s intricate pencils and Alanguilan’s distinctive inks have helped make the “Superman: Birthright” miniseries one of the market’s hottest titles. Yu, like the other three, has enjoyed drawing and comics since childhood. He took up Visual Communication at the University of the Philippines before leaving school to work in comics. Like compatriots Alanguilan and Tan, he owes a debt of gratitude to Filipino-American comic star Whilce Portacio, as it was Portacio who brought Yu’s samples to the United States, where Yu broke out as the penciler for Marvel’s best-selling “Wolverine.” Not long after that, Yu moved up to tackle “X-Men.”
 Alanguilan made his mark early with the hyper-violent series “Wasted,” a seminal work in local independent comics. But this Architecture graduate from the University of Santo Tomas worked hard to establish himself as one of the best inkers anywhere. He inked “Wolverine” and “X-Force” before hooking up with Yu. Alanguilan had been impressed by Yu’s early work. “I said that I would love the chance to ink his work,” Alanguilan says in Filipino. “I always felt this guy would go places.”
 Together, the duo worked on “Wolverine” and then, the “X-Men Annual” in 2001. People talked about that a lot because because we did it sideways,” Yu adds. The team then decamped to DC’s Cliffhanger imprint, where they provided the art for the adventure mini-series “High Roads.” That exposure would provide them the opportunity of a lifetime. Acclaimed writer Mark Waid himself soon called Yu to say that they would be working together on “Birthright”. Alanguilan would provide the inks, of course. “I never dreamed I would be working on Superman,” Alanguilan says. “I didn’t think it was possible.” Yu says “it’s an honor and a good break for us.”
 Portacio also played a pivotal role in Tan’s career. Tan won a contest put up by Portacio. Finishing hi thesis for his Architecture degree at UST, Tan dreamed up a comic book idea with friends. That idea pitched to Whilce, eventually became the six-issue “Taleweaver” mini-series, published by DC’s Wildstorm imprint a few years ago. Tan’s detailed visuals caught the fancy of some important people and soon Tan signed a five-year contract with Marvel. He is now penciling “Uncunny X-Men,” he says.
 Tortosa took a different route. After taking up Fine Arts, majoring in Advertising at UST, he attended a seminar held by David Campiti of GlassHouse Graphics, and eventually got to show off his wares to American publishers. After learning the rudiments of sequential comics art, he wound up drawing for Avatar Press and the Chaos Comics title “Jade: Redemption,” which was his first chance to engage in Japanese Manga-style art. A talent search for a new artist for the BOTP revival caught Tortosa’s interest. “ I had watched the cartoons when I was younger and I didn’t know that the contest was for the G-Force,” he says. “ I still know the theme song.” He visited the websites for visual references for the bird-inspired character. Tortosa then beat all comers as BOTP’s new artist. He worked with material provided by art superstar Alex Ross, the driving force behind the revival, and illustrated the maxi-series’ 12-issue run. Tortosa is currently doing some fill-in work on Top Cows “Tomb Rider” while awaiting the script for the next BOTP series, which he says wil be called G-Force.”
 If they possessed super powers, the four would all have very distinctive abilities. Alanguilan would probably have the power to sleep a lot. “They always make fun of me,” he says. “They say I’m grouchy and that I sleep too much.” A self-admitted morning person, he starts work as early at 6 a.m. and is sometimes in bed by 9 p.m. Recently married, Alanguilan works from his San Pablo Laguna house where he also maintains his Komikero website when he’s not enjoying Laguna’s natural charms. “The idea that if I don’t work, I won’t earn anything keeps me going,” he explains.
 Yu would possess the power to cram. “I try  to avoid it, but I really am a crammer,” Yu says. Married since July, Yu likes working at nights and sleeps as late as 6 a.m. “Since my wife is a normal person, we sometimes only see each other awake for two hours in a day,” he says. Yu also sings and serves as frontman for a band called Marty McFly. The band has just released a self-titled CD. “I’m also trying to cut down on coffe,” he says.
 In contrast, Tan seems to possess the power to absorb superhuman amounts of coffee. “ I can take as many as eight to 10 shots of expresso, no problem,” he says. The tall and chiseled Tan likes to get up 5 a.m. and get some work done in the gym before approching the 11” x 17” boards. “I can’t work at home,” he explains. So Tan works best when he sits down in a Starbucks or any comfortable java-related venue and then just sketches away. “The best thing that keeps me awake is people walking around and talking,” he says, adding that perhaps he needs to cut down on the coffee as well. 
 And the youngish-looking Tortosa would have the power to walk long distances. He gets up like clockwork everyday at 6 a.m. without the aid of an alarm clock. When he has the time, Tortosa likes to walk from his place in Tondo all the way to Binondo or Recto. Lunch and a quick nap serve to energize him before he immerses himself in work. To keep himself going, Tortosa likes to listen to New Wave tunes or, when the deadline looms, reaches for the Bazooka Joe. “You can’t fall asleep when you’re chewing something,” he says. Alanguilan adds, “plus you get a comic strip to go with the gum.”
 They all are very happy to be working full-time as comics professionals but remain guarded about the future. “It’s a very unstable profession,” Alanguilan explains. “You only get paid when you have work so you have to keep working so people won’t forget you. You sometimes don’t have work for months.” Tan adds that you can’t be sure whether you’ll still be in the same place five years down the line. “I might do something else, but I would never give up doing comics,” Tan adds. Despite their achievements, there are still things they’d like to do. Yu isn’t interested in coming up with his own characters. “This is good for me,” Yu says, adding that he would like to get a crack at the Batman. “I’d like to pencil and write a little someday because Filipinos haven’t really been able to write comics regularly,” Alanguilan says. Tan would like to learn coloring. Tortosa says he’s just happy being where he is and wants to further develop his style.
 There are other Filipinos making a name for themselves in comics. Most notably, Lan Medina recently won an Eisner Award (the industry’s top prize) for his pencils on the “Legends in Exile” story arc that won as Best Serialized Story. medina will bring to life another of comics’ most enigmatic characters as the new artist for Marvel’s “Silver Surfer” ongoing series. Similarly, Jay Anacleto, who drew raves for his lush art for the image titles “Aria” and “Athena, Inc.,” takes on the entire Marvel universe when he provides the art for the much anticipated “Marvels: Eye of the Camera” mini-series kicking off in 2004.
 All this is possible, the four say, because the Filipino is perfect for this field. “It’s because our culture is so diverse, being a melting pot with all these different influences,” Tan says. “Filipinos are good in all the arts, be it dancing, singing or painting and drawing,” Alanguilan adds. Mike Simbulan, proprietor of the Comic Quest chain of stores, says that this generation of artists is specially significant. “The main effect they’ve had is to cement the reputation of the Filipino as excellent comic artists. Whilce helped open the doors of the industry while the rest of them proved that we’ve got lot of talent just waiting for the right opportunity. Locally, they’ve become the inspiration for many aspiring artists trying to find their big break.”
 In the final panel, that is the true power of Gerry Alanguilan, Philip Tan, Wilson Tortosa and Leinil Yu. Their collective rise to the top of the comics field serves as an impetus for the coming generation of Filipino comics artists, a generation now fully aware that there are such things as comic book heroes, after all.