Folk
SYNOPSIS
“The monsters we hear about so often aren't mere myths. Instead, they live among us, disguised as humans.”
ILLUSTRATED BY
Doreen stumbled upon a secret one night when she ventured into a karaoke parlour. Initially shocked, she soon befriended many creatures from her local folklore such as the kapres and tiyanaks, who taught her the power of music.
Join Doreen as she embarks on a musical journey to learn more about the folklore of the Philippines, eventually understanding the relevance and power that music has till this day.
“'Folk' is about how music can give a voice to the voiceless, how it can move people – whether it is moving in form of a protest, or gathering the courage to sing in a room full of monsters.”
Following the theme of “sound”, Paolo and Borg discuss one of the most prominent sounds that define Manila: The ones of a protest. The duo talk about how they entwine elements of Philippine folklore into their narrative, and what went into creating their unique character design.
“Folk” is a ghibli-esque comic with a Southeast Asian flavour centred around music, folklore, and what it means to have a voice.
DID YOU KNOW? Protagonist “Doreen” is named after Doreen Fernandez, one of the foremost critics the Philippines has produced (She is also one of Paolo’s favourite teachers!). “Gabriela” comes from Gabriela Silang, one of the Philippines’ foremost national heroes, and a name that has become synonymous with feminism and advocacy.
Paolo Chikiamco is a lawyer, an enthusiast of both mythology and professional wrestling, and a Filipino writer of prose, comics and interactive fiction. He is the co-creator of the graphic novel A Sparrow's Roar with Cristina Rose Chua, which was published in 2019 by BOOM! Studios. His prose has been published in anthologies such as The Sea is Ours and The Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction, and his interactive wrestling novel Slammed! was released by Choice of Games.
Borg Sinaban is a Filipino freelance illustrator residing in Manila. He specialises in illustration for sci-fi/fantasy, comics, and book covers for young adult novels. He has worked with local and international publishers, including Adarna House Publishing, BOOM! Studios, and Scholastic Asia.
Borg has been an active member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan since 2013. His notable book projects include Studio Salimbal's Mythspace and Muros, and he has also contributed to the crowd-funded anthology, The Sea is Ours: Tales of Steampunk Southeast Asia. The second issue of his children's comic book series, Pilandokomiks (published by Adarna House), won Best Book of Graphic Literature in Filipino at the National Book Awards 2014.
Follow his work on Twitter and Instagram @borgdraws, or get in touch with him at borgdraws@gmail.com.