Third Wave Media, the Knowledge Economy, Inadvertent Content and Alan Moore

The commercial viability and influence of the print medium (i.e. newspapers, magazines, books, and comics) have been diminishing gradually over the years due in part to the introduction of new, accessible, and radical technology otherwise known as "third wave" media.

This "demassification" of traditional media has left players of the old "second wave" media (i.e., mass-based television, radio, movies, and print) in a quandary. For comics particularly--FILIPINO comics specifically--there is an apprehension of how it, as a print medium, can survive in this new media landscape dominated by many capable players such as the internet, dvds, vcds, celfones, cable television, fax machines, photocopying machines, and a host of other high-tech communication gadgets and electronic mediums.

The situation indeed appears hopeless. To recall, a 1989 survey by the Philippine Information Agency found Filipino comics to be the dominant mass medium of communication in the country, outpacing television by only 1% in audience share. More people read Filipino comics than books, magazines, and newspapers, and was the preferred medium instead of radio, movies, and television at the time.

With the fall in the late 1990s of the local comics monopoly owned by the family of the late Don Ramon Roces, the local and marginalized comics scene is now dominated by American mainstream comics and Japanese cartoon anime' influences that are mostly unoriginal, bland imitations, or "inspirations" if you will, of their foreign sources which this blogger mockingly refers to as "globalized Filipino comics".

Though today's comics scene caters to the largely affluent sector of Philippine society, its volume of production or reputation is not at par with the industry-wide or million copy level of its defunct predecessor. Part of the reason is that as a print medium, local comics stand in competition for audience share with other third wave media. As a result, the audience for comics in general and local comics in particular, is marginal. Specifically, audience share for all prevailing media has been "democratized" or almost equally distributed due to the plethora of third wave media about. No one medium of communication today seems to dominate audience share more than the others at any one time. If it does happen, which is rare, it usually doesn't last long.

Given the above prognosis, we ask: is Filipino comics as a print medium, hopeless? Can it ever hope to regain its lost audience share? Arriving at an answer is not easy. For that, we have to first understand the new "third wave" media all around us. What are its characteristics? Why do more people prefer this media from the old "second wave" media? In order to survive, can Filipino comics hope to approximate, if not duplicate, these features of third wave media?

ALVIN TOFFLER'S SIX CHARACTERISTICS OF THIRD WAVE MEDIA

Dr. Alvin Toffler is a renowned social scientist who terms himself as a "futurologist", that is of analysing aspects and developments in society and then from such data, attempt an explanation and prediction of their consequences. He is the bestselling author of "Future Shock", The Third Wave", "Power Shift", and other books that have gained the attention of world leaders and policymakers in entertainment, business, and government from around the world. The predicitions he envisioned in his aforementioned books are happening today.

Briefly, his main observation is that the introduction of new technology will displace the hierarchies established by old technology and disperse power democratically to majority of the populace. In the years to come, such a revolution will greatly impact every aspect of human life in the planet. This new technological revolution is called the "third wave" and Alvin Toffler has discerned its characteristics in his book: "Powershift" as follows:

"The electronic infrastructure of advanced economies will have six distinct features, some of which may have already been foreshadowed. These half-dozen keys to the future are: interactivity, mobility, convertibility, connectivity, ubiquity, and globalization.

When combined, these six principles point to a total transformation, not merely in the way we send messages to one another, but in the way we think, how we see ourselves in the world, and therefore,where we stand in relationship to our various governments. Put together, they will make it impossible for governments--or their revolutionary opponents--to manage ideas, imagery, data, information, or knowledge as they once did." (Source: Alvin Toffler, "Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth, and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century", Bantam Books, 1991).

The characteristic of interactivity means more than just the interaction between the viewer and the visuals provided by third wave media. Rather, it emphasizes the ability of the viewer to manipulate the content of third wave media. In this, Toffler points to the example of a merger between television and computer technology which is happening today by way of TiVO and the video Ipods of Apple, wherein the viewer can choose what programs he wants to see and not be dictated by network programming. Such a shift of power from old television networks to the end-users allowing them to reshape the images they wish to see, diminishes (not totally extinguishes) the former's influence as media.

Cordless or mobile celfones are prime examples of mobility which gives the end-user the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world, while in motion. Pocket size copiers, the vest-pocket video, the laptop computer, portable printer, and the fax machine in the car, are further examples of mobility.

"Convertibility is next--the ability to transfer information from one medium to another. For example, we are moving toward speech-based technologies that can convert an oral message into printed form and vice versa. Machines that can take dictation from several executives at the same time and spew out typed letters are well on the way toward practicality. xxx

The fourth principle of the new infrastructure, connectivity, is a buzzword among computer and telecommunications users the world over, who are demanding the ability to connect their devices to a dazzling diversity of other devices, regardless of which manufacturer made them in what country. Despite the heated political battles over standards, immense efforts are now driving toward connectibility, so that the same mobile, interactive, video-voice telecomputer of tomorrow can tie into an IBM mainframe in Chicago, a Toshiba laptop being used in Frankfurt, a Cray supercomputer in Silicon Valley, or a hosewife's Dick Tracy phone in Seoul." (Source: Alvin Toffler, "Powershift", Ibid.)

The fifth trait of third wave media: ubiquity, means the systematic spread of the new media system around the world and down through every economic layer of society. Here, AlvinToffler expounds on the Law of Ubiquity as follows:

"This law holds that strong commercial, as well as political, incentives will arise for making the new electronic infrastructure inclusive, rather than exclusive." (Source: Alvin Toffler: "Powershift", Ibid).

Toffler elaborates that this equality of access by almost everyone is driven not by compassion or political good sense on the part of affluent elites, but rather by strong commercial, as well as political, incentives that arise and make the new electronic infrastructure to all income demographic levels of a society. This is important and I hope those who think that "you don't need the masses to have a local comics industry", are reading this. Toffler expounds further on the point as follows:

"In its infancy, the telephone was considered a luxury. The idea that everone would someday have a phone was simply mystifying. Why on earth would everybody want one? The fact that almost everyone in the high-tech nations now has a phone, rich and poor alike, did not stem from altruism but from the fact that the more people plugged into a system, the more valuable it became for all users and especially for commercial purposes. xxx There were 2.5 million fax machines in the United States in 1989, churning out billions of pages of faxed documents per year. The fax population was doubling yearly, partly because early users were importuning friends, customers, clients, and family to buy a fax quickly, so that the early users could speed messages to them. The more faxes out there, the greater the value of the system to all concerned. It is therefore, in the distinct self-interest of the affluent to find ways of extending the new systems to include, rather than exclude, the less affluent." (Source: Alvin Toffler, Powershift, Ibid).

The last and sixth trait is globalization. By this, we mean that new electronic third wave media knows no physical or national borders. Money and information zip back and forth from country to country through advanced electronic means in milliseconds providing unequaled convenience and service to the user.

"The combination of these six principles produces a revolutionary nervous system for the planet, capable of handling vastly enlarged quantities of data, information, and knowledge at much faster transmission and processing rates. It is a far more adaptable, intelligent, and complex nervous system for the human race than ever before imagined." (Source: Toffler, "Powershift", Ibid.)

COMICS IN GENERAL AS THIRD WAVE MEDIA?

Given the above characteristics, this blogger is of the opinion that the printed comicbook can have the following characteristics of third wave media: mobility, convertibility, connectivity, ubiquity and globalization.

The present format of the printed comicbook is handy and can be carried almost anywhere therefore, it has mobility. Though comics in print cannot be physically convertible into other media such as radio, its intellectual content (i.e., printed word and art) can be transposed to other media such as a movie, video game, animated film, action figures, celfone messages, etc. and in that process likewise obtain (through licensing) the third wave trait of connectivity. As for the trait of ubiquity, the Hong Kong, South Korean, French, and Japanese comics industries for example, are not limited to a rich and affluent market but rather spread out to a large and broader audience base to include the less affluent. This is not the same when we look at the U.S. and globalized Filipino comics "industries" whose copies are now priced relatively high and are promoted as "objets d'art" catering to a small specialized cult following of "comics" or "komiks" readers largely in the high and upper middle income class. From ubiquity naturally follows globalization. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Japanese manga and American comics which are distributed worldwide and have an international following. Each has a distinct cultural identity and integrity all its own, never copying from any cultural source (Well, maybe the U.S. is losing a little bit here nowadays. I've tried to expound on what "globalization" means in the context of the local Filipino comics scene in my previous August 9, 2005 blog entry: "Globalization should be the effect not the Cause").

Five out of six. Not bad. And the Japanese manga industry is the most successful worthy of emulation.

FILIPINO COMICS IN PARTICULAR AS THIRD WAVE MEDIA?

But when we look at the local Filipino comics scene today, particularly at the scant few globalized Filipino comics out in the market, we see them as though exhibiting traits of mobility, have brief and limited spurts of convertibility and connectivity. Why is this so?

In this blogger's personal opinion (which is always wrong), the essential element of UBIQUITY is not being given proper attention. To this blogger's mind, all other five traits of third wave media would develop if ubiquity was given prime consideration and importance.

In this blogger's previous September 25, 2005 entry: "The Return of Filipino Comics' old target C-D-E Market" and October 7, 2005 blog entry: "What do Filipinos spend their Money On?" it was shown that there has been a recent shift of businesses who previously catered to a high or upper middle-income market, to the low income market. Nowhere is this more ably demonstrated than by the success of SMART Communications' "pasa-load" campaign. Part of the reason for such shift is the near saturation of the high and upper middle income market especially today when this particular income class is in extreme savings mode brought about by the recent price increases. It was observed by many local businsesses that the lower income market seems to be unaffected by the ongoing economic crisis as they have less earning power and less money to spend on. But spend they still do, and their collective purchasing power though in the "patingi-tingi" and "sachet" culture, is what's keeping the local retail business afloat.

To be ubiquitous then, must local Filipino comics publishers (few that they are) shift their attention to the now lucrative low-income C-D-E income group? Do these globalized comics publishers have the will and resources to speak the language and feel the pulse of the CDE income class?

Even more crucial, will these globalized comics publishers of the rich and affluent income class continue to churn out mediocre comics works for the CDE income class? Will pale imitations of American or Japanese comics be a lucrative business choice for such publishers? In answer to this, we must first understand the present societal and worldwide milieu in which the CDE income class stands today: the societal milieu of a knowledge economy.

THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY DEFINED.

By a knowledge economy we are referring to the development and culture of societies that are fueled more by innovation through a wide diffusion of knowledge.

"If the rise of science marks the first great trend in this story, the second is its diffusion. What was happening in Britain during the Industrial Revolution was not an isolated phenomenon. A succession of visitors to Britain would go back to report to their countries on the technological and commercial innovations they saw there. Sometimes societies were able to learn extremely fast, as in the United States. Others, like Germany, benefited from starting late, leapfrogging the long-drawn-out process that Britain went through.

This diffusion of knowledge accelarated dramatically in recent decades. Over the last 30 years we have watched countries like Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and now China grow at a pace that is three times that of Britain or the United States at the peak of the Industrial Revolution. They have been able to do this not only because of their energies and exertions, of course, but also because they cleverly and perhaps luckily adopted certain ideas about development that had worked in the West--reasonably free markets, open trade, a focus on science and technology, among them." (Source: Fareed Zakaria, "The Earth's Learning Curve", Newsweek Special Edition, December 2005-February 2006 issue).

The wealth of advanced nations today are not fueled anymore by manufacturing or industrialization but by human resource of knowledge, innovation, and creativity.

"The cutting edge of the world economy is concentrating on a relatively small number of regions--places that Bill Gates has aptly dubbed "IQ magnets". The productivity and creativity gains that spring from clustering talented people in one place are feeding the growth of creative hubs, from established capitals like New York and Tokyo to centers of science and technology (Boston, San Francisco), powerful regional centers (Taipei, Singapore) and diverse talent magnets (Sydney, Dublin, Toronto).

This clustering of talent is just as prevalent in emerging economies, especially India and China, where economic and technological activity is becoming even more concentrated than in the advanced world. A small number of booming megaregions such as Bangalore, New Delhi, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou suck in talent from the countryside and use it to connect to the world economy--leaving the rest of their countries behind. (Source: Richard Florida, "Minds on the Move", Newsweek Special Edition, December 2005-February, 2006 issue).

This clustering of talent that fuels wealth is not limited to science and technology but in the arts as well. The same Newsweek article cited above gives as an example the advanced filmaking complex built in Wellington, New Zealand by "Lord of the Rings" director, Peter Jackson, with the objective of turning Wellington into a global talent magnet for the best cinematographers, sound technicians, computer-graphics artists, model builders and editors.

"Jackson's studio in tiny Wellington hasn't factored into recent debates over global competition, but it should. Though most experts are preoccupied with the rise of India and China--which offer huge markets, capital work forces and cost advantages--they overlook the shift away from global old industrial models to one built on knowledge, innovation, and creativity. Creative-sector occupations--in science and technology, art and design, culture and entertainment--have grown since 1980 from 12 percent of the work force to between 30 to 40 percent in most advanced countries today. This makes talent the fundamental factor of production, and attracting such talent the central battle in global competition." (Source: Richard Florida, "Minds on the Move", Ibid.)

To reiterate, wealth and industries today arise and are fueled more by knowledge, innovation and creativity which come from smart, innovative, and creative PEOPLE. The game right now is to bring production to areas in the world where these talented people are clustered and located; who produce the best products at the fastest time, and at reasonably cheap rates (from the client's point of view). This is why business outsourcing in the Philippines is so profitable right now. You see it in the call centers mushrooming in Metro Manila, the local animation houses who do sub-contracting work for foreign clients, and yes, even from some local comics artists who e-mail or FedEX their foreign comics work abroad and get paid in foreign exchange while physically staying in their condominium units in the Phillippines.

"Given the ease with which capital can move to the smartest, most efficient, most reliable work force, having more skilled and capable workers than the next country becomes essential for attracting and holding the best jobs for the longest time. "Decisions can be made relatively quickly now, particularly in business with short product life cycles" says Rose. "You can have a chip factory in Newcastle, it is rapidly depreciated, and in five years it will be gone if the skilled work force is not there or the skill level is not maintained. It will move very fast." Therefore, says Rose, "the key is having more smart communities than the other guy...Singaporeans, for instance, spend all day thinking about how they can be smarter and attract more people, as they have no natural resources other than their people.

Working smarter and smarter rather than working cheaper and harder is really the only strategy for a developed society to compete with a low-wage juggernaut like China. Why? Because we need our workers to leverage technology so that one person can do the work of 20 rather than have 20 cheap laborers do the work of one." (Source: Thomas Friedman, "The Exhausting Race for Ideas", Newsweek Special Edition, December, 2005-February, 2006 issue).

Napoleon Nazareno, President and CEO of PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. gave a speech last year (October 17, 2005) before the Management Association of the Philippines CEO Conference at the Shangri La Manila Hotel in Makati City. His speech, entitled: "Change or perish: The need for creativity and innovation" gave the insight that creativity and life-changing innovation arises from dealing with the real world through experience and hard work; that is, of KNOWING YOUR MARKET. In Smart Communication's case, it was studying the low-income C-D-E market that made its pasa-load system a success. On hindsight, Smart applied the law of ubiquity that made the pasa-load a success. Those interested in reviving the local comics industry should take note:

"One part of my job that I enjoy is doing the rounds. Together with other Mancom members, I make it a point to visit malls and other marketplaces all over the country. This is a reality check. We get to talk to our people in the field and to dealers and retailers who actually sell our products, and, to customers who buy them.

Such field trips stimulate the right side of your brain and give you an intuitive feel of what's happening in the market.This helps you make sense of the market studies and the sales and operations numbers that your organization churns out.

In the end, that is the greatest source of creativity and innovation. We need to have a good feel for the market. We need to know how people live in the real world. If you combine your first-hand observations with a sixth sense born of experience, you can acquire the insights that lead to market-shaping innovations. In that way, you become an integral part of people's lives.

Indeed, ceativity is the key to changing our fortunes. And that, I'd like to think is really cool." (Source: Napoleon Nazareno, "Change or perish: The need for creativity and innovation", Philippine Star, October 21, 2005 issue).

It is common knowledge that what is keeping the Philippine economy afloat right now is not the old second wave industries such as export, shoe, film, agriculture, etc. but mainly the dollar remittances of its OVERSEAS CONTRACT WORKERS, a growing number of whom are professionals and I.T. workers who receive very high pay and work in advanced foreign countries or KNOWLEDGE ECONOMIES. This explains why our OFW remittances rose dramatically from $8 Billion in 2004 to $10.7 or $12 billion ($12 Billion that is, if you factor in remittances not made through financial institutions and other authorized sources) in 2005. Our people, our FEW and TALENTED people, are being sucked by I.Q. magnets abroad. Who benefits? Naturally, the advanced knowledge societies abroad. Who loses? Our Third World country of mostly functionally literate and mediocre people who should have been sent abroad in the first place. What do they produce? Well among other things and for the most part, lousy, unoriginal, and mind-numbing comics largely imitative of American and Japanese mainstream comics/cartoons, or the GLOBALIZED FILIPINO COMICS of today that do not really contribute to the development or upliftment of local culture. And you wonder why we still don't have a new, creative, innovative, and vibrant comics industry.

If one continues to produce mediocre comics work, works that are unintelligent, imitative and common, do you think knowedgeable, innovative, and creative businessmen will come in and help prop up a local comics industry? If by some fluke chance, a comics industry based on mediocrity would arise that is largely hedonist in approach and does not even aim to help uplift the literacy level of majority of its readers, or even enrich our culture, is apathetic and does not say anything about our corrupt political and societal status quo, do you think it can last? The Roces komiks monopoly obviously didn't. Culture Crash and Questor are gone. But Pol Medina's PUGAD BABOY is still there with its annual compilations reaching at times, the local bestseller lists of National Bookstore. What does that tell you?

INADVERTENT CONTENT

"Humans of course, have always exhanged symbolic images of reality. That is what language is all about. It is what knowledge is based on. However, different societies require either more or less symbolic exchange. The transition to a knowledge-based economy sharply increases the demand for communication and swamps the old image-delivery systems." (Source: Toffler, Powershift, Ibid).

Toffler continues to state that knowledge economies need a labor force with high levels of symbolic sophistication. This means that the "workers" of today are knowledge workers who are worldly, alert to new ideas and fashions, customer preferences, economic and political changes, aware of competitive pressures, cultural shifts, and many other things previously regarded as pertinent only to managerial elites. Being average and mediocre then, is not enough; good comics stories and art are not enough. You need to be knowledgeable of the real world in order to be innovative and creative.

But where can a knowledge worker acquire such ever-expanding knowledge? At this point Tofflers answers it comes from practically all things around us, particularly from the "inadvertent content" seen from entertainment media, to wit:

"This wide-scan knowledge does not come out of classrooms or from technical manuals alone, but from exposure to a constant barrage of news delivered by TV, newspapers, magazines, and radio. It also comes indirectly from "entertainment"--much of which unintentionally delivers information about new life styles, interpersonal relationships, social problems, and even foreign customs and markets."

By way of example, Toffler cites the "inadvertent content" unintentionally obtained by the viewer from television:

"It is true that the intentional content of a television show--the plot and the behavior of the principal caharacters--often paints a false picture of social reality. However, there is in all television programs and commercials, as well as in movies, an additional layer of what we might call "inadvertent content". This consists of background detail--landscape, cars, street scenes, architecture, telephones, answering machines, as well as barely noticed behavior like the banter between a waitress and a customer as the hero seats himself at a lunch counter. In contrast with the intended content, the inadvertent detail frequently provides a quite accurate picutre of quotidian reality. Moreover, even the tritest "cop shows" picture current fads and fashions, and express popular attitudes toward sex, religion, money, and politics.

None of this is ignored or forgotten by the viewer. It is filed away in the mind, forming part of a person's general bank of knowledge about the world. Thus, good and bad alike, it influences the bag of assumptions brought to the workplace. (Ironically, much of the worker's image of the world, which increasingly affects economic productivity, is thus absorbed during "leisure" hours.) For this reason, "mere entertainment" is no longer "mere"." (Source: Alvin Toffler, "Powershift", Bantam Books, 1991).

One will observe this noticeable absence or insufficiency of "inadvertent content" in many mainstream comics titles especially in most local comics being published today. In other broadcast and print media such as newspapers and magazines there is "inadvertent content" all about. However, when we pan to comics in general, and local comics in particular, we see an inexplicable absence of this element.

THE ALAN MOORE CONNECTION

Could it be that part of the reason why the audience for American mainstream comics and local comics is marginal, is because of this insufficiency of "inadvertent content"? Could it be that in today's societal milieu powered by knowledge economies in advanced countries and dominated by third wave media, this absence or insufficiency of "inadvertent content" in comics is what is making it so irrelevant, inconsequential, and inaccessible to many people?

Alan Moore, comics publisher and renowned writer of graphic novels/comics works with inadvertent content such as Watchmen, From Hell, V FOR VENDETTA, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Swamp Thing, and Marvelman, is of the view that writing for American-style mainstream comics is in danger of being outmoded when placed within the context of an ever-changing outside world.

Here, Alan Moore emphasizes, and this blogger is assuming that he's referring to American mainstream comics, that the more "comics" people reject the changes still being wrought in the non-artistic aspects of the comics industry, the more it will be irrelevant and ignored by the general public. To wit:

"Certainly, in terms of the general standard of writing in comics at the moment I tend to see the same mechanical plot structures and the same functional approach to characterization being used over and over again, to the point where people find it increasingly difficult to imagine that there could ever be a different way of doing things. As our basic assumptions about our craft become increasingly outmoded, we find that it becomes more of a problem to create work with any relevance to the rapidly altering world in which the industry and the readers that support it actually exist. By "relevance", incidentally, I don't just mean stories about race relations and pollution, although that's certainly a big part of it. I mean stories that actually have some sort of meaning in relation to the world about us, stories that reflect the nature and the texture of life in the closing years of the 20th century. Stories that are useful in some way. Admittedly, it would be fairly easy for the industry to survive comfortably for a while by pandering to specialist-group of nostalgia or simple escapism, but the industry that concerns itself entirely with areas of this sort is in my view impotent and worthy of little more consideration or interest than the greeting card industry." (Emphasis Mine) (Source: Alan Moore, "Alan Moore's Writing for Comics", Avatar Press, May, 2003).

Today, efforts are being made to "revive" our local comics industry generally through works of "simple" escapist fantasy and nostalgia, without however, giving more concern to the present milieu in which local comics is placed in; that is, the era of third wave media, the rise of knowledge economies, inadvertent content, and the way businesses are trying to adapt to this milieu. Once more, Alan Moore:

"If comics are to survive they need both to change and become flexible enough to withstand a process of almost continual change thereafter. Changing the trappings of the comic industry isn't enough. New printing techniques, new characters, new computer graphic facilities...none of these will make the slightest scrap of difference unless the fundamental assumptions upon which the artform itself rests are challenged and modified to fit times for which they were not originally designed. You can produce a comic about bright and interesting new characters, have a computer draw it, publish it in a lavish Baxter package and color it with the most sophisticated laser scan techniques available, and the chances are that it will still be tepid, barely readable shit." (Source: Alan Moore, "Writing for Comics", Ibid).

Towards a Culture of Literacy

Comics publishing involves the business of providing reading products, preferably in print, that cater to the target customer's literacy level.

People with fewer years of education generally earn less and the more people there are who are less educated, result in a generally low standard of living. Consequently, the spending power of such majority is limited. It also follows that the limited few who are highly educated, earn more and have a higher standard of living.

Applied to the business of comics publishing, we see that the more people there are who are highly educated or at least have formed a culture that values and nurtures literacy, are the ideal customers for comics publications.

As reported in a previous entry (VIDE: The Rise of the U.S. Graphic Novel, the Age Wave and the Filipino Youth Market, August 31, 2005), sales of American mainstream comics are waning as against the serious and more literate U.S. graphic novels and Japanese manga sold mostly in bookstore chains. The U.S. graphic novel for example, rose from a $75 million industry in 2001 to $207 million in 2004 while the more youth-oriented, mainstream U.S. comics struggle for sales (as bought by distributors not buyers) of from 20,000 to 40,000 copies a month with only about 10 titles generally from Marvel and DC, selling only at 100,000 copies (and a little over the same) a month. Buyers of these literate and diverse U.S. graphic novels are mostly high school and college educated.

These U.S. graphic novels are priced higher than the traditional 32 paged American comicbook but are within reach of their literate and presumably economically well-off "white anglo-saxon" ADULT readers. The latter 32 paged comicbook meanwhile, though high in quality and whose price has risen in recent years, have become inaccessible to most American YOUTH who are economically disadvantaged and are comprised mostly of Hispanics and African Americans. This change of demographic is significant.

Business Week (November 21, 2005 issue) reports that the number of Hispanics and African-Americans is growing and that most of them are not only economically disadvantaged but have low or limited educational backgrounds, thus:

"How did the U.S. become the World's largest economy? A key part of the answer is education. Some 85% adult Americans have at least a high school degree today, up from 25% in 1940. Similarly, 28% have a college degree, a fivefold gain over this period. Today, U.S. workforce is the most educated in the World.

But now, for the first time ever, America's educational gains are poised to stall because of growing demographic trends. If these trends continue, the share of the U.S. workforce with high school and college degrees may not only fail to keep rising over the next 15 years but could actually decline slightly, warns a report released on November 9 by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, a non-profit group based in San Jose, California.

The key reason: as highly educated baby boomers retire, they'll be replaced by mounting members of young Hispanics and African Americans, who are fall less likely to earn degrees.

Because workers with fewer years of education earn so much less, U.S. Living standards could take a dive unless something is done, the report argues. It calculates that lower educational levels could slice inflation-adjusted per capita in areas in the U.S. by 2020. They surged over 40% from 1980 to 2000. (Source: William C. Symonds, "America the Uneducated: A New Study warns of a Slide for the U.S. as the share of Lower Achievers Booms", Business Week, November 21, 2005).

The Business Week article continues to elaborate on the ever growing ratio of Hispanics and Afro-Americans from White Anglo-Saxons:

"Callan's projections are based on the growing diversity of the U.S. population. As recently as 1980, the U.S. workforce was 82% white. By 2020, it will be just 63% white. Over the 40 year span the share of minorities will double, to 37% as that of Hispanic workers nearly triple, to 77%. The problem is, both Hispanics and African Americans are far less likely to earn degrees than their white counterparts.

If those gaps persist, the number of Americans aged 26 to 64 who don't even know how to obtain a high school degree could soar by 7 million, to 31 million, by 2020. Meanwhile, although the actual number of adults with at least a college degree would grow, their share of the workforce could fall by percentage point to 25.5% (charts)." (Source: William Symonds, "America the Uneducated", Ibid.)

The Business Week article ends with this ominous warning:

"The prospects for U.S. education levels are a lot like global warming. Soil erosion occurs gradually, its easy to ignore. But if the U.S. doesn't pay more attention, everything from its competitiveness to its standard of living could sink." (Source: William Symonds, "America the Uneducated", Ibid.)

In the same blog entry (VIDE: The Rise of the U.S Graphic Novel, the Age Wave and the Filipino Youth Market, August 31, 2005) it was also reported--citing an August, 2005 Newsweek article-- that in France and Japan, two great comics producing nations, their respective comics industries are also thriving because of the support of a largely adult book-reading, literate, open-minded, and presumably economically well-off readership. Nowhere is the literacy factor more prevalent in Japan where printed comics or manga are still thriving. For details on this matter reference is made to the previous blog entries: Why are Printed Comics Successful in Japan, September 16, 2005, and The Japanese Manga Industry Revisited, November 25, 2005.

The American, French, and Japanese comics scenes suggest that literacy, or a culture of literacy, is an important foundational element that must exist for a comics publishing industry to thrive. Here in the Philippines however, the situation is very different.

In our country, most of our people are "functionally literate" owing to the overwhelming prevalence of poverty. This means that most Filipinos only have basic knowledge of reading (simple words) and math skills. Their thinking or thought processes are mediocre. Their thinking and appreciation of the complex is generally servile and accomodating rather than critical. And it is precisely this simple-minded, "folksy logic" or absence of refined critical thinking through inadequate educational support systems that has hindered the development of a culture of literacy in our country, as well as made most of our countrymen gullible to the wiles of a corrupt and elite rich few. For more details and statistical data on the issue of "functional literacy" in the Philippines please see my previous blog entry: "Comics Illiteracy: Is there such a thing?", August 23, 2005.

In 2003, the National Book Development Board (or NBDB) commissioned the Social Weather Stations to conduct a survey on the reading attitudes and preferences of Filipinos. It is considered the most comprehensive study on book readership in the country conducted from March 10 to 25, 2003 with 1,200 respondents composed of 300 voting-age adults from every study area. Of the total respondents, 63.6% are from rural areas, while 36.4% from urban. Of the total respondents, 7.7% belong to classes ABC, 67.4% class D, and 24.8% from class E. Details of the survey may be viewed at: www.nbdb.gov.ph. Signifcantly, the NBDB survey found that:

"...readership of non-schoolbooks is higher among Filipino adults from the upper socio-economic classes who have reached high levels of education and attended private schools, are younger, either single or without a partner, and live in the urban areas. Moreover, those who live near libraries and bookstores read more often."

There's more:

"Readership of non-schoolbooks among members aged 7-17 tends to be higher among females, classes ABC, those with a library at home, and those whose household heads have high education."

To recall, of the more than 80 million Filipinos as of 2005, the income distribution by class in our society is: AB-1%, C-9%, D-55%, and E-33%. The 2003 NBDB survey goes on to state, that:

"The percentage of those who bought non-schoolbooks for personal reading in the past year (2002) increases with social class, educational attainment, and personal monthly income. 58% of Filipino adults who bought non-schoolbooks in the past year (2002) spent only a maximum of P200. 16% spent more than P1,000. Among classes ABC, 38% spent more than P1,000. xxx xxx

While Filipino adults generally recognize the value of reading books, many (43%) can let a whole year pass without reading a single non-schoolbook. On the other hand, 15% read 2-3 non-schoolbooks and 14% read at least 10 non-schoolbooks. Books are read more for gaining knowledge and infomration, and thus perhaps book reading is considered something to do when the need arises. Watching TV, movies and videotapes, listening to the radio, and going to malls seem much more fun to do. Perhaps parents, educatiors, publishers, and advertisers ought to do more to portray book reading as fund to do too. Filipino adults generally find books to be good gifts and although considered costly, a book is not regarded as a luxury item but as a necessity."

Comics are non-schoolbooks. Today, they are not the most read non-schoolbooks. That distinction belongs to the Bible (38%) and romance novels (26%) which are read mostly by adults and by female youths aged 7 to 17 in classes ABC, those whose household heads have high education and who have a library at home. Specifically, what these young female youths read most are the Bible (22%) and romance novelettes (22%). The highest percentages of romance novel readers are from Balance Luzon (27%) and Visayas (27%), class E (28%), females (37%) and 18-24 years old (46%).

With this profile of local readership, it is no wonder that our local comics industry is dead. The great majority of our countrymen are functionally literate or mediocre. Their incomes could generally afford only the basic necessities of life; and with more reason today amidst the present prolonged economic and political crisis not really felt by the elite rich few. Comics today--espcially the solely entertaining kind-- are largely ignored by today's cynical youth who are more socially conscious and have a high sense of interconnectivity through present telecommunications technology. The few who do read printed publications are mostly economically well-off, highly educated, class ABC females and most do not read comics, especially the globalized Filipino comics made by mostly male Filipino comics creators. Worse, the same NBDB survey reports that for those who read, 91% READ TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE while only 9% READ FOR ENJOYMENT or ENTERTAINMENT. Moreover, Filipino adult readers of non-schoolbooks acquire them more through BORROWING (52%), receive them as gifts (40%), borrow from libraries (24%), renting (18%) and buying (a measly 15%). Majority of survey respondents from all study areas and all socio-economic classes do not borrow from libraries.

Both the Philippines and the United States have a serious literacy problem. Although for the Philippines, the situation is more acute. This is why the business of comics publishing is down and this is where most of the efforts should be concentrated to revive it.

Could not Filipino comics then, contribute to this effort of uplifting our people's literacy level by stamping out today's culture of mediocrity? Could not today's generation of Filipino comics be made available to the greater many who need it most rather than to the globalized corrupt, elite few who support more the cultures and achievements of other advanced countries rather than their own?

Practicality of the moment dictates that comics production cater to the educated few and rich elite. But if one's objective is to revive a near extinct industry, should not one's plans be commensurately long-range, long-lasting and beneficial to all? This, I believe, is more to a local comics publisher's enlightened self-interest than the former. Most businessmen prefer a business environment populated by literate, principled, and innovative people rather than an environment run by unprincipled, unimaginative, and mediocre people.

Next: Alvin Toffler's 6 characteristics of Third Wave Media, The Knowledge Economy, Inadvertent Content and Alan Moore.

Will LOVE Revive the Filipino Comics Industry?

Boy, is my tongue in my cheek right now. I just tried out for the first time the Blog Search function of this blogsite and came across a comment from Sir Reno Maniquis saying that I was wrong in NOT thinking that most Filipino comics creators today are impelled more by economic hardship, and that is why their comics come out irregularly or infrequently, that the reason they do it is not for the money as there are no paying jobs right now for comics publishing, but because of "love" in that they wouldn't want to see the local comics industry "dying".

To check out his full view on the matter he's at: "http://ka-blog.blogspot.com" with the blog entry: "This post is a reaction to the Pinoy Komix Biz article: How do you Revive the Filipino Komix Industry". You will also find there one of the sweetest descriptions given to me by Sir Gerry Alanguilan. And a Happy New Year to you too, Sir Gerry.

First off, it appears that Sir Reno took umbrage at my statement that: "almost every local comics creator takes his precious time in creating his work of art". Take note that I did not say ALL local comics creators. Nor was I charging anybody in particular.

Yet, it amazes me that these two gentlemen came forward with pitchfork and torches in hand, loudly and apoplectically denouncing my statement and claiming that they (and their fellows "whoever" they are) are the exception.

Sir Reno, Sir Gerry, the qualifier "almost" was specifically used in my statement to mean that NOT ALL local comics creators are lackadaisical and that implicitly, only a FEW of them are industrious, capable, experienced, and dedicated to their craft. However, that is not the main idea being expressed in my statement. What is being stated in the main, is that: MAJORITY OR MOST of our local comics creators are LACKADAISICAL. MAJORITY ARE WANNABES. MAJORITY ARE YOUNG, INEXPERIENCED, BOISTEROUS, GROPING IN THE DARK, UNDISCIPLINED, AND TAKING THEIR PRECIOUS TIME.

The statement is plain and clear. If you two gentlemen are the exception, then why are you reacting on impulse like that? The statement is not being directed at you particularly or to those like you. Please read naman. If it wasn't clear to you or you had trouble comprehending what it meant, you could always ASK FIRST what the statement meant instead of immediately blowing off steam.

Artists.

Or are you objecting to my opinion that most of our local comics creators today are lackadaisical? If so, then please say so and tell me why. Do you agree with the assessment or not? That's the issue in the statement. Are majority of our local comics creators lackadaisical? Do their works appear infrequently or not?

The issue is not WHY their works are infrequent, or WHY they are lackadaisical. The issue is ARE most of today's local comics creators lackadaisical, and ARE their works actually appearing infrequently? Just that, nothing more.

Sir Reno, I am focusing please, on the EFFECT of their actions and not on their personal and individual MOTIVATIONS. The motivations may be sincere and noble such as yours and Sir Gerry's, but if the overall EFFECT is that you don't really get a solid readership, a solid following, a genuine concern, for local comics works because they appear infrequently in the darndest of places beyond the reach of the income class C,D, and E readers, then yes, I stand by my opinion that the local comics scene is indeed in a rut, not diversified, and dull, because ALMOST every local comics creator takes his precious time in creating his work of art. I am attacking the EFFECT that RESULTED from these actions. I am not chastising their individual motivations.

But even then, assuming that sincerity, motivation, and some vague LOVE OF FILIPINO COMICS, had something to do with the issue of reviving the local comics industry. Suppose its an art solution to an art problem. Supposing this sole artistic or nationalistic 'love' powered mainly by active comics creators resulted in the creation of a scant few masterpieces; of local comics garnering critics' circle awards or are adopted into television series, do local comics today comprise at least 5% to 10% of the nation's total publishing output? In Japan, the manga industry comprises 20% of Japan's total publishing output. And that's still a conservative estimate. Could it be that there's more to it than just plain old, tired and true, "love"? When does the incomprehensible romanticism end?

Ever since the demise of the local comics industry in the late 1990s to the present, what has 'love' accomplished so far? Are we any way near the kind of respect we yearn for the local comics medium? So far we only see publicity and public admiration for comics artists working abroad, but not for an industry, a commercial business enterprise of printed comics publications in our country.

Sir Reno, Sir Gerry, some of us are not insensitive to what the few and exceptional local comics creators among us have achieved or are trying to achieve. But--and I hope you don't get me wrong--its not enough. Love and art are not enough. Its part of a big problem that's not essentially an art problem. Of course the comics writer and artist have a role to play, but they're not going to be the only players. Right now, as I see it from visiting other local comics blogs out there, the same old imbalance in favor of "art" is everywhere. Business-minded people and believe it or not, some OFWS who want to start a local comics firm, are at a loss on whether to risk their hard-earned money whenever they see the contorted funny faces of young comics creators on the monitor screen. "Are they dependable?" they ask. "Is this a joke?", they think. "Bakit parang hindi Pilipino ang gawa?", they wonder. Sheepishly, you grope for an answer: "E sir, they're having fun. They "love" kasi what they're doing. Pambata talaga ngayon ang comics e."

I'm sorry. So they've been juggling more important jobs to pay the bill, money is scarce, etc. etc. Okey. We get the sob story. We commisserate. We sympathize totally. Its great though that those few local comics were published. But hey, no follow-up. No matter. The readers after all, don't care about those sob stories. The reality is, they leave you behind if you don't give their next fix. So you jump several years today and you look around the globalized media landscape around us and ask: Where are we now? HAS LOVE REVIVED THE LOCAL COMICS INDUSTRY?

Tina Turner has a better question: WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

How do you Revive the Filipino COMICS INDUSTRY?

Now that's a pretty broad topic. Let's try and analyze the question first before proceeding any further.

To begin with, what kind of comics are we talking about when we mention a COMICS INDUSTRY? Are we talking of free comics publications given by the publisher or comics creator who do not receive any profit or remuneration for their effort? We see some photocopied "indie" comics and religious or political comics being passed around for free by the comics creator and publisher. Is this the comics industry we are talking about? If in the affirmative, then why talk of "reviving" the free comics industry in the first place? Since the comics were given freely and voluntarily, and the publisher or comics creator felt no loss by such action, there is nothing to revive in the first place.

Consequently, we must be referring to those comics that are sold commercially, specifically to printed and local comics publications that are offered for sale to the general public.

Right. Comics for sale then. To continue: is the local comics industry in need of any "reviving"? In short, is it really dead? Before answering, we have to know what the term "industry" means.

My Oxford Quick Reference Dictionary defines "industry" as "a branch of production or manufacture; a commercial enterprise, concerted activity, and diligence". My same dictionary also defines enterprise as an "undertaking, especially the challenging kind; or a readiness to engage in challenging undertakings". Significantly, enterprise is further defined in the same dictionary as: a BUSINESS FIRM OR VENTURE.

Right. Its clearer now. We are talking about locally produced comics for sale; as a commercial or BUSINESS enterprise. With this in mind, we then ask the question: Is the local comics industry dead? My same dictionary gives several definitions of the word "dead": no longer alive, tired or unwell, numb (fingers are dead), insensitive to, no longer effective or in use; extinct, lacking force or vigour, quiet; lacking activity, entirely obsolete, and time of silence or inactivity.

Was the local comics industry commercially alive and well in the first place? Most definitely. Consider these facts:

In 1978, the "Illustrated Press", a trade paper of the now defunct Kapisanan ng mga Publisista at mga Patnugot ng mga Komiks-magasin sa Pilipino (Association of Publishers and Editors of Pilipino Comics Magazines or APEPCOM), cited a readership survey which found that the great bulk of local comics readers belonged to an income demographic of C and D households i.e., 38% and 41% respectively. Only 4% of local comics readers belonged to the upper A and B households, while 17% were in class E homes. This low-income C and D crowd that comprised the huge bulk of Filipino comics' readership were colloquially known as the "bakya" crowd referring to the archetype simple-minded, and less discriminating country folk who wore clogs and wooden shoes with thick wooden soles. (Source: Danny Mariano, "In the Name of the Masses", TV Times Magazine, September 10-16, 1978 issue).

In 1978, it was hypothesized that since about 2 million commercially produced komiks-magasins bearing 44 different titles appeared and were either sold or leased in the banketa (or newstand kiosk), it was assumed, albeit conservatively, that if only six people read each copy, then komiks-magasins should easily have a readership of no less than 12 million. For the komiks-magasin publishing houses this meant weekly sales of about Php 1.7 million or Php 88.4 million annually. (Source: Danny Mariano, "In the Name of the Masses" magazine article, Ibid.)

And in the decade of the 1980s, excluding the number of sex-oriented, religious and educational komiks titles, there were 47 komiks titles that appeared weekly and twice weekly clocking at Php 2.5 million a week in the mid-1980s to 3 million copies a week in 1989. Again, with a conservative estimate that only 6 people got to read each copy, we are talking of a bakya readership of from 15 to 18 million from 1980 to 1989. (Source: John A. Lent, "The First 75 Years of Philippine Komiks", Comic Book Artist Vol. 2, No. 4, Top Shelf Productions, 2004).

In 1989 specifically, again excluding sex-oriented and educational themed komiks, there were reportedly 85 weekly and bi-weekly komiks titles published by nine mainstream Filipino komiks publication companies that were all owned by the family of the late Don Ramon Roces. These companies were: Atlas Publishing Corporation, Inc., Adventures Illustrated Magazines, Inc., Magellan Publishing Company, Inc., Islas Pilipinas Publishing, Inc., Mass Media Promotions, Ace Publications, Graphic Arts Services, Inc., Counterpoint Publishing House, Inc. and Affiliated Publications, Inc. The lowest selling titles of these companies never went below 60,000 copies a week while their highest circulating titles always peaked and sometimes went beyond 175,000 copies twice a week or bi-weekly. These bestselling titles were: Pilipino Komiks, Hiwaga, Tagalog Klasiks, Espesyal, Extra, Love Story, Aliwan Komiks, Pinoy Klasiks, Pinoy Komiks, Universal and Superstar. (Source: John A. Lent, "The First 75 Years of Philippine Komiks", magazine article, Ibid.)

On the other hand, two other komiks publishers at the time namely: G. Miranda and Sons Publishing, Inc. and Rex Group of Companies, had a much lower circulation. They did not dominate the racks of the banketa newstands and kiosks like those of the Roces monopoly's above. For instance, G. Miranda and Son's top seller: Wakasan, only managed 20,000 copies a week while Rex' top title: Rex Komiks, had a top circulation of only 10,000 to 15,000 a week. (Source: Corazon D. Villareal, "Ang Industriya ng Komiks: Noon at Ngrayon", Kultura Magazine, January, 1990).

Is it any wonder then, when in 1989, the government-run Philippine Information Agency conducted a nationwide survey, and confirmed that Filipino comics had a 54% audience share over and above other media such as newspapers (37%), magazines (33%), movies (45%), and television (53%). (Source: Corazon D. Villareal, "Ang Industriya ng Komiks: Noon at Ngayon", Kultura Magazine, January, 1990 issue).

Yes Virginia of the Gen X and Y crowd, there was indeed a thriving, bustling, and alive, Filipino comics industry in the bygone years of the 20th century. Now, in these early years of the 21st century, that industry is gone. When the Roces comics monopoly fell in the late 1990s, it took everything with it.

Now in 2006, we are stuck with what--FOUR local comics producing companies: Summit (which only publishes licensed foreign comics reprints), PSICOM (which also publishes mostly foreign reprints but has of late tried testing the waters by publishing 2 black and white digest size Filipino type comics), Nautilus (coming out with less than a handful of original titles that are in English and mostly marketed to the class AB crowd) and Mango (having less than 5 titles and also aiming for the class AB and C crowd).

The comics titles of these entities come out monthly and have a circulation of presumably less than 30,000 copies (Now defunct CCCom's anime'-inspired "Culture Crash" was reputed to be the Premier Comic Book of the Philippines from 2001 to 2004 topping the 15,000 to 30,000 sales mark). Obviously, this situation is hardly constitutive of an "industry" when compared to what had gone before. With this in mind, let us consider for the moment, the present situation as indicative of a "dead" Filipino comics industry much like our movie, shoe, tourist, construction, and other industries.

Having confirmed (for the moment) that we have a dead comics industry and of having previously defining our terms, we now go back to our earlier question: How do we revive our local Filipino comics industry?

Before answering, we should consider what kind of question is being asked. Is it essentially an "art" question to begin with?

My same Oxford dictionary defines the word "art" as: "a branch of human creative skill or activity concerned with the production of imaginative designs, sounds and ideas, e.g. painting, music, writing; creative activity resulting in visual representation (good at music but not art), human skill as opposed to nature, supposedly creative subjects (esp. languages, literature, and history) as opposed to scientific, technical, or vocational subjects."

Assuming that the question is essentially an "art" problem, then the solution must surely be "art" based. "Art" after all, is universal. It is not confined to nationalistic dogma. It goes beyond cultural biases so anything foreign or alien has merit and can be shamelessly copied because from there, "something original" is sure to bloom. Also, it takes a lot of time to make a "work of art". And since its a work of art, it has no price and must surely be quite expensive to most poor people. Art should also be a "fun" activity, especially for the artist. The consumer's needs, deadlines, business considerations, and the political or economic crisis be damned. The comics artist rules supreme in this "art" world. It is his own universe and his private Idaho. Art has no rules, only the imagination of the artist. And it is precisely the imagination, the human creative skill, the imaginative designs, good stories and art, that will essentially save the day and revive our cold, lifeless, forgotten, outdated and outmoded Filipino comics industry. Really?

Look what's happening today: almost every kind of Filipino comics that came out in the stands appeared infrequently and irregularly such that we are now left with only four active comics publishers. And we're not even sure if some of them are serious in helping develop the local comics biz. Almost every local comics creator takes his precious time in creating his "work of art" because his "art reputation" and "ego" is at stake. He wants to do it himself and needs no assistants to preserve the purity of his so-called "vision". The printing facilities here in the Philippines are below par? Goodness, then we'd better go and work for the U.S., Hong Kong, Korea, or whatever country's comics industry where we'll get paid better and our work printed better. Improvise? Be resourceful? Work within the limitations? Are you kidding? And ruin my precious artistic vision? You say we're on a tight deadline to come up with a story or drawing? Hey, I know. Let's just copy those obscure American or Japanese works and put some minor alterations in there. No one will ever know. After all, you did say to be resourceful, right? Comics production should be taken as a 'fun activity' with no consideration as to cost. They are oftimes the subject of a "kiddie" school project or thesis by rich kids who lead sheltered lives. Use those slick, glossy pages, and stand-out computer coloring at all times to get that muy perfecto "work of art". We'll price it only for the few, westernized rich market segment who can afford it. Forget the mass market. They are too poor to be a market for our kind of art product anyway. Where's my friend, the vulture collector? Did he sell my original comics pages without informing me or giving me a percentage? Almost anybody can be a comics creator or artist nowadays where mediocre work is passed off as a 'work of art' because there are no objective standards in art. Everything is relative: Art, Love, Morals, so who's to judge? With that kind of passivity, with that kind of bohemian intellectual promiscuity, our local comics scene is now dominated by American and Japanese products such that almost everybody prefers them than local comics. Its not a media war, its an "art" war. Good stories and art. These two buddies will save the day. Spare me.

No wonder the local comics industry is in a rut. In my personal opinion (which again is often wrong) the problem of resuscitating a local comics industry is being approached from an essentially "artistic" point of view because the persons trying to answer the question are mostly comics artists and writers who have little or no knowledge in business, finance, economics, media analysis, licensing, marketing, psychology, law, sociology, human negotiation, and culture.

Whenever you see them get together their discussions are always based on bare conjectures or surmises, and their solutions in the form of aspirations with nothing concrete, detailed, or substantial, being placed on the table.

Their emotions or artistic "instincts" dominate their thought process; only one half of their brains operating and they mistake this as a 'solution'. The scene is quite often--pardon the pun--TRAGI-COMIC.

Do you see any other perspective--like maybe an unbiased, cold and critical business perspective, besides an emotionally-charged artistic perspective to the question? None. Are there non-artists like actual comics publishers or business developers, or bankers, or media analysts, print dealers, or marketing professionals, or advertising professionals, anthropologists, or persons with degrees (or Masters) in business administration, welcome to their 'artist-monopolized' conferences? None. Its like a long lost "sensitive" tribe that worships the concept of "art" like a mantra such that whenever you say "art" long enough you begin to sound like a dog: "Art! Art! Art! Art! Art!.."

How do you revive the Filipino comics industry? Is it essentially a BUSINESS or an ART question? Who is more competent to contribute useful insights leading to an answer or working solution to that question: a BUSINESSMAN or a COMICS CREATOR (Writer and artist)? Should we be guided more by FACTS or by PERSONAL ARTISTIC BIASES AND INSTINCTS? The answer is pretty obvious at this point.

Reply to Charles

Charles A. Tan's www.livejournal.com/users/charlesatan/118965.html? with an entry title: "More Comic Reactions" is one of the more interesting comments to some of the posts appearing in this blog.

First, I'd like to thank Charles for his cheerfulness and optimism; of looking at the bright side when everything else around us is down. Thanks Charles. Human beings after all, are ignorant of the future. No one human being is omniscient.

All we can do, the BEST one can do, is make an educated guess or estimate of tomorrow's probable consequences based on the empirical facts and circumstances laid before us. Our estimates may be right, or they may be wrong. Things may turn out differently than expected. Some fluke or unexpected circumstance may develop midway. We're not sure. We don't know. And since we do not know, since we are basically ignorant of the future, we can afford to be optimistic. Ignorance after all, is bliss.

But should this vague and uncertain optimism for the future be an excuse for setting aside undeniable facts presently before us, WARNING that the future may bode ill if we do not watch our step and take precautions today? Must we be like the fabled and lazy grasshopper lounging about the summer without a care in the world, or be like the industrious ant gathering enough food during the summer for the coming rainy season?

Conrado de Quiros, a columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer made an interesting point in defense of the gloom and doom sayers. In one of his January, 2006, columns he mentions that those optimists who chastise and are tired of "negative" people and demand that the latter "move on" are usually those who do not know where to move on in the first place.

Move on--to where? From this point on, the optimists are usually silent. They attempt to conceal their predicament by resorting to vagueries without really making any supporting particulars because there aren't any. But even in this, the optimists' ignorance and empty protestations are ultimately laid bare. Enough of your negativism, they say, your damned facts and surveys. Move on. Move on. Like hamsters inside a never-ending wheel, move on. Ignorance is bliss as we run around in circles with no ending or beginning--or direction. Hollow Optimism in action. Like Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burns or like an orchestra playing while the Titanic sinks.

Once again, thank you Charles for your optimism. It was a welcome, albeit momentary, respite. I mean, how could you just flippantly set aside our economic and political situation by merely saying that we've been having an economic crisis for the past 20 years and that we've lasted this long so there's nothing to worry about? What do we have to show for it in all this time? Please don't forget that it was the actions of 'gloom and doom' protesters and activists of the 1986 EDSA revolution that halted the crisis of the Marcos dictatorship, and the same 'gloom and doom' protesters during the second EDSA revolt in 2000 that prevented a narco-political regime from engulfing the country. Then, we have the present one. Each crisis did not last but a new one arose to take its place. And this will continue to happen so long as there are apathetic, jaded people who let the corrupt elite play around. And if you think that's too much of a tall order, then no wonder most people think local comics are irrelevant and inconsequential in today's scheme of things.

So we've lasted more than 20 years of crisis. Is that anything to be proud of? Is that any reason to put your guard down and party?

"We have had 40 years of failure. From 1961 to 2000 median family income increased 80 times from P1,105 to P88,782. But the upper 50 percent of families took 82.4 percent of total income in 1961 and held 82.2 percent in 2000. Meanwhile, the lower 50 percent of families subsisted on 17.6 percent of all income in 1961 and still lived on 17.8 percent in 2000.

Yes, it has been 40 years of failure. In ratio, the income of top quintile (20 percent) is 12 times that of the bottom quintile, putting the Philippines among aountries with the worst inequality in Asia that includes Malaysia (14), Thailand (11.6), and Hong Kong (9.5). The problem of the Philippines is that our GNP grew only 11 times from 1960 to 2000, while Malaysia's surged 39 times, Thailand's 48 times, and Hong Kong's 172 times.

We cannot repeat it enough: 40 years of failure. In 2000 a family with annual income of only P830,000 was already part of the richest 1 percent of the country. This richest 1 percent of about 150,000 families had a combined cincome equivalent to those of the bottom 38 percent of about 5.8 million families. Incomes varied much more among the middle 65 percent of all Filipino families.

Let's face it: 40 years of failure. Poverty rates only reflect changes in relative prices, not changes in underlying incomes or wealth. Considering this, the Philippines is an atoll of high-income class, an island of a middle-income class, and a vast sea of the low-income class. This has been the case since 1960 when the country had a 27 million population in 4.4 million families, as it was in 2000 when the country grew to 76.5 million (2.8 times) in 15.3 million families (3.5 times).

Where else do we see the 40 years of failure? Our forest cover has declined, coastal areas deteriorated, rivers and lakes polluted. Our quality of education for the masses has remained poor. Health and nutrition of children from poorest families have worsened." (Source: Bondoc, Jarius,"40 Years of Failure", The Philippine Star, January 10, 2005).

You say that in the midst of the present travails facing the local comics industry, some "ingenius and dedicated" -something- will find a way, or that through it all, this "something" will come up with an "innovative and effective way of distributing comics through web comics for example." How will this ingenius few arise and challenge the system if they are always met with apathy and mediocrity especially in the local comics scene?

Web comics? Elaborate. You mean there's no hope for PRINTED comics? You've given up? Why just web comics? I myself have my views on the matter and I don't think printed comics are a hopeless cause and I have elaborated on the matter in my prior entries: 'Examining the Digital Option' (August 13, 2005), 'Distribution Matters' (October 9, 2005), 'Why are Printed Comics Successful in Japan' (September 16,2005), 'The Japanese Manga Industry Revisited' (November 25, 2005) and 'When Corporations lose or have no Faith in Comics Publishing' (November 9, 2005).

What I find rather curious, Charles, is your comment that "A comic industry does not need to depend on the the masses to survive... If your comic is a luxury item, then make sure it gets to the right market. Profit does not necessitate addressing the mass market. If that were the case BMW would have gone out of business a long time ago".

Under present circumstances, I think your idea of a locally produced "luxury" BMW comic will have a pretty difficult time selling to the rich and 'globalized' income class AB that comprise 1% of the Philippine population. As I've previously mentioned, the rich and poor alike are in extreme savings mode right now. Consumer spending last Christmas season 2005 was terribly low. Supermarket shopping took a lot of competition from the flea and bazaar markets going around especially the 168 store at the Divisoria. Also, business developments last year indicate the income class AB market is nearly saturated with a lot of goods (including luxury goods) that most businesses are now being implored to look into a possibly lucrative class D and E market. So your comment that there will always be room for luxury items especially recreation? Its going to be in for some pretty rough sailing. Please see my entries in this blog related to the subject where I cite some statistical data on the matter: 'The Return of Filipino Komiks' Old Target Market' (September 25, 2005), 'What do Filipinos Spend their Money on?' (October 7, 2005), 'Filipino Komix' Finest Hour' (August 5, 2005), 'A Candid Profile of the Elite Target Market' (August 7, 2005), 'The Big Picture' (August 8, 2005), 'Comics for the Elite: Today's Target Market' (July 31, 2005), and 'Globalization should be the effect not the cause' (August 9, 2005).

You also mention about the so-called "indie" comics scene. Specifically you said: "A lot of comics creators do put out comics that aren't mainstream or kid-friendly-- but no publicity...Its not a big scene but its there nonetheless". Charles, how exactly do you quantify "a lot"? And since you admit that the goings on in the "indie comics scene" have no publicity, we'd then be engaging in a speculative, if not hearsay discussion, now wouldn't we? Wouldn't your claims at this point be self-serving if not gratuitous?

Personally, I've seen some of these so-called "indies" during the October, 2005 Komiks Convention at the U.P.Bahay ng Alumni. I may be wrong but from what I've seen, most of them are mainstream Japanese anime' "inspired". Is this the representative majority of the Pinoy "indie" scene? Anime' inspired? Enlighten me. Are most "indies" anime' inspired? I don't know because as you said, there's not much publicity about this particular scene.

You also said about the "indie" scene: "Its not as diverse as I'd want it to be, but its a start." Now doesn't this look like a cop-out and roundabout way of saying that the indies are not really that diverse? You add: "American comics is actually also diverse, but a lot of its diversity comes from the indie market." Yes, but we're talking about the indies here in the Philippines. The issue is: how distinct and diverse are Pinoy "indie" comics? What does the American comics scene have to do with any of this?

But assuming for the sake of argument that the American comics scene have a connection and bearing on the subject. Following the logic of your prior statements, if the Pinoy "indie" comics scene is AS YOU SAY not really that diverse as you'd like them to be, then the BROADER local Pinoy comics scene is not that diverse AS WELL. Agree?

Regarding your disagreement that the earnings from licensed foreign comicbooks do not redound to the benefit or resuscitation of our comatose local comics industry, I find your reasoning on this matter rather weak and vague: "As for money coming back to the foreign publisher, only a percentage of profits goes back to them. Either that or a flat rate licensing fee." Okey, so what does the local publisher do with the remainder? Does he publish a lot of new local comics titles with the money? Does he employ a lot of local writers and artists? Does he use the money to promote these locally published works? Is Summit Publishing doing this? Absolutely not. Ever since Summit put out W.I.T.C.H. (a licensed Walt Disney comic) in 2002, I haven't seen any TAGALOG or even a globalized Filipino comic published by them, have you? Ah, but wily you, you mention good ol' PSICOM.

PSICOM put out in December, 2005 its first local anthology comicbook entitled: "Fantasya". PSICOM has been in the publishing business since the mid to late 1990s when local comics was already down and out. Why only now, not earlier? If PSICOM really had any concern with developing our moribund comics industry, why did PSICOM give first priority to DC Comics in 2003? PSICOM sure took a long time to put out (in December, 2005, specifically) "Fantasya" didn't they? And then of late, the romance themed: "Basted".

Also, why the rather lopsided treatment to these local comicbooks by PSICOM? Why are their pages and printing quality not as glossy and slick like those in its licensed Justice League, Teen Titans, Superman and Batman digest reprints? Why are these PSICOM comics titles in black and white and not colored like their foreign comics competitors? Just because licensor DC Comics imposes production or printing requirements and restrictions such as these, doesn't excuse PSICOM not to do the same printing treatment to its own local titles. I mention this because you did insinuate Charles, that local comics doesn't need the mass market in order to survive, that it can and ought to morph as a "luxury item" for the more lucrative higher income class market. Local comics should after all, be a luxury item nowadays, right? Know your market. This is SOME start. But anyway, we're jumping the gun. Its too early to tell if PSICOM is really serious about helping develop a local comics market. For my money, its just testing the waters and putting out guinea pigs. Let's see how this develops.

Getting back to Summit. The issue here is Summit providing jobs for local comics creators, or helping develop a local comics industry. By broadly saying that Summit provides jobs to "Filipinos" is skirting or evading the issue, Charles. You yourself admit that Summit doesn't: "...accept local submissions and some say for good reason: because they want to meet their deadlines and publish regularly, which unfortunately some artists can't meet, especially when they're starting on a brand new series." Now just because SOME local artists are deadline lazy doesn't mean that ALL local comics creators are like that. Faulty syllogisms make for inaccurate conclusions, Charles. "Indie" comics creators are local comics creators too, right? Is Summit saying that Indie Filipino comics creators do not take their craft seriously?

On CCCom's Culture Crash: I can't say I agree with most of your observations on this matter but one thing does deserve comment: your mention of the multiplier effect. To recall Charles, you said that assuming Culture Crash has a consistent and conservative sales revenue of 20,000 to 30,000 an issue, this according to you is BIG for Culture Crash's target market. You further add, that a sold issue is passed around freely to various readers at a ratio of say, 5 readers to one copy. A multiplier effect. So, 20,000 sold copies gets actually exposed or passed around to 100,000 readers and 30,000 gets exposed to 150,000 readers. Wow. If this is the case, why is it that no regular advertiser was ever convinced of this hype?

If your multiplier theory is correct (or even remotely plausible), why weren't there a lot of advertisers regularly appearing in an issue of Culture Crash? Surely, they couldn't resist exposing their ad to a devoted fan following of 100,000 to 150,000 readers an issue? Yet, if I remember correctly, the Publisher, James Palabay, was almost always calling for ads in the editorial/letter columns of Culture Crash particularly in the later issues. You don't usually call for ads unless your sales revenue don't meet your production and other allied costs.

Could it be that the readership of Culture Crash was actually and progressively DECREASING considering that in the four years of its existence, only fourteen (14) (or fifteen (15) issues I'm not sure) were INFREQUENTLY published? And wouldn't decreased readership also translate to decreased sales? Could it be that this decreasing readership was the reason why advertisers were gunshy of advertising with Culture Crash in the first place?

If there's one thing I truly admire about CCCom, its their resourcefulness, network, public relations savvy, and the fact they were having fun in producing a product that's great eye-candy and fluff for young readers. Beyond that, its another story entirely.

In my personal opinion (which is often wrong), the business side of the operation, the "comics industry" flipside of the matter, was taken for granted by most of the players involved in Culture Crash. Why? Because they were all having "fun". They were making "art" and not devoting equal time to the business. This is why I said Charles, that in having a viable local comics industry, you can't just concentrate on having fun by making good stories and art. I never said that you should abandon making good stories and art in favor of business operations. I think you may have misread me here. I have been most emphatic about this position in my earlier entries (VIDE: Examining the Digital Option, When Corporations Lose or have no Faith in Comics Publishing, Why Printed Comics are Successful in Japan, and Distribution Matters).

Japanese manga presently comprise about 20% of Japan's total publishing output. Now that's an industry. In our country, Tagalog romance pocket books also command a huge following. If local comics could at least equal the publishing output level of the Tagalog romance pocket book or comprise at least 10% of the country's total publishing output, then I would think that we are well on the way to jumpstarting a local and moribund comics industry. At present, we are nowhere near that objective because we are inundated by mediocrity and surrounded by people who think that 20,000 to 30,000 copies is enough to constitute a commercially viable comics publishing enterprise. And that's just for one comics title marketed and produced as a "luxury item" comparable in value to a BMW.

Giving equal time and concentrating for once on the 'business" of comics which involves marketing, distribution and other considerations in the real world, is certainly my position on the matter, Charles. There has to be balance between art and business. And right now, the local comics scene does not have enough of the latter. If you find this position "funny" by interpreting it as meaning something else like: "Don't mimic American or Japanese Comics but mimic their comic industry", then I guess I'll just have to keep on being funny.

Cheers.

What it takes to be No. 1

Do you remember the so-called "Premiere Comic Book of the Philippines" that came out sometime in mid-2000 and then suddenly disappeared without a trace? Actually, the publisher prefers to call it the "Premiere Anime'-inspired Comic Magazine of the Philippines", but that wasn't the tag line that appeared in its posters.

Now before continuing any further, I know what you're thinking.

No, I'm not going to put it down or tear it up to pieces like I usually do against those empty and dunder-headed Pinoy comics imitations of Japanese anime' currently running around. I have such a healthy respect for what these original guys accomplished in the Pinoy comics publishing field that I'm not going to start by hectoring their achievements to the ground. They started what I think was meant to be an innocent "fun" experiment that wasn't supposed to last long, but has now unintentionally morphed into some sort of Frankenstein's monster; that is, of siring numerous brainless imitators and wannabes.

Specifically, my beef is with these empty-headed successors; Pinoy comics imitations of Japanese anime' currently yearning to be the next "Premiere Comic Book of the Philippines".

These globalized successors haughtily claim that Japanese anime' (and even manga) are the new wave of Pinoy comics to which all must conform as if all of us have no choice in the matter. These anime' media zombies claim that since the "Premiere Comic Book of the Philippines" is the only Pinoy comic that has achieved bestseller status, it constitutes a vindication and affirmation that Japanese anime' and Pinoy manga is here to stay.

With that, it is with profuse and advanced apologies that I would like to begin this ramble by stating that the following diatribe is not addressed in any way against the creative discretion chosen by the original staff of the "Philippines' Premiere Comic Book". No, my focus will solely center on the business side of things; of examing the economic and business considerations that made it precisely the Philippines' so-called "Premiere Comic Book", and whether or not from a sales and business point of view, such a tagline is indeed deserved.

With that out of the way, I now begin treading on thin ice by first describing the subject in question.

As previously mentioned, the first Pinoy Manga is in color and the drawings are Japanese anime' inspired. Language used is Filipino/Tagalog though the stories are not that original, mostly derivative, and are lighthearted. Size of publication is digest size using slick paper. And though allegedly priced reasonably (and initially) at Php 75, it appeared infrequently for approximately 4 years beginning mid-2000, reaching 14 to 15 issues until sometime in 2004, it totally vanished or "crashed" from the shelves.

Internet search disclose that the creative team involved purportedly decided to pursue their own individual interests and cease publication. However, after recently conferring with a reliable source involved with the publication itself this blogger found out some interesting facts. Foremost of these is that it never sold below 15,000 copies nor above 30,000 copies.

Now you may think that's pretty high but if you consider the fact that in Metro Manila alone we have a population of about 2.5 million households or approximately 12 million individuals, a minimum of 15,000 to a maximum of 30,000 copies is pretty low, wouldn't you agree? (Source: Basket Behavior: Understanding Buying Patterns Especially During Hard Times by Ramil Digal Gulle, Business Day, 15 August to 04 September, 2005 issue, p. 22).

Even for a target audience, the above number is still small for advertising purposes. Why spend thousands (or millions) for print ad on the First Pinoy Manga if its selling only from 15 to 30 thousand? Better that it be placed on television, on AXN, Animax, or a nationwide broadsheet newspaper in order to get results.

Another factor going against it is that the First Pinoy Manga appears infrequently if not unpredictably. Advertisers generally want to advertise in publications that appear regularly so their ads could be seen frequently. I suspect that any ad that appeared in its issues were "x-deals" or ads placed without monetary payment but in kind.

Still another point is that our 15.3 million households in the Philippines are mostly lower-income earning families that could not afford a Php 75 price tag. Specifically, our households (as of 2004) are distributed by way of income class as follows:

AB-1%

C-9%

D-55%

E-35% (Source: Forever Living in Exciting Times: A Look at Economic Trends and Filipino Consumer Buying Patterns by Gladys De Veyro, Business Day, 15 August to 04 September, 2005 issue, P. 12).

Average household spending in rural areas is Php 3,150 a month while in urban areas, its Php 3,592 (Source: Basket Behavior, Ibid.) These amounts are mostly allocated to basic necessities such as food, electricity, transportation, education, communication, and personal care products. There is almost no allocation for luxury items such as fiction books or printed comic books of any kind. So again, if I were the advertiser, its better that I advertise in an anime' television show where my target audience wouldn't have to buy anything to see my ad. All they have to do is click on the TV, watch the anime' program and voila, see my ad. Who needs the printed Pinoy Manga?

I could go on, but I think the above is more than enough to support the view that total sales of 15,000 to 30,000 copies of a Pinoy Manga is not popular (or profitable) enough to make it the Premiere Comic Magazine in the Philippines.

With the slick paper and fancy coloring used, I suspect that the printing and production cost here is pretty high. So, assuming that at Php 75, 30,000 copies are sold out, you have a total gross profit of Php 2,250,000.00. That's small because from there you still have to deduct the 30-40% distributor's share and production cost per copy that keeps rising every year because of inflation. I won't even bother computing as the results are pretty obvious.

No wonder the first Pinoy Manga closed shop. Business-wise, it wasn't managed well and it sure as hell wasn't that profitable. But hey, the westernized elite fans had fun and the magazine distributors earned a lot of money at their expense, didn't they?