Beyond the Box launches comic book collab with Harvey Tolibao, Manix Abrera, and Mervin Malonzo

If there’s one thing Filipino culture is known for worldwide, it’s the indomitable Pinoy pride. We love celebrating victories that have even just a smidgen of Filipino. It’s gotten to the point of ridiculousness that the internet has spawned various memes including ones where we get proud if a winning athlete’s best friend’s driver’s sister is Filipino. Anyone can argue the fact that we celebrate the littlest things too much, but if there’s a group that needs our recognition, it’s the Filipino artist community.

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To celebrate the creativity of our Filipino artists, particularly comic book illustrators, Beyond the Box is bringing together the country’s most respected artists for a one-of-a-kind comic book compilation. For this collaboration, Beyond the Box has issued a challenge to Harvey Tolibao, Manix Abrera, and Mervin Malonzo—write and illustrate a comic with the theme “Beyond” using only an Apple iPad Pro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4RUvbEPjBc

Harvey Tolibao is the son of the proverbial “starving artist” who refused to allow his children to fall into the same fate. Fortunately, Tolibao inherited his father’s love for art. Initially starting his career in 2006, he has since penciled and inked for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and IDW, including Iron Man: Director of Shield Annual in 2008, Green Arrow DC 52, Green Lantern Movie Prequel Sinestro, and Green Lantern New Guardians.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdHnbVf0pMs

Manix Abrera has made Filipino laugh even in the hardest times. His simple but effectively styled Kikomachine comic strip can be found in the Philippine Daily Inquirer from Monday to Saturday. His work has appeared in ten compilations published by Visprint and his webcomic News Hardcore! Appears weekly on GMA News Online. He also has a silent comic/graphic novel series titled 12 and 14.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3FGu56xpBY

Mervin Malonzo is a jack-of-all-trades type of artist. He is a freelance designer and cartoonist who dabbles in illustration, video, animation, print, and comics. His special love is for the art of the comic. He is known for drawing the National Book Award-winning comic Tabi Po, a graphic novel about Filipino folklore. He has collaborated with Adam Davis, who also wrote his piece for Beyond, on Ang Supersibo, a comic collaboration of Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

Beyond the Box will be launching the comic book compilation and artist signings with all three artists at the AsiaPOP Comicon this August 26 to 29 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.