Jam Session

Yesterday I picked up issue 3 of Mango Jam at Comic Quest. As a staff writer of this bi-monthly mag, I actually get a complimentary copy; but what with gasoline prices and the Very Reasonable Cost of Jam (70 bucks), it actually comes out cheaper for me to buy my own copy than to haul over to Makati and get my freebie. So I just pick up the comp copy when I happen to get together with redoubtable Jam project manager Pam Joaquin-Yonzon. (She's Pam of Jam, can you dig it?)

Back when I was editor-in-chief of this title, it was the hardest work I'd ever done in comics: coordinating creatives scattered across the country; chasing personalities down for interview articles; getting advertisers, sponsors, and their agendas to work in synergy with the rest of the content. Since I recovered my sanity and handed the reins over to fellow staff writer Karen Kunawicz, though, it has become my easiest job in comics! All I do is scribble 12 pages of script per issue; then my Amazing Artists Ellaine and Dianne (They take turns) turn it out with pretty pictures; and amazingly, this really quite admirable comics magazine comes out.

Obviously, Karen and her cohorts (particularly Marketing & Advertising Manager Aila Sim) are doing a pretty bang-up job, since we now appear to have some major advertisers (like Oishi and Globe), as well as some really very heartening fan mail. These include a young girl who says she "likes it better than W.I.T.C.H." (High praise in our target demographic) and a letter that boasts 22! laudatory! exclamation! points!

Writing Jam is kind of an interesting exercise for me, since it entails a couple of built-in challenges:
1. making what is, at base, a teen romance dramedy interesting and unusual enough for someone like me to read without gagging; and
2. injecting my trademark irreverence and non-comformity while maintaining an overall tone suitable for young female readers.

Apparently, I'm not doing too badly, as I've received my first fan art! Sadly, I don't have a scanned copy of nine-year-old Erika Pangan's rendition of my lead character, Twilight; instead, I'll just show you Twi as drawn by my artist Ellaine:


If you're a regular reader of this blog, Mango Jam probably isn't for you, but if you're interested in a little grrl power grafiction aimed at pre- to early teens--or, you know, you just love me a lot--check it out at your nearest book, magazine, or comics store. (But especially at Comic Quest, 'cause we love Vin the best!)

By the way, I posted the pic here using Blogger's new photo upload feature. So far, it works well and is so easy to use!

RETRACTION: Now I have to take it back, because the damn picture hasn't been showing up. So much for my kudos for Blogger's new feature! Instead, the above image is courtesy of Photobucket, still--and apparently destined to remain--my image host of choice. Sigh.