COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Gwapoman 2000: Hari ng BasagTrip #1

Continuing after Gwapoman’s return in Gwapoman 2000: Ang Huling Baraha, our titular character is once again nowhere to be found. Without the main character the story will revolve around Rajah Aguila, a celebrity/superhero who is known and loved by almost everyone. Now the problems starts to unravel as Rajah Aguila receives a death threat from a crime organization named Kartada X . Does Gwapoman have any connections to any of this? And more importantly where on earth is he?

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Gwapoman 2000: Hari ng BasagTrip by Aaron Felizmenio introduces Rajah Aguilah who was also teased at the end of Gwapoman 2000: Ang Huling Baraha. Much like Gwapoman, Rajah Aguilah is in the business of being a superhero. Though unlike Gwapoman who likes to keep his work anonymous and his identity a secret, Aguilah basks in the fame of it. He even has brands on his uniform for sponsorship. He enjoys it enough that I think we can agree that his character pretty vain. For me, those two opposing characters could symbolize the type of people who we are now. People who do good then share it in social media for instant gratification or maybe to inspire others. Then there are also those who are just content with helping. Either way, Gwapoman is still able to make itself relevant to the current issues of the society with its hidden meaning.

The story progressed steadily, abandoning the storytelling ways of its predecessor which was way more complicated and hard to follow. Transitions from one scene to another were also smoothly done. The plot has some mysteries in it that would peak the interest of the readers. I like that the story is not entirely laid out and predictable and that it still has the pinoy action movie feel. Though as it said on the back cover, it’s more of a spy-fi than a superhero comic. Just like its past book, Gwapoman still retains monologues that speak of thoughts that could pertain to current issues that the country experiences. It helps balance out the comic with its thought provoking monologues especially since it has some “siga” dialogues and action.

The art now looks better than the before. It looks cleaner which made it easier for the reader to understand what is happening. Before Aaron’s art was mostly dominated by dark hues. The balance between black and white has also improved and it is also brighter now. I liked the character designs, especially how Rajah Aguilla looks. Imagine a superhero costume combined with Filipino elements without being too “jologs”. The current font seems a little thin. They could have used another font for the dialogue for it to be easier to read.

Gwapoman 2000: Hari ng BasagTrip  is a nice jumping point for new readers. It can be read on its own without having to rely on the past book to know what is going on. Gwapoman 2000 continues to show promise that it would still get better. In the end I would say that as much as fun Gwapoman is, it still has a lot more to say by somewhat being a mirror to some of the issues our society faces today.