From creating Kikomachine Komix to drawing for DC Comics, Manix Abrera has made the leap of a lifetime!
In a proud moment for Filipino artists, cartoonist Manix Abrera was tapped to draw the cover for DC Comics’ Batman The Knight #1 issue, his first ever with one of the oldest and most popular comic book companies in the world.
Local comic book shop Comic Odyssey shared the first look of Abrera’s cover art, which is a collaboration between the local comic book shop and Sanctum Sanctorum Comics & Oddities (SSCO), on Wednesday, December 28. The issue, which will explore Bruce Wayne’s dark past, is written by Chip Zdarsky and illustrated by Carmine Di Giandeomenico.
According to Comic Odyssey, the landmark issue is a “must-have for all Batman and MANIX fans.”
Abrera also shared the art on his Instagram page. “To say we are super proud is an understatement. This is the first DC Comics Cover of Manix Abrera and we are absolutely thrilled!” the caption read.
Giving a glimpse into the artistic process, Sanctum Sanctorum Comics shared that Manix described his cover as “being inspired by alchemy’s Philosopher’s Stone.”
“The transmutation of base metals into gold, wherein enlightenment is reached in distinct processes. Young Bruce undergoes the different stages of grief (written on his path to the temple) to be fully transformed into Batman. The temple symbolizes the bat cave (forming a Batman symbol on the chest of Batman silhouette)’ while Lady Justice and his parents’ graves serve as a reminder for his ultimate purpose in life.”
Popular for his comic strip, Kikomachine Komix on the Philippine Daily Inquirer, as well as for the book series of the same name, Manuel “Manix” Abrera has achieved several acclaims both as a cartoonist and as an artist, clinching the National Book Award in 2015 for the graphic anthology 14, and again in 2016 for News Hardcore: Hukbong Sandatahan ng Kahaggardan!
Speaking to CNN Philippines’ New Day about his latest success, Abrera said that that he was inspired by vintage Batman comic covers, and that he hopes the project would grow in the future, perhaps into a chance for him to write his own Batman story.
“Actually fan ako ng mga lumang style ng mga komiks ng Batman… ginagawa ko rin ito sa sarili kong komiks, hinahaluan ko siya ng elements ng supernatural, ‘yung mga magic, ‘yung mga occult,” he said per CNN Philippines.
Art Daniella Sison
