It was my elementary school days. I was in grade 3.

I used to go to the public market with my mother, to buy groceries and items to sell for our sari sari store.

I remember these occasions as really tiresome and I hate it.

As much as possible, I try to avoid these trips. But no one will go with my mother and she needs help in carrying the heavy items. I wonder what my siblings are doing during those times? (Probably in school idk)

Then one fateful day, we happen to pass by the news stand. There was no internet back then, and reading the papers was a part of life. In these news stands, they sell the long paper newspaper as I call it. Manila Bulletin, Inquirer, Philippine Star... and then there were the tabloids: Pilipino Star ngayon, Bulgar, Abante... Then there was the hardcore erotic tabloids: Toro, Tiktik...

We do not linger around these news stands because my mother thinks I might read some vulgar story or vulgar word on the erotic tabloids.

But then as we were passing by one of the stands, I saw a really eye catching magazine. Comics. What in our country is called "Komiks", "Pinoy Komiks" or "Pilipino Komiks".

As a very young boy my hobbies at that time was playing "Piko", "Moro-moro" and playing in the arcade. I used to play Mortal Kombat, Metal Slug and the airplane games. Of course you cannot go around the arcade without seeing (or playing) the most popular arcade fighting game of that time: Street Fighter.

As we were walking on the market, I saw the komiks displayed on the news stand. It was called "Kick Fighter II". The lettering very much styled like "Street Fighter II". So of course I had to check it out.

And man was I amazed. It was in full color, all the characters from the arcade are here, Ryu, Ken, Blanka, Zangief, Chun-Li, ang Guile... but in a different style, they were very similar but different. Back then I didn't understand what I figured out later on as the years went by, that these changes were made, number 1, to suit the Filipino audience, to take control of the story, and number 2, and most probably, is to avoid copyright violations.

So, I got my mother to buy that issue, and I went home happy and a changed boy.

That is because after reading that issue, I was changed. I was instantly hooked!

I got really interested in komiks, I got interested in drawing, and I got insanely curious on words that I do not know the meaning of. I also learned about tone, about story telling, and it got me researching subject matter that was new to me. (At that time of course everything was new to me being just a kid and all)

Without the internet, I was researching the dictionary, magazines and newspapers about topics that got me curious, all because I read it in the komiks.

I can really say that komiks is fundamental in my development as a kid.

This is the first komiks that I bought:

Kick Fighter Issue 122

I can also say that komiks got me in the habit of saving. As a young boy, I needed to save my baon, so that I can buy the next issue of Kick Fighter.

So this habit, and hobby, became somewhat like a passion. I bought all the komiks that my money can buy whenever I go to the news stands every week. Usually, with my saved money, I can buy 3 komiks.

I buy Kick Fighter, Funny Komiks, and some horror komiks (that contains bold sometimes) I hide the hardcore komiks from my mother. hahaha.

After a couple of years, I had a formidable komiks collection. I remember it was 5 boxes in full, and some stacks laying around in the corner.

I got so many komiks because I also had a classmate that "collects" them. but unlike me, he started way earlier in buying and storing these magazines. His collection is Funny Komiks. What we do is we exchange the boxes, and we read them in our own leisure, then after a few weeks, we will switch boxes again so we can read "fresh" issues (back issues)

Fast forward to high school, I acquired new hobbies, new set of friends, and a new lifestyle.

My school was a little far from our house so I had to commute, and a whole day in school plus commuting is really tiresome. I get home exhausted. I forgot about these things. I forgot about reading. I forgot about drawing and I forgot about my collection.

It was also during that time when my parents, I think are having a misunderstanding.

I was living in a different house with my mother, and we had another house, which was where I grew up, and where my collection is stored.

One day, it was a weekend I remember, I went back to our old house because I need to get my father.

When I came to the house, it was really clean! It looked like there is a general cleaning happening.

And so I inspected the house, looking for what's new. And lo and behold, my komiks collection is nowhere to be found!

My boxes, they are gone!!!

I ran outside, looking for father, I ran at the back of the house, where there is a wide field. And I saw my father, standing on the compost pit/ fireplace/ garbage mound. There is smoke, and he is burning a lot of things. (Actually already burned them). It was already embers.

I asked, "Where are my boxes?". "Where are my komiks?"

To which he replied, "You left them lying around, I burned them. Burned the notebooks, newspapers, everything."

Motherfucking fuck. My heart sank.

I was heartbroken. I think I died a little no kidding.

It was a feeling of sadness and regret that I still remember up to this day. And perhaps for the rest of my life.

I did not ask any other question, because why? what? it is already ashes.

I held back my tears and I swear it was like I was floating.

That became a core memory of mine. It was a sad sad sad memory.

I remember going back to the house, sitting on the stairs, staring at the wall, clenching my fist, holding back my tears (fuck I cannot cry for something that looks worthless to other people's eyes, it would make me look silly!)

I cannot question my father, I cannot talk back to him, that's my father!

And so that became a very sad memory.

Fast forward to 2024.

Internet is king.

Print media is dead.

Nobody reads anymore.

A typical person's attention span is like 10 seconds.

I was browsing and got the idea of slowly buying all the komiks that I lost. But that is a very difficult task, (and also an expensive one)

A komiks that was 5p or 6p before, is now selling for 300p to 500p. Fuckin imagine that.

When I think about that, I remember the smoke and ashes of that very sad day and I get sad once again.

So I thought, alright I'll start with one. I will just buy one.

And by fate or circumstance, I got a copy of the very first komiks that I bought.

What a bittersweet event.

I read it once again, looked at the yellowing pages, the energetic drawings, and I feel a little bit relieved.

I think it's what they say, "Healing your inner child".

Our childhood traumas that we need to confront to move on and be happy, I'm probably doing it now. It's so corny.

And so I scanned all the pages, meticulously resized and retouched it so that it will be presentable to this "digital age".

And I uploaded it here in Newgrounds.

I have this belief that whatever we commit to the digital space and interwebs, will be here forever. Unless the internet vanishes (which is highly unlikely)

I am sharing this not just for me, but for all the people who want to feel nostalgic about a long lost era.

It could also be for the new generation of pinoy kids that did not even know there was such a thing as "komiks".

Here is one of my favorite characters, from the series "Blades and Bullets".

He is called Biotrog:

The entire issue is in my playlist called "Kick Fighter 2 - Issue 122"

Enjoy!

(All the rights for the story, art and publication are not mine.

I am just sharing for reasons stated above.

If any artist, author or representative from the publication house feels any of their rights has been violated, please message me and I will take down the content)