I feel a bit sorry that the Philippine comic industry isn’t getting more attention, because it clearly deserves more. Like, I only knew about Arnold Arre’s The Mythology Class just recently, three years after the special collected edition was launched (and nine years after the original series!). I feel a bit disheartened that most people that would otherwise support and enjoy this piece of work pass it by, simply because they don’t know it exists.

But then again, I’ve been out of touch with the local scene for so long so it could just be me. This is the first book by Arnold Arre that I’ve read. Before this, the last local comics that I went through were the first two issues of P-Noize and the first (and last) two issues of the original Angel Ace. That was back in 1997 – time really flies.

With all that said, The Mythology Class is a wonderful foray into the medium of the graphic novel. It’s endearing and it’s magical, and it’s mainly due to the subject matter.

The story, set in the (then) modern day Philippines, revolves around a group of students called together by a dream they all experience. Soon it’s revealed to them by Datimbang, Sulayman, Kubin and Aili, several heroes from our own folklore and history, that they were chosen by the gods to find and capture engkantos that have escaped from the spirit world and scattered themselves throughout time.

The premise is all at once great: it provides itself with a rich source of material, gives quite a bit of creative freedom to the writer, and it’s already somewhat familiar to its target audience. After all, for those living in the country, who hasn’t heard of (if not encountered) spirits, kapres, tikbalangs and aswangs? The setting also aids in this familiarity, with events taking place in the University of the Philippines, Bulacan, Tondo, Binondo and an eerily-early version of the SM Mall of Asia.

Casual readers may be put off by the black and white presentation, because it may make the work look sketchy, amateurish and newspaper-y. I thought this too when I first bought the book, but then I realized that unlike Western comic productions, where there’s often big studios and big budgets involved, Philippine comics are often self-made endeavors: for this one, Arnold Arre did all the writing, the pencils and the inking by himself. Plus, this was originally done way back in 1999, just a few years after the explosion of the local scene at around 1992. Colored print would have been too expensive then.

Altogether it’s great what he accomplished, given those limiting factors. I’m imagining it would be even better though if he’s given the chance to explore this in full color.

I don’t usually post about just anything, so when I do, I usually recommend it. This one is no different – it’s a revival of Philippine tales of old, paced well, and brought to you in a manner that is highly enjoyable. It’s certainly worth your time to check out.