Kwentillion: A Million Stories to be Told

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Last weekend was the Summer Komikon and I don’t really go there except if I’m looking for autographs for some of the local series I follow, or if there’s an interesting launch. This time around, it was the latter, and I am very proud to say that it’s the first launch I attended where I actually went onstage because I was a part of the project! :)

Kwentillion: A Million Stories to be ToldFrom the Summit Media page:

Kwentillion Magazine is the country’s first publication dedicated to young adult literature and media, featuring YA-themed comics and fiction by Filipino creators. The bi-monthly, black and white magazine (with an eight-page colored spread in every issue) features reviews and previews of young adult books, interviews with creators, and articles which tackle a wide variety of topics of interest to the YA community.

I co-wrote an article here with my friend Chachic about YA books in 2012:

Apocalypse Can Wait!

It’s not the first time I saw my name in print (I was in another independent magazine a few years ago :P), and I have been writing for Summit and other places online for a while now, but it’s quite nice to see my name in a project like this, something that I am passionate about. The other comics and articles are all awesome too — it’s always nice to read more local fiction. :)

The first issue is really a test run, and the next issue would depend on how well this first one sells, or how much buzz it generates. So! If you like young adult literature, or you want to read more about Filipino comics and fiction, Kwentillion is the magazine you are looking for! It’s available in National Bookstore and Powerbooks branches (last thing I heard, NBS Bestsellers in Galleria has copies) for Php 150. It has pretty good print quality too — I was surprised at the size of the magazine when I finally got my copy.

I’ll try to post a more comprehensive “review” of this issue later this week (promise to get rid of the personal bias over the project :D). I’m so honored to be a part of this project, and it was so cool to see it come to life. :)

Here’s a post from one of our editors about Kwentillion, and why he thinks this project is important. And then, you can also follow Kwentillion on Twitter or like the page on Facebook for more updates. :D

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Revolve 2010 (New Testament Biblezine)

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Revolve 2010GOD’S WORD ROCKS…IN REVOLVE 2010! Now in its sixth edition, the Revolve series has proven effective in reaching teenage girls by featuring the Bible in a cool, magazine design. Interspersed throughout the scriptures, girls find articles and images that speak to their concerns and interests: how-to articles, lifestyle features, beauty tips, quizzes, and more. Everything about Revolve 2010 relates directly to teen girls, making it the New Testament they can understand in a format to which they can relate.

I was invited to my roommate’s 18th birthday party a couple of years ago and I knew of a perfect present to give her. I remember back in our dorm, she’d always have the newest issues of her favorite magazines which all of us benefit from, of course.

But local magazines aren’t always the best things to read, because they don’t always offer the best advices, or even have the content that would help teens in growing as God’s princesses. I wanted to give my friend an option, so I set out to look for the Bible magazine that another friend used to have that we browse through when we visit her.

I didn’t get to find a copy of that magazine, but when BookSneeze put Revolve 2010 in their free books, I immediately took it up so I can have a copy of it. I’m not so sure if it would count as a book, since it’s actually a magazine, but then again it also contains the New Testament Bible…so it’s still a book, right?

Anyway, Revolve 2010 is a Bible magazine — or a Biblezine — for teen girls. It’s a Bible in a magazine, simply put. It contains only the New Testament, translated in an easier to understand language, and there are little reflections and thoughts and other fun stuff littered around the issue. It’s made to look like an actual magazine, as you can see in the cover above, but inside, there are little ads for products, and instead of full articles, all the books of the New Testament are there. It’s a refreshing take on the New Testament — none of the “thy”, “thou” or any of the heavy and hard to understand Bible language. There was enough information on each of the New Testament books as an intro — in a teen-friendly language, of course — for them  to understand the books better.

Introduction to Matthew

Certain verses were emphasized as well, and that’s good because it’s easy to see, and sometimes when you just want to get some inspiration or some comfort, those are the things that immediately jump out at you. I just kind of wish they put the verse numbers there so we know where it came from.

Highlighted verse

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