Neil Gaiman Philippines

Hello! echo!

2007-02-13T18:00:00.000+08:00

If anyone is still reading this blog, I've moved all the Neil madness to Wordpress. :D Click here.

Keep dreaming, everyone! :)

Happy Birthday, Neil!

2006-11-11T09:19:00.000+08:00

Neil turned 46 on November 9. Happy Birthday!

"Fragile Things" Audio Excerpt Download

2006-11-02T11:32:00.000+08:00

I hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Here's a link to download an audio excerpt of "Fragile Things"
Click click

And a link to Neil's Halloween article in the NY Times
click click clickety click

Absolute Sandman is shipping sooner than expected

2006-10-08T05:32:00.000+08:00

Absolute Sandman Sooner Than Expected
It's like a delay, only the book ships earlier.
by Hilary Goldstein

October 3, 2006 - Today, DC Comics made a surprise announcement. The highly-anticipated Absolute Sandman Vol. 1, which was originally expected to ship on November 1, is instead shipping next week. The oversized hardcover collects the first 20 issues of Neil Gaiman's classic Vertigo series.

The cover price for the book is $99. However, you can find it at most online retailers for less. Unfortunately, it may not be immediately available at such places as Amazon.com. The changed shipping date affects all direct market retailers (your local comics shop), but it is possible that major bookstores will not have Absolute Sandman by next week.

Currently, the date has not been altered on Amazon.com. In other words, get your ass to your LCS next week to ensure you get a copy as soon as it's available.

Neil is a "one-man story engine"

2006-10-02T23:47:00.000+08:00

Beyond Imagination
Dazzling tales from a master of the fantastic.

Reviewed by Graham Joyce
Sunday, October 1, 2006

FRAGILE THINGS
Short Fictions and Wonders
By Neil Gaiman
Morrow. 360 pp. $26.95

You've maybe heard some academic theory about how fairy tales weren't composed by any single author, that they somehow knitted themselves out of folk-consciousness. Baloney. To be sure, the tales might have been improved here and there over the years. But if you want to know the kind of person who would have made up the prototype classic fairy tale or even those urban folk tales doing the rounds, it would be someone like Neil Gaiman. He's a one-man story engine. He could fall out of a tree, reach for a passing branch and land with a fable in his hand. If you dusted him down and turned out his pockets, you'd find three fresh yarns and a horse chestnut.

Puckish, restless, Gaiman moves across all available media. After making a name for himself with the miraculous "Sandman" series in the world of the graphic novel (Norman Mailer referred to his work as "a comic strip for intellectuals"), he has turned his hand to novels, short stories, film scripts, children's stories, poetry and numerous collaborations.

His new collection, Fragile Things, is a delightful compendium rather than a straightforward story collection, but it's a fine sample of the author's versatility. Gaiman writes in different registers: comedy, satire, pastiche, deadpan, lyrical or whimsical, but almost invariably dark. It all depends on whichever sooty, fantastic spirit drops down the chimney of his Minneapolis writing room on any given day.

In fact, part of the fun of Gaiman's writing is in recognizing the nods and winks to the antecedents in the fantasy tradition, and a lengthy introduction is given over to notes on the background to each of the stories. Most were commissioned over the past 10 years for various anthologies. While some of the references might be elusive to readers unfamiliar with the dark genres, for those who tread that ground, the introduction is a bonus tour of the fertile orchard of this unique author's mind: a hybrid Sherlock Holmes/H.P. Lovecraft story; an M.R. James/Robert Aickman-inspired tale; a story triggered by the artwork of Frank Frazetta; an argument with C.S. Lewis. All the influences and precursors are laid bare, and the introduction reveals both the original plan for the story and the (usually inevitable) departure from that plan.

Gaiman's talents and interests lend themselves -- perfectly, in fact -- to the short form, and there are gems in this collection. Ever felt a shot of sympathy for poor Susan, banished from heaven in the Narnia Chronicles for being "too fond of lipsticks and nylons and invitations to parties"? Here is an exploration of the elderly Susan's last moments, created out of dissatisfaction with Lewis's priggish treatment of his female characters. Or if you're partial to the club story, then "Closing Time" is a lovely addition to the species: The frame of the drinking-club cronies drops back into a nostalgic piece of Gothic gloaming as a lonely boy is drawn by three older lads into a mysterious garden. But what seduces you is Gaiman's conversational style, rippling with acute lines, such as, "Being a boy, I was also a burglar of sorts."

These stories run from light-as-a-feather whimsy to the very dark and the deeply disturbing. "How Do You Think It Feels" is a brilliantly unsettling piece about the act of choking back a broken heart, a fine study of emotional repression through recourse to the Fantastic. "Feeders and Eaters," with its clever set-up and freak-out payoff, is not for the faint-hearted either.

You just don't know what you are in for from one story to the next. One of the pleasures of Gaiman's stories is how often they announce that "this is a true story" or that "this happened to a friend," though the book's introduction never confirms that any of these things actually happened. But you don't care because the story has already entered the chain of fairy/folk/urban tales, and the vulgar truth is merely academic.

Ah, that Neil Gaiman. Oddly enough, the novelist William Gibson described him as "an American treasure." He's not. Though he is indeed a national treasure, he's a British one. The Brits would quite like him back, please. ·

Charles reports that the US Hardcover of "Fragile Things" is now available at Fully Booked stores. :)

New "Stardust" Cover Art

2006-09-17T04:48:00.000+08:00

Charles Vess has unveiled the cover art for the 2006 edition of Stardust.

Click here!

The 1st Phil. Graphic/Fiction Awards on the Hero Channel

2006-09-10T05:49:00.000+08:00

Charles reports that Hero Channel's G3 program is airing a feature about the 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards on 9th September and 10th September, 8pm. :)

Manila International Book Fair Finds

2006-08-31T08:01:00.000+08:00

Charles has been to the 27th Manila International Book Fair and he spotted the "Sandman: King of Dreams" coffee table book by Alisa Kwitney at the National Bookstore booth on sale for just PhP485 from its original PhP1500+ price.

If you guys have any other good finds at the Book Fair, do comment! :)

The 27th Manila International Book Fair runs from August 30 to September 3 at the World Trade Center, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue corner D. Macapagal Blvd in Pasay City. The venue opens at 10AM and closes at 8PM. Happy book hunting!

Sandman #1 For Download

2006-08-29T09:05:00.000+08:00

DC-Vertigo has Sandman #1 available for download.

Click here!

"Anansi Boys" Wins Mythopoeic Award

2006-08-08T23:46:00.000+08:00

"Anansi Boys" was awarded the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature in ceremonies held during the 37th Annual Mythopoeic Conference organized by the Mythopoeic Society at the University of Oklahoma. Neil beat the following other finalists for the honor:
* The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
* The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold
* Metallic Love by Tanith Lee
* The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl by Tim Pratt

Congratulations, Neil!

"Anansi Boys" available in paperback

2006-08-08T03:19:00.000+08:00

"Anansi Boys" is now available locally in mass-market paperback. I've seen copies in A Different Bookstore and Fully Booked. Sources from Powerbooks say they should also be available in their stores pretty soon. :)

The Powerbooks August Sale is also well under way. Most Gaiman titles are available at 20% off.

Free Gaiman Interview Downloads

2006-08-05T01:05:00.000+08:00

Harper Collins iAmplify has 2 interviews with Neil up for free download at their website. There are lots of other cool interviews, one of which, I downloaded and especially liked -- "Legends and Green Skin" with "Wicked" author, Gregory Maguire. :)

Stardust: Falling to earth, March 2007

2006-08-03T00:58:00.000+08:00

Neil posted some answers to a fan's questions regarding Stardust and also mentioned that the film will be released March 2007. Can't wait! :)

More "Stardust" images

2006-07-29T23:44:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Eula from the Nocturne group for the link to this album showing, if I'm not mistaken, Sienna Miller as Victoria Forrester. There are also a few more pictures of Michelle Pfeiffer. :)

Accio, pictures!

Eternals #2 out now!

2006-07-26T16:31:00.000+08:00

A friend from Filbar's informed me that "Eternals #2" is out now! *runs off to the store*

Comic-Con 2006 Photos

2006-07-26T16:29:00.000+08:00

Photos from the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con's "Stardust" panel with Neil, Charles Vess, and other members of the crew:
Click click.

Register for updates at the official "Stardust" site

2006-07-25T08:35:00.000+08:00

Early fan reaction based on the "Stardust" preview panel at the San Diego Comic-Con are favorable. The folks from The Fabulist are positively gushing. :)

Meanwhile, you can register for updates at the Official Stardust Movie Site:
Click click!
Why does the Stardust site look a lot like one of those movies with comets that will come crashing to the Earth and start the End of the World? :s

For those who missed it, some location shots are here:
Do you love Michelle Pfeiffer?

And more spoilers from Ain't It Cool News here:
I don't want to get spoiled, but you might. :p

1stPGFA Winners and Photo Album Links

2006-07-20T15:29:00.000+08:00

WINNERS OF THE 1ST PHILIPPINE GRAPHIC/FICTION AWARDS
Prose Category
1st Place - "The God Equation" by Michael Co and "A Strange Map of Time by" Ian Casocot
2nd Place- "The Great Philippine Space Mission" by Philbert Dy
3rd Place - "Atha" by Michaela Atienza
1st Honorable Mention - "The Omega Project" by Kim Marquez
3rd Honorable Mention - "Monstrous Cycle" by Cecilia Estrada
4th Honorable Mention - "Stella for Star" by Yvette
People's Choice - "The God Equation"
Comics Category
1st Place - "The Sad, Mad, Incredible But True Adventures of Hika Girl" by Clara Lala Gallardo and Maria Gallardo
2nd Place - "Splat" by Manuel Abrera
3rd Place - "Dusk" by Rommel Joson and "Defiant: The Battle of Mactan" by Juan Paolo Ferrer and Chester Ocampo
People's Choice - "Splat"

Congratulations to the winners!

For those who were wondering if Mr. Gaiman was there... I think he was, in spirit. :D They had a recording of him on the set of "Stardust". He announced the winning entries, and commented on each of them.

Anyhoo, here are some pics from the event courtesy of Azrael: Click click!

Some video clips also courtesy of Az: Click some more!

Palanca winner, Dean Alfar, has an account of the event and some photos on his blog: Put that mouse to work!

Fellow volunteer, Karen Kristie, also had some snapshots from that night: More pics here!

From another volunteer, Mark Cerbo: Click!

Finally, a link to the great Gerry Alanguilan's video about Pinoy comics creators: "Komiks: 1886-2006" on YouTube

If you have a photo album with pics from the event that you would like to share, please do send me the link, or leave a comment. :)

1stPGFA: More Entries Added to Comics Shortlist

2006-07-13T11:06:00.000+08:00

Good news!

After further deliberation, it was decided upon by the powers that be that 6 more comics
entries should be added to the People's Choice Awards. These include:

1. "In Likeness Of"

2. "The Guilty"

3. "Why I Wake Up Late"

4. "Blind Beauty"

5. "The Moondancer"

6. "The Prophet"

To make your lives easier, visit this link:

1st Phil. Graphic Fiction/Awards Shortlist

Happy reading everyone =)

See you on Saturday!

Cheers,
Fully Booked Management

First "Stardust" movie still up at AICN

2006-07-11T08:38:00.000+08:00

Ain't It Cool News posted a still from "Stardust" showing Michelle Pfeiffer as Lamia. And boy, it looks fabulous! If this is the look and feel of the movie, then I think Matthew Vaughn absolutely nailed it!

Michelle Pfeiffer as Lamia

Account of AICN's Stardust set visit. (spoiler alert!)

1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards Update

2006-07-10T09:42:00.000+08:00

The complete list of finalists for both the prose and comics category have now been uploaded to Fully Booked's website. Click here to access the entries.

Hello everyone! We've been getting a lot of inquiries and questions about the 1st
Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards so just to go through the FAQ's:

1. About the posted short listed entries, we sincerely apologize for some delays in the
postings at our website. But we've fixed up the kinks, and now you can access the prose
and comics entries at this link:

http://www.fullybookedonline.com/eventdtl.php?id=10

2. These short listed entries will be exhibited at the event on July 15. All these entries are
in the running for the grand prizes. Meaning, they are not just for the People's Choice
Awards.

3. The voting will be by ballot system which will be open on the whole day of July 15. We
cannot have an online voting system just to be fair (because we are wary of people who
will be clicking on their favorite entries hundreds of times like most of the online/ text
voting systems).

4. Your ballots will be given to you upon registration. As an incentive, we will be raffling
off prizes to the ballots cast.

5. The doors to the Rockwell Tent will open at 10AM. There will be a schedule of activities
the whole day leading up to the 7PM awards proper. These include an artist's corner
where renowned Filipino comics artists will be conducting workshops, autograph signings,
etc. Of course, we'll be having booths wherein you can buy related books, graphic novels
and related merchandise.

Will also have movie showings, readings of excerpts from the short listed finalists, and live
performances by OUTER HOPE and PINIKPIKAN, including fire dancing by PLANET ZIPS.
Food booths outside the tent will be available as well.

6.. Lastly, this event is FREE OF CHARGE. So everyone's invited =)

7. AND YES, Neil Gaiman has been collaborating with us with this every step of the way.
Can't divulge too much, but be prepared for some surprises =)

Again, we encourage you guys to come with your own funky original mask creations.

Seven more days fellow dreamers =) See you at the Rockwell Tent!

Cheers,
Fully Booked Management.

1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards Fiction Category Shortlist

2006-07-05T10:04:00.000+08:00

Fully Booked just released the short-list for the Fiction category of the 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards. They are:

A Song for Vargas

Stella for Star

The Great Philippine Space Mission

Monstrous Cycle

A Strange Map of Time

The God Equation

The Omega Project

Atha

Readers may cast their votes for the People's Choice Award during the event on July 15th. They'll be posting the short-list for the Comics category soon. :)

Congratulations and good luck to the finalists!

"Unmasked" Updates

2006-06-28T17:08:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone, here's the latest on the First
Philippine Graphic Fiction awards night:

+We have the winners! Wait for a special surprise
when we announce it on the night of July 15.

+We have also decided to come up with a "People's
Choice" award, wherein you will all get to vote for
your favorite entries for the comics and the fiction
categories. Thus, we will be posting the short listed
finalists of both categories starting July 1, so you
may all get a chance to read the exceptional work
we've discovered this year. On July 15, we shall be
exhibiting these works as well, and you may cast your
vote. We will also be rewarding your efforts through
a special raffle of the ballots cast.

+We will also be giving a special prize to the most
creative, original mask worn that day.

More updates to follow. More details will be released
as they are finalized.

18 more days =)

Cheers,
Fully Booked Management.

"Eternals #1" on local shelves now!

2006-06-26T16:05:00.000+08:00

"Eternals" #1 hit local comicbook store shelves last Friday! It retails at PhP240. The "Eternals" sketchbook has been available for a while now. It retails at PhP120.

I've read #1 and... wow.

"Eternals #1" Hits the Stores

2006-06-22T12:13:00.000+08:00

"Eternals #1" is now available in the US!

Comic Book Resources posted Rick Berry's "Eternals" #2 and #3 covers here:
Click click.

And an interview with "Eternals" artist, John Romita Jr. is here:
Click click click.

Neil's Stuff on Marvel Digital Comics

2006-06-20T09:50:00.000+08:00

Marvel has digital copies available of excerpts of Neil's works online! Here's the full list:

"Neil Gaiman Talks Eternals, Part 2"

2006-06-20T09:20:00.000+08:00

Part 2 of the Marvel Podcast where Neil talks about "Eternals" is up and may be downloaded here:

Download Marvel Podcast: "Neil Gaiman Talks Eternals (Part 2)"
(Filesize: 16.9MB; Format: mp3)

Joe Quesada: "If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you ride towards the Pearly Gates?"

Neil: "Well, I know what I don't want Him to say. You're gonna get up to the Pearly Gates, and there's God.... and He'll say 'Listen, I've got a question... Sandman 5... Page 15, Panel 3... What was that thing in the background?' And you think 'Oh no! I was hoping that's not what he's gonna ask.'"

The New Worlds Website is up!

2006-06-14T13:40:00.000+08:00

The New Worlds Website is back up, with information about the upcoming "New Worlds 4: A Broken Time Machine - The 4th Philippine Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention" on 16th July. Some info about the First Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards will also be posted there soon. :)

www.newworlds.ph

"Mr. Punch" and more "Coraline" Casting News

2006-06-14T13:35:00.000+08:00

The Fabulist posted another track from the "Where's Neil When You Need Him" CD. :) You can download it here:

Future Bible Heroes - "Mr. Punch"

It's creepy!

~*~*~*~

http://www.timeout.com/film/news/1204.html

French and Saunders get animated
The comic duo will lend their vocal talents to Henry Selick's stop-motion feature 'Coraline'.
Chris Tilly | Jun 12 2006

Last summer we brought you news of 'Coraline', the first feature from Nike founder Phil Knight's film company Laika Entertainment, and we promised more information as and when it broke.

Nearly a year on we can make good on that promise, with the announcement that Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders will voice eccentric neighbours Miss Forcible and Miss Spink in the stop-motion feature.

Dakota Fanning has already been cast as the voice of the title character, a young girl who is transported to a parallel universe when she steps through a door in her new house.

Based on the Neil Gaiman book, Henry Selick ('The Nightmare Before Christmas') is directing, and he told Screen Daily this about the announcement: 'I'd like to say that casting [French and Saunders] was my idea, but the credit goes to Coraline's creative father, Neil Gaiman.

'Spink and Forcible are not the usual comic relief characters of animated films, but as performed by French and Saunders, they will be morbidly funny.'

'Coraline' is currently in production and should arrive in cinemas sometime in 2007.

4th Scifi & Fantasy Convention and the First Phil. Graphic/Fiction Awards

2006-06-02T14:10:00.000+08:00

The New Worlds Alliance and Fully Booked present:

"New Worlds 4: A Broken Time Machine"
The 4th Philippine Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention

~ and ~

The First Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards

July 15 and 16, 2006
The Rockwell Tent, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City

For more details, keep watching this blog. :)

More "Eternals" stuff

2006-06-02T12:13:00.000+08:00

Neil talks about "Eternals"

A lettered preview of Issue #1

Marvel Podcast: Neil and Marvel Editor Joe Quesada talk about "Eternals". (Filesize: 18 MB, Format: mp3)

"Eternals" Preview

2006-06-01T09:43:00.000+08:00

The cover for "Eternals" #1:

ETERNALS # 1
COVER BY: RICK BERRY
WRITER: NEIL GAIMAN
PENCILS: JOHN ROMITA JR.
COLORED BY: MATT HOLLINGSWORTH

You are thousands of years old. You have amazing powers. You have watched civilizations rise and fall-- so why does no one remember any of this? Bestselling Author Neil Gaiman (Marvel: 1602, Anansi Boys, Sandman) is joined by superstar artist John Romita Jr. (Amazing Spider-Man, Wolverine) to bring you the eagerly-awaited event of 2006—ETERNALS!! Ike Harris has dreams of adventures, love affairs and betrayals, but no one involved remembers or believes him. And who is trying to kill him to keep him from talking about it?

More unlettered pages may be viewed by clicking here.

"Eternals" may be pre-ordered at Neil's Online Store.

~*~*~*~

In off-topic news, Warner Bros. announced that they're moving the release of "Superman Returns" from June 30th to June 28th! The only thing that remains is to confirm if IMAX will do the same. *squee!*

Miscellaneous Stuff

2006-05-25T09:43:00.000+08:00

Hatcher to Do Voices for Animation Studio
The Associated Press
Tuesday, May 23, 2006; 4:45 PM

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Clumsy but lovable as a single mom on the TV hit "Desperate Housewives," Teri Hatcher has signed on to play quite a different kind of mother in the first feature film from Nike chairman Phil Knight's Portland animation studio.

The Oregonian reported in its Tuesday edition that in "Coraline," adapted from a children's novel by Neil Gaiman, Hatcher will provide the voice of both the mother and the "other mother" of the young girl for whom the book is named.

The other mother, a sinister reflection of Coraline's real mom, seeks to trap Coraline for nefarious purposes.

Child star Dakota Fanning has already agreed to play Coraline in the film, due out sometime in 2008. Last week, Knight's studio, Laika Entertainment, announced that it will partner with Focus Features to distribute the movie.

"Coraline," to be directed by Laika supervising director Henry Selick, is the first of two films in the early stages of production at the Portland studio.

~*~*~*~

The Myth of Superman
by Neil Gaiman and Adam Rogers
Click here to read

~*~*~*~

"The Sandman Papers" edited by Joe Sanders
Read the review here

Wanted: Neil Gaiman in Manila Videos

2006-05-11T10:17:00.000+08:00

Fully Booked will be making an AVP for the 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards to be held on July 15th. They're asking if anyone has video coverage of last year's Neil Gaiman in Manila event, and also video from the book signings and Neil's other appearances. If you do have video and are willing to have it used for the AVP, please contact our fellow Nocturne member, Azrael Coladilla (e-mail: azrael @ gmail.com). He's going to be assisting Fully Booked in making the AVP. Thanks!

"Where's Neil When You Need Him?"

2006-04-27T09:55:00.000+08:00

Album Cover art by Dave McKean

The Fabulist, a cool website to find really rockin' stuff you never thought you needed but you will eventually want to buy anyways (hehe), has an mp3 of one of the tracks in the "Where's Neil When You Need Him" tribute CD.

"Raven Star" by Lunascape (inspired by "Stardust")
Click here to download.

"Where's Neil When You Need Him" is being released by Dancing Ferret, and will be available July 18th. You may pre-order it here.

Album Details:

Overview:
New York Times #1 Best-seller, top comic book writer, award-winning screenplay author - there's more to say about Neil Gaiman than we have space here.

Format:
CD

Details:
A very special and unique project. Bands who are fans of Neil's work were asked to write songs about their favorite Gaiman story, character, or setting. The contributions of seventeen top international artists are exclusively collected on this CD. Neil Gaiman was involved in the project from the start and wrote the liner notes for the CD. Dave McKean handled all of the artwork. (Since we've been asked already, we should point out that Neil doesn't actually sing on the CD).

Like Neil's writing, the material on this disc is very diverse in both source material and musical styles. Naturally The Sandman series is well represented, but there are also songs about Stardust, Neverwhere, American Gods, Coraline, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, Mr. Punch, Wolves in the Walls, The Goldfish Pool, and Mirror Mask.

We will begin shipping this album on July 5, 2006, approximately two weeks prior to its official release date.

Released July 18, 2006 on Dancing Ferret Discs. All tracks are exclusive and not available anywhere else.

Track Listing:
1 Rasputina - Coraline
2 ThouShaltNot - When Everyone Forgets
3 Tapping The Vein - Trader Boy
4 Lunascape - Raven Star
5 Deine Lakaien - A Fish Called Prince
6 Thea Gilmore - Even Gods Do
7 Rose Berlin (feat. Curve) - Coraline
8 Schandmaul - Magda Treadgolds Märchen
9 Hungry Lucy - We Won't Go
10 Voltaire w/The Oddz - Come Sweet Death
11 Future Bible Heroes - Mr. Punch
12 Razed in Black - The Endless
13 The Cruxshadows - Wake the White Queen
14 Ego Likeness - You Better Leave the Stars Alone
15 Azam Ali - The Cold Black Key
16 Joachim Witt - Vandemar
17 Tori Amos - Sister Named Desire (New Master)

"The Gamines Love Gaiman"

2006-04-12T08:35:00.000+08:00

The Philippines was mentioned, so I just had to post this. :D

The Gamines Love Gaiman
Wired: Issue 14.04 - April 2006

Around midnight, in a Japanese bar in New York's East Village, the science fiction writer Neil Gaiman is pouring himself a shot of sake. It's the table's second bottle, part of a dinner that got started late because nearly every one of the 400 or so audience members at a talk Gaiman gave earlier tonight brought something for him to autograph - his novel Anansi Boys, DVDs of his BBC series Neverwhere, copies of his graphic novel Sandman. Wherever Gaiman appears, geeks of every stripe turn out in droves: beautiful goth girls with oil-black hair and cherry-red lips, overweight comics nerds (with dates), underweight comics nerds (with dates), science fiction obsessives, manga fanatics.

It's a fiercely dedicated fan base. "Do you know that paperback editions of Sandman actually sell better each year than the previous year?" Gaiman says. It's a shock. The book is 15 years old.

"Then I have a question for you," says another member of the party, Mitch Cutler, owner of St. Marks Comics. Located just around the corner, it's one of the country's best independent comic book retail shops. "Who do you think the next generation of readers will be?"

This is what comics guys talk about over dinner: What happens when 14-year-old boys put down their tales of garishly clad, overmuscled men who like to bash robots? "I'm not sure," Gaiman says. "But I do know that when I got to Singapore to do a reading, there were 600 teenage girls waiting. And when I got to the Philippines, there were 2,000 teenage girls waiting, screaming my name."

Cutler nods. "That's it," he says. "It's girls between 13 and 25."

Here's the theory: Unlike the typical superhero comic book, manga comes in as many flavors as there are geeks. Everyone at the table knows that, and they know that girls are more likely to read manga, even in the US. What they fervently hope is that when those girls no longer get the same buzz from their Japanese comics, they'll want something else. It already happens to some - they fall in love with Sandman. And then Cutler gives them something else. Y: The Last Man. Fables. Ex Machina. These books have little to do with spandex tights.

The trick is to make sure that walking into a comic book store doesn't feel like stumbling into an intense game of Dungeons & Dragons. Cutler's establishment, a narrow space amid the grunge of St. Marks Place, is well-lit, clean, and always has women on staff. Girl-friendly, in other words. Of course, that strategy also happens to appeal directly to the core constituency. "There's probably a beautiful girl with tattoos and piercings working at the cash register right now," Gaiman says.

"That's not true," Cutler says, flashing a smile and looking at his watch. "She left at 11:30."

- Adam Rogers

1st Phil. Graphic/Fiction Awards Night Moved

2006-04-04T21:01:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone,

We'd like to announce that due to the overwhelming amount of entries we have received for
the competition, we moved the awards night to July 15, 2006. This will coincide with the sci-
fi convention together with the New Worlds Alliance, as well as the first year anniversary of
Neil Gaiman's visit here in Manila. It will be held at the Rockwell Tent. Will keep you posted
on developments.

Thank you very much for your patience, and once again, congratulations to all who have
submitted. We were very impressed with many of the entries, and we are very excited to
publish these in our special compilation.

Cheers,
Fully Booked Management.

Absolute Sandman Request

2006-02-16T10:46:00.000+08:00

Reposting this here from Neil's original blog entry:

Absolute Sandman Request

I just got an email from Scott Nybakken at DC Comics. Scott is editing the ABSOLUTE SANDMAN series, and there are a few pages where the black plate on the film is damaged or not easily usable.

I mentioned to him that there are people out there with original Sandman art pages, and that some of you reading this might have the pages he needs... So he sent me a list.

Neil -- Here are the pages we'd like to get good copies of the artwork on for PRELUDES & NOCTURNES:
SANDMAN #3 -- pg. 3
SANDMAN #4 -- pgs, 1, 3-8, 11-17, 19-23
SANDMAN #7 -- pgs. 1-2, 8, 13-14, 19-21, 24
SANDMAN #8 -- pgs. 1-10, 13-15, 17-18, 21, 23-24
Thanks, Scott

If any of you have any of these original pages, can you get in touch with Scott Nybakken, Scott.Nybakken@dccomics.com? (Also feel free to repost this in the places that comics original art collectors might be likely to see it.)

I'm sure that as he works his way through the book, he'll need more pages from later (especially Sandmans 15 and 16).

~*~*~*~

11 days to the deadline for The 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards sponsored by Neil Gaiman and Fully Booked. :)

"Stardust" to start shooting in April

2006-02-02T16:48:00.000+08:00

Neil announced through his freshly-reformatted journal that Stardust will start shooting in April. Director Matthew Vaugh plans to cast unknowns for the roles of Tristran and Yvaine.

Contest Deadline Extended

2006-01-04T18:59:00.000+08:00

Fully Booked announced that the deadline for submission of entries to the First Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards is extended to February 28, 2005.

Good luck to the participants! :)

A New Year for Magic and Dreaming

2006-01-02T09:25:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year to all! Here's hoping the year 2006 will be a magical one and that Neil will write more wonderful stories for us to enjoy. :)

To those who will be joining the Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards, don't forget to download the official application form by clicking this link. You can also join Fully Booked's mailing list for the Awards by sending an email to: gaiman_writingcontest-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Charles also managed to transcribe last year's NU107 Gaiman interview. The transcript is here.

Thanks, Charles!

~*~*~*~

To celebrate the release of a new edition of "Good Omens", Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett present Crowley and Aziraphale's New Year Resolutions.

Now maybe I should try Googling myself....

First Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards

2005-12-05T09:09:00.000+08:00

Ah, at last! The surprise!

The First Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards

Award-winning author Neil Gaiman & Fully Booked presents:

The 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards

New York Times Bestselling author Neil Gaiman and Fully Booked are proud to announce the first PHILIPPINE GRAPHIC/FICTION AWARDS. Seeking to recognize Filipino talent in emerging literature, the contest will award prizes for comics (the Alex Niño award) and genre fiction (the Gregorio C. Brillantes award). Mr. Gaiman has said "There's a strong tradition of Filipino realism in literature; I want to encourage Filipino unrealism."

Over Php300,000 worth of prizes, including the Php100,000 grand prize for the 1st place winners!

Comic book writing contest:
1st prize = Php100,000
2nd prize = Php30,000
3rd prize = Php15,000
Youth Award (16 yrs. old and under) = complete set of Sandman comic books nos. 1-75

SciFi/Fantasy/Horror writing contest:
1st prize = Php100,000
2nd prize = Php30,000
3rd prize = Php15,000
Youth Award (16 yrs. old and under) = a set of Neil Gaiman novels: Anansi Boys, Making of Mirrormask, Stardust, Neverwhere, American Gods, Smoke and Mirrors.

Contest Guidelines:

1. Entries must be submitted between November 30, 2005 to January 30, 2006, with complete details of the author/s on a separate sheet, to be sealed on a legal size letter envelope.

2. The contest is open to all Filipino citizens (even those who may be in a foreign country at the time, so long as they are still legal citizens), ecept current officers and employees of Fully Booked and the contest sponsors.

3. All entries must be in English.

4. There are two categories: comics and prose fiction. Each person may submit/be involved with only one entry per category. For the comics division, artists are not allowed to submit multiple entries with different writers.

5. Works must not have been awarded by another body or published in a national publication.

6. All entries must be original. No adaptions of produced/published/copyrighted material are allowed. All intellectual propoerty rights of entries must belong to the author/s. Fully Booked and its sponsors shall be excempt from any or all liability in the event that the work is said to infringe upon the intellectual property
rights of other existing work. All rights revert to respective authors, but FULLY BOOOKED maintains/reserves the right to publish submitted works without permission/approval.

7. All entris must include four (4) hard copies, typewritten or computerized (preferrably computerized). Every page must contain the title of the work and all pages numbered consecutively. For prose, the entry must include one (1) soft copy on a CD-ROM. EACH ENTRY MUST BE TYPEWRITTEN OR COMPUTERIZED, DOUBLE-SPACED ON 8.5 X 11 INCHES BOND PAPER WITH APPROXIMATELY ONE-INCH MARGIN ON ALL SIDES. IF COMPUTERIZED, THE FONT SHOULD BE ARIAL, TIMES NEW ROMAN OR BOOK ANTIQUA AND THE FONT SIZE SHOULD BE 12 PTS. Files should be in .rtf or Rich Text Format. The authors name and address must not appear on the entry. For comics, entries must consist of four (4) hard copies (bond paper size) and one (1) soft copy on CD-ROM; no original art must be
submitted. In case entries from abroad win, an authenticated copy of the Authorization Form by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate will be required.

8. Fully Booked has no obligation to return submitted material.

9. For prose, all entries must fall under the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror. For comics, the theme is open.

10. A special award may be given to the best entry submitted by authors aged sixteen (16) and below. This award will only be given to an entry that has not won a major award in its category.

11. Attached to the notarized Application shall be signed consent and understanding of the above rules. For minors, this should be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian's signature.

12. For comics, twelve (12) pages is the maximum length. For prose, entries may not exceed seven thousand (7,000) words.

13. For comics, all artwork should be in black and white. No signatures must appear on any of the pages of the entries.

14. The Board of Judges shall have the discretion not to award any prize if, in its judgement, no worthy entry has been submitted.

15. Fully Booked has the sole right to designate the persons who shall constitute the Board of Judges in each of the contest categories. The decision of the majority of the Board of Judges in all categories shall be final.

16. All rules and guidelines of the contest must be followed STRICTLY. Non-compliance will subject the entry to immediate disqualification.

For more details on the event, pls. visit Full Booked Online at
http://www.fullybookedonline.com

Calling the Gaiman Art Contest entrants last July!

2005-11-30T15:06:00.000+08:00

Just got word that you only have until today to get your artworks from Fully Booked Rockwell, or else the store will dispose of them. If you want to claim your artwork beyond the deadline, please give them a call to make arrangements.

Fully Booked Rockwell Customer Service: (02)7565001

Viriconium

2005-11-14T08:38:00.000+08:00

In the Nocturne mailing list, Andrew wrote that Neil mentioned Manila in his introduction to "Viriconium":

Hi, everyone.

In his introduction to the new Bantam-Spectra TPB of
M. John Harrison's Viriconium, Gaiman has this to say
in the penultimate paragraph:

"And it seems to me that each city I visit now is an
aspect of Viriconium, that there is an upper and a
lower city in Tokyo and in Melbourne, in Manila and in
Singapore, in Glasgow and in London, and that the
Bistro Californium is where you find it, or where you
need it, or simply what you need."

Thanks for the heads up, Andrew! Viriconium is available in trade paperback at Fully Booked for Php768.

A Writing Contest?

2005-10-19T09:15:00.000+08:00

Is this Neil's surprise part 2?

Dean Alfar writes about an upcoming writing contest sponsored by Fully Booked. Click here and see what it's about. $15,000?!?!? :o

Call for "Anansi" reviews

2005-10-11T09:26:00.000+08:00

Hey, folks! If anyone is writing a review of "Anansi Boys", you're welcome to send them in for posting here! :) Just email them to:
acrossthestars@gmail.com

Also, if anyone finds links to local reviews of "Anansi" online or in newspapers and magazines, please do drop me a line or send me a link. Thanks. :)

The Note

2005-09-28T17:52:00.000+08:00

The Other Hector kindly sent this scan of the special note which comes with a limited number of copies of "Anansi Boys" available at Fully Booked and Bibliarch branches. There are only 1000 prints, so it's best to buy now! :)

"Grimble" and Anansi Wednesday

2005-09-28T09:55:00.000+08:00

In Neil's recent blog post, he talked about a funny book called "Grimble" by Clement Freud. I looked it up in Google, and you can read "Grimble" and "Grimble at Christmas" at this website. Enjoy! :)

Also, don't forget to run to Fully Booked or Bibliarch today to get your copies of "Anansi Boys" which come with a special note from Neil himself.

Some people from Nocturne are planning to meet up at FB Rockwell tonight. If you're in the area and would like to talk to fellow Gaiman fans, drop by FB Rockwell around 7pm. :)

"Anansi Boys" now available in Fully Booked

2005-09-26T07:44:00.000+08:00

"Anansi Boys" is now available in all Fully Booked and Bibliarch branches. The hardbound copy costs Php1099. However, we suggest you reserve a copy first and get it starting Wednesday, 28 September, because by then, the books will have a special note from Neil himself attached to them. (Wow!) Only about 700 of the books will come with the note, so best reserve and get your copies as soon as possible. You can call Fully Booked (Rockwell) for reservations at (02)7565001.

Mirrormask (the Novella version) is also available now. :)

Thanks to Nina, Hec, and Anansi Girl for the info. :)

Complete MTV Transcript and Barnes & Noble "Anansi Boys" Reading Group with Neil

2005-09-23T08:51:00.000+08:00

Charles has posted the complete transcript of the "MTV Hanging Out" Neil Gaiman episode. Click here to read it, and please join me in thanking Charles for his hard work. :)

Anansi Girl also alerted us to this wonderful opportunity to discuss "Anansi Boys" with Neil Gaiman on Barnes and Noble University's online reading groups. The sessions start November 1. Slots are still available, so sign up fast! Click here for more info. Thanks, AG!

MTV Transcript Part 6 and Neil on ABC 5

2005-09-20T08:08:00.000+08:00

Jamie writes:

For those who weren't able to catch Inquirer TV's Gaiman segment the first time it aired - and those who absolutely cannot wait for "Anansi Boys" to get their Gaiman fix - switch over to ABC 5 on Sept. 22, 10 p.m. That's a Thursday, by the way. Spread the word! ^_^

Thanks, Jamie! :)

~*~*~*~

Part 6 of the transcript of Neil's stint at "MTV Hanging Out" is up! Charles expects to release the 7th and last part of the transcript on 20th September, the US release date of "Anansi Boys". :)

Transcripts: MTV Hanging Out with Neil Gaiman
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Transcript: MTV Hanging Out with Neil Gaiman (Part 5)

2005-09-15T09:06:00.000+08:00

Part 5 is up! Wheeeee! :p

Transcripts: MTV Hanging Out with Neil Gaiman
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Transcript: Neil Gaiman on MTV Hanging Out (Part 4)

2005-09-12T07:57:00.000+08:00

Charles has been working fast. :) Part 4 is up. Enjoy! :)

Transcripts: MTV Hanging Out with Neil Gaiman
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Transcript: Neil Gaiman on MTV Hanging Out (Part 3)

2005-09-07T15:00:00.000+08:00

Part 3 of the transcript of the MTV Hanging Out segment featuring Neil Gaiman is up at Charles's blog.

Transcripts: MTV Hanging Out with Neil Gaiman
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Article: "Neil Gaiman the Fan Man"

2005-09-07T08:21:00.000+08:00

Ike sent us a scan of his brother's article about Neil on Newsbreak Magazine. You can read the article here:

"Neil Gaiman the Fan Man"

Thanks, Ike! :)

Transcript: Neil Gaiman on MTV Hanging Out (Part 2)

2005-09-06T08:25:00.000+08:00

Charles, our Gaiman in Manila Transcript Master *wink*, just uploaded Part 2 of the transcript for Neil's interview on MTV Hanging Out last August. Here are the links:

Transcripts: MTV Hanging Out with Neil Gaiman
Part 1
Part 2

Fully Booked's In-Print newsletter also has a lot of Neil Gaiman features this month! You can get the newsletter free at all Fully Booked Branches (Rockwell, Gateway Mall, The Promenade - Greenhills).

Thanks so much to Charles and Neil Rizo. :)

~*~*~*~

I'd like to link all the local fans here, so if you're not listed in the sidebar, please do leave a comment and post your blog or website URL. Oh, and if you're willing and able, please do link to this blog too, and help Google find me! LOL.

The URL is:
www.neilgaimanphilippines.tk

Thankies! :)

~*~*~*~

Spammers, go away! WAH! I already did what Blogger said and the spammers are STILL getting through. Gah! Thank the Endless there's "Delete Forever". But I still wish they'll go away. :(

Transcript: Neil at MTV Hanging Out (Part 1)

2005-08-31T08:56:00.000+08:00

Charles wrote in to say that he's put up Part 1 of the transcript for Neil's interview at MTV Hanging Out, which aired early this month. You can read Part 1 by clicking here. Charles also wants to thank Neil Rizo for providing a recording of that interview. :) Thanks, Charles and Neil R.! :)

~*~*~*~

EDITED TO ADD:

I just received 4 comment spams, darn it. Blogger told me to turn on word verification to try and avoid the spam, so I hope that works. Sheesh.

It's just me babbling and Jamie's interview

2005-08-30T09:55:00.000+08:00

I've decided to re-read my damned and doomed copy of "American Gods". Yes, the copy which got itself lost and found a month after Neil's visit. The copy that is now lonely and pitifully devoid of Neil's signature. As my new bear, Shortcake (thanks, love :-*), who tends to travel with me these days said, it serves that book right it's now lonely and unsigned because it got itself lost. :p

I'm now in the part where Wednesday and Shadow drove to the House on the Rock for a meeting. When I read the book the first time around, nothing in my mind clicked about the House on the Rock. But this morning, I remembered a Discovery Channel feature about weird buildings (which included the Hotel Sidi Driss a.k.a. the Skywalker Homestead from Star Wars in Tunisia, a weird house with a shark sticking up its roof, and a house shaped like a naked woman somewhere in South America). When I saw the documentary and what's inside the House on the Rock, I immediately thought "this is straight out of a Neil Gaiman novel" (check the pics in this link and you'll see *wink*). After the replay recently, it was more like "this looks like something out of Mirrormask". :p Thank goodness I finally made the connection, and got rid of what was nagging me about that house since I watched the documentary. :D

~*~*~*~

EDITED TO ADD:

Jamie left a comment in the previous post. She was one of the lucky people who were granted exclusive interviews with Neil. She posted a notice through the now defunct gaiman_fullybooked mailing list that the interview will be airing on ABC 5. Unfortunately, the messages weren't getting approved by then. I'm sorry we didn't get to see it. But she just updated her website and posted her thoughts about interviewing Neil, as well as the interview transcript. Check it out! Thanks, Jamie! :)

Surprise! (part 1)

2005-08-29T11:14:00.000+08:00

Ah, my Extendable Ears got lucky today. My source *wink wink* is advicing us that it will do us much good to watch out for Fully Booked announcements related to Anansi Boys sometime this week. Looks like this will be the first part of the surprise Neil was talking about on his blog. Hrmmmm...

The Little Endless Storybook

2005-08-24T13:48:00.000+08:00

Hec and Nina just told me that we can already reserve a copy of "The Little Endless Storybook" by Jill Thompson at Fully Booked customer service. The shipment will be arriving in a few weeks. :)

Also, I heard that there's gonna be big news soon. Very very soon. ;)

Quills voting (Aug 15 - Sept 15)

2005-08-17T08:13:00.000+08:00

Voting for the Quill awards started Monday, 15th August, and will last until September 15. You can vote for Neil Gaiman's "1602" in the Best Graphic Novel category by going to this website:

http://www.quillsliteracy.org/nominatingvoting.html

Patience is not my virtue

2005-08-15T16:40:00.000+08:00

From Neil's blog:

Can you further explain what you meant on "Meanwhile Jaime, Erwin and I are plotting a cool thing for the Philippines, and trying to figure out exactly what sort of shape it'll take." Thanks.Ryan Ambrosio

No. Be patient.

*chuckles*

~*~*~*~

Word has it that the surprise is happening this year and that it's not:

1. Advanced copies of Anansi Boys exclusive to Fully Booked
2. A bidding contest to name the next characters in a new book
3. Signed copies of Anansi Boys to be given out as prizes to some raffle
4. The movie premiere of Mirrormask

Nor does it involve Neil visiting the Philippines again this year. Darn. Guess we have to keep guessing. :D

Cooking up a surprise?

2005-08-12T10:05:00.000+08:00

In his August 12 blog entry, Neil relates that the box containing the gifts presented to him by his Filipino fans arrived, and that he is "plotting a cool thing for the Philippines" with Mr. Jaime Daez of Fully Booked. Can't wait to find out what that is!

Your Name In A Neil Gaiman Book

2005-08-11T08:46:00.000+08:00

Neil is supporting the First Amendment Project (FAP): "a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and promoting freedom of information, expression, and petition." The FAP has managed to gain the support of some wonderful authors who agreed to auction off the chance to have a bidder's name included or mentioned in their upcoming works. The list of authors include some of my favorites: Lemony Snicket, Michael Crichton, Amy Tan, and of course, Neil Gaiman. Neil's offer:

"My next novel will be called THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. It's a children's novel, and will be published, er, when it's published. Maybe in 2007 or failing that, 2008. It will have lots of gravestones in it. Your name, or the name of someone you love (who won't mind) can be on a gravestone."

Neat! If you're interested, the details are posted at:
http://www.ebay.com/fap

Delightful Delirium

2005-08-08T17:17:00.000+08:00

To banish the very creepy mental picture of The Other Mother's hand tap-dancing to the tune of "The Candyman" (thanks, to The Other Hector), I'm posting a pic that Winnie sent me of her recently-finished Li'l Delirium doll.

*squeeee*

You can check out the other creations of this talented lady through her website: winniedstitchwitch.net.

"1602" Nominated for the Quills

2005-08-08T09:06:00.000+08:00

"1602" has been nominated for Best Graphic Novel in this year's Quill Awards. Online voting is from August 15 to September 15.

To view a list of the other nominees, click here.

Vote online starting August 15 at: www.quillsvote.com

Know more about the Quill Awards by clicking here.

I tried to find rules regarding international voters but didn't find any, so I guess it's safe for us Pinoys to vote. :)

~*~*~*~

I was in the office, so I wasn't able to catch the MTV Hanging Out segment with Neil. It was shown last Friday at 5pm (thanks for the sked correction, AG!). If anyone has a transcript, please please do email me: acrossthestars@gmail.com :)

Neil on MTV Hanging Out

2005-08-05T15:36:00.000+08:00

Don't forget to catch Neil Gaiman on MTV Hanging Out, 3:30pm, if I'm not mistaken. :)

Witch and Stitch

2005-08-04T08:50:00.000+08:00

Oh dear. The Terry Pratchett-JK Rowling issue seems to have escalated. Neil talks about it in his recent blog entry. Here's a link to a Google group where Terry Pratchett himself explains his side of the story: click me!

Winnie wrote to share pics she took of the Death doll that she gave Neil during "The Gathering". So cute! I wish I'd seen it personally during the event. :) Here be doll pictures, click click click!

"Better than Fiction" and other stories

2005-08-03T07:50:00.000+08:00

Questions from a couple of Pinoy fans were recently featured in Neil's Journal. Jennee and Maila were lucky enough to get their questions answered. Cheers! :)

Maila was also kind enough to inform us that "Anansi Boys" will be available in Fully Booked in October. Thanks, Maila! :)

Chey of Nocturne tipped us off to Part 2 of GlobalPinoy.com's coverage of Neil's visit here. The article is entitled "Better than Fiction" and you guys can check it out by clicking on this link. They also have an image gallery with great photos from the Writers' Forum.

I don't believe I've posted the link for this article. "Filipino Fans Troop to Neil Gaiman's Website" was published in the Infotech section of INQ7.net a few days after Neil's visit.

"The Encounter That Never Was" by Ronald Lim (hey, someone I know, finally! heheh.) from The Manila Bulletin Online.

Here's a pre-event article also from The Manila Bulletin Online. "Neil Gaiman, Rock Star: The Hype Surrounding the Writer's Imminent Visit" by Yonina Chan can be found here: click click click.

"Gaga Over Neil Gaiman" by Rhea Catada from Malaya also covers the July 11 Writers' Forum. Click here, mousie!

Oh, and I love Google (though this site doesn't come up in the search for sites covering Neil's Manila visit, damn). :p

The "Neil in my Notebook" Fan Project

2005-08-01T12:43:00.000+08:00

Tobie is going to start a fan-project entitled "Neil In My Notebook". The project aims: "To collect fan fiction, poetry, short stories, artwork and essays written by people who have been touched, influenced or inspired by Neil Gaiman and his works and transform them into a netbook that all consent shall be freely distributed and shared with the rest of the world that chooses to be interested in it. Share the joy, the inspiration and the writings and expressions you have found born in you with those who may have not yet heard or encountered Neil Gaiman or his works."

For more information on the project, please visit Tobie's blog by clicking here.

update!

2005-07-29T15:01:00.000+08:00

Yes, this is what used to be the "Neil Gaiman in Manila" Event Website. But I'll be reformatting that site into a local Gaiman fansite, so while I work on that, I switched to Blogger to be able to continually post links and other updates. Thanks for your continued support of the site. :)

For your reference, the original site can be found here

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

28 JULY 2005
Donna wrote in to share a link to David Mack's rendition of Death. Click here to view it. Apparently, the print is for sale! You can check out how to purchase that through this link. Thanks for sharing that with us, Donna! :)

The Moderator of the gaiman_fullybooked mailing list announced some time ago that she won't be checking messages as regularly as before the event, so if anyone still has links or articles or artwork or anything else they want to share with fellow Neil Gaiman fans, you may eMail me (acrossthestars@gmail.com), and I'll just post them here for everyone. :)

~*~*~*~

26 JULY 2005
Another article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer:
The Final Word from "The Man" by Tals Diaz.

More pictures are up at Azrael's Event Website. Click here. Photos by Azrael Coladilla and Ariel Atienza.

Chiqui went to The Gathering in a Death costume. Read about her experience at the event here.

Megabyte made a Gaiman-inspired artpad. Click here.

Charles Tan also has a partial transcript of the NU 107 interview, which can be found here. He's been doing a good job transcribing Neil's interviews for us. You guys might want to drop by his blog to check out his transcripts for the Jam interview and the Writers' Forum also. :) Thanks, Charles.

I also got a request from Winnie to post the winners of the Raffle and Art Contest. Here they are:

NEIL GAIMAN ART COMPETITION WINNERS
1st Prize: ROM VILLASERAN (Untitled)
2nd Prize: APOL STA.MARIA (Coraline and the Other Mother)
3rd Prize: JILDA MINERVA MACASPAC III (Lady Una From Stardust)

Runner-Ups:
GIOVANNI ROLDAN (Lucifer)
JONATHAN LAU (Untitled)
LIONEL EDWARD YUMUL (Sandman and Death)
HEUBERT KHAN MICHAEL (Untitled)
HIYASMIN DE GUZMAN (Yvaine, The Lady of Stormhold)

NEIL GAIMAN RAFFLE WINNERS
1st Prize: DAWN BRITANICO (Stub #0838)
2nd Prize: CARINA SANTOS (Stub #2276)
3rd Prize: ISA CARANCHO (Stub #1787)

WOLVES IN THE WALLS POSTER WINNERS
NOELLE GRACE PICO (Stub #0860)
KATHLEEN JOYCE RODRIGUEZ (Stub #2100)
VICENTE DY (Stub #1211)
IZA CARUNCHO (Stub #1787)
JESSICA COCABO (Stub #0357)
VOLTAIRE SAN JUAN (Stub #1515)
EMILY BOMASANG (Stub #1662)
AURORA CREEH (Stub #2376)
JEREMY ONGONGCO (Stub #0929)
JAMIE ALARCON (Stub #0984)

I'm not sure if anyone has a complete compilation of photos of all the art contest entries. Winnie asked about that too. But photos of the winning entries are up at the Gaiman-FB Mailing List and there are some photos at Azrael's event website.

~*~*~*~

22 JULY 2005
Fully Booked wants everyone to know that requests for refunds of Gaiman books will be entertained until July 31, 2005 only.

More blog and photo album links:
- Arthur
- Carmen
- Maila

An article on The Gathering posted at Globalpinoy.com. Click here. Thanks to Chey at Nocturne for the alert.

Charles Tan also posted his transcript of the Jam 88.3 review by Erin Chupeco. Click here. Thanks, Charles! :)

~*~*~*~

21 JULY 2005
This just in. Donna wrote to share her online album of the event with everyone. Click here to view it.

Uploaded the complete Gaiman series of Beerkada strips here. Or at least all the ones that were previously published. Click here to view them. Thanks, Lyndon and Lei! :)

Anansi Girl updated her blog with Day 2 of what she calls "GaimanDays". According to her, there are pics and crazy fan stories, so... click click click here to read!

~*~*~*~

20 JULY 2005
The Neil Gaiman book signing is the topic of this week's Beerkada comic strips by Lyndon Gregorio, published in The Philippine Star. Here are the links for:
the July 19 strip and
the July 20 strip
For the life of me, I've never been able to trace the older strips. The Philippine Star's website's archive feature doesn't seem to be working. More links when I find them. :)

Some photos taken during the event may be found here. Thanks to Chico of Nocturne.

"More dreamtime with Neil Gaiman" by Ruel de Vera

Links to audio files from "The Gathering", 9 July, courtesy of Neil Risos of Nocturne:
Link 1
Link 2

~*~*~*~

19 JULY 2005
Here are links to a couple more articles about Neil's visit. They were published in Business World:
"Waiting for Gaiman" by Arnold Belleza
"You like me, you really, really like me." by Josefa Labay Cagoco

~*~*~*~

18 JULY 2005
2:58pm
Thanks to Astrid Tobias for pointing me to the blog butasnachucks.blogspot.com. The blog owner uploaded a link to the complete version of the NU 107 interview. I'm in the process of downloading it and hopefully I can put up a transcript soon.

TV Personality RJ Ledesma wrote an article about Neil for The Manila Times. Click here to read the online version. Thanks to Azrael for the tip.

11:30am
Thanks to Neil Risos of Nocturne, and with the blessings of Erin Chupeco, who won the Jam 88.3 contest, here's the transcript of that interview. :)

8:15am
More links to people blogging about their Gaiman experience:
- Erin (who won the Jam 88.3 contest to interview Neil!)
- Ayn
- Ariel Atienza
- more accounts about the Gateway signing from Quel, a fellow volunteer
- Ceejay (another fellow volunteer)
- Eula
- Iya

Mr. Budjette Tan also informed us through the Fully Booked mailing list that there are some recordings of the Writers' Forum available here through the kindness of Mr. Andre Quintos.

NU 107 also replayed their interview last Saturday. Unfortunately, I was at the "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Book Launch at Fully Booked. If anyone was able to record the whole thing or if anyone has a transcript, please do email me at: acrossthestars@gmail.com. Thanks! :)

Iya also sent me a message through YM and gave me a link to a page where she uploaded some video snippets of Neil talking about Filipino mythology. She apologizes that the video is... uh... tilted. :D

~*~*~*~

15 JULY 2005
Received word through Fully Booked that the MTV Hanging Out segment with Neil will be shown on August 5, and not today, as previously announced. Please take note of that. :)

More fans have been giving links to their blogs, detailing their experiences. Here's another set of links:
Mark
Ava_Irune
Megabyte
and my own! :)

~*~*~*~

14 JULY 2005
An updated version of the Writers' Forum transcript courtesy of Charles Tan may be accessed through this link.

Fellow fans have started to calm down enough to blog about their experiences during Neil's visit here. Here are some links:
Kage Gozun
Azrael
Karen Kristie
Anansi Girl

Azrael's Photo Coverage Site has also been updated, so head on there to see more event photos. He's allowing people to use his photos, just be sure to credit him properly. :)

~*~*~*~

13 JULY 2005
Schedules of airings of Neil's interviews:

JAM 88.3
Date: July 13, 2005
Time: 7:00-8:00 PM
Topic: an interview with the winner of the "Neil Gaiman Book Review"
contest
Host: DJ Lana
Show: "Shelve It"

MTV
Date: July 15, 2005
Time: 5:00 PM
Show: MTV's "Hanging Out"

The Manila Bulletin also published a special section about Neil today. If anyone can make scans that we can upload here, kindly send them to:
acrossthestars@gmail.com
Thanks to Tania for the tip. :)

~*~*~*~

13 JULY 2005
An article by Ruel de Vera appeared on the Inquirer today. Click on the link below to read the inq7.net version:
Daring to dream with Neil Gaiman

Mr. Charles Tan also kindly posted a transcript of the Writers' Forum last July 11 on his blog:
Writers' Forum Transcript, part 1
Also, here are links to relevant journal entries on Neil's blog:
Mr. Punch and the Fountain Pen
I go, farewell. Farewell, I go.
Ten happy little fingers and they're mine all mine... (Where he notes that he is now addicted to calamansi juice. :p )
"My friends are gone and my hair is grey..."
In the Tent
Open Secrets
Welcome to Manila

Here's a pic from Anansi Girl's blog of Neil and his first bottle of calamansi juice. :p

And finally, Fully Booked gave out instructions for those who want refunds through the Mailing List, but I'm reposting the instructions below for those who aren't subscribed there:

For those who wish to get refunds on their Neil Gaiman Items, you may
claim this from the specific branch/ store that you purchased the said
item/ s from. All you need to do is:
1) Present your receipt
2) In the absence of a receipt, your book signing pass (regardless of
whether they were punched or not) or show that your item/s possesses
the Fully Booked, Bibliarch or Sketch Books price tag.

And if you guys know of any other links to articles, photo albums, blogs, or transcripts, please do email them to me so I can share them with the rest of the fans:
acrossthestars@gmail.com

Thanks so much! :)

~*~*~*~

12 JULY 2005
Some fans have shared their photos from the event!
Azrael's Event Site
Karen Kristie's Photo Album