Seven Lakes Komiks Festival 2025
Now in its 2nd year, the Seven Lakes Komiks Festival was indeed a success! Having been to the first one, I can personally attest that they’ve made it even better. With some new and a couple of returning exhibitors, it was somehow quite easier to navigate, even with a similar layout from the previous one.
Showcasing such talent of Filipino creativity was definitely a highlight worth coming back to when it comes to events like this, and clearly, this one did not disappoint. In all honesty, I’m not the comic geek in the family, but getting to see budding creatives in such an environment radiates a sense of support to the artists’ community that often gets neglected, and I’m all up for that. The inherent charm of Casa San Pablo is also a breath of fresh air, quite literally, as comic conventions are often held in event spaces along highly urban areas.
What made this year’s event even more meaningful was their comic book donation drive, which gathered 189 books from attendees and was donated to their partner school library, the San Pablo Colleges Library. Perhaps next year, they could opt for public libraries too, so the books can be more accessible to the masses.
Another high point of the event was the opening of the Lipad Darna! 75 exhibit, which celebrated and showcased the stories and undeniable legacy of Mars Ravelo’s Darna. It gave us goosebumps seeing the actual typewriter that Mars Ravelo used in crafting the iconic superhero, more on that in another article. *wink, wink
While we might have splurged a bit on this year’s haul, we’re simply trying to convince ourselves that purchasing from each artist is a way of supporting their dreams and that eggs are nutritious and could sustain us until the next payday. Kidding aside, it is no surprise that the creatives behind each comic book (and stickers, bookmarks, postcards, etc.) have immense talent and could go far in the industry IF more people would support their craft. Conversing with the artists to whom we’ve bought comic books from, we saw the dedication and passion they have for their craft, as well as their inspirations behind each work. Having a comic geek in the family, some discussions took a while, but I guess they appreciated that too. If not, then we apologize. This year, there were also several on-the-spot art booths where they created sketches upon the client’s request. Seeing how fast they conceptualize and execute each piece was mind-blowing.
I know, I might sound rambling here, but this event has become a much-awaited thing in our family. I recall in 2019, there was also a similar event in San Pablo which was organized by the Komikero Komiks Museum, back when Mr. Gerry Alanguilan was still with us. We were fortunate to have him sign a copy of Rodski Patotski.
To sum it up (finally), we enjoyed this year’s Seven Lakes Komiks Festival, which inspired me to continue this long-overdue blog that’s been sitting in an unused annual subscription on its platform for over a year. Yes, I procrastinated big time, but I guess this time, we’re off to a good start. We look forward to next year’s event, and we’d most definitely be coming back.
