Alamat Ng Gubat by Bob Ong
 |
| Alamat Ng Gubat by Bob Ong Paperback 93 pages in full color Published by Visprint Inc., June 2003 ISBN: 9719257415 Around PhP 200.00 at major bookstores |
Who doesn't know who Bob Ong is? Everyone knows him, right? I mean, he is a staple name in the local books scene. He is a very popular Filipino author whose works always—almost—depict Filipino culture.
I just realized that Alamat Ng Gubat is actually the very first graphic novel I owned. I didn't buy it though, it was a gift from my sister, Sharon, circa 2003. And maybe because I just wasn't into comic books back then, that's why I didn't appreciate it that much.
Alamat Ng Gubat—Bob Ong's 4th book—is a contemporary (people also call it "satirical") graphic novel which follows the adventure of an ocean crab named Tong whose queen mother sent him to the jungle to find a Puso ng Saging as it happened to be the "only cure" that could save his father from dying of some illness. Being born and raised in the deep, Tong didn't really know anything about the life on land.
In the jungle, Tong met different kinds of animals with different personalities and from them he sought for help to find a Puso ng Saging. These wild animals are actually depictions of negative traits we Filipinos (admit it or not) have; the Crocodile is a greedy creature who extorts bribe before giving help just like the typical "buwaya" especially among government officials, the Frog is the gold-digger who forces himself to be with the Duck because the latter is wealthy, the Lion is the backstabber who pretends to be kind but will turn out to be up to something (he actually just uses Tong to track down the other animals in the jungle and prey on them), the Ant is thrifty and prudent, the Grasshopper is the happy-go-lucky type, the Rabbit is the deceiver, and many other animals whose characters are based on negative but real Filipino characteristics. The book also highlights the rivalry over power as Tong's father, the Crocodile, the Lion, the Dog, the Rabbit, the Tortoise and the Grasshopper all claim that they are the true king.
I was excited when I had Alamat Ng Gubat not because it was a comic book (again, I wasn't a fan of comic books then) but more because it was another novel from Bob Ong. It was the period in time when all major bookstores display his books and everyone was talking about him. But I like the fact that he came up with what seems like children's book but really intended for adults. It makes it interesting especially that we all know that Bob Ong usually tackles about serious matters, and his unconventional approach to tackle reality through a colored comic book was absolutely brilliant.
Despite of it being fast-paced and a short read, I liked how each characters were given enough depth and the plot being presented well. Klaro Karmeo De Asis also did a great job in illustrating the characters pretty much how I imagine they would look like. The book is an eye-opener for all of us, it has the perfect balance of humor and morals.
My rating:
Maybe I am really not a fan of issues on politics and the society because maybe—just maybe—I am an anarchist. So I'm giving Alamat Ng Gubat just 4 Bookmarks because even when the story is about society and politics, I really love how the moral of the story was presented without us realizing it right on. It's the kind of story which will leave you thinking hard post reading before you make a sense out of what just happened in the story and what it really is about.
Read Users' Comments (0)