About the Pinoy Cartoonist Manix Abrera
Kikomachine Komix, one of the country’s best selling comic strips to date, has captured the attention of many readers due to its relatable and hilarious presentation of everyday Pinoy experiences. To be able to gain a huge amount of avid fans with his quirky sense of humor, Manix Abrera is definitely one of the most talented cartoonists in his generation. A graduate of Fine Arts major in Visual Communication in UP Diliman, 31 year old Manix started writing Kikomachine when he was still in 2nd year college back in 2001. When asked what his main inspiration was behind creating the comics, he said it was from the experiences he had and the scenarios around him during his university life. “Sobrang dami kasing mga nangyayari at mga kwento na sobrang weird at wild, naisip kong pwedeng-pwedeng gawing komiks.” When he was still little, he loved reading and watching movies, thus the spark of creating stories ignited from him. Since then, he has developed his talent and interest in comic strip making. He even became a part of the Philippine Collegian, UP’s official school publication where he illustrated editorial cartoons and made a comic strip called “Iskololoy”. Apart from that, one of his biggest inspirations in becoming a comic strip artist was his father and award-winning cartoonist, Jess Abrera Jr. “Malaki yung influence niya talaga sa pag-drawing ko kasi lagi niyang sinasabi na wag ko siya gayahin sa mga drawing niya, maghanap ako ng sarili kong style.” Apart from creating comics, one of Manix’s main interest is music. In college, he founded a band together with his friends called Kiko Machine, the name where he derived Kikomachine Komix from. He is also into sports and outdoor activities such as diving, swimming, bike riding and climbing mountains.
About Kikomachine Komix
Kikomachine is a comic strip showcasing the everyday life of your typical Pinoy featuring themes that are very common and relatable such as commuting, dating, college life and more. What makes them hilarious is that they are presented in an exaggerated manner, highlighting Pinoy trademark qualities as it goes along. As for the 8 main characters, they are a set of odd, lovable characters who are nameless but each with distinctive qualities such as the guy with the spiky hair, the girl with the shaved head, the guy with the glasses and goatee, and so on. Wondering how they refer to one another in the comic strip? They just simply call each other “pare”, “tsong” or “ano”. When asked why the characters he created are nameless, Manix said that he couldn’t think up of names, so he just left it as it is. Today, Kikomachine is compiled into 9 books and also appears daily in the comics section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. With his growing fanbase and continuous support from his fans, Manix continues to strive making Filipinos laugh everyday with his talent through Kikomachine.
About the Collection
Solo’s back with another exciting collection for its 4th year of Pinoy Cartoonist Memorabilia! This time Manix Abrera has joined the wave of well-acclaimed cartoon artists we pay homage to for Solo’s upcoming comic based collection. Following the success of the first three highly praised collections comes Manix’s Kikomachine, a hilarious comic depicting an average Pinoy’s everyday lifestyle and experiences, featuring a bunch of nameless University kids as main characters. The collection consists of men and women’s casual wear composing of tees, collared tops and shorts, all decked with graphic images of humorously drawn characters and eccentric comic strip scenes from Kikomachine. It won’t matter if you’re already an avid reader of Kikomachine or if you’re just starting to get familiar with it because the collection’s prints are eye-catching and fun, definitely something that everyone can enjoy! Wear them anywhere for that casual, upbeat look and put that Pinoy humor in fashion. Get set for another whimsical and trendy fashion break as Manix Abrera’s Kikomachine collection is set to hit Solo stores this August!
