Manila, Philippines – Live-streaming platform kumu in the Philippines has partnered with Komiket, the Filipino comics and art market, aimed at empowering the Philippine comics community globally.
Komiket serves as an entry point for first-time comics creators, artists, and readers. It provides accessible markets for creators to showcase their work, discover and nurture new talent, and bridge Filipino comics to the rest of the world through the Philippine International Comics Festival (PICOF).
Through the partnership with kumu, Komiket will be able to bring the Filipino comics community together. Its artists can easily share their work with the entire kumunity, and enthusiasts can meet and interact with some of their favourite comic artists, as well as conversations on comics—from lighthearted ones to more important discussions—will have a space of their own. Beyond that, Komiket will be able to connect with young individuals with aspirations to become comic artists and provide them with the tools and guidance that they need to make their dreams a reality.
Moreover, kumu and Komiket will also be funding ₱500,000 worth of awards and publishing deals to comics creators in the Komiket community. All creators included in various genres published by Komiket in 2022 will be eligible, with the top prize being ₱150,000 in cash and a publishing deal with Komiket for both the Komiket Awards and the Kumu Kumunity’s Choice winners.
The partnership kicked off last 13 February 2022 on the @komiket kumu account with legendary comic artist Whilce Portacio announcing the launch of the Stone Omnibus, an epic revival of one of the 90’s top-selling indie comics. This entire series, which spans eight issues, will be bound together in an ultimate collector’s edition.
Rexy Dorado, kumu’s co-founder and president, shared that local comics, or komiks in Filipino, have historically been one of the cradles of Filipino storytelling and imagination.
“In line with our goals to create the best platform for Filipino creators, we are excited to partner with Komiket, one of the leading organizations in the industry, to make Kumu the best place for fans and creators of Pinoy komiks,” said Dorado.
Kumu said that this is just the beginning of a promising partnership between two organisations rooted in community and culture. It aims to uplift Filipino creators, readers, and budding artists.
Future streams will be announced on the @komiket channel in the kumu app.
