Martial Law Babies

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Comics & Graphic Novels
Author:	Arnold Arre

I have read two of Arnold Arre's graphic novels but this is the first time that I ever bought one. I love his works for they excite me just as komiks (yes, that is the tagalog for comics) excited me when I was a young boy, but Filipino graphic novels are quite expensive. Boredom brought about by the summer break forced me into shelling out around 500 pesos for this one.

In the end, what can I say about Martial Law Babies? Let us just say that given extra money and time to waste, I will start collecting Arre's other works. Anyway, I have Zsa Zsa Zaturnah and Trese by other Filipino creators, why not Mythology Class, and the others.

Arnold Arre has a cartoony almost disney-like style of drawing his characters; a style that reminds of the '70s-80's komiks óf my childhood. What is unique to him is the atmosphere with which he imbues his pages. It might be the black and white medium which he, so far, employs in his work and how he plays around with this style. He can make a panel mysterious, funny, depressing, hopeful, and in the case of Martial Law Babies, nostalgic.

Or maybe it is just me. I can identify with his characters, particularly his protagonist, Allan and his conflicts. Among other things, like Allan, I am a Martial Law Baby. Having been born in 1973, I am a member of the so-called Generation X, a generation which grappled and, as the book premises, continues to grapple with identity crisis.

The World War II experiences of our parents and grandparents were mere stories to us. We were too young when the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Elvis Presley and the whole Flower People were at the peak of their power. We were but a part of the tail-end of the street protests and even armed struggle against facism of the generation before us.

This truth or reality had me questioning, in the same way that the characters in the novel were asking themselves: Where to now, Martial Law Babies? And it is but a timely question. I have three of my grade school batch mates as candidates this coming elections. I have recently told my students that my generation are the up and coming leaders of our society. Our time has come, in a sense. Are we up to the task?

The novel inspired me to search for my classmates and friends. And thanks to Generation Y or Z's facebook and other tools, I have found them. I just want to keep in touch and know what, and most especially, how they are doing. Based on their profile pictures, their posts, and photos, it seems that they are happy. I am glad, for I am too.