October is Filipino-American History Month and Kwento Comics, the trailblazing Filipino-American comic book publisher, is partnering with Clover Press for a Kickstarter campaign to publish a graphic novel inspired by Philippine mythology, THE MASK OF HALIYA: HEIR TO THE WARRIOR MOON.
This 200-page deluxe hardcover is a young adult urban fantasy which follows the journey of a troubled Filipina-American teen who discovers a mysterious mask at her great-grandmother’s wake. The story is written and illustrated by an all-Asian, all-female creative team from around the world and the 200-page deluxe hardcover edition features a brand new cover by superstar comic book artist Haining (Spirit World, DC vs. Vampires: All Out War), and an optional slipcase.
Kwento Comics was founded by a mother and daughter team, Cecilia and Waverley Lim, who were inspired to create a solution to the lack of Asian American representation in media. Their goal in launching the company is to create lead Asian female characters on the page, while also highlighting the talented Asian women artists and writers in an industry that is heavily male-dominated.
“We realized that Asian – and specifically, Filipino – characters, roles, and mythology were not seen in film, television, or comic books,” said Kwento Comics Co-Founder Cecilia Lim, “We wanted to be part of the solution and create stories that introduce Filipino and other Asian mythos to a wider audience.”
“We knew that the creation of these characters starts with women who look like us, who can share our stories and shared experiences in an authentic way, and in doing so, highlight the wondrous world of Philippine and other Asian mythology in our graphic novels,” said Kwento Comics Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer Waverley Lim.
THE MASK OF HALIYA: HEIR TO THE WARRIOR MOON is the first release from Kwento Comics and is intended to be the first in a series of books published by Clover Press. The book engages with topics like mental health, intergenerational trauma, and corruption, with a major emphasis on its female characters, through the lens of female creators. The creative team is comprised of writer Kaitlyn Fajilan (Fruit Fly, Madeira), artist Renoida Renovilla (Creative Connections and Commons, Inc.), editor/art supervisor Jenapher Zheng (Oblivious, Borrowed Light), colorist Charlyn Duy, and co-founder/COO Waverley Lim (The Women’s Project).
In THE MASK OF HALIYA, seventeen-year-old Marisol Reyes is in need of a do-over. After getting kicked out of one too many schools for strange and unsettling behavior, Mari’s overbearing mother sends her to the Philippines for a fresh start. The promise of a normal life is dashed, however, when Mari attends her recently deceased Lola Talia’s wake. For it’s there she discovers a mysterious wooden mask that unlocks frightening visions… and terrifying abilities. So begins THE MASK OF HALIYA, where Mari must forge new allies and battle new foes, all while finding her place in a world on the brink of darkness. In the heart of Cebu, an ancient power awakens…The Mask has chosen its new heir.
As the Mother-Daughter team launched their Kickstarter campaign, we had the chance to speak with them about the comic series, the importance of representation, and what they hope fans will love most about this story.
Can you tell us where your love of comics originally came from?
Cecilia: I grew up in the Midwest in the 1960’s and since my mother didn’t learn to drive until I was much older, we always took the bus to go into the city. Going home from the city, there was always a newsstand that had a section for comic books. My mom would always let me buy one comic for the trip home on the bus. I would frantically search for the latest Wonder Woman or Batman and then have the comic read by the time I got home. Some of my fondest memories of my mom were on a bus as a child reading my favorite comics. As I got older, I continued to read comics as well as stories of mythology and fantasy novels.
How did you decide to create and launch Kwento comics? And what has been the reaction, especially from the Filipino community, so far?
Waverley: After moving to Los Angeles with my mom in 2017, it became glaringly evident that there was a lack of representation of Asian Americans in the entertainment industry, not just historically in front of the camera, but behind it as well. We thought to ourselves well how can we expect to see ourselves reflected in media if our authentic voices weren’t more present in these spaces. So my mom and I decided why not be a part of the solution and create the space, a space to give more talent in our community a platform to tell our stories and put our culture on the map in a meaningful way, while also putting an emphasis on strong female heroines at the heart of our narratives.
Cecilia: We’re super grateful to all our fans, who have supported us on our journey. It’s really special to have women of all ages see us at conventions and be so excited to see a company like ours that’s telling a story about women, written by women, and artistically drawn by women. When our readers come back to our booth at the conventions and ask for the next issue, it really warms my heart that the story is connecting to readers regardless of their gender or background. The Filipino community here and abroad agree that bringing Philippine mythology and culture to this genre was needed and are thrilled that Haliya can hopefully be just one of many books that dive into the rich landscape of our mythology.
Your new Kickstarter will help to fund “THE MASK OF HALIYA: HEIR TO THE WARRIOR MOON”. How can crowdfunding campaigns be an effective way of building an audience for independent comic book stories and company founders?
Cecilia: Crowdfunding campaigns are an exciting way for creators to build and grow a fanbase. Waverley and I enjoyed coming up with the different tiers that added special items to thank our fans and readers. What is really wonderful about these campaigns is that we can directly engage with audiences and get their invaluable feedback.
Because we can connect with supporters who are as passionate as we are about the stories we are telling, these connections become all the more important to foster for us at Kwento. We are so excited to bring our first ever crowdfunding campaign to the vibrant Kickstarter community!
How did the story for Haliya come about, and where did you draw inspiration from?
Waverley: The initial idea of ‘The Mask of Haliya’ actually came from a family story of mine during the time of my Lola’s passing. There was this ring of hers that I always remembered her wearing because it had our October birthstone on it. When she passed away, my aunt had us go into her room and pick out any piece of jewelry of hers and instantly I found that one ring that I knew was so special to me. My mom always remembered how sentimental that moment was for me and thought, what if that ring held powers?
So when conceptualizing where our main protagonist’s powers could’ve come from we toyed around with that idea for awhile, until Kaitlyn, found the mythos of Haliya and her mask, which fit our narrative so beautifully that it only made sense to change it from a ring to a mask. Kaitlyn did a great job at honoring and embedding that personal story of mine into issue #1 of The Mask of Haliya, where all the children gather around during Lola Talia’s wake and pick a piece of jewelry.
What is your creative process like, as mother and daughter? How do you handle creative disagreements etc?
Waverley: I have to say I am quite fortunate that I’m able to work on something with my mom that we are both so passionate about. She’s always been my best friend and we talk on the phone every day anyways so might as well make that time worth-while and turn it into something truly meaningful that we can both be proud of. I’m really lucky to be learning and growing as a young entrepreneur under her because she is so knowledgeable on so many various aspects and things that I wouldn’t have initially thought of when it comes to starting your own business.
Creatively, I think we really balance each other out. My mom is really good at thinking big picture and I’m really good at filling in and fine tuning with the details, but don’t get me wrong, we still banter and argue like any mother daughter.
Cecilia: I am so lucky that we are able to work really well together. What I love about working with her is not only do I get to see her grow as a business woman, but I get to feed off of her energy and fearlessness. We talk several times a day and we are definitely learning the comic book publishing business together.
As far as creative disagreements are concerned, we definitely have those from time to time. However, we also respect each other’s natural instincts and reasoning. If one of us is really adamant about a particular topic, the other person will take a step back and really listen. All in all, I couldn’t ask for a better partner in this.
The story is written and illustrated by an all-Asian, all-female creative team from around the world. Can you tell us how you assembled this team?
Cecilia: Once I found my writing team, Waverley and I went about searching for artists from across the globe. Kaitlyn, my head writer, wrote an epic story with multiple points of view. In order to bring about the vision of that story, we realized we needed a specific art style. We wanted the look and feel to be cinematic and vibrant to honor the fantastic saga that Kaitlyn Fajilan had written.
In order to uplift and showcase all the amazing female Asian talent from around the world, every cover we have issued so far has purposely been a different artist that we get to spotlight. We will continue this tradition on all our upcoming series from Kwento.
Let’s talk about representation – why was it important for you both to show a female central character, and someone who is Filipino?
Waverley: In an industry, like comics, that is heavily male-dominated, often with women drawn from the male perspective, we knew artistically that we wanted our characters to look and feel like real women. Our writers have done a wonderful job at thoughtfully crafting multi-dimensional, resilient, however nonetheless flawed women, who are each on their own personal journey to discover their true strength that lies within.
As a young girl, there was very little representation in media that I could turn to or see Asian-American, let alone Filipina, women, that I could look up to. Showing Filipina women taking center stage was extremely important.
Can you share more about the Filipino mythology included in the story?
Cecilia: The mythology that our story is based on originates in the Visayas region of the Philippines with the tale of the lunar moon goddess, Haliya, and her age old feud with the sea serpent, Bakunawa. In ancient times, there were 7 moons in the sky. One day these lunar gods and goddesses went down to earth to play in the Earth’s ocean and it was there that Bakunawa, a diwata of the ocean, saw them. Once he laid eyes on them, he desired to possess their beauty so he changed into a sea dragon and started to eat them one by one.
Before Bakunawa could devour the last moon, the Creator god took notice and saved her. This was Haliya. As punishment for eating the moons, the Creator god cursed Bakunawa to remain in the sea dragon’s form for eternity. Through the ages, the feud between Bakunawa and Haliya remains and every once in a while, Bakunawa will try to eat Haliya and that is when we have a lunar eclipse.
Those who believe in this pre-colonial folk religion can be seen banging pots and pans outside during a lunar eclipse to ward off Bakunawa from eating the last moon in the sky.
What can fans expect for future iterations of the story, and what do you have planned for the series?
Cecilia: For the first story arc of ‘The Mask of Haliya’, we will continue to introduce more characters, more creatures, and more plot twists as our lead character Mari, will continue to harness her powers as the reincarnate of the moon goddess Haliya. Throughout the series, she will become a powerful force to be reckoned with as other characters will try to manipulate Mari for their own nefarious plans.
We can definitely tease our second series that will also be set in the Philippines and have a Philippine mythological backstory with different gods, goddesses, and creatures of the underworld.
What do you want readers and fans, regardless of gender or background, to appreciate and love most about “THE MASK OF HALIYA: HEIR TO THE WARRIOR MOON”?
Waverley: I hope fans will come to appreciate Mari’s journey and that it inspires fans from all corners of the globe to dive into and celebrate their own culture. The quest to deeply understand and embrace one’s cultural roots can be greatly inspiring and influential in shaping identity.
Knowing and honoring where you come from isn’t just about carrying pride; it’s about preserving and passing down that heritage to the next generation, like a family heirloom. It’s about fostering a sense of community and sharing gratitude for the interconnectedness that we all share.
You can contribute to the Kickstarter campaign while it is still running, and follow all things Kwento Comics to keep up to date with the release of ‘The Mask of Haliya: Heir To The Warrior Moon’, as well as future titles in the series. Follow Kwento Comics on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
