IN THE world of art, where establishing a name can be challenging, one artist managed to shine through, and we know him by his pen name, Gigi Chan. Let's delve into his journey of creating the comic "Somewhere in My Past" and becoming the accomplished digital artist he is today.
Gigi Chan is a talented Filipino digital artist hailing from Davao City. He has gained recognition for his comic "Somewhere in My Past," which features queer themes and draws inspiration from 1990s anime.
The genesis of Gigi's comic dates back to 2014 when he was inspired by the Thai film "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" to write the story of Gian and Joaquin. At that time, there were no Filipino high school love stories centered around gay characters.
"Back then, no Filipino high school love stories centered around gay people. Thus, I decided to create one," he said.
Over the next four years, he completed the story of Gian and Joaquin on Wattpad. However, he eventually decided to unpublish the novel for revisions, which unfortunately never materialized.
During these years, the pandemic struck, taking a toll on Gigi. He took a gap year in academics and dedicated more time and effort to his artwork. During this period, with the rising popularity of BL or the Boys' Love genre, he revisited the story of Gian and Joaquin. He re-conceptualized the entire storyline into a 1980s-inspired Yaoi or Boys' Love manga.
As he reimagined the story, Gigi struggled to find the perfect title for his comic. While listening to Julie Vega's hit single, the title "Somewhere in My Past" came to him.
"I started listening to the song and when the intro played, that's where I got the title, Somewhere in my Past," he said.
In August of 2021, a friend recommended that he publish his comic on Penlab, an online platform for comics. To his delight, just a few days later, he received an email from Penlab expressing their interest in featuring his comic on their website. This was his dream come true, as he has always aspired to become a mangaka (a manga artist). Seeing his comic alongside famous Filipino comics like "Trese" and "Pugad Baboy" was surreal.
"When the comic was released on Penlab, it became an instant hit," Gigi shared. Readers were drawn to its 1980s nostalgia and the innocent, sweet love story of Gian and Joaquin. Interestingly, many readers found the comic nostalgic, even though they hadn't grown up in the 1980s.
However, Gigi dealt with anxiety and self-doubt before the comic's massive success. The initial response to his comic wasn't overwhelming, but over time, it gained popularity and even went viral on TikTok. Coping with newfound fame was overwhelming, as he wasn't accustomed to such attention.
Creating the comic took a lot of work. Gigi faced headaches, eye strain, anxieties, and hand pain, giving his all to his art — blood, sweat, and tears. Yet, he feels grateful that his hard work paid off, leading to a publishing deal for his comic to be released as a book — a dream come true.
Gigi Chan's story of "Somewhere in My Past" inspires aspiring artists to persevere in pursuing their passions and dreams in life. NRO