Author-Illustrator Interview: Gani Riel Cabezas (Part 2 of 2)

Here is Part 2 of my interview with gifted author, illustrator, comic book creator and artist Gani Riel Cabezas. His style of integrating history, archeology with storytelling in sequential art and graphic novels as well as crafting lead characters of LGBTQ orientation is a valuable contribution to the continuous growth of comics creation.

You also have a graphic novel, Sol Dalusung. Please tell us something about it?

Sol Dalusung and the Nameless Hero is my debut graphic novel currently in development! It’s a YA queer Kapampangan fantasy about an immortal demigod who lives in disguise as an archaeologist, until a cursed artifact forces her to confront her past with an ancient heroine who was lost to history together with her. We currently have a first issue circulating in print with Penlab Sprint, available at local conventions where Penlab exhibits, and we’re hoping to print a full graphic novel version of it once the whole story is completed.

What are your influences or inspirations in creating Sol?

The archaeologist aspect of Sol was influenced by my anthropology studies in college, while the demigod and cultural aspect was inspired by my own desire to learn more about Kapampangan history and language, having Kapampangan heritage on my dad’s side of the family. I was interested in “Philippine mythology” media and its popularity in Philippine komiks, but I always struggled to relate to the way it was portrayed, and I rarely saw any regional specificity in the cultures being referenced. Sol was my response to making a comic that was visibly rooted in Kapampangan culture (rather than just a Philippine culture mix-up) and subverted the typical archaeology and treasure-hunter Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider-esque adventure tropes filled with colonial undertones.

What is the book and/or music that changed or inspired you to be the artist and musician you are today?

My biggest book influences as a young reader were the “Amulet” graphic novel series by Kazuo Kibuishi and the “Percy Jackson” novels by Rick Riordan, while my more recent inspirations are the YA novels “Hell Followed With Us” by Andrew Joseph White and “Iron Widow” by Xiran Jay Zhao.

Music that influenced my musician journey are primarily OPM (Eraserheads, IV of Spades, Gloc 9) and the mid-2000s rock/pop punk scene (Paramore, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park) that I played often for battle of the bands and a way to bond with other musician friends. They were also some of the few outlets I had for my mental and emotional struggles in my teens so now that I often write about adolescent characters going through a lot of similar struggles, I’ve been looking back on the music I listened to around that same time in my life.

Cover reveal of Arrows to Heaven

Please give recommended books and “new” music to read and listen to.

I’ll recommend “Nimona” by ND Stevenson (both the graphic novel and the animated film adaptation!). I’m also reading Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Earthsea” series, which is an older series but one that I think is really good reading for any fantasy author (especially because it challenged the whitewashed portrayal of medieval fantasy worldbuilding for its time). On that note, I’ll also recommend the previously mentioned “Hell Followed With Us” and “Iron Widow” for more mature YA reads.

I don’t have any new specific music to listen to (truthfully, I listen to music mainly based on whether I think it sounds nice and I don’t stay up to date on artists and releases), but in general I will recommend listening to more video game soundtracks. I’ll recommend the soundtracks for the indie games “Transistor” and “Hades,” both composed by Darren Korb, as well as the soundtracks of the video game series “Guilty Gear” composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari. 

Gani Riel Cabezas is a sci-fi/fantasy illustrator and comic artist from Laguna, where he learned to draw the fury of the old gods and the queer kids they raised. He released his first comics “Tao Po!” (Kwento Monster #1, 2021) and “Sol Dalusung” (Penlab Sprint, 2023) under the Kumu Penlab platform, and he now develops comics independently with the collective Kalabaw Studios. He is also a comic artist for Diwata Komiks, illustrating “The Hidden World of Anton Jimenez” with writer Mark Nazal. His upcoming picture book, “Too Loud!” (Kahel Press, 2023) is his illustration debut in children’s literature together with writer Bambi Eloriaga-Amago. Gani is currently finishing his undergraduate studies in Anthropology and Art history at University of Toronto Mississauga, where he is seeking work as an archaeologist. You can find him online @tidalbronze on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr.