King of Komiks resurfaces in Cebu

LOOK what I got. A letter from the one and only Carlo J. Caparas. Read on and you will easily discern the other side of the man who suffered injustice just by being the darling of the masses— his humiliation inflicted no less b y those professing to be the vanguards of literature but were, in fact, a bunch of wolves in sheep’s clothing, to use a cliché. Wasn’t his national artist award stripped, rather brutally, due to the urgings of the modern-day Pharisees who averred, wrongfully, of course, that the King of Komiks doesn’t deserve a spot in the pantheon of greats?

Carlo J now lives in Cebu—quietly—in obedience to the dying wish of his wife, the much-adored Donna.

Here is Carlo J. Unexpurgated.

“OK sana and prediction mo pare kay Tsitsipas (the 21-year-old Greek sensation who ousted Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of the just-ended Australian Open) kung hindi siya carried away ng instant celebrity complex…nakakadala na kasi ang karamihan sa young turks natin sa tennis, as in the likes of Thiem and Kyrgios. Both with booming serves but they seem to bomb their way out of glory—soon?

“Another promising boy is A. Zverev, but his fluctuating performance is something annoying for the betting public like my son CJ. HE HE. De Minaur and Shapovalob also seem promising but the veterans know how to tame their games in the big tour.

“Big Four (Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray) will remain on top for more years because of their discipline and passion…especially their innate humbleness.

“Wawrinka and Isner are still there ready to snipe at the upstarts.

“Tennis is the equilibrium of mental and physical sports where greatness can be defined by spectacular wins and humiliating defeats…and most of all by their staying power (like Al Mendoza & Carlo J. Caparas HAHAHAHA!).”

Carlo J and I go a long way.

I did komiks, too, but I left it for sportswriting as I knew early on I couldn’t compete with him.

When we met again years later, Carlo J admitted to me, “I also dreamed of becoming a sportswriter, but when you beat me to it, I stuck to komiks writing.”