How Kara Bodegón-Hikino turned her love for music right into a graphic novel on Filipino folklore

Underneath HarperCollins Publishers, ‘Squalo & Mage vs The Rage of the Bakunawa’ is about to launch on Might 26, 2026 

MANILA, Philippines — From writing as a music journalist to crafting her debut graphic novel infused with Philippine mythology, Filipino author-illustrator Kara Bodegón-Hikino proves that childhood desires actually do come true, so long as you retain chasing them.

Even earlier than she studied Multimedia Arts at De La Salle-School of St. Benilde, Kara already needed to change into a marine biologist to check sharks. Her profession might have taken her to the music and leisure trade as an alternative, however the ocean — and every thing mysterious about it — by no means actually left the guts of her artwork.

Now, her illustrations characteristic not solely this prehistoric ocean animal however, extra curiously, the precolonial. By her upcoming graphic novel, Squalo & Mage vs The Rage of the Bakunawa — the primary in a duology — Kara reimagines a mystical world the place Filipino mythology, music, and tradition collide.

Since 2011, Kara has written about music throughout the native and worldwide scenes for publications comparable to Billboard, Bandwagon Asia, and PULP Journal.

Together with her background as a cartoon illustrator, she has additionally been merging music together with her personal artwork, designing album covers and posters for artists comparable to D. Randall Blythe of Lamb of God, Daniel Tompkins of Tesseract, Tilly Birds, The Itchyworms, Lola Amour, and AOUI.

Extra lately, she launched her small on-line artwork store, Karakugaki, collaborating with native espresso retailers and pizza joints in Manila.

For a writer-illustrator who has skilled the world of stay music up shut, from the live performance’s backstage to the picture pit, Kara shared that the thought for her proudly Pinoy graphic novel sparked, in truth, from an OPM track.

“Squalo & Mage began as a mini comedian about how I heard a sure December Avenue track wherever I went,” she stated. 

“Lengthy story quick, I pitched the thought of turning it right into a graphic novel to literary brokers, signed with my dream agent, and in the end scored a e book deal. Absolutely bringing it to life took me round 5 years, so this story isn’t quick in any respect,” added Kara, who’s represented by Sara Crowe of Sara Crowe Literary, LLC.

After changing into a mom, Kara expressed in her weblog that she briefly misplaced contact together with her artistic spark. Throughout that point, she discovered herself busy with commissions and “annoyed with the colour decisions” she was designing for Squalo & Mage.

“I by no means thought I’d really feel this type of pleasure in creating once more,” she wrote. Regardless of this, she shared how useful it’s to achieve out to others when “caught” and encompass oneself with empowering tales.

Quickly, she started to really feel these “little sparks” once more, reminding her that even essentially the most passionate artists can really feel burned out, and acknowledging that is usually step one towards discovering one’s rhythm once more.

Whereas her new story dives deep into Filipino tradition and folklore — with notable references such because the baro’t saya (shirt and skirt) and the bahay kubo (nipa hut) — Kara additionally sneaks in playful nods to the nation’s musical roots by “easter eggs” that OPM followers may acknowledge.

“Most of my skilled profession was spent bringing the highlight to Filipino music, and together with a little bit of that world in Squalo & Mage is my very own little shout-out to the trade,” she stated. As she wrote within the caption of her Instagram publish: “Who’s their [Squalo & Mage] favourite singer? After all it’s @garyvalenciano!”

Squalo & Mage vs The Rage of the Bakunawa follows Mage and her greatest good friend, Squalo the shark, who set out throughout Mundo to meet her late father’s final want: to search out the Bakunawa, the legendary precolonial serpent of the ocean.

What begins as a journey of hope turns harmful after they uncover that the serpent, as soon as a protecting guardian, has turned violent — wrecking ships and conjuring storms. As they’re hunted by Ventrolio, the Nightmare Maker, and his military of creatures, Mage and Squalo go on an journey to uncover the reality behind the Bakunawa’s fury earlier than it destroys their world.

The e book will probably be launched in hardcover and paperback beginning Might 26, 2026, and is now out there for pre-order on HarperCollins Publishers. Particulars on native pre-orders within the Philippines are but to be introduced.

Past her graphic novel debut, Kara additionally illustrated her first image e book, BIGGER THAN ME, written by Erica Simone Turnipseed — and continues to champion musicians by Mirrorball Asia, which handles advertising providers for varied artists throughout Southeast Asia and past. – Jaella Magno/Rappler.com

Jaella Magno is a Rappler intern learning AB Literature main in Artistic Writing at De La Salle College.