what i'm subscribing to on youtube these nights

.... the videoblog of komikero. The subject-artist is a freelance comic book illustrator whose real name is Gerry (which is the Filipino equivalent of Jerry; I think it is short for Gerard.) Besides putting me in touch with my better half, his videos lull me to midafternoon sleep with a thin smile curled on my lips. That's him narrating the video while his tatay ("father" in Tagalog) tells jokes. The dad kinda reminds me of Mr. Sriskandarajah. Although Gerry and his family live in the Philippines and are not Filipino-American, Gerry speaks excellent English (with a pleasingly thick accent) and is totally tuned into American and international pop culture:



the ending is good, no?) However, most of the 292 videos featured on his channel deal primarily with the small pleasures one finds in a life spent working from home: the well-being of his two dogs, speculating on the weather away from his drafting table, thoughtful consumption of the snacks of his (our) homeland. No water-cooler pretense for this videoblogger. It goes without saying that, similar to Jordan, Gerry's existence is heavily mediated by the internet. A favorite topic of talk is Youtube (see March 13's entry: "Shout Out Bidjo!"). Not too much should be lost in translation....



Gerry's style is casually conversational, as demonstrated by his responsiveness to viewer commentary. This is a very desirable trait in consistent Youtube uploaders. The length of the videos are sometimes stretched to accommodate his inclination towards multitasking; he'll often speak to us while combing his hair or putting the final touches on some artwork. Viewers are occasionally taken on a field trip to a comic book conference or a Punk Rock Show (Jan 03 2009).

The March 17th video "Powerless Against Us" shows Gerry as his most charming, rhetorically-stirring and facially-expressive self, while tripping over pronouns in the Filipine fashion as he answers a question posed by a subscriber: "How do you deal with haters?". At the height of his illocutionary powers, it is an excellent jumping-off point for starting your subscription.

---K. Fed.

P.S.
I love you guys.