GVN Talking Comics Exclusive Interview: Writer Kaitlyn Fajilan Discusses Kwento Comics’ ‘The Mask of Haliya Volume 2: Echoes of the Forgotten Past’

Kaitlyn Fae Fajilan excels at multitasking. Spreading her talents as an award-winning Filipina American filmmaker, writer, actor, and musician. If that wasn’t enough, she also plies her trade on a popular series of comics that blend Philippine mythology and adult urban fantasy. Working with the talented Mother/Daughter team of Cecilia and Waverley Lim at Kwento Comics, she has thrilled fans with her Mask of Haliyah series.

Now, coming this month, Kaitlyn is teaming once again with Kwento along with Clover Press to bring “The Mask of Haliya Volume 2: Echoes of the Forgotten Past” to Kickstarter. Recently, we had the good fortune of catching up to the multi-talented creator to talk about her creative beginnings, her love of Oscar Wilde, and the origins of her story and its latest incarnation. So, let’s welcome Kaitlyn Fajilan to GVN Talking Comics.

Beginnings

GVN: Thank you, Kaitlyn, for sharing a bit of your time with us. Since we have not had the pleasure of talking to you before, let’s start with a bit of your creative beginnings. When did you first take an interest in writing and comics in general and whose work inspired you to consider that path?

Kaitlyn: I became interested in storytelling at the age of seven when my second-grade teacher gave us a creative writing assignment. When the bell finally rang for us to get up and go recess, the intensely pleasurable feeling of writing nearly stopped me from leaving my desk. That was definitely a first! Around that time, I started becoming obsessed with anime, which eventually led to a love of manga. I was also deeply inspired by Disney and Dreamworks’ animated films and started drawing these little comic strips and zines whenever I had down time in class—comics that starred my friends and I, of course.

Oscar Wilde

GVN: I can relate to that. When the teacher said to write a two-page story, I was the kid who turned in 7 pages. Before we dive deeper into your latest volume of “The Mask of HALIYA,” I couldn’t help but notice in my research that you have an affinity for the wisdom of Oscar Wilde. What was it about the writings of Mr. Wilde that appeals to you?

Kaitlyn: I first came across my favorite author at the age of fifteen–it was through some fancy special edition compendium called The Wit of Oscar Wilde that was just gathering dust at my parents’ house. Up until then, I’d viewed Victorian literature as something a little too boring and much too old school and wordy for me to understand. Imagine my surprise, then, when I opened up The Importance of Being Ernest and found myself laughing out loud! I just loved how over-the-top, ridiculous, and scathing he could be one moment, and deeply emotional, tragic, and beautiful the next. Authors who aren’t afraid to be simultaneously scintillating and sad just get to me somehow.

Origins of ‘The Mask of Haliyah’

GVN: As I mentioned, you are collaborating once again with Kwento Comics and Clover Press to bring the latest volume of your series ‘The Mask of HALIYA,’ with “The Mask of HALIYA: Echoes of the Forgotten Past.” A series that intertwines Philippine Mythology and contemporary Urban Fantasy. For those unfamiliar, could you tell us the origins of your series and how important was it for you to make the Philippine Mythological tales accessible to the general comic fan?

Kaitlyn: I’ve always been a bit of a fantasy and mythology nerd. Early in the brainstorming process for The Mask of Haliya, I knew our protagonist would have to confront her Filipino family’s ancient, mysterious past. Incorporating the Philippines’ rich history of pre-colonial folk traditions thus felt like an intuitive choice. However, I didn’t want to overwhelm anyone with the intricacies–including myself! Creating a Filipino-American protagonist who finds herself in a “fish out of water” situation kind of helped me introduce readers to some of these concepts (gods, spirits, monsters, etc.) in a more palatable way.

Pitching the Story to Kwento

GVN: You have been partnering with Kwento Comics from the beginning of your series. Did you originally approach them with a pitch, or did they reach out to you upon discovering your exciting work?

Kaitlyn: I first met Cecilia Lim, executive producer of Kwento Comics, back in 2017. She told me she’d seen a short film I’d written and directed and that she liked the story. Sometime later that year (or was it early 2018? It’s been a while now!), Cecilia approached me with the concept of a comic book series starring a Filipina-American teenage superheroine. Now I don’t know a ton about superhero culture, hence the decision to lean heavily into fantasy with The Mask of Haliya. But when I drew up a bunch of character descriptions and plot ideas involving Marisol, her cousin Isla, and the Bikolano moon goddess Haliya, the collaboration seemed to come together naturally.

Working with Different Artists

GVN: Well, it certainly has worked for your fans. During your series “The Mask of HALIYA,” you have worked with a number of different artists. In this volume, you partnered with artists Susan Bin and Vik Caedo. Does working with different artists change the way you work and how closely do you confer with your artists?

Kaitlyn: Over the years, we’ve gone through a number of artists, and each artist has a preference for how they’d like to receive each issue script. One interesting thing to note is that there is no standardized industry format for writing comic books. So, our former editor and art director, Jenapher Zheng, and I had to do quite a bit of adjusting over the years to accommodate those changes.

For example, some artists want tons of description and the ability to storyboard the story themselves, and others want to simply draw line art and have each panel pre-planned ahead of time–from the size of the panel, to the type of shot portrayed, to how many panels appear on each page. Though I work in film, I admit I’m not the most visually astute person, so having an art director come in and work closely with the art team on a weekly basis has really been the key to translating the script to art in a seamless way.

The Kickstarter Campaign

GVN: Thank you once again for sharing just a bit of your time with us, Kaitlyn. Before I let you go, I want to give you an opportunity to tell our fans about your educational and entertaining series and the Kickstarter Campaign for your latest volume.

Kaitlyn: The Mask of Haliya: Echoes of the Forgotten Past Kickstarter launches this Thursday, March 27th, at 9AM PT/noon ET! Please feel free to follow our campaign and support this all-Asian, all-female created urban fantasy series that deals with Filipino lore, magic, mystery, and mental health. Thank you to everyone who has shown their support on our journey thus far—we really could not have gotten as far as we have without the love and dedication of our incredible fan base.

Kwento Comics and Clover Press are proud to present: The Mask of Haliya: Echoes of the Forgotten Past by Kaitlyn Fajilan. With art by Susan Bin and Vik Caedo, colors by Liz Buenaventura, lettered by Kiela Sibal, and edited by Arielle Jovellanos. Be sure to check out their Kickstarter Campaign here.