An excerpt from Cirilo F. Bautista's Philippine Panorama column BREAKING SIGNS
January 9, 1994

"Yuson, Francia, and Flashpoint: Good Readings for the New Year"

Three important literary works which came out at the tail-end of 1993 merit serious attention for they underscore certain benevolent developments. They signal that, in an economically deprived country like ours, good writing is not a contradiction in terms; and that slowly but steadily, Filipino writers continue to gain audience in America. At the very least, these works reflect the tenacity and configuration of the Filipino imagination.

[The article then proceeds to discuss Alfred A. Yuson's "Trading in Mermaids" from Anvil Press and "Brown River, White Ocean" from Rutgers University Press, an anthology of Philippine literature in English, edited by Luis Francia. Finally, Bautista talks about "Flashpoint."]

"Flashpoint" is the title of a comics magazine (Straight Lines International) specializing in science-fiction. The first issue is a high-gloss, finely crafted story entitled "Faith's Fools." The plot is by Alexander Santos and David Hontiveros; script by David Hontiveros; art work by Carlos Vergara; color rendition by Joey Gohu and Baron Vergara; and the cover by Johnson Morco. The story, about a sense-shattering secret involving two worlds in parallel dimension and an invasion that will alter the realities of existence, is finely drawn in full colors. The whole issue is a feast for the eyes, and will undoubtedly be a collector's item. This work b senior college students of De La Salle University serves to establish the needed foundation for the realization of a true science-fiction genre in the country.