FINE ARTS alumnus Josel Nicolas makes a mark through “Windmills Bearings,” the first graphic novel published by the UST Publishing House. 

The autobiographical collection of comic illustrations fuses philosophical introspection and humor in engaging visuals. The work narrates portions of Nicolas’s life through the use of anthropomorphic characters like animals. 

One example is the numerous bear puns throughout the comic book, as Nicolas himself is portrayed and referred to as “Bear.” This pun is found in the title of the book itself: “Bear-ings.”

Nakalagay siya sa outro ng book as an inside joke with my girlfriend at the time. Parang gumawa kami na mga random characters, tapos [ang] ginawa ko is si Bear,” Nicolas told the Varsitarian.

Medyo nag-stick ‘yong character design. Tapos siya na lang ginamit ko na author surrogate kumbaga,” he added.

The book features pages with small, uncolored panels with outliers all throughout. One standout is a pair of one-page panels that when put together, form a two-page spread of Nicolas’s childhood home in Batangas. 

The first chapter, “Bearkdowns (2009),” has four stories that tackle the subjects of trauma and mortality. 

This is in heavy contrast to the second chapter, “Bearly Standing (2009),” which focuses on college life drinking, and ending on a similarly somber note. 

The third chapter, “Bear in Mind (2010),” is permeated with a sense of nostalgia and aimlessness, as Nicolas muses on a hazy past and uncertain future. 

Feelings of longing and stagnancy mark the fourth chapter, “I’m Gonna Be-Ar (2011),” which narrates a portion of Nicolas’s adult life when he traveled across the United States. 

The final chapter, “It’s About Time (2012),” goes back to his college days to narrate an evening that seemed to have gone wrong.

The book is topped with a few extra stories and an epilogue that can be described as “giving closure.” 

The stories in “Windmills: Bearings”  can feel like poetry at times. The book also outlines the evolution and growth in the authors’ art style, going from heavily lined and shaded panels to softer and lighter strokes with more detailed backgrounds and environments. 

Certain portions of the book, such as in the third chapter and the last few extra illustrations, are more experimental in their visuals—playing with the form of the panel itself and having characters and elements jump out of one panel and into another. 

In the book’s epilogue, Nicolas wrote, “the central lesson of Windmills is to let go of things,” leaving readers not with a sense of longing for more, but one with a sense of resolution. 

“Windmills: Bearings” can be found in the online and onsite stores of the UST Publishing House. 

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