Saved from the Junkyard.

SAVED FROM THE JUNKYARD

But this just wasn’t meant to be. About two months later, when I had all but completely forgotten about the Devil Car synopsis, I was approached by Ollie Roble Samaniego, then the latest addition to GASI’s transfusion of young blood (new comics editors with just as new ideas). “Vic,” he said, “I have two goals for HOLIDAY KOMIKS (the magazine Ollie was assigned to handle). One is to increase and hopefully to keep increasing, the number of its circulated copies. But before I can do that, I have to first implement the other goal and that is, to give Holiday Komiks a distinct new identity that it can claim as its own.” (GASI’s bet on the novels at the time rode heavily on the fantasy genre. Almost all of its comics magazines were similarly dishing out a fantasy novel or two as their primary offerings, so the mags really didn’t have any individuality.) Ollie continued, “I’d like to try something different and I think I’ve found what I’m looking for to initiate that change---in your Devil Car!” He explained that one time, he absentmindedly started to be thrown away and that was when he stumbled upon my rejected synopsis. Amazed that such potent material had just been left there for scrap, he said that he brought her straight to the editor-in-chief Joe Lad Santos and their lady boss, Mrs. C.P. Paguio to try and seek its immediate approval.