MANILA, Philippines ? This is not a good time to be a comic book artist?it?s a spectacular time. And soon, it will be 29-year-old artist Heubert Khan Michael?s time.

The mild-mannered guidance counselor at Colegio San Agustin changes into a penciller with intricate details, dynamic lines and a definite superheroic feel. Weaned on Super Mario Bros. of the Family Computer and Voltron on TV, Michael started on his art early.

?My first sketchpad was the apartment wall,? he says. ?I sold sketches to my classmates back in kindergarten.? After his parents bought him an issue of the Superman-starring ?Action Comics,? he was hooked. He won third prize in last year?s Fully Booked Graphic/Fiction Awards and released his self-published comic book ?Unstoppable? at last year?s Komikon.

?I think people started to really notice my work after my indie came out.? That, plus an impressive deviantart page (wrathofkhan.deviantart.com) caught the attention of international publishers; he just had a pinup published in the Image Comics title ?Dynamo 5? and is currently breathlessly working on a dream tryout for (gasp) Marvel Comics. Like his favorite character Batman (he owns a replica Utility Belt), Michael works best at night, and then gets ready for his day job. He knows his fantastic voyage could just be starting, and dreams of a lasting career in mainstream international comics. "I sometimes even daydream of seeing my creation turned into a TV series by a local giant network,? he says.

This is an artist ready for his turn in the spotlight. Meanwhile, he has other big projects to busy himself with, like his forthcoming nuptials with fiancée Kristine. But Michael knows that he and his artistic Filipino brethren may just now be, well, unstoppable. ?There?ll be a Pinoy Invasion,? he predicts. ?And it has begun.? RSDV