IF this were a comic book, the debut of amazing new characters would be greeted with huge word balloons adorned with “All-New,” “All-Exciting” and a league of exclamation points. Consider that done with the entry of Carlo Pagulayan and Stephen Jorge Segovia into the big-time comic book scene in the United States.

Like many others involved in comic books, Pagulayan, 29, looked up to someone for inspiration to get his story going. “My brother Eric was the first person to make me interested in drawing,” he recalls. “Initially I copied his drawings. Then I started drawing my toys when I was 5 and in Kindergarten.”

Pagulayan studied industrial engineering at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, graduating in 2000. After a brief stint in production at a Laguna circuit board factory, he began making his first appearances in comic books—as an artist.

After a childhood spent astonished by the X-Men and the Scarlet Witch, Pagulayan attended a comic book creation seminar by the Glasshouse Graphics studio. Glasshouse counts several Filipinos among its talents, including Segovia. Two years later, Pagulayan contributed a three-page sequence in a fund-raising book after 9/11. “No pay, of course,” he says.

On a whim, he drew the assassin Elektra on New Year’s Eve in 2002, and his agent ended up showing the image to Marvel Comics editor in chief Joe Quesada. In a case of uncanny timing, the artist on the “Elektra” series, Chuck Austen, was shifting to writing. “So I got the job.”

After drawing a variety of X-related titles ("Emma Frost” and “X-Men Unlimited” among them) and the all-ages “Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four,” Pagulayan landed the penciling slot in one of Marvel’s iconic titles, “The Incredible Hulk.” He was psyched to be with the not-so-jolly green giant: “Overjoyed and overwhelmed and still in disbelief,” he describes his reaction. “It’s something my friends and I grew up reading and now I’m part of the story creation.” Then it got better. Pagulayan was on board when series writer Greg Pak took the Hulk literally out of this world with the gladiator-themed Planet Hulk story arc, garnering readers and accolades.

Now this artist looks forward to working on another Marvel icon—and someone with a heavy metal movie hit—when he pencils “Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.” He would love a chance to work on the X-Men in the future but for now is enjoying his place in a rarefied pantheon, particularly with countryman Leinil Francis Yu, now a bona fide superstar artist providing the visuals for Marvel’s blockbuster crossover "Secret Invasion."

As for Segovia, as far as secret origins are concerned, he has one he’d like to test pilot. “I was actually an autistic child and came from the planet Krypton before,” says this 25-year-old artist, before adding, “just joking.” After providing visual aids for his teachers, he began his life as a professional illustrator through the seminal serial “Funny Komiks” while he was part of the Department of Education’s home-schooling program for high school. He decided to leave his computer studies at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa in 2001 after his career as a comic book artist began to take off.

Segovia cut his teeth on local comic books then moved on to international assignments such as Image Comics’ “Tokyo Knights.” His big break happened when he landed one of the penciling roles in the supernatural DC Comics title “Countdown to Mystery.” He got the coveted gig after submitting his portfolio to DC’s editors and was surprised to get a call just a week later. “It’s a dream come true,” he admits. “It’s just like I won in a lottery.” Now he lands yet another top shelf assignment as he dispenses art for the series “Wolverine: Origins,” which stars Marvel’s favorite claw-equipped mutant.

Drawing the X-Men is also a dream for Segovia and while he has drawn the character in “Countdown to Mystery,” he would love to draw a series featuring The Batman.

Just never mistake Pagulayan’s and Segovia’s work for child’s play. Penciling for the pros requires that they approximate the fastest men on Earth, working without fear. The Internet and computers may have made the process smoother, but it still requires the big three: skill, ideas and punctuality.

In Tanauan, Batangas, Pagulayan starts drawing in the afternoon, likes creating layouts on the computer, and often works until three in the morning. Meanwhile, in Morong, Rizal, Segovia works at least 12 hours a day.

Looming deadlines are their fiercest foes. “I don’t want fatigue to affect the final product,” Pagulayan explains. “But on a rush project, there’s no choice but to ignore fatigue.”

Segovia describes the experience of working for international publishers similarly: “You’ll have to live like vampires. You have to work at night and sleep in the daytime. Sometimes I have to work even on Sunday to meet my deadlines. Because of this I easily get burned out, but I guess it’s the artist’s curse.”

But they’re not complaining. This dynamic duo knows they’re living a dream. “It is work,” Segovia clarifies. “And yet I’m enjoying what I do simply because this is what I love to do best.” Pagulayan says being part of crafting the same modern myths that he grew up reading is sensational “We are forever justified for being kids at heart.”

Aside from being friends, the two share a liking for video games and movies in their secret identities. They are also linked by invincible pride. “I am still in awe of the company I work with. It’s one of my greatest dreams,” Segovia says. “I never thought it would happen. I hope more Filipino aspiring artists will accomplish this kind of dream.”

Pagulayan is as amazed and is sometimes in disbelief of it all. “I can’t help but feel flattered and confused, and doubt whether fans really like my work,” he says sheepishly.

Being a professional has its benefits, like hanging out with other pros, the two reveal. Segovia admits to being a fan of Secret Invasion’s Yu. “I look up to him as a role model, an inspiration and a friend,” he says. Pagulayan has meanwhile attended a comic convention in France as a guest, and says, “There’s nothing better for an artist’s first trip outside the country than a trip to France.”

With an eye to the future, all they want is to have long, productive careers in comics—and they know they’ve just started. Pagulayan says that right now, he feels like he’s “still walking up on a downward treading escalator in the dark with no flashlight.”

What they also agree on is that more Filipino artists will be making their own breakthroughs in comics. “A lot of Filipinos are already doing work in foreign comic companies, Segovia notes. “It’s just a matter of time before one of them gets a big break.” He thinks that Filipinos have an inborn artistic streak on top of being capable of hard work. Pagulayan personally knows that more fantastic Filipinos are bound to come and conquer the comic book scene. “Undeniably,” he reveals. “I’ve already seen a few artists whose art is just breathtaking.”