Darna is a fictional Filipino comics superhero created by writer Mars Ravelo and artist Nestor Redondo. The character's first appearance was in Pilipino Komiks #77 on May 13, 1950. Darna is a retooling of Ravelo's earlier character, Varga, whose stories he wrote and illustrated himself. This character first appeared in Bulaklak Magazine, Volume 4, #17 on July 23, 1947. Ravelo left Bulaklak due to differences with the publication's editors. One of the most popular Filipino superheroes, Darna has appeared in many films and several television series through the decades which have far overshadowed her actual comics tenure.
Liwayway is a leading Tagalog weekly magazine published in the Philippines since 1922. It contains Tagalog serialized novels, short stories, poetry, serialized comics, essays, news features, entertainment news and articles, and many others. In fact, it is the oldest Tagalog magazine in the Philippines. Its sister publications are Bannawag, Bisaya Magasin, and Hiligaynon.
Doroteo Gerardo N. Alanguilan, Jr., also known in the Philippines by his alias Komikero, was a Filipino comic book artist, writer, and architect from San Pablo, Laguna. He was an important figure in the Philippine comics renaissance of the 1990s and early 2000s, and is known internationally for his graphic novels Wasted and Elmer, and for his inking on American superhero comics such as Wetworks, X-Men, Superman: Birthright, Wolverine, and Fantastic Four.
Comics in the Philippines are widespread and popular throughout the country from the 1920s to the present. Komiks were partially inspired by American mainstream comic strips and comic books during the early 20th century. Particularly after World War II, the medium became widely popular, though its mainstream appeal has subsided somewhat with the advent of other mass-media forms such as telenovelas. Webcomics produced by independent Filipino web-based artists have caught the attention of local and foreign readers.
Jim M. Fernandez is a Filipino comic book artist best known for his works on Aztec and Aliwan Komiks. He also popularized the fictional character, Zuma in his novels. Apart from being an editor, illustrator, cartoonist, and writer for Philippine comics, Fernandez was also a certified public accountant in the Philippines.
Varga is a Filipino comics superheroine, similar to the American Wonder Woman. Mars Ravelo wrote and illustrated Varga for Bulaklak Magazine, appearing first in the magazine's No. 17, Vol. 4 issue. A falling out with some of the magazine's editors caused Ravelo to resign from Bulaklak and transfer to Pilipino Komiks, where he re-launched his superhero. Ravelo renamed her Darna, an anagram of the superheroine's mortal alter-ego name Narda. Darna's adventures in Pilipino Komiks began in the No. 77 issue, where she was illustrated by Nestor Redondo.
Filipino cartoon and animation, also known as Pinoy cartoon and animation, is a body of original cultural and artistic works and styles applied to conventional Filipino storytelling, combined with talent and the appropriate application of classic animation principles, methods, and techniques, which recognizes their relationship with Filipino culture, comics, and films. It also delves into relying on traditional and common Filipino "sense of going about things" or manner of coping with Filipino life and environment.
Siopawman was a Filipino comedic superhero. It was also the title of the first comic strip created by Filipino cartoonist Lauro "Larry" Zarate Alcala after World War II.
Hagibis is one of the first comic book heroes in the history of komiks in the Philippines. Hagibis was created in 1947 by Francisco V. Coching, a Filipino comic book artist and illustrator who is considered as the "father" or "grandfather" of Filipino comics. Tarzan-like in appearance, the form of Hagibis had also been based on another early Filipino comic book hero, Kulafu, who was created by Francisco Reyes. Hagibis featured in one of the longest-running serials in the history of Filipino comic books, which ran for fifteen years in Liwayway magazine. Hagibis was later featured in a film with Fernando Poe, Sr. as Hagibis.
Francisco V. Coching was a Filipino comic books illustrator and writer and is regarded as one of the “pillars of the Philippine Komiks Industry”. He served as both illustrator and writer for his comic book stories, Coching is referred to as the "King of Komiks", and as the "Dean of Philippine Comics". In 2014, he was posthumously conferred as a National Artist for Visual Arts, the highest honor for artists in the Philippines.
Francisco Reyes is a Filipino illustrator and comic strip artist who is regarded as the “King of the Philippine-jungle lord school of comics-strip writing”. He was the co-creator, together with Pedrito Reyes, of Kulafu (1930s), the first colored adventure comic strip in the history of comics and magazines in the Philippines.
José Zabala-Santos, nicknamed as "Mang Pepe" by hometown neighbors and as "Zabala" by colleagues in the cartooning profession, was a successful cartoonist in the Philippines and was one of the pioneers of Philippine comics. He became one of the most popular cartoonists in the Philippines during the 1950s because of his cartoon characters such Popoy, Sianong Sano, and Lukas Malakas. Zabala is one of the "respected names" of artists in the Philippine cartoon and comics industry.
Antonio "Tony" Velasquez is a Filipino illustrator regarded as the Father of Tagalog comics and as the pioneer and founding father of the Philippine comics industry. He was the creator of Kenkoy, an “iconic Philippine comic strip character”.
Francisco "Kenkoy" Harabas is a Philippine comics character created by writer Romualdo Ramos and cartoonist and illustrator Tony Velasquez in 1929. Velazquez continued the strip for decades after Ramos' death in 1932. Kenkoy was seminal to Philippine comics and thus Velasquez is considered the founding father of the industry. The term kenkoy has entered the Filipino language to mean a joker, jester, or a hilarious person.
Mauro Malang Santos, commonly known by the mononym Malang, was a Filipino and award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and fine arts painter. As a comics artist he is best known for the series Kosme the Cop, Chain Gang Charlie and Beelzebub.
Virgilio "Virgil" Redondo y Purugganan was a Filipino comic book writer and artist.
Clodualdo del Mundo Sr. was a Filipino novelist, playwright, essayist, short story writer, journalist, screenwriter, teacher, critic. Many comics fans know him as the prolific writer of komiks through Liwayway and Ace Publications.
Celso L. "Sonny" Trinidad was a Filipino comics artist who worked in the Filipino and American comic book industries. In the U.S., he is mostly known for his work for Marvel Comics in the mid–1970s.
Jesse Santos was a Filipino comic book artist. He is best known as the co-creator of Dagar the Invincible and Tragg and the Sky Gods.
