This is a list of Filipino comics creators or komikeros. Although comics (Filipino : Komiks) have different formats, this list covers creators of editorial cartoons, comic books, graphic novels and comic strips, along with early innovators. The list presents authors with the Philippines as their country of origin, although they may have published or now be resident in other countries. For other countries, see List of comic creators.
Darna is a Filipina superheroine 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 the Bulaklak Magazine publications 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.
Valentina is a supervillain created by Mars Ravelo and Nestor Redondo who first appeared in the second episode of the Darna series published in the Philippine comics Pilipino Komiks. One of the most recognizable supervillainess characters in the Philippines, she is the archenemy of Darna. She was originally a bitter, deformed woman born from ordinary human parents with venomous snakes on her head that appears to be like hair. When she grew up, she killed her parents and was subsequently taken in by a serpent creature named Kobra. Valentina was soon referred to as "goddess of the snakes".
Mar Amongo was a Filipino comics artist and illustrator.
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 have been popular throughout the Philippines from the 1920s to the present. Komiks were partially inspired by American mainstream comic strips and comic books during the early 20th century. The medium first became widely popular after World War II. Its mainstream appeal subsided somewhat during the latter part of the 20th century with the advent of other mass-media forms such as telenovelas, but experienced a renaissance in the mid-2010s with the increasing popularity of artists such as Gerry Alanguilan, Arnold Arre, Budjette Tan, Kajo Baldisimo, and the rise of fan communities through comic book conventions such as komikon. Webcomics produced by independent Filipino web-based artists have caught the attention of local and foreign readers.
Alfredo P. Alcala was a Filipino comics artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the Alcala Komix Magazine. His 1963 creation Voltar introduced him to an international audience, particularly in the United States. Alcala garnered awards in science fiction during the early part of the 1970s.
Jim M. Fernandez was 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.
Nestor P. Redondo was a Filipino comics artist best known for his work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and other American publishers in the 1970s and early 1980s. In his native Philippines, he is known for co-creating the superheroine Darna.
Vincente Doria Catan Jr., known by his pen name Vicatan, was a Filipino comics artist and novelist.
Hagibis is one of the first comic book superheroes 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. Tarzanesque 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.
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.
Halakhak Komiks is the first regularly published comics magazine in the Philippines. Its first publication was on November 15, 1946. It was founded by Filipino illustrator Isaac Tolentino and Filipino lawyer Jaime Lucas.
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”.
Virgilio "Virgil" Redondo y Purugganan was a Filipino comic book writer and artist.
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 was best known as the co-creator of Dagar the Invincible and Tragg and the Sky Gods with writer Donald F. Glut.
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