July 23



JULY 23

Holiday Komiks  Taon 4 Blg. 88, Hulyo 23, 1966

Nasa taklob-pahina ang “Buhay Tin-edyer” ni Ading Gonzales

UNANG LABAS

Ang unang labas ng “Varga”
na katha ni Mars Ravelo
sa Bulaklak (Hiyas ng Tahanan)
Taon 4, Blg. 17, Hulyo 23, 1947.

Marami ang nakakaalam na ang kinikilalang paboritong superheroine ng bayan na si Darna ay mula sa naunang katha ni Mars Ravelo na Varga. Alam niyo ba na ang konsepto ng isang babaeng superhero ay unang sumagid sa isip ni Mars Ravelo noong 1939, matapos niyang masubaybayan ang paglitaw ni Superman sa Action Comics? Si Superman ang naging inspirasyon ni Ravelo sa paglikha sa isang original Filipino superheroine na una niyang tinawag na Suprema, ang “Kamangha-manghang dilag” (“The Wonder Woman”). Ang pangalang Suprema ay halaw sa salitang “Supremo” o “pinakamataas na pinuno” na siyang pangalang-sagisag na ginamit ni Andres Bonifacio. Tataglayin ni Suprema ang kakayahang katulad ng kay Superman.

Binago ni Ravelo ang pangalang Suprema dahil sa payo ng isang kaibigan na nagsabi sa kaniya na baka may magalit at sabihin pang iniinsulto niya si Bonifacio. Taga-Cavite kasi si Ravelo at nang panahon iyon ay mainit pa ang usapin sa nangyari sa magkapatid na Bonifacio. Ang pangalan ngang ipinalit niya ay Varga. Si Varga ay lubhang napakalakas, nakalilipad at ang costume ay mala-watawat ng Pilipinas. Inialok ni Ravelo ang kaniyang konsepto sa mga American at Filipino publishers subali’t hindi ito agad binigyang pansin. Ang sabi nila, hindi raw bebenta ang isang babaeng superhero.

Noong huling bahagi ng 1939, inalok ni Ravelo sa magasing Liwayway ang “Varga” subali’t hindi ito tinanggap. Kaya pansamantala itong itinago ni Ravelo hanggang matapos ang World War II. Noong 1947, muling inialok ni Ravelo, sa pagkakataong ito, ang kaniyang nilikhang superheroine sa magasing Bulaklak. Unang nabasa ang pakikipagsapalaran ni “Varga” sa Bulaklak (Hiyas ng Tahanan) Taon 4 Blg 17, Hulyo 23, 1947.

Ang “Varga” ay isinulat at iginuhit mismo ni Ravelo, na ang paraan ng pagdidibuho nang panahon yaon ay pinaghalong mga istilo ng kaniyang iniidolong Irish cartoonist na si George McManus (1884-1954) at ng Jewish-American animator na si Max Fleischer (1883-1972). Subali’t naging malikot ang tadhana kay Ravelo, hindi nagtuloy-tuloy ang kabuuang kuwento ng Varga dahil nagkaroon siya ng di-pagkakasundo sa kaniyang editor, at ang pagmamay-ari sa kaniyang katha ay napunta sa Bulaklak.

Nang ilipat niya sa Pilipino Komiks ang kaniyang superheroine, kinailangan niyang baguhin ang pangalan nito. Ang “Darna” taliwas sa mga hakahaka, ay hindi nagmula sa “Ibong Adarna” ng panitikang Pilipino. Ito ay mula sa anagram ng “Narda” na pangalan ng batang babaeng alter-ego ni Varga.

 

Events that happened on July 23:

1935 – The first Commonwealth election was approved.

Personalities and celebrities born on July 23:

1815 – Apolinario de la Cruz (better known as Hermano Pule), founder of the Cofradia de San Jose, a messianic organization – in Lucban, Quezon Province (d. November 4, 1841)

1864 – Apolinario Maranan Mabini, revolutionary thinker, political philosopher and the “Brain of the Philippine Revolution” – Talaga, Tanauan, Batangas (d. May 13, 1903).

1954 – Bernard Fabiosa, basketball player known as the “Sultan of Swipes” – in Bohol.

Bernard Fabiosa
on the cover of Sports Weekly Magazine (July 24, 1981).

1971 – Maureen Mauricio, actress and model – Olongapo, Zamabales.

Maureen Mauricio
on the back cover inside spread of Pinoy Erotika Extra Hot No. 2 (March 1989)

1971 – Eugene Domingo (full name Eugena Roxas Domingo), actress-comedienne and television host – in Malate, Metro Manila. 

Eugene Domingo
on the covers of Star Studio (November 2009) and Bannawag (June 11, 2012)

1982 – Zanjoe Acuesta Marudo, actor and model – in Tanauan, Batangas. 



Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern
on the cover of Entertainment Weekly
(July 23, 2010).

Picture Trivia

          Do you know that the film Green Lantern (2011) was conceptualized as early as 1997? Warner Brothers approached filmmaker and comic book writer Kevin Smith to write the script for the first Green Lantern film, but he declined. A few directors were also offered to do the film including Greg Berlanti and Zack Snyder but it didn’t push through. Many actors were also being eyed to portray the role including Sam Worthington, Chris Pine, Brian Austin Green, Bradley Cooper, Justin Timberlake at Jared Leto. Finally, Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim wrote the script while Geoff Johns became creative consultant. Martin Campbell took the helm as director, and in 2009, Ryan Reynolds was chosen to portray the role of Hal Jordan and his alter-ego superhero the Green Lantern.
                             o     O     o

January 29

 

January 29


MOD Vol.25 No. 1117, January 29, 1993
On the cover: Evangeline D. Cayco

 

UNANG LABAS

Ang CRAF Klasix Magasin ng CRAF Publishing Inc. ay unang lumabas noong Enero 29, 1964. Tampok ang “Conquistador” sa spread cover ng unang labas ng komiks na ito. Ang mga letrang CRAF ay sumasagisag sa pangalan ng apat na alamat ng komiks sa Pilipinas: “C” para kay Coching, “R” para kay Nestor Redondo, “A” para kay Alfredo Alcala at “F” para kay Jim Fernandez. Isinabay ang paglabas sa sirkulasyon ng CRAF Klasix sa ika-45 kaarawan ni Coching, ang “Dekano ng mga Filipino Komiks Illustrators.”

Ang nobelang komiks na “Conquistador” sa spread cover
ng unang labas ng CRAF Klasix Magasin (Enero 29, 1964)



January 29 in Philippine History:

1850 - Lottery was introduced in the Philippines through a Spanish Royal Decree. The Loteria Nacional was managed by the government and was held in Intramuros, Manila.

1889 – Davao was renamed Nueva Guipuzcoa by Spanish royal decree.

1982 – Founding of the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines (ECP) with Imee Marcos as chairperson and Johnny Litton as director-general.

GLIMPSE FROM THE PAST

Agnes Ayres from the 1921 film Forbidden Fruit on the cover of
Movie Picture World (January 29,1921).
NOTE: The film Forbidden Fruit, produced by Cecil B.DeMille
was a remake of an earlier film, The Golden Chance (1915), which was also made by DeMille.
It starred Agnes Ayres and Clarence Burton.
Only two known copies of the film remained intact:
One is the Library of Congress and the other in the George Eastman House.

 

Pinoy personalities and celebrities born on January 29:

1889 – Francisco Santiago, pianist, composer and music scholar – in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. (d. September 28, 1947)

Picture of Francisco V. Coching in his early days.

1919 – Francisco Vicente Coching, legendary writer-illustrator and the “Dean of Filipino Komiks Illustrators” – in Buting, Pasig, then part of Rizal Province. (September 1, 1998)



1935 – Lolita Rodriguez (real name Dolores Maiquez Clark), Filipino-American multi-awarded actress – Urdaneta, Pangasinan (d. November 28, 2016).

Lolita Rodriguez

on the cover of Liwayway (May 7, 1956).

1979 – Marvin Agustin (full name Marvin Jay Cuyugan Agustin), actor, television host and entrepreneur – in Paco, Manila. 

Marvin Agustin (with Jolina Magdangal)

on the cover of Mr. & Ms. (May 19, 1998).

Ang Kulay Luntian

 

          Ang tamang pagliliwat sa Pilipino ng salitang “green” sa English ay “luntian. Sa kabilang banda, ang salitang “berde” ay hiram mula sa verde (green) ng Kastila. Ang kulay na ito ay sumisimbolo sa Inang Kalikasan dahil ito ang kulay ng isang gubat na puno ng mayayabong na punongkahoy. Sa mga Chinese, ang kulay luntian ay tumutukoy sa direksyon Silangan.

                                      o     O     o

 

          Ang unang kulay na nabanggit sa Standard Bible ay “green” (Genesis 1:30).

                                      o     O     o

 

          Luntian ang kulay ng dugo ni Mr. Spock, isa sa mga pangunahing character ng TV-movie series na Star Trek. Ito naman ang kulay ng mata ni Ichabod Crane, ang character sa maikling kuwento (short story) ni Washington Irving (1783-1859) na The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

                                      o     O     o

 

          Sa pelikula, ang A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) ay kulay luntian.

                                      o     O     o

 

          Ang luntian ay mahalagang kulay sa relihiyong Islam. Sa Qur'an, sura Al-Insan, ang mga nananampalataya kay Allah ay nakasuot ng kulay luntian sa Paraiso. Nabanggit din ni Muhammad na ang kaluntian (greenery), bukod sa tubig at magandang mukha, ay tatlong lubhang mahahalagang bagay. Ang bandila ng Libya ay kulay luntian bilang pagsang-ayon sa pagpapahalaga ng Islam sa kulay na ito.

                                      o     O     o

 

 

Picture Trivia

The Green Lantern Super Spectacular comics magazine,
which was released in line with the Green Lantern film (2011).
It featured among others, a rewritten and redrawn story
of the “Secret Origin” of Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern.
Front cover design by Ivan Reis and Dave McCaig.

          The first Green Lantern (secret identity of Alan Scott) was conceptualized by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell. He first appeared in All-American Comics #16 (July 1940). In the next version, the test pilot Hal Jordan was chosen to become the Green Lantern after the owner of the power ring, Abin Sur, died. The story was written by John Broome and illustrated by Gil Kane. It appeared in Crime Comic #22 (October 1959).

          The original creed (Golden Age) being spoken by the Green Lantern goes like this: “And I shall shed my light over the dark things for the dark things cannot stand light. The light of the Green Lantern.”

          The modern day creed is more poetic: “In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, beware my power – Green Lantern’s light.”

                                      o     O     o