TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS KOMIKS COVERS

 

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS KOMIKS COVERS

 

          I tagged it “Traditional Christmas” because most of us know that December 25 is not really the day of birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It’s the wrong day, month and year of beginning. Christmas around the world, however, have been observed for centuries on this day.

          Daily, weekly and monthly publications follow the same the tradition, and their covers speak of the annual event. 
 

          Here are some Philippine komiks with Christmas as the theme or part of the layout greetings of the covers.

Pilipino Komiks #119, December 22, 1951

 

Espesyal Komiks #110, December 24, 1956

Superyor Komiks #48, December 25, 1961



Espesyal Komiks #266, December 17, 1962

Selected Wakasan Komiks Magasin #25, December 27, 1970

Holiday Komiks Magasin #204, January 1, 1971

 



Hiwaga Komiks #592, December 26, 1973



Tagalog Klasiks #801, December 29, 1977



Rex Komiks #78, December 17, 1979



Kampeon R.A.R. Komiks-Movie Magazine #224, December 21, 1979



 

Pilipino Funny Komiks #341, December 28, 1984



Shogun Qualikomiks #43, December 28, 1986



Super Action #16, December 1991

Pilipino Komik #2503, December 23, 1994

Sexy Movie Star Komiks Magazine #19, December 23, 1997





September 4



SEPTEMBER 4

Mr. & Ms.  Vol. 25 No. 20, September 4, 2001
On the cover: Eula Valdez and her son Miguel Jose and Jean Garcia and her daughter Jenica.

 

SULYAP SA NAKARAAN

Ang nobelang “Mga Balahibong Nangangalisag”
na isinulat ni Mars Ravelo at iginuhit ni Vir Aguirre
tampok sa Holiday Komiks Magasin Taon 3 Blg. 65, Setyembre 4, 1965.

Setyembre 4 sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas

          Noong Setyembre 4, 1899, ang Philippine Scouts ay binuo ng U.S. Army dito sa Pilipinas upang tugisin ang puwersang nasa ilalim ng pamumuno ni Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo sa Gitnang Luzon. Mula sa grupong Macabebes ng Pampanga ang mga kasapi ng Philippine Scouts.

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Personalities and celebrities born on September 4:

1862 – Rosalio Silos, musician, nationalist and martyr (d. December 29, 1896).

1929 – Max Soliven (Maximo Villaflor Soliven), journalist, newspaper publisher and co-founder of the Philippine Star – in Manila (d. November 24, 2006).

1934 – Palito (real name Reynaldo Alfredo R. Hipolito), actor and comedian – in Calamba, Laguna (d. April 12, 2010).

1968 – Arlene Muhlach (full name Arlene Anne Aquino Muhlach), actress – in Manila.

1986 – James Joseph Placer Younghusband, English-Filipino footballer – in Ashford, Surrey, England.



UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the
cover of Time (September 4, 2000).

Picture Trivia

          Kofi Atta Annan is the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. He is from Ghana and started his term on January 1, 1997, succeeding Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt.
  

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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.
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July 6






JULY 6

Ace Superheroes Komiks Taon 1 Blg. 6, Hulyo 6, 1995

Nasa taklob-pahina ang superhero na likha ni Rod Santiago na “Asero.”

Events that happened on July 6:

1765 – Jose Antonio Gutierrez Raon arrived in Manila to assume the position of governor-general. A street in Sta. Cruz, Manila, was named after him.

1839 – The Precios Corrientes de Manila, the first commercial newspaper in Spanish and English began its circulation.

 

Personalities and celebrities born on July 6:

1902 – Carlos Vander Tolosa, dance, film writer and director – in Manila (d. 1965).

1928 – Nestor de Villa (real name Gines Francisco Soriano), actor and dancer – Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija (d. February 21, 2004).

Nestor de Villa (with Nida Blanca for the film Hiyasmin)
on the cover of Bulaklak (Hiyas ng Tahanan) December 30, 1953 issue.

 

1943 – Liberty Ilagan, actress and businesswoman.

Liberty Ilagan
on the covers of Bulaklak (Hiyas ng Tahanan) and Holiday Komiks (September 27, 1969).

1949 – Noli de Castro (real name Manuel Leuterio de castro Jr), radio-TV broadcaster, senator and 14th Vice-President – in Pola, Oriental Mindoro.

Noli de Castro (then Vice-President)
on the cover of Philippine Free Press (December 13, 2008).

 

14-year-old Sue Lyon (as Lolita)
on the cover of‘Teen June 1963 issue.

Picture Trivia
           Actress Sue Lyon (full name Suellyn Lyon, born July 10, 1946) was only 14 years old when she portrayed the role of Dolores Haze, the sexually charged adolescent and the object of an older man’s obsessions in the 1962 film, Lolita, directed by Stanley Kubrick. She was chosen for the role partly because her curvy figure suggested an appearance of an adult. Based on the novel of the same title by Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (1899-1977), Kubrick’s Lolita, although a toned-down version of the story, was nonetheless one of the most talked about films of its day. Only barely 15 years old when the film premiered, Sue Lyon became an instant celebrity and won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female.

          In what can be considered as scruples amid society’s double standard, Lyon went to a moviehouse to see her own film, Lolita, but ironically was not permitted to enter the theater because she was a minor.

          The following year, Lyon was again casted as a precocious and seductive young teen in the John Huston directorial The Night of the Iguana, where she fitted charm and beauty against the like of Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner to gain the attention of Richard Burton.

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March 23

 

MARCH 23

Liwayway, Marso 23, 1953
Tampok sa taklob-pahina
ang maikling nobelang “Kay Lalim na ng Gabi” ni F. Bani. 

 

UNANG LABAS

Ang Holiday Komiks Taon 1 Bilang 1
na lumabas noong Marso 23, 1963.
Tampok sa taklob-pahina ang
“Pista ng Nayon” na iginuhit ni Elpidio Torres.

Ang Holiday Komiks ng Graphic Arts Services Incorporated (GASI) ay unang lumabas sa sirkulasyon noong Marso 23, 1963. Si Elpidio Torres ang gumuhit ng unang taklob-pahina (cover page) ng komiks na naglalarawan ng "Pista ng Nayon."
Tampok sa unang isyu ng Holiday Komiks ang "Taong Tuod" (isinulat nina Mars Ravelo at R.R. Marcelino at iginuhit ni Vir Aguirre); "Pista sa Muzon" (Isinulat ni Pedro San Felipe at iginuhit ni Elpidio Torres); "Ang Musikong Bumbong ni Ando" (Isinulat ni Laureano Calixto at iginuhit ni Ading Gozales Jr); "Ang Pag-ibig ni Dr. Marvin" (ni Jess Jodloman); "Bededon" (isinulat ni O.B. Pangilinan at iginuhit ni Alfredo Alcala; at ang mga kuwentong katatawanan na "Sagatok Inc." ni Larry Alcala at "Sorpresang Handa" nina Manuel Ramirez at Teny Henson.


 

Events that happened on March 23

1575 – Juan de Salcedo led an expedition against Limahong in Pangasinan.

1877 – Dr. Jose Rizal received the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Ateneo.

1897 – The Acta de Tejeros was signed by Andres Bonifacio. In this document, Bonifacio declared that the elections held the previous day were null and void.

            The Nineteen Martyrs of Aklan were excuted at Kalibo.

1901 – Emilio Aguinaldo was captured in Palanan, Isabela, by the Frederick Funston with the help of the Macabebe traitors led by Hilario Tal Placido.

Personalities and celebrities born on March 23:

1863 – Victoriano Luciano, pharmacist, Katipunan member, and one of the Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite – in Cavite (d. September 12, 1896).

1889 – Camilo Osias, educator, writer, resident commissioner to the United States, and Senate President – in Balaoan, La Union (d. May 20, 1976).

1895 – Encarnacion A. Alzona, historian, educator, suffragette, and National Scientist (1985) – in Biñan, Laguna (d. March 13, 2001, in Manila).

1900 – Jose Vasquez Aguilar, educator, pioneer in the establishment of community schools, and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee – in Cadiz, Negros Occidental (d. January 31, 1980).

1961 – Ricky Davao (full name Ricardo Manuel Caballes Davao), actor and director – in Manila.

1985 – Geoff Alatiit Eigenmann, actor, model and TV host.

Geoff Eigenmann (with Heart Evangelista)
on the cover of Mr. & Ms. (March 22, 2005)



1992 – Ria Atayde (real name Maria Sophia Ocampo Atayde), actress – in Mandaluyong City.

Ria Atayde
on the cover of Liwayway (September 7, 2015)

Via Veloso on the cover of Savvy  Vol. 4 No. 1
(March 23, 1998)
 

Larawang Tribiya

          Sexy star Via Veloso was first introduced in Celso Ad Castillo’s remake film Isla (1996) when she was but 15 years of age. This was after she placed fourth in a “Face of the Year” contest. She inherited the title role of Maria Isabel Lopez in the earlier version of Isla (1985).

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