Captain Barbell: The Real Origin of a Pinoy Superhero

MOD, July 2011

On the front cover: Marian Rivera

On the back cover: Louise delos Reyes for the Particles print ad

The second article I wrote about Mars Ravelo’s “Captain Barbell” for MOD magazine. This time it’s about “The Real Origin of the Pinoy Superhero” as told by its creator Mars Ravelo in my 1985 interview with him, still unpublished until this article.

“Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later.” – Proverbs 22:3, The Good News Bible in Today’s English Version.

Darna! The Evolution of a Superheroine

TV Star Guide (Later Atlas TV Guide), May 2005
On the cover: Constantine Maroulis and Bo Bice

This article, “Darna! The Evolution of a Superheroine” (pp. 14-15) was written barely a month after the hit GMA 7 television series Darna, which starred Angel Locsin. Had the publisher and editor used a Darna/Angel Locsin cover instead of the one above like what I suggested, the magazine would have sold like hotcakes. An updated version can be read on my blog, DARNA: The Original Filipino Superheroine. Furthermore, in The Untold Beginning of Darna.

“Many a woman shows how gifted she is; but you excel them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; but the woman who fears the LORD is honoured.” – Proverbs 21:29-30, The Revised English Bible.

December 10



DECEMBER 10

Prime Weekly Edition Vol. 2 No. 43, December 10, 1987

On the Cover: Maria Cecilia "Cecille M. Maningas

Disyembre 10 sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas

          Noong Disyembre 10, 1898, ang Treaty of Paris ay nilagdaan ng United States at Spain kung saan ipinauubaya na ng mga Kastila ang pag-angkin at pamamahala ng kaniyang mga koloniya kabilang ang Pilipinas sa kamay ng mga Amerikano. Nagprotesta ang Malolos Republic ni Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo sa kasunduang ito na humahadlang sa pagkakaroon ng Pilipinas ng kasarinlan.

                                                          o     O     o

          Ang Metropolitan Theater ay itinatag sa Manila noong Disyembre 10, 1931. Bahagya itong nasira noong World War II at, noong 1978, isinaayos ito sa tulong at pagpupunyagi ng Unang Ginang Imelda R. Marcos.

                                                          o     O     o

SULYAP SA NAKARAAN

Tampok sa taklob-pahina ng Espesyal Komiks Blg. 109, Disyembre 10, 1956,

ang kuwento ni Mars Ravelo na “Eternally” na iginuhit ni Elpidio Torres.

 

Personalities and celebrities born on December 10:

1908 – Loretor Paras-Sulit, writer and civic worker – in Ermita, Manila (d. April 23, 2008).

1932 – Lauro Delgado (real name Loreto Gonzales Porciuncula), actor – in Bundukan, Lolomboy, Bocaue, Bulacan (d. January 15, 1978).

1938 – Alfredo Logronio Benipayo, lawyer, professor, bar reviewer and government official – in Manila.

1948 – Eman Lacaba (full name Emmanuel Agapito Flores Lacaba), playwright, poet, scriptwriter, songwriter and activist – in Cagayan de Oro (d. March 18, 1976).

1953 – Ramon Naval Guico Jr, politician – in Binalonan, Pangasinan.

1961 – Nia Peeples (full name Virenia Gwendolyn Rubic Peeples), American singer and actress of Filipino descent – in Hollywood, California.

1973 – Nicholas “Nic” Belasco, basketball player – in Stockholm, California.

1984 – Krista Ranillo (real name Cristella Lauren Tupaz Ranillo), actress and model – in Quezon City.

Krista Ranillo
on the covers of FHM Philippines (August 2008) and Maxim Philippines (March 2009).



1985 – Vincent Mendoza Bueno, singer and composer – in Vienna, Austria.

 

Taylor Swift on the cover of
Entertainment Weekly (December 10, 2010).

Picture Trivia

          Taylor Swift’s third music album, Speak Now, was released on October 2010. On its first week alone it has sold more than one million copies. Do you know that Swift wrote all the songs in this album? There are 14 songs in this album: the carrier single “Speak Now,” “Mine,” “Sparks Fly,” “Back to December,” “Dear John,” “Mean,” “The Story of Us,” “Never Grow Up,” “Enchanted,” “Better Than Revenge,” “Innocent,” “Haunted,” “Last Kiss,” at “Long Live.”

                             o     O     o

December 7



DECEMBER 7

Beloved komiks Blg. 456, Disyembre 7, 1997

Tampok sa taklob-pahina ang “Ediser Monette” ni R. Abiera M. Capistrano
na iginuhit ni Mario E. Manuel

 

Disyembre 7 sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas

                     

          Noong Disyembre 7, 1933, ang Woman Suffrage Bill, na nagbibigay karapatan sa mga kababaihang Filipino na bumoto, ay nilagdaan ng American Governor-General na si Frank Murphy.

                                                          o     O     o

          Isang nagngangalang Carlito Lamailig ang nagtangkang paslangin ang Unang Ginang Imelda R. Marcos noong Disyemdra 7, 1972. Nasugatan ang Unang Ginang at napatay ng mga tauhan ng security force si Lamailig.

                                                          o     O     o

MUKHA NG NAKARAAN


Tampok sa taklob-pahina ng Kenkoy Pocket Size Komiks Blg. 26 (Disyembre 7, 1959)

ang kuwentong “Markado” na iginuhit ni Antonio Ocampo

Personalities and celebrities born on December 7:

1830 – Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, lawyer, propagandist, revolutionary leader and author of the Philippine Declaration of Independence in Kawit, Cavite, in June 12, 1898 – in Biñan, Laguna (d. December 4, 1903).

1922 – Armando Goyena (real name Jose G. Revilla Jr), actor and matinee idol – in Manila. (d. March 9, 2011)

1979 – Derek Arthur Ramsay, British-Filipino actor, model, television host and frisbee player – in England.

Derek Ramsay
on the covers of Men’s Health (October 2011) and People Asia (April-May 2012).



1981 – Sonny Thoss (full name Joachim Gunther Thoss), German-Filipino basketball player – in Papua New Guinea.

1994 – Myrtle Abigail Porlucas Sarrosa, cosplayer and actress – in Barrotac Nuevo, Iloilo.

Myrtle Sarrosa
on the cover of FHM Philippines (November 2014).

Ang Ating Planetang Earth

Ang pamosong kuhang-larawan ng daigdig

na tinawag na “The Blue Marble.” Ito ay kuha

mula sa Apollo 17 noong December 7, 1972,

habang patungo ito sa Buwan. Ang nakunang

bahagi ng daigdig ay ang mga sangkalupaan

o continents ng Africa at Antarctica at ang

Arabian Peninsula. Kasama sa paglalakbay si

Harrison H. Schmitt, ang kauna-unahang

geologist na pumaimbulog sa kalawakan.

          Ang Earth ang pang-limang pinakamalaking planeta sa Solar System na may equatorial diameter na 12,756.41 kilometers, polar diameter na 12,713.44 kilometers, volume na mahigit 1,082,513,038,500 cubic kilometers, at bigat na 6.5854 sextillion tons. Ito ay pumapaimbulog sa palibot ng Araw sa bilis na 107,825 kilometers per hour. Ang total surface area ng mundo ay humigit-kumulang 509,847,500 square kilometers kung saan mahigit 75.24 porsyento ay natatakpan ng tubig.

          Ang gravity ng ating mundo ay humahawak sa mahigit 5.7 quadrillion tons ng Earth’s atmosphere sa kinalalagyan nito. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit hindi ito sumasambulat sa kalawakan. at ang daigdig ay nagkakaroon at nakapagpapanatili ng normal atmospheric pressure na 14.7 pound per square inch – at sea level – sa buong daigdig.

          Kung maisisiksik mo ang buong kasaysayan ng buhay sa daigdig sa loob ng 24 oras – isang araw – ang mga tao ay hindi lilitaw hanggang sa kulang ng isang minuto bago maghatinggabi. Ang pagtala ng kasaysayan ng tao ay halos nasa 0.27 bahagi ng isang segundo bago ang ika-24 na oras!

                                      o     O     o

 

 

Ang likhang-isip ni Mars Ravelo
na Pinoy superhero na si “Lastikman”
na iginuhit ni Vir Aguirre,
tampok sa taklob-pahina ng
Aliwan Komiks (Disyembre 7, 1964).

Larawang Tribiya

          Alam niyo ba na ang pangalan ng unang dalawang gumanap na Lastikman ay parehong may initial V.S.? Ito ay sina Von Serna (noong 1964) at Vic Sotto (noong 2003).

                             o     O     o

December 5



DECEMBER 5

Pinoy Komiks Taon 1 Blg. 15, Disyembre 5, 1963
Tampok sa taklob-pahina ang “Captain Barbell”
na likha ni Mars Ravelo at iginuhit ni Jim Fernandez.

 

Disyembre 5 sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas

          Noong Disyembre 5, 1837, ang Manila Post Office, na itinatag noong 1767, ay pormal na kinilala ng bansang Espanya bilang postal district ng Philippine archipelago. Makalipas ang isang taon, ang Manila Post Office ay naging sentro ng postal service sa buong Asia.

                                                                          o     O     o

GLIMPSE FROM THE PAST

The last illustration done by American-born Swedish artist Haddon “Sunny” Sundblom
(with a Coca-Cola look),
on the cover of Playboy (Gala Christmas issue, December 1972)

 

Personalities and celebrities born on December 5:

1955 – Redford White (real name Cipriano Cemeño II), actor and comedian. (d. July 25, 2010).

1963 – Franz Pumaren, basketball player and politician – in Quezon City.

1974 – Donita Rose (Full name Donita Rose Ramos Cavett), American-Filipino MTV-VJ, actress, model and telavision host – in Utah.

Donita Rose
on the covers of Celebrity World (September 11, 1995), People Asia (Maiden issue, December 1999), 
Mr. & Ms. (May 22, 2001), and FHM Philippines (August 2001).



Kristen Bell on the cover of
Complex (December 2007).

Picture Trivia

          On October 2007, Kristen Bell became part of the television series Heroes as Elle Bishop, a mysterious woman with extreme power. She appeared in 13 episodes of the series. It was also in 2007 when she started as narrator of the TV series Gossip Girl.

                                      o     O     o

December 3




DECEMBER 3

Super Heroes 5-Star Comix Taon 1 No. 20, Disyembre 3, 1993

Tampok sa taklob-pahina ang “Jurassic Terminators” nina Primus Inter Paras at Lan Medina

UNANG LABAS

Ang unang isyu ng Pioneer Komiks
tampok ang nakatutuwang kuwento at karakter
na si “Goro (Ang Kapereng Mahiyain)” na nilikha
nina Mars Ravelo at Rex Guerrero.

Ang Pioneer Komiks ay unang lumabas sa sirkulasyon noong Disyembre 3, 1962. Ito ang pangalwang komiks, sumunod sa Kislap Komiks, na inilimbag ng Graphic Arts Service Incorporated sa ilalim ng pamamatnugot ni Ramon Marcelino.

Disyembre 3 sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas

          Noong Disyembre 3, 1621, nagsimula ang himagsikan sa lalawigan ng Bohol na pinamumunuan ng babaylang tinatawag sa pangalang Tamblot, laban sa pagmamalabis ng mga paring Jesuit. Nang mabigo ang mga misyonaryong Kastila na himukin ang mga katutubo sa Bohol na magpabinyag sa ilalim ng Katolisismo, ginamitan nila ang mga katutubo ng dahas at pagmamalabis. Dito hinamon sila ni Tamblot na patunayan ang lakas ng pananampalataya ng mga dayuhan. Nagbigay ng dalawang hamon si Tamblot sa mga paring Jesuit. Una ay magpalabas ng sinaing at alak sa isang piraso ng kawayan at ang ikalawa ay magpaulan sa katanghaliang-tapat. Nagawang gawin ni Tamblot ang mga ito samantalang nabigo naman ang mga pari. Pinagbintangan si Tamblot na gumagamit ng panlilinlang sa unang pagsubok, samantalang sa ikalawa ay kampon daw siya ng demonyo. Dalawang ulit na sinalakay ng mga Kastila kasama ang mga Cebuano ang Bohol subalit naitaboy sila ng mga katutubong pinamunuan ni Tamblot. Nagtagumpay lamang ang mga Kastila nang pataksil na pinaslang si Tamblot ng isang nakikipamayang pari sa Loboc, Bohol.

                                                          o     O     o

GLIMPSE FROM THE PAST

A portrait of Hollywood actress Elissa Landi (real name Elizabeth Matie Christine Kuhnelt, 1904-1948)
that rose to fame during the 1920s and 1930s,
on the cover of vintage The New Movie Magazine (December 1931).

 

Personalities and celebrities born on December 3:

1871 – Mamero Natividad, revolutionary general – in Bacolor, Pampanga (d. November 9, 1897).

1897 – Elisa Rosales Ochoa, first woman elected to Philippine Congress – in Butuan, Agusan (now part od Caraga Region) (d. September 20, 1978).

1912 – Salipada Pendatun, guerrilla leader, politician and legislator – in Pagalungan, Maguindanao (d. June 27, 1985).

1922 – Linda Estrella (real name Consuello Vera Rigotti), Italian-Filipina actress – in Pandan, Catanduanes (d. February 18, 2012).

1924 – Francisco Sionel Jose, fictionist, editor and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee – in Rosales, Pangasinan.

1937 – Paquito Gonzales (full name Francisco Enriquez Gonzales), komiks artist – in Caloocan (then part of Rizal Province). (d. July 3, 1972).

1961 – Ronnie Ricketts (full name Ronald Naldo Ricketts), actor and government agency official – in Manila.

1976 – Bernard Palanca (full name Bernard Revilla Palanca Jr), actor.

Bernard Palanca (with Vanessa del Bianco)

on the cover of Mr. & Ms. (May 5, 1998).

 

1981 – Liza Lapira, Filipino-American actress – in Queens, New York.



1992 – Jessy Mendiola (full name Jessica Mendiola Tawile), actress, model, dancer and television host – in United Arab Emirates.

Jessy Mendiola
on the cover of Speed (October 2011).



Ang Miss Philippines Earth na si Tamera Szijarto
tampok sa taklob-pahina ng MOD (December 3, 2004).

Picture Trivia

          Ang Hungarian-Filipina na si Tamera Marie Lagac Szijarto ang nagwaging 2004 Miss Philippines Earth. Sa Miss Earth Beauty Pageant na ginanap sa Manila noong October 24, 2004, napabilang siya sa top 8 finalist, ang kauna-unahang Miss Philiipines Earth na nakapasok sa finals. Si Priscilla Meirelles ng Brazil ang nagwaging Miss Earth ng taong yaon.

                         o     O     o

October 11



OCTOBER 11

MOD Filipina Vol. 24 No. 1049, October 11, 1991
On the cover: Jeanette Chavez Ipapo

 

UNANG LABAS

Ang kauna-unahang arawang pahayagan sa wikang English – The Manila Times – ay itinatag ng Englishman na si Thomas Gowan noong Oktubre 11, 1898, upang tugunan ang pangangailangan ng isang pahayagan para sa mga sundalong Amerikano. Maraming beses nagpalipat-lipat ang pagmamay-ari ng pahayagang ito. Nagkaroon ng pagwewelga ng mga manggagawang Filipino noong 1918 at matapos ito ay nabili ni Mauel L. Quezon ang pahayagan. Noong 1921, ibinenta ito ni Quezon at naging pag-aari ni George H. Fairchild. Nabili naman ito ni Jacob Rosenthal noong 1927, nang magsara ito noong Marso 15, 1930, si Lorenzo Thibault na ang may-ari.

Sa kabilang banda, noong February 1945, matapos ang Ikalawang Digmaaang Pandaigdig, naging pag-aari ito ni Rafael Roces, at noong Mayo 27, 1945, inilimbag ni Roces ang unang labas ng The Sunday Times.  Mula sa pahayagang ito muling nagbalik sa sirkulasyon ang The Manila Times noong Setyembre 5, 1945.

UNANG LABAS         

Ang unang labas ng Hiwaka Komiks
(Oktubre 11, 1950), tampok ang obrang
“Berdugo ng mga Anghel” ni Mars Ravelo
na iginuhit ni Elpidio Torres.

Ang Hiwaga Komiks ay unang lumabas noong Oktubre 11, 1950. Ito ay inilimbag ng ACE Publications na pinatnugutan ni Tony Velasquez. Ito ang pangwalong komiks na lumabas sa sirkulasyon sa Pilipinas. Kabilang sa laman ng unang isyu ng Hiwaga Komiks ay ang mga sumusunod: “Berdugo ng mga Anghel” na isinulat ni Mars Ravelo at iginuhit ni Elpidio Torres (na siya ring nasa unang taklob-pahina), “Ang Bihag ni Lusiper” ni Pedro Villanueva, “Ang Multo sa Pasong Balite” na isinulat ni Ladislao Bella Subang at iginuhit ni Efren de Leon, “Ang Signo” ni Nestor Redondo, “Berong Barbero” ni Teny Henson, “Carmela” na isinulat ni Pablo Gomez at iginuhit ni Ben Alcantara, “Kayamanan sa Loob ng Balong Kastila” ni Jose Caluag, “Kasunduan ng Magkaibigan” ni Angel Ad. Santos, at “Tipin” ni Larry Alcala.

Noong huling bahagi ng 1960s, naging pag-aari ito ng Pilipino Komiks Incorporated, na naging Atlas Publishing Company.

Oktubre 11 sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas

          Noong Oktubre 11, 1719, si Governor-General Mauel de Bustillo Bustamante, ay dinumog at pinaslang ng mga mamamayang sinulsulan ng mga prayleng Jesuit. Nauna rito, ipinadakip at ipinakulong niya ang archisbishop ng Manila.

                                                          o     O     o

 

Personalities and celebrities born on October 11:

1892 – Pio Kabahar, Visayan playwright, actor, composer and newspaperman – in Cebu.

1934 – Jose Nergua Nolledo, lawyer, constitutionalist and author – in Inagawan, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

1987 – Jason Francisco (full name Jason Veron Marasigan Francisco), actor-comedian – in Calapan, Mindoro.

An Ilustrative portrait of Marlon Brando
(as Napoleon Bonaparte), on the cover of
Time (October 11, 1954).

Picture Trivia

          Aside from his short height, Marlon Brando was tailor-made for the role of Napoleon Bonaparte in the film Desiree (1954). His leading ladies for the film were Jeans Simmons (as Desiree Clary) and Merle Oberon (as Josephine). It was said that Brando didn’t take his role as Bonaparte seriously, but Desiree earned more in the box office than his other 1954 film, On the Waterfront, where he won the Academy Best Actor Award.
                             o     O     o

October 9



OCTOBER 9

Bagong Babae Magasin Blg. 114 Oktubre 9, 1985

Tampok sa taklob-pahina si Vida Verde

 

Oktubre 9 sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas

          Noong Oktubre 9, 1934, isang lupon na may pitong kasapi (Committee of Seven) kabilang sina Manuel C. Briones, Filemon Sotto, Manuel A. Roxas, Conrado Benitez, Vicente Singson Encarnacion, Miguel Cuadermo, at Norberto Romualdez ang hinirang upang bumuo ng Saligang Batas ng 1935.

                                                                                        o     O     o

Personalities and celebrities born on October 9:

1877 – Enrique Zobel de Ayala, Entrepreneur and arts patron – in Madrid, Spain.

1915 – Manuel Conde (real name Manuel Pabustan Urbano), actor, director and film producer; his film Genghis Khan (1949) was entered into the 1952 Venice Film Festival and was acclaimed worldwide and translated into 17 languages – in Daet, Camarines Sur (d. August 11, 1985).

Manuel Conde (with Elvira Reyes)
on the cover of Ilang-Ilang (September 21, 1950)

1916 – Mars Ravelo (full name Marcial Custodio Ravelo), komiks writer and creator of numerous characters including Rita Kasinghot, Darna, Lastikman, Captain Barbell, etc., and is considered the most prolific writer in the History of Philippine Komiks  – in Tanza, Cavite (d. September 12, 1988).

Mars Ravelo (extreme left) together with his wife, Lucy, and their children (c. 1950s).

1936 – Mar Amongo, illustrator – in Sta. Criz, Manila (d. August 10, 2005).

1948 – Cayetano Woo Paderanga Jr, economist – in Camiguin.

1993 – Wesley Barbasa So, chess grandmaster (one of the 10 youngest chess player to be a grandmaster) – in Bacoor, Cavite.
1993 – Sarah Alzol Lahbati, Moroccan-Filipina actress – in Geneva, Switzerland.

Sarah Lahbati
on the cover of Bannawag (November 21, 2011).

Ginger Lynn Allen on the cover of
High Society (October 1985).

Picture Trivia

          Ginger Lynn (Allen) is an American actress who appeared both in porno and mainstream films. Do you know how she started in the porno industry? In 1982, while working as a manager in a Musicland Record Store in Redlands, California, she tried to audition as a figure model that paved the way for a Penthouse magazine layout. That started it all. In just four years, Lynn was able to make 69 porno films excluding the re-issues and compilations that made her a “porn legend” at 24 years old.

          In mainstream film, Lynn is part of the cast of the Vice Academy and Wing Commander film series, and she was in a supporting role in Young Guns II (1990).

          Lynn was the first “Vivid Girl” of Vivid Video, a recognition where her foremost rival was Traci Lords.

          The FBI approached and asked Lynn to testify against Traci Lords who appeared in a porno film while she was still a minor. She refused and subsequently was arrested but the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) for tax evasion. After this, she had a pair of lips tattooed on her right ass cheek. This according to her is so that “the I.R.S. can kiss my ass!”

 

                                                                                                           o     O     o