CEBU, Philippines - Everyone knows who the coolest superheroes are. From Spider-Man to Wolverine, to Batman and the Avengers, the recent string of comics-inspired movies has put the spotlight on the worlds and universes of superheroes, daring amazing feats, taking on fiendish foes, fighting crime, and – all in all – saving the day.
But as superheroes are busy doing heroic deeds in their respective worlds, another brand of “superhero†is known to actually exist here and now – the komikero.
As the men and women behind the world’s popular comic book titles and characters, the heroic komikero dares amazing feats by beating tight deadlines, takes on fiendish foes by exploring the bounds of illustration-and-word-balloon-driven storytelling, fights crime by defining the line that separates good from evil, and saves the day by leaving readers with inspiring tales of adventure and wonder.
Behind the world’s countless superhero comic book titles and characters is the komikero, whose visionary talents have stoked and restoked the fires of the world’s love for speculative fiction.
Super Komikeros
Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Neal Adams, Barry Windsor Smith and Jim Lee are among the more well-known of comic-verse’s creators, famed for causing pragmatic shifts in the standards and norms in the making of superhero comics, apart from having taken a hand in the creation of iconic characters.
The Philippines has its share of internationally recognized superhero comic book creators too, whose respective standing in the field can’t be undermined as footnotes.
In the late 60s, Tony DeZuniga stood out as one of DC Comics’ artistic talents. Co-creator of DC Comics’ Jonah Hex, he is noted for being the first Filipino comic book artist to have his contributions accepted by American comics publishing groups.
It is also noted that his artistic skills impressed publishers, leading to the influx of Filipino comic talents in the US, with legends like Nestor Redondo, Gerry Talaoc, Alex Niño and Alfredo Alcala becoming mainstay talents for DC Comics and Marvel Comics in the 1970s.
In the late 80s, Whilce Portacio made waves in the superhero comics scene, gaining popularity for his work on Marvel Comics’ The Punisher, X-Factor and The Uncanny X-Men.
By the 1990s, Portacio created Image Comics’ Wetworks, a title which featured the Filipino character, Grail. As his popularity rose, a number of Filipino talents were gaining popularity in the superhero comics arena too, with names like Nick Manabat, Gerry Alanguilan, Cedric Nocon and Leinil Francis Yu earning their share of followers and fans.
In the last couple of years, more and more Filipino comic talents have made a name for themselves in the field of superhero comics, including talents like Philip Tan, Harvey Tolibao, Stephen Segovia, Hubert Khan Michael, Carlo Pangulayan, Edgar Tadeo, Francis Manapul, and Chester Ocampo, along with talents like John Amor Kathryn Layno, and Ian Areola earning their own distinctions as talented artist-creators.
Lan Medina, for his work in Vertigo’s Fables, is recognized as the first Filipino to hold an Eisner Award, comics world’s answer to the Academy/Oscar Awards.
Either as writers, pencillers, inkers, colorists or letterers, the komikero does what he or she can in breathing life to a world where anything is possible, keen on telling uplifting stories of action, adventure, excitement, and – at times – romance, even amidst the reality of real life’s harsher bargains.