Saturday, July 7, 2012

SAPOT NI GAGAMBA

This July, we'll be celebrating Spider-Month! To kick things off, let's take a look at the Philippines' original arachnid-based avenger...


Created by Virgilio and Nestor Redondo, Gagamba ("Spider") first appeared in the komiks serial Bakas ng Gagamba ("Trail of the Spider"), which ran from 1961 to 1962 in Tagalog Klasiks (published by Ace Publications, Inc.).  Conceived a year before Marvel Comics' Spider-Man, Gagamba has much more in common with pulp heroes such as The Shadow, The Green Hornet and, appropriately enough, The Spider.


Gagamba next appeared in Palos Kontra Gagamba ("Eel Versus Spider"), a crossover with another popular Redondo Brothers creation, the slippery master thief-turned spy Palos ("Eel").  It ran in Tagalog Klasiks from 1962 to 1963. Alcala Fight Komiks (published by CRAF Publications, Inc.) continued the series with Ang Lihim ni Gagamba ("The Secret of Spider") from 1963 to 1964, and Gagamba at si Scorpio ("Spider and Scorpio") in 1969.  All four serials were adapted into films starring actor Bernard Bonnin, who was also famous for portraying Palos.  Sure enough, he wound up playing both roles for the movie version of Palos Kontra Gagamba.


For more about Gagamba on film and comics, click on to Video 48's Gagamba page.

The character later received his own magazine, Gagamba Komiks Magazine (published by Ares Publications, Inc.) on May 11, 1970.


In 1987, Gagamba, along with his faithful sidekick Scorpio, made a comeback in the pages of Thunder Illustrated Magasin (published by Counterpoint Komiks and Magazines, Inc.).  The new series, Sapot ni Gagamba - Kasama si Scorpio ("Web of Spider - Along with Scorpio"), was illustrated by Manny Pantaleon.


In this episode from Thunder #18 (February 4, 1988), Gagamba tangles with a female version of a familiar adversary...






2 comments:

  1. may mabibili pa kea komiks na ganito ngeun? kung wala na may mabibili pa kea na luma o collector's item?

    ReplyDelete