Saturday, February 23, 2013

KAMANDAG: Blood is Thicker than Venom


Art by Gilbert Monsanto
Most people know Kamandag ("Venom") from the 2007-08 GMA television series, but the character actually began life as a 1980's People's Journal comic strip by writer Carlo J. Caparas and artist Karl Comendador.  In fact, this incarnation was quite different from the TV hero that most are familiar with.  In the original strip, he was pretty much a villain; a hideous scaly-skinnned snake-man and a sex maniac.  His greatest weakness: herpes.  I'm not kidding.

HERPES??!!!  AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

When the GMA Network adapted Kamandag into a TV series, the character was completely reinvented from amoral anti-hero to full-fledeged superhero.  In the show, he was the half-human son of Saban (Gardo Versoza), the snake-king of Ambograw, an underground civilization of animal people known as the Ambog.  After falling in love with a human female, Alicia (Eula Valdez), Saban moves to abolish the kingdom's practice of human slavery, a decision opposed by most of the Ambog tribes.  When Saban is assassinated by the wolf-king Gulag (Zoren Legaspi) and the cat-queen Kuran (Francine Prieto), his infant son is sent to the human world, entrusted into the care of a kindly ranch-hand Domeng (Emilio Garcia) and his family.  Named Vergel, the boy eventually discovers that he can transform into a snake-like creature when angered.  On top of his scaly complexion, he also has enhanced strength and agility, and fangs full of deadly venom.

 As a young man (now played by Richard Gutierrez), Vergel learns about his true origins from the bull-king Budol (Johnny Delgado), a loyal friend of his real father.  He is then given a mystical bracelet, which activates a scaly suit of armor that once belonged to his father.  He decides to use his abilities and new-found armor to fight evil and protect the oppressed under the alias Kamandag.


Gotta admit, that's one cool-looking outfit, although the pants are a bit odd.  Anyway, he eventually loses the jeans, trading it in for a long hooded vest, and he acquires a pair of magic daggers as well.  Towards the end of the series, his suit gets upgraded to a more intimidating design.




TALIM

Even though the series turned Kamandag into an outright good guy, it still did present an evil Kamandag of sorts in the form of Talim ("Blade"), played by Mark Anthony Fernandez Childhood friend and cousin to Vergel, young Lucero was bitten by the golden snake that served as Vergel's guardian.  Brought to the hospital for treatment, the anti-venom injected into him had a strange reaction to the mystical snake venom, causing him to periodically transform into a snake-like being with an insatiable bloodlust.  Under the manipulations of his corrupt father, Abdon (Ariel Rivera), Lucero grows up to use his mutant abilities as the ruthless hitman Talim.  Loyal friend to Vergel and arch-nemesis to his alter-ego, the two would also find themselves rivals for the affections of token love interest Jenny (Jewel Mische).



DITAS

Played by Ehra Madrigal, Ditas is Domeng's daughter and Vergel's foster sister.  As children, Vergel and Ditas tried to emulate a blood compact while playing, inadvertently passing on the venom in Vergel's blood to Ditas.  Whereas Kamandag is good and Talim is evil, Ditas is somewhere in the middle.  Initially resenting Kamandag for causing her condition, she eventually joins over to his side.

Incidentally, there actually was a female Kamandag in the original comics; his daughter Kamandra, who took over the strip for a time when her dad went MIA.  Died of herpes, the poor girl.

Anyway, in closing, here's a clip of the "Kamandag Family" in action.

One-Shot Wonders: BOLT


From Kidlat Super Heroes Komiks #13 (September 13, 1993), superhero Bolt strikes at the insidious Dr. Snake in this short written by Dennis Roque III and drawn by Luisito G. Antonio.





Thursday, February 14, 2013

VALENTINA'S Day


Pilipino Komiks #87 - Art by Nestor Redondo

Since her debut in the very first Darna serial in Pilipino Komiks (1950-51), the snake-haired Valentina has been one of the great Filipina superheroine's most enduring foes.  A frequent antagonist in the many film and television adaptations through the years, the tragic Serpent Queen returned to the comic pages when Mango Comics launched their 3-issue English-language Darna revival in 2003.  Below are some selected images of Valentina (and Darna's in there somewhere, too) from that mini-series.

Mars Ravelo's Darna #2- Art by Lan Medina



  

Mars Ravelo's Darna #3 - Art by Gilbert Monsanto


The origin of Valentina and the planet Marte - 2003 version

Read the original Valentina saga on Video 48.

Friday, February 8, 2013

SNAKE FORCE


A serpent-themed team of heroes, Snake Force first appeared in Ace Superheroes #1 (June 1, 1995), published by Adventures Illustrated Magazines, Inc.  The series was written by Joe Dalde and illustrated by Mar T. Santana.



ORIGIN


Although the first Snake Force story established the team's alter egos as adults, the origin story in the 4th issue (June 22, 1995) shows them as children, and they are depicted as such thereafter for the rest of the series.


Four boy scouts find themselves lost in the wilderness, encountering four different kinds of snakes along the way.  They seek refuge in a cave where they meet a mysterious old man.


The old man claims that he had commanded the snakes to lure the boys to the cave, revealing that he had chosen them to receive a great power.  He offers them four magic stones which once swallowed would endow them with power over the snakes.  Apparently not having learned not to take strange things from strange old men, the boys indeed swallow the stones, transforming them into a quartet of costumed heroes each named after one of the four snake species they had earlier encountered: Cobra, Python, Rattlesnake and Dahong Palay ("Rice Leaf," a type of Philippine viper).



POWERS

Upon swallowing the magic stones, the boys transform into four fully-grown adult heroes.  In this form, they possess enhanced strength and agility, as well as the ability to command and communicate with snakes.  Each member has dominion over the particular type of snake he is named for.



ENEMIES

THE POLAR MONSTER
An iceberg that mysteriously appears on the Philippine seas turns out to be a massive creature made entirely of living ice.
No $#!+, it's a damn monster!

DEVILIEN
A body-snatching, fire-breathing alien creature.

DR.MARX
Yep, a mad scientist.
 

MARGA
An alien villainess who can fire destructive lasers from her eyes.
The perfect example of the term "Butterface."

THE THORXIANS
A race of six-armed alien conquerors.



COVERS



Friday, February 1, 2013

Snakes vs Crocodiles: ZUMA Fights Corruption!

In celebration of the Year of the Snake, this February will be Snake Month Elections are just around the corner, so to kick things off we have Aztec serpent king Zuma himself dealing with government corruption in this tale, Lasing ("Drunk") from Zuma Komiks #111 (December 22, 1995), written by Ronald Tabuzo and illustrated by Vicatan.