Rodolfo Vera Quizon, Sr.

Dolphy
 (July 25, 1928 – July 10, 2012)

Darna Kuno (1979)

Captain Barbell Boom! (1973)

CAPTAIN BARBELL 2011: Certified Blockbuster or Complete Bust?

"The new Captain Barbell show sucks."

Some people have already said as much, and considering how much I despised GMA's previous 2006-07 television series, it would be very easy for me to agree with them. But then, I've never been one to jump the bandwagon. Instead, I'll call it as I see it and give as fair a review as I can. Brace yourself, this is going to be quite lengthy.

CONTINUING BATTLE

For Captain Barbell, everyday is a workout.

Believe it or not, the 2011 Captain Barbell TV series is actually a marked improvement over its predecessor, at least on the surface. For one thing, there is much more emphasis this time around on the superhero aspect of the story. In the previous series, the Captain would usually appear in an average of 1 out of 5 episodes a week, each appearance lasting about 2 minutes (I exaggerate; it could've been even shorter than that). In the new show, CB (once more played by Richard Gutierrez) sees action in practically every episode.

As such, the sequel series seems to use a lot more special effects per episode than any telefantasya I've ever seen (correct me if I'm wrong). But as for the quality of those effects-- well, let's review it in the proper context. If we try to compare it to the quality of Hollywood special effects, as most of us tend to do, it just wouldn't be fair. Not to belittle the efforts of our local effects artists, but the fact is that there really hasn't been anything demonstrated on Philippine film and television so far that is on par with what Hollywood has to offer. Some have come close, but we're not quite there yet. So, I can't rightfully set this show's effects against a standard that we have yet to reach. Compared with other local shows, however, the new CB's special effects can be quite spectacular in their own right, definitely moreso than the previous series. I mean, they went from this:

...to this:

You have to give them some credit. It may not be perfect, but it's a huge improvement nonetheless. That said, I've always thought that our local fantasy shows would be better served if they were aired weekly rather than daily. They could really use more time and care in developing their effects.

COSTUME BLUES

Fun Fact: Richard Gutierrez' uncle is actor Bob Soler, the original Captain Barbell!

The redesigned costume appears to be made out of cheaper material than the rubber muscle suit from the previous show (critics have even compared it to upholstery). Now, call me crazy, but... I kinda like it. It's actually much better than the old suit if only for the fact that Captain Barbell can actually MOVE in it. In the old costume, he was much more of a statue than Machete ever was; no wonder they used to call him Ang Bigating Superhero ng Bayan ("The Heavy-duty Superhero of the Nation"). And he didn't fight the bad guys, he swatted them aside as they ran towards him. But in the new suit, CB can finally get a lot more physical in his fights; heck, just the fact that he can now RAISE HIS ARMS is an achievement in itself! Also, the new suit seems to have a bulkier appearance. The old suit may have had more muscle definition, but it never really made CB look that big to me. The new outfit may look "puffed" as opposed to buff, but at least now CB actually looks noticably bigger than the show's not-very-skinny version of his alter-ego Teng.

It's morphin' time!

Not that it should make it easier for our hero to hide his secret identity, because (and this is where the ranting starts) CB and Teng still look a hell of a lot alike! At least in the old show, Teng had that big ugly scar on his face, but he doesn't have that anymore. Well, that's not entirely true; he now has a teeny-tiny scratch on the tip of his left eyebrow. I guess that's enough to hide his identity. But seriously, it's ridiculous that no one can tell Captain Barbell and Teng are the same person. In one episode, a character is looking at a poster of CB, then Teng shows up, and SHE NEVER NOTICES THE RESEMBLANCE. And then there are the other super-powered characters, most of whom actually know Teng personally, and they don't notice it either! Hell, there's a giant statue of CB in the middle of the city, how can no one know what he looks like? They should have just brought back the mask from the original komiks version.

CRIMEFIGHTING BABES

CB: "Uh, guys, a little help here?"

Speaking of other super-powered characters, the show also introduces a new team of superheroes, the Liga ng Kalayaan ("League of Freedom"). Now, obviously this is a riff on the Justice League of America, but I wouldn't say that they're a total rip-off. Well, okay, one of them is a wind-powered heroine named Cyclone (played by Michelle Madrigal), and there actually is a character of the same name and powers in DC Comics' Justice Society of America. But the latter character is relatively unknown to the general public (and especially Filipinos), so I somehow doubt that the similarities are deliberate (but in case they are, I guess they didn't expect some comic nerd would call them out on it).

And then there's the teenage sword-slinger Blade (portrayed by Bea Binene). Obviously, the first Blade you'd think of would be Marvel's vampire slayer, made popular on film by Wesley Snipes. But then, there's also a villain named Blade in the Masters of the Universe series (you know, He-Man?). And then there's Kamen Rider Blade and Tekkaman Blade, and I'm kinda sure there are a bunch of others. The CB writers were probably just thinking of a name for a sword-wielding heroine, and they just settled on Blade. So I'd chalk it up to laziness more than anything else.

Another member is Sonica, played by singer Frencheska Farr (why are most of the members female?), who has sonic-scream powers. Of course you'd say, "Heh, they're ripping-off Black Canary," but I'd give it a pass if only because the characters' backgrounds, personalities and appearances are different. Besides, there are other sonic-screamers like Siryn, Banshee and the Black Bolt, so it's a pretty common superhero power (I think even Superman did it once). Similar powers are fine, as long as you do something different with the character.

It may sound like I'm making excuses for these characters, but the thing is, what constitutes a rip-off to me is when you borrow/steal from an existing concept, present it in a manner that is virtually similar to the original with very little variation, and pass it off as a completely new creation. While it's a given that the Liga is capitalizing on the JLA, it doesn't really mirror them in any significant way. The way it looks, the show appears to be making some effort to avoid being a shameless imitation (or at the very least, they're trying not to be too blatant about it). Case in point, early teasers for the series actually referred to the group as Team Kalasag ("Team Shield"). My guess is that they changed the name after someone pointed out it's too similar to a certain US agency headed by a guy wearing an eyepatch.

COPY BAT

There's hardly even a mention of Captain Barbell's origin from the previous series (which is just as well; let's just pretend that "Smallbell" crap never existed). It would seem that the new show has learned from the pitfalls of the old one. Although they did have a fakeout moment when, at the end of their April 5 episode, the preview for the next episode showed the Captain being summoned by A "CB" SIGNAL.

The signal appears at the 1:50 mark.

Fortunately, that little bit was removed once the actual episode aired, so either someone caught it in time and made the necessary corrections, or it may have been a deliberate prank to see if anyone was paying attention. Whichever the case, I'll let it slide, but I had better not see that damn signal again.

COMIC BELIEF

But you know what I find really weird? That in a show that has superhuman characters all over the place, the least believable part of it for me is that the Philippine government can afford things like an ultra high-tech law enforcement organization, futuristic weaponry and a supervillain prison. I don't know, I can buy stuff like that in a comic book, but I just can't get myself to go along with it in a live-action show. And CB isn't the only show who has done this, other shows tend to portray a technologically-advanced vision of the country. Sure, I suppose they just want to depict our nation in an optimistic light, but suspension of disbelief can only go so far. I just find it funny.

Speaking of funny, one thing that the show is largely lacking in is humor. Sure, there are humorous moments provided by child star Jillian Ward as Teng's adopted daughter Lelay, and they recently reintroduced Teng's comic foil Bobby (Ryan Yllana) from the previous show. And even TJ Trinidad as the villain Metal Man (these writers sure come up with such imaginative names) can get wickedly funny at times. But the series' overall tone (not to mention the title character himself) is still way too serious. I mean, let's face it, you don't come up with a title like "Captain Barbell" with a straight face. Humor is a significant part of the CB mythos; it's no accident that in previous filmed incarnations of the character, his alter-ego was always played by a comedian. Heck, in the original komiks, Tenteng was practically designed after Dolphy. Basically, Captain Barbell is a hero who shouldn't need to have a comic relief, because his alter-ego is the comic relief.

Unfortunately, Teng's angsty personality in the show is already too well-established to suddenly turn him into a funny guy, and I wouldn't know how good Richard Gutierrez is at comedy anyway. As for his portrayal of CB, he comes off as rather moody and somewhat distracted. He has this tendency of staring off into space; might as well call him Captain Catatonic. Okay, we get it, superheroing is serious business, power and responsibility and all that. But crack a smile every once in a while, quip at the bad guys, just... LIGHTEN UP!

CONCLUDING BABBLE

I can go on about this show, but this review has gone on long enough, whatever else I have left to say is really little more than nitpicking, and I think I've already touched upon the show's main virtues and flaws. The bottom line is, it may not be quite as good as it could be, but it's not as bad as it could have been, and certainly not as terrible as its predecessor was. There's still room for improvement, but I'd say at least half the room's filled already. On a scale of 1 to 5, I'd rate it a 3.

But my warning stands. No more CB signals. Or else, I'll take your damn signal, shine it up real good, hold it up, turn it sideways, and shove it straight up where the sun don't shine. I mean it.

Just ask this guy.

LILIT BULILIT Meets CAPTAIN BARBELL?

No, not quite.


Lilit Bulilit ran from 1983 to 1990 in the pages of Plipino Funny Komiks, published by Islas Filipinas Publishing Co., Inc. It was created by cartoonist Tonton Young, who is best known for his newspaper comic strip Pupung. One of Funny Komiks' most popular series, LB presented the humorous antics of lovable little girl Lilit, her friends Wawi and Batotoy, and the buck-toothed Chinaman Mang Ke. __________________________________________________________
While it was not a superhero strip, LB did occasionally poke fun at them. In the following episode from Funny Komiks #450 (January 30, 1987), Mang Ke's chubby inventor brother Mang Kok tries to be like Captain Barbell. ____________________________________________________

The TRUTH About CAPTAIN BARBELL

In commemoration of the late, great Mars Ravelo's birthday (just one day after mine!), I thought I'd talk about one of his many popular creations...

Art by Reno Maniquis, courtesy of CapsuleZone

Most Filipinos assume that Captain Barbell is the Philippine version of Superman. To be more accurate, though, he's actually more influenced by Captain Marvel (the Shazam version). Now, I say "influence" rather than "rip-off" because CB, at least as he was originally envisioned by creator Ravelo, has enough unique elements that make him his own character.

_

Let's take his origin, for instance. Most of us know the story of a skinny weakling who met an old hermit that gave him a magical golden barbell, which gave him the power to become a muscle-bound superhero. On the other hand, younger fans might be more familiar with the baby from the future whose time machine crash lands to the present, is raised by a kindly old farmer and his wife, and grows up to discover he possesses superhuman abilities (yeah, I know, WTF?!). But as I've been learning more about the character in recent years, I came to realize--

EVERYTHING WE KNOW IS WRONG!!!

The fact of the matter is, Captain Barbell's true origin story is way different from how we've remembered it. And not only that, but there have actually been more than one person to assume the hero's identity throughout the years.

TENTENG

Art by Jim Fernandez, courtesy of Unang Labas

The first and most well-known of Captain Barbell's alter-egos, Tenteng is the name that we identify with the hero to this very day. However, we've been getting his story wrong all along.

As he appeared in the very first Captain Barbell serial (Pinoy Komiks, 1963-64), written by Ravelo and illustrated by Jim Fernandez, Tenteng was a thin, asthmatic young man who was constantly abused by his 4 thuggish half-brothers. Admiring the bodybuilders in his neighborhood, he longs for nothing more than to be strong and muscular himself so he can stand up for himself against his bullying brothers and impress the girl of his dreams. Naturally, Tenteng's fortunes change dramatically when he finds the magic barbell that transforms him into "Captain Barbell" (spelled with quotation marks back then). But here's where the story differs from the one we've known all this time. Because Tenteng doesn't get the barbell from an old hermit; he gets it from a genie! (spelled in the story as "Genii")

The original stories also established that Captain Barbell's power would remain with its host for as long as he was oppressed and in need of justice. At the end of the first series, CB seperates himself from Tenteng once his personal issues were resolved, and the barbell is sent to the bottom of the sea, where it awaits the next person worthy of wielding its power.

You can read the first chapter of the original Captain Barbell serial onVideo 48.

Read 2 further chapters at Unang Labas:

Chapter 24

The Final Chapter

DARIO

In the second serial Captain Barbell Kontra Captain Bakal (Pinoy Komiks, 1964-65), by Ravelo and Fernandez, we meet Dario, a polio-stricken lad confined by his illness to a makeshift wheelchair (which looks more like a skateboard). Despite his condition, he works as a sweepstakes vendor, getting into various trouble on the mean streets in the process. Somewhere along the line, Dario gets thrown into the ocean, where he makes contact with the lost barbell and becomes the second person to turn into Captain Barbell. He goes on to battle the villain of the title, the robotic Captain Bakal ("Captain Iron" or "Captain Metal").

To see the kind of trouble Dario had to put up with, read the second chapter of the serial on Unang Labas.

GOMER

The third series, Captain Barbell Versus Flash Fifita, began in Liwayway in 1966. Set around the fishing village Baryo Dagundong, the protagonist this time around was Gomer, a crippled fisherman who had to take care of his 5 younger siblings.

You can view this serial's first chapter posted at Unang Labas.

ENTENG

Art by Clem Rivera

There had been a few more Captain Barbell serials that followed, the last one running in the pages of Pilipino Komiks from 1985-86. Still written by Ravelo with art by Clem Rivera, this was my first introduction to the character, and it formed much of what the public knows about the character today. First of all, this version originated the familiar yellow costume that would be associated with CB for years to come. And then there's the title logo, whose basic design has been prominently used in filmed incarnations and merchandising up to now (except maybe for Panday, who used pretty much the same logo in his komiks serial and first few movies, I can't recall any other classic Pinoy character who has had a more lasting logo design). And of course, it was here where the origin that everyone has come to know actually came from. We are introduced to a Tenteng analogue named Enteng, who receives the mystic barbell from a mysterious old man (I'd like to think it was one of the previous CB's. Tenteng perhaps?).

DIGMAAN

Art by Gilbert Monsanto, courtesy of santomon's name

Captain Barbell has since been absent from the komiks pages-- or at least, from the printed komiks pages. But from 2005, CB reappeared in Gilbert Monsanto's online fan-comic Digmaan ("War"), which featured him fighting alongside several classic and modern Pinoy comic book characters.

CB w/ Jim Fernandez creations Zarbot and Dino (Son of Zuma)

This interpretation is much closer in design to the original 1960's incarnation, but writer/artist Monsanto adds a new and unexpected twist to the character. I don't want to spoil it here, but you're not going to believe who Captain Barbell's new alter-ego turns out to be.



To find out the new CB's secret, read Digmaan at Gilbert Monsanto's blog, santomon's name.

THE MOVIES

The first few Captain Barbell movies were faithful to the original comics. Captain Barbell was adapted to film in 1964, starring Dolphy as Tenteng and Bob Soler as CB. Captain Barbell Kontra Captain Bakal was filmed in 1965, this time with Willie Sotelo as the Captain and Carlos Padilla, Jr. as Dario. Even the first colored remake in 1973, Captain Barbell Boom! (with Dolphy playing both Tenteng AND CB), used the "genie" origin from the first serial (this version was also made into an animated TV show during the late 1980's).
The 1986 Captain Barbell movie (starring Edu Manzano in the title role) wasn't a direct adaptation of the series then-running in Pilipino Komiks, but it did incorporate the costume and the "old hermit" version of the origin established in those issues. CB's alter-ego in this film, however, was named Tenteng (played by Herbert Bautista) after the original. A fondly-remembered film up to now, this is most probably where the popular misconceptions about the character's origin story began.

_

Captain Barbell returned to the big screen in the person of Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr. in 2003. His alter-ego this time around was given the name Enteng (portrayed by Ogie Alcasid), but his origin story is completely new. Basically, Enteng finds the magic barbell in the most appropriate of places; in a gym, where he works as a janitor.

No explanation is given as to how it got there in the first place, but the barbell itself is said to have been forged from a magic stone that fell from space and embedded itself deep into the earth. During times of great crisis, the barbell is expelled to the surface to seek out one who would use its powers for good. Though not actually stated, the way the barbell's origin is explained seems to imply that this has all happened before, and that Enteng is only the latest person to become Captain Barbell (I'd like to think of it this way. It gives it a sense of continuity with past versions). Indeed, prior to Enteng finding the barbell, CB is already established in the film as a well-known comic book character.

THAT DAMN TV SHOW

Sigh. Yes, we have to talk about this.

Okay, following the success of the 2005 Darna television series, GMA 7 produced their own adaptation of Captain Barbell. Starring Richard Gutierrez as both Captain Barbell and his alter-ego (named here as simply Teng), it was broadcast 5 days a week from May 29, 2006 to January 12, 2007.

Now, let me be brutally frank about this: I hate this show. I LOATHE THIS SHOW WITH A PASSION. Beyond the wanton disregard for the source material (Mars Ravelo must be suffering from vertigo right now), there were simply a million things wrong with it. It's badly written, the action sucked, characters were stupid (and I'm talking intellectual capacity here), the plots were illogical, and the concepts, I kid you not, WERE STOLEN FROM EVERY MAJOR SUPERHERO MOVIE AND TV SHOW MADE IN THE LAST 4 DECADES. (I should know, I've seen 'em all. I could enumerate every single thing they ripped-off, but maybe some other time). This is very evident in the revised origin, which takes its cues from Superman/Smallville (strange alien from another world/timeline, adopted by a farmer and his wife, saves his future arch-foe from a car crash, fights meteor freaks), Spider-Man (adopted father gets murdered, learns that with great power-- you know the rest...), and frickin' Wolverine (he's got a metal skeleton?!)!

Oh, and the barbell? The excuse is that Teng can only use his natural powers for a short period of time before he gets exhausted (sissy). The "barbell" is actually a power battery that grants him unlimited strength, the ability to fly, and that big yellow muscle suit he wears. On the positive side, I did like the new costume design. It's just too bad he could hardly move in it.

Personally, since the character was originally conceived as an everyman who becomes a hero, I think making him special from the start robs him of his appeal. Anyway, a second Captain Barbell TV series is currently in production, still under GMA and once again to star Richard Gutierrez. And as disastrous as their first effort may have been, believe it or not--

I'm actually looking forward to it.

As a fan, I'm always excited whenever a new Pinoy superhero movie or show is being made. And I rarely pass judgment on anything without seeing it first. Maybe they've learned from their mistakes and they'll actually deliver something good. Maybe they'll respect Mars Ravelo's legacy this time and really do justice to the character. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Until then, I remain optimistic.

But if they do screw this up again, you can bet I'll be bitching like hell about it.



So there you have it; the many names, faces and origins of Captain Barbell. As I've mentioned above, the character, when done right, should be able to retain that everyman appeal. And as Mars Ravelo himself originally wrote him, he quite literally was every man.

Fan Art by Aris B. Panganiban

BAYANI

This August 29 (or 30, as others put it), the Philippines celebrates National Heroes Day. Interestingly, the Metro Comic Con was held last August 21 to 22, and I guess one could consider it as a celebration of our fictional heroes.

It's just disheartening to think that in-between those 2 events, August 23, was a day without heroes.

I really hate to dwell on the past week's tragedy. The nation's experiencing enough gloom and shame already. Perhaps one way we can recover is to be reminded of the few heroes we still have in our midst.

So I just thought I'd post this video that I found on YouTube. It's an animated short made by a student from De La Salle College of St. Benilde entitled Bayani. It's about the Philippines' heroes dealing with the threat of the Brain Drain. It features Captain Barbell, Darna, Lastikman, Gagamboy and-- The Greatest Filipino Hero of all time!