More of a villain than a hero, Zuma is nonetheless one of Philippine comics' most iconic characters. Created by writer Jim M. Fernandez (who, as an illustrator, co-created Captain Barbell with Mars Ravelo), the serpentine demigod first rose from his tomb in the serial Aztec, but really came to prominence in the classic komiks novel Anak ni Zuma, serialized in Aliwan Komiks and published by Graphic Arts Service, Inc. (GASI). Illustrated by Ben S. Maniclang, it ran weekly from 1976 to 1984, making it one of the longest-running series in komiks history. It also introduced other memorable characters such as Zuma's children: his kind-hearted daughter Galema, and his dinosaur-headed son Dino.
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So great was Zuma's fame that he was practically a household name. He would come to star in a succession of spin-offs, some of which even ran concurrently with his main series. Among these was Dugong Aztec ("Aztec Blood") by Fernandez and artist Elmer Esquivas (who delineated a much more sinister-looking portrayal of the character), which appeared from 1978 to 79 in the pages of Rex Komiks, published by Rex Publications, Inc. Another series was the prequel Angkan ni Zuma, written by Fernandez and drawn by Mar T. Santana for Pinoy Klasiks from 1978 to 83.
Art by Elmer Esquivas
Image from KOMIKERO DOT COM
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With Zuma reaching the peak of his popularity, a movie adaptation would not be far behind. Imposing actor Max Laurel would portray the Aztec anti-hero in 2 films, Zuma (1985) and its sequel Anak ni Zuma (1987). Here's a clip from the latter film, dubbed in English (and sounding kind of like an old kung-fu movie).
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By the way, it appears ABS-CBN will be producing a new television series, Galema, Ang Anak ni Zuma ("Galema, The Daughter of Zuma"). I'm looking at its Wikipedia page, and I don't know how accurate the information on it is, but apparently, this version of Zuma is going to have a last name ("Zuma Asuncion?" Seriously?) That sounds weird as hell to me, but we'll see how it goes.
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Anyway, Zuma's popularity had somewhat waned by the 1990's, but he had one last run when he was given his own magazine in 1993. Published by GASI, Zuma And Other Amazing Stories (also known as Zuma And Other Horror Stories or simply Zuma Komiks) was a horror anthology book whose main feature was Zuma The Series. Written by various writers, with art by Clem V. Rivera and, later, Vic Catan Jr., the character was revived with a new twist. Zuma now had the ability to heal the sick, which he used to make up for all the evil he had caused in the past. That doesn't necessarily make him a good guy, though. There's some moral ambiguity in that he has amassed himself a fanatical cult of worshippers, and he was still required by his religion to make virgin sacrifices to the Aztec serpent god Kukulkan.
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Art by Vicatan
[Special thanks to Reno Maniquis and Komiklopedia for the additional info.]
