SANKARSAN: Return of the Super Jedi

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, comics cost 1 peso and 50 centavos.

When last we left Sankarsan the Super Jedi, his mother Rukmini was abducted by the galactic emperor Hiranyaksa, who had declared Order 66 on all Jedi in the galaxy.  In episode 2: The Encounter! (Speed Komiks #56, August 30, 1986), Sankarsan heads to the imperial planet of Patalaloka to rescue his mother, but finds that the emperor is a lot more powerful than he expected.

But before Hiranyaksa could finish off our hero, Rukmini steps forward with a startling revelation: "Hiranyaksa, YOU are the father!"

"Search your feelings, you know it to be true!"

In spite of this, Sankarsan resolves to defeat his father for the sake of the universe.  In preparation, he trains to further develop his Jedi powers, losing an eye in the process.  Father and son have their Final Encounter in Speed Komiks #59 (September 20, 1986), engaging in a climactic cosmic duel that seems more Dr. Strange than Star Wars, though perhaps a bit more gruesome and apocalyptic than either.

SANKARSAN (The Super Jedi): Episode 1

Created by writer-illustrator Vicatan, Sankarsan (The Super Jedi) first appeared in Speed Komiks #55 (August 23, 1986), published by Graphic Arts Service, Inc.

Of course it's plain to see where the strip drew its inspiration from.  I would describe it as a beautifully-drawn, exotic, gritty and rather violent take on Star Wars, with a dash of Hindu references thrown in.

In the first episode, The Chosen, a spaceship crash lands on Earth in the year 2535.  Its dying passenger, a Jedi named Nakula, bequeaths his droid X-PO-C to the earthling Sankarsan.  The droid tutors Sankarsan in the ways of the Jedi, but no sooner does he master them when he finds his town and his mother in grave peril.

 

ZUMA Goes Green

In celebration of Earth Hour, Zuma does his own unique part in protecting the environment in Modernisasyon ("Modernization") from Zuma Komiks #115 (January 19, 1996).

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.

 

 

TABAK NI BULALAKAW

   

Tabak ni Bulalakaw ("Sword of Meteor") was a 32-chapter serial that appeared in Shogun Qualikomiks, published by Graphic Arts Service, Inc. Running from Shogun #24 (August 17, 1986) to #55 (March 22, 1987), it was written and illustrated by internationally-acclaimed Filipino artist Vic Catan, Jr (Vicatan).

 

 

 SCI-FI EPIC

Combining science-fiction with ancient Philippine culture, the epic series chronicled the saga of Bughaw, the blue-skinned half-breed son of the alien prince Yudhistir (known on Earth as Bulalakaw) and the tribal princess Lakambini Paramisuli.

   

A mighty warrior, Bughaw possesses devastating psychokinetic powers and is armed with his father's sword, Anantavijaya. 

 

  

THE RETURN OF THE PRINCE

Exiled as an infant, Bughaw returns years later to free his mother and reclaim their kingdom from the treacherous usurper Sultan Dumalogdog. 

 

 

COVERS 

 

 

 A happy Philippine National Heroes Day to all.

How ZUMA Saved Christmas

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. _

Art by Ben Maniclang

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

_ 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). _ 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. _ 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. _

Art by Vicatan

_ Although the character of Zuma may have been watered-down a bit, the new stories did cast him in the interesting role of the outsider who commented on and (violently) reacted to the foibles of "civilized" human behavior. In this yuletide tale from Zuma Komiks #112 (December 29, 1995) by writer Arman T. Francisco and artist Vicatan, Zuma makes observations on the gaudiness of Christmas celebrations, and gives a blind beggar boy the gift of sight... a gift that not everyone appreciates.

[Special thanks to Reno Maniquis and Komiklopedia for the additional info.]