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.

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.

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

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.

 

 

Francisco V. Coching's EL INDIO

Written and illustrated by komiks legend Francisco V. Coching, El Indio was serialized in Pilipino Komiks (published at the time by Ace Publications, Inc.) from 1952 to 1953.  The sequel to Coching's 1951 serial Ang Barbaro (a.k.a. Sabas, Ang Barbaro ("Sabas, The Barbarian")), it centered on the previous protagonist's son, a half-Spaniard, half-Filipino mestizo, who fights against oppression in colonial-era Philippines as the masked rebel El Indio.  A film adaptation was released in 1953.

Recently, the serial had been restored by artist and komiks historian Gerry Alanguilan, and a graphic novel collection was released by Vibal Foundation's Komiks Klasiks imprint in 2009.  Here is an excerpt from the book:

Kung Tawagin Siya'y KIDLAT

Over the years, there have been several Filipino superheroes who have gone by the name Kidlat ("Lightning").  The first and most notable, of course, would be Kapitan Kidlat ("Captain Lightning"), originally a 1950's radio show which had since been adapted into a number of films.  There was also a 1960's comic book hero named simply Kidlat, as well as a 1980's television series which starred actor Ricky Davao.  And this 2013,  the TV5 network had just premiered their own TV series starring Derek Ramsay in the title role.

During the early 1990's, Sonic Triangle Publishing, Inc. came up with their own variation on the theme, appropriately enough in the pages of Kidlat Super Heroes Komiks. Debuting in the magazine's first issue on June 21, 1993,  Kung Tawagin Siya'y Kidlat ("They Call Him Lightning") was written by Mon Torres and illustrated by Vhic Arienda.

ORIGIN

A boastful lightning elemental, Kidlat accidentally causes the death of an innocent boy, Obet.  To atone for his wrongdoing, he agrees to trade his life for the boy's, inhabiting his body to live on Earth as a mortal.  However, he is given the chance to regain his immortality by using his powers to save 20 lives.

But even after completing his required 20 good deeds, Kidlat decides to stay on Earth to continue helping those in need.  At this point, the series skips ahead a few years into the future, with a now grown-up Obet Santos as a college student and part-time newspaper reporter, while serving as the superhero Kidlat.

POWERS AND ABILITIES

Initially, Obet would change into Kidlat through the use of a small magic stone, which triggered his transformation when he struck it against any surface.  Later, he could transform by simply shouting the name Kidlat.  In his hero form, he had the power of lightning at his command, as well as super strength, super speed, flight and invulnerability.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

LOLO

Obet's garndfather.









LANI

Obet's girlfriend.

ALLIES

KULOG ("THUNDER")

Kidlat's friend and fellow elemental.








DIWA ("SPIRIT")
 
A fairy-like being who counsels Kidlat in his dreams.

 ENEMIES

 HARI NG KADILIMAN ("KING OF DARKNESS")
 
The ruler of an underground race of demons.

TAONG APOY ("FIRE PEOPLE")

Destructive creatures of living flame.








THE MAN OF YOUR DREAMS*
(*No, that's not really his name, he doesn't really have one.)

An agent of the King of Darkness, a serial killer who murders people in their dreams.  Any similarites to any other nightmare-inducing killers is purely coincidental.

KIDLAT'S EVIL TWIN

Because every hero just has to have one, an evil clone created by the King of Darkness.

COVERS