GOODZILLA

He's like Godzilla, only, you know--good.

Created by writer Jun R. De Leon and illustrator Jimmy D. Flores, this crime-fighting kaiju appeared in 1993 in the pages of Super Heroes Comix, published by Graphic Arts Service Inc.

In this strip from issue #21 (December 12, 1993), Goodzilla fights the 12-foot cyborg villain Silverman.

I wonder if he had an evil twin named Badzilla?  Probably.

BATHALA - Raja Team One

Hey, it's been a while.  Let's see if we can get back in the groove.

Way back in 2015, we did a brief feature on the Kidlat Superheroes Komiks serial Bathala.  Four years later, here's that looooooong overdue follow-up, spotlighting the series' protagonists...

RAJA TEAM ONE

LAM-ANG

Real Name: Geonell Salvador

Named after the Ilocano epic hero, Lam-ang has the ability to absorb and store any type of energy into his body and release it in the form of devastating bio-kinetic blasts or as a protective force field.

MAKILING

Real Name: Angelina Sagala

Named after the mythical guardian spirit of Mount Makiling, she can influence the temperature of her surroundings, notably giving her ice-based powers.  Makiling can also direct energy to her feet, enabling her to fly.

CARPIO

Real Name: Jay Jorge Beltran

Named after the mythological strongman Bernardo Carpio, he is the team's resident powerhouse.  Needless to say, Carpio possesses superhuman strength, but besides that he also has superhuman endurance that enables him to withstand extreme temperatures and hold his breath for an extended period of time.  He carries a protomagnetic shield that grants him the power of flight.

DWEN

Real Name: June Bautista

His name is taken from the word duwende, the Philippine term for dwarves, elves or goblins.  The youngest team member, Dwen has psionic powers that enable him to scan the minds of others or fire powerful psi-blasts at his opponents.  He is also capable of teleportation, but the range of this ability is limited to only 30 kilometers.

ADARNA

Real Name: Fritzie Aguilar

Named after the eponymous bird from the 16th century epic poem, Adarna has a powerful high-pitched voice that can shatter anything, including metal.  Aside from this, she is also a skilled martial artist, a pair of katana blades being her weapons of choice.  Her sister, K'wa, is a member of the opposing team, the evil Salot.

LAWIN

Unfortunately, I don't have the profile page for this guy.  Anyway, Lawin ("Hawk") possesses razor-sharp claws, super-sharp senses, and a winged cape that enables him to glide through the air.

From his appearance, one would assume Lawin to be the silent, brooding mystery-man of the group, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  Underneath that cool-looking mask is a brash and vain pretty boy who considers himself the star player of the team.

 

 

COVER GALLERY

 

That's all for now.  Watch out for our feature on the Rajas' villainous counterparts, the Salot, coming out--sometime in the future. (^_^)

TINY TOM

Created by writer Ray Morgan and artist Thor William, Tiny Tom ran weekly in Pilipino Funny Komiks (Published by Islas Filipinas Publishing Co., Inc.) from 1981 to 1983.

HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KID!

Dr. Lugo

Dr. Rod Suarez and his young son Tom were abducted by the criminal mastermind Dr. Lugo, who wanted the kidnapped scientist to build a shrinking device for him.  During a struggle, Tom was struck by the rays of the device, shrinking him down to about an inch in height.

Dr. Suarez and Tiny Tom

Despite his size, Tom was able to escape and sought the help of his father's girlfriend, beauty salon owner Olivia.

"Aling Olivia"

Rosal, Lily, Dahlia and Camfufot - The original Flower 4.

Assisted by gay beauticians Rosal, Lily, Dahlia and Camfufot, they attempted to rescue Tom's father, who was being held captive in a fake haunted house.

TINY NO MORE

Not-so-Tiny Tom

In the series' 57th chapter (PFK#240 - January 21, 1983), Tom gets hit by a prototype laser which then causes him to grow 12 feet in height!  He spends the remainder of the series in this state as he mops up the rest of Lugo's gang.

JURASSIC TERMINATORS

Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park were two of the biggest blockbuster movies of the early 1990's, so it's only natural to expect that some local publications would capitalize on their popularity.  In this case, though, Graphic Arts Service Inc. (GASI) opted to merge both properties into one.  Well, sort of.

Jurassic Terminators was created by writer Primus Inter Pares and artist Lan Medina for Super Heroes Comix (which probably should have been retitled Jurassic Comix since almost every feature in it had something to do with dinosaurs) in 1993.  Set on the world of Jurass, populated by a race of highly-evolved, technologically-advanced dinosaurs, it chronicled the ongoing conflict between the peace-loving Herbivores and the war-like Carnivores.

From Super Heroes Comix #22 (December 19, 1993).

 

ALTARU

Created by writer Oscar D. Baleros I and artist Dannie Taverna, Altaru first appeared in 1987 in the pages of Thunder Illustrated Magasin, published by Counterpoint Komiks and Magazines, Inc.

Globe-trotting singer Ramiro leads a double life, fighting international crime as the masked martial artist known as Altaru.  He is guided by the old sage Yaru and aided the mystic owl Malta.

The following story appeared in Thunder Illustrated Magasin #18 (February 4, 1988).

 

PERSEUS THE STARLORD: The Challenge

Not to be confused with Marvel's Star-Lord (who actually was co-created by Filipino artist Steve Gan), space-faring adventurer Perseus the Starlord was the mainstay of Atlas Publishing Co., Inc.'s Starlord Pocketkomiks  from 1985 to 1986.

I'm not sure who created the character (though from the illustration above, it appears he may have been designed by Rod Santiago), but a number of writers and artists worked on the series during its run.  This 2-part tale from issues 22 to 23 (May 1-8, 1986) was written by Roger Nicolas, with artwork credited to Mel Capital.