Darna
Darna () is a Filipina superheroine created by writer Mars Ravelo and artist Nestor Redondo. The character's first appearance was in Pilipino Komiks (Ace Publications, Inc.) #77 on May 13, 1950. Darna is a retooling of Ravelo's earlier character, Varga, whose stories he wrote and illustrated himself. This character first appeared in Bulaklak Magazine, Volume 4, #17 on July 23, 1947. Ravelo left the Bulaklak Magazine publications due to differences with the publication's editors. One of the most popular Filipino superheroes, Darna has appeared in many films and several television series through the decades which have far overshadowed her actual comics tenure. The 2003 Mango Comics miniseries revealed that Darna is a deceased extraterrestrial warrior magically manifesting herself through a woman from Earth named Narda who summons her by shouting her name. As Darna, she stands up for those who cannot fend for themselves. She fights against common criminals as well as greater forces of evil, most famously the snake-haired supervillain Valentina. She is often accompanied by her younger brother, Ding. Several alternate versions of Darna have been characterized over the years. Darna's appearance is distinctive and iconic: she usually wears a red bikini or shorts with a gold star in each brassiere cap; a red helmet with ruby-encrusted gold winged medallion; gold bracelets; a golden medallion belt with a loincloth in the middle; and red boots. Darna is widely considered as a Filipino cultural icon and the most celebrated superhero character in the Philippines. The character has been adapted extensively and portrayed in other forms of media as well, including films and television series. Several actresses have portrayed Darna in motion pictures and TV series including Rosa del Rosario, Liza Moreno, Eva Montes, Gina Pareño, Vilma Santos, Lorna Tolentino, Rio Locsin, Sharon Cuneta, Nanette Medved, Anjanette Abayari, Regine Velasquez, Angel Locsin, Marian Rivera, Iza Calzado and Jane De Leon. Publication history Early years Mars Ravelo created the first images of Darna before World War II, as the character's predecessor Varga. Ravelo's inspiration for Darna's heroic qualities came from a fascination with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's Superman. The winged medallion on Darna's helmet was inspired by the emblem of the Philippine airforce as Ravelo also dreamed of the opportunity to fly. The magic white stone concept is cultural iconography as Philippine folklore has many stories of brave young mortals whose courage and heart enable them to be worthy of magic amulets - the only thing in these stories that could even the odds against evil, supernatural forces. After the war, Ravelo realized that the Filipinos were in need of a superhero so he again shopped his superheroine concept to publishers until one of them, Bulaklak Komiks agreed to publish Ravelo's heroine that he now called "Varga" in 1947 (inspired by the Varga girls series of illustrations) and the strip took off. Varga made her debut in Bulaklak Magazine, Vol. 4, #17 on July 23, 1947, which Ravelo wrote and drew. In an interview, Ravelo revealed that he offered his