Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Darna

Anna Cerezo

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA -- The family of iconic komikero Mars Ravelo encouraged Filipinos to explore the origins and evolution of his famed heroine, Darna, through a month-long exhibit at Casa San Pablo in San Pablo, Laguna, held in celebration of her 75th anniversary. </p><p>According to the artist’s son, Rex Ravelo, rediscovering the history of Darna is like rediscovering a profound love for the Philippines—inviting Filipinos to reflect on her enduring legacy and the timeless spirit she embodies during times of national struggle.  </p><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1923590884056236329&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-05-17T12%3A29%3A51.530873%3A7a215d55-cf6a-45eb-bf76-3acc099ccaa0%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=2fb13d4d238aa7f3f182120391ddd75448691326&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:524px;height:681px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1923590884056236329"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><p>“The reason she was made after the war was because the Philippines needed a superhero. Sira kasi Pilipinas noon. He was not even thinking if it was going to be successful. He just loved the Philippines so much. And he was very successful, go through history, lumalabas si Darna pag kailangan natin siya,” he explained.  </p><p>At the heart of the showcase is a complete timeline of Darna’s evolution—from her beginnings as Varga in 1947, her transformation into Darna in the 1950s, to her many incarnations on television, film, and even on the live stage. </p><p>“We try to gather as much as possible lahat ng nilabasan ni Darna,” Gino dela Cruz, Ravelo’s grandson explained. “In 1990s there was even a ballet with Lisa Macuja-Elizalde as Darna.”  </p><p>The exhibit also highlights how Darna is a true Pinoy treasure—a superhero entirely homegrown, not merely inspired by Wonder Woman as some mistakenly believe.</p><p>“Yung wing niya is a tribute to the Philippine Air Force. He wanted to be a pilot pero hindi pwede kasi malabo mata. The costume itself is the Philippine flag. Talagang Pilipino idea niya,” Ravelo said. </p><p>“Varga was based on his mom. Siya nag alaga, single mom. Tapos siya naman si Ding,” dela Cruz added. </p><p>The exhibit also features fan art, komiks panels, figurines, and costumes from various teleseryes and films.  </p>

<p>The family of iconic komikero Mars Ravelo encouraged Filipinos to explore the origins and evolution of his famed heroine, Darna, through a month-long exhibit at Casa San Pablo in San Pablo, Laguna, held in celebration of her 75th anniversary.</p>

The family of iconic komikero Mars Ravelo encouraged Filipinos to explore the origins and evolution of his famed heroine, Darna, through a month-long exhibit at Casa San Pablo in San Pablo, Laguna, held in celebration of her 75th anniversary.

Exhibit celebrating Darna’s 75th anniversary opens

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Exhibit celebrating Darna’s 75th anniversary opens

Anna Cerezo,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 17, 2025 08:02 PM PHT

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