The Philippine Online Chronicles

Noted comics makers Gerry Alanguilan and Arnold Arre have just released Darna Lives online – a comics fan fiction centered on one of the country’s most iconic local superheroes.

Fan fiction (fanfic) are typically fan-crafted stories that may veer away from plotlines defined as "canon" by the original authors or creators.

The character Darna, originally created by Mars Ravelo, has seen various incarnations in comics, television series and films.

Alanguilan and Arre’s version however, distinctly departs from typical depictions of the character Narda—instead of the young, beautiful lass who swallows a magical stone to transform into her super-powered counterpart, Narda is a frumpy, middle-aged working mother questioning whether her everyday routine is all there is to life.

Darna’s nemesis, the serpent-haired Valentina, also makes a brief appearance not as your typical comic-book villain, but as some sort of celebrity superhero. Darna’s costume also sees some major changes – the entire look is streamlined, the bandana replaced by a more battle-worthy helmet, and the gauntlets and bikini marked by intricate tribal designs.

The fanfic ends with a cliffhanger, but Alanguilan suggests that there is far more to the project, which he originally conceptualized more than 15 years ago.

“I thought it was just a fun idea to play around with, an idea that I've been thinking about since 1994. In fact, page 1 of this story was drawn in 1994. I drew a page 2, discarded and forgot about it, until the time came I thought it would be fun to revive it,” says Alanguilan on the comics’ web page. “Arnold Arre was the only person thought to work on this, having loved working with him on a more official Mars Ravelo related project, which was LASTIK-MAN, published by Mango Comics in 2004.”

Alanguilan also says that although the project was done “for fun and not for profit,” he and Arre would, “nevertheless feel bad to continue doing it without any official permission.”

“If any of the Ravelo family would stumble on to this site and see it, and if they like what they see, we humbly ask that we be given permission to continue doing it as yes, I have a complete story already written in my mind, and yes, Arnold is able and willing to continue working on this as well,” he says.

Alanguilan, who conceptualized and wrote Darna Lives, is best-known for works like Wasted, Elmer and Humanis Rex. Arre, who provides the art and coloring, is known for The Mythology Class, Ang Mundo ni Andong Agimat, and After Eden.

Darna Lives can be found here.