The Filipino Gothic

The Filipino Gothic

With the rise of identifiable content that can easily be understood and emphatized with by the general readers, we have seemingly forgotten the one genre that pushed Filipino comics in the 50’s: the gothic form, or more commonly known as the fantasy-adventure.

More than half a century ago, two of the most popular comic books were published: Tulisang Pugot and Tucydides. Both comic books had featured unique, supernatural, or grotesque characters. Similar to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Tulisang Pugot introduced a headless bandit and his fight and adventures with his archnemesis - a classic story between good and evil. On the other hand, Tucydides introduced a young woman with the same name as the comic book title born with a twin bladder - a marginalized but gifted character living in an unjust society that does not understand her bizarre form.

These comic books were so popular that they had film adaptations, garnering even bigger audiences. However, as we continue to progress in the 21st century, comics - especially webcomics - have strayed away from this genre and focused more on the relatable, day-in-a-life themes.

What happened to this popular and much-beloved genre?

They appear more often in print comics and graphic novels, but the masses see them more often now in another medium: the film. Movies like Enteng Kabisote, Agimat, and Super Inday - albeit received with poor reviews - have become popular with the audiences. We see the fantasy-adventure genre in our television shows, too, like Marina, La Luna Sangre, and Encantadia. They are followed religiously by the audiences and often repeated and repackaged as another show by the production house to take advantage of the popularity of the fantasy genre.

The mystery-clad stories can never leave the Filipinos. As a matter of fact, webcomic writers must learn and relearn how to create stories about fantasy and adventure once again. This type of narrative has always been part of our culture, even before the arrival of the Spaniards. Our people have always been fascinated with this type of story. Beyond that, we have unified it in our daily lives. Take for example the famous tale of Si Malakas at Si Maganda - we never had qualms marrying real and fantasy.

The adventure-fantasy genre has been used as well as a way of protesting inequality and oppression. Often, the main character is on a mission of fighting evil, of banditry, of getting revenge. With these themes, the writers add in elements of Philippine’s history under colonial subjugation, the current administration, or anything that threatens and hinders Man from living up to his full potential.

Maybe it is time again to delve into the world of mysteries, of the fantastic, and of the gothic. Add more flavor, a different texture to your comics. Maybe for your next project, instead of being identifiable, relatable, and familiar, create something that talks about the impossible, the limitless depth of fantasy and let your readers provide meaning and relate it to their lives.