Mars Ravelo's Darna and Captain Barbell by Francis Manapul

I was lucky to get on Francis's commission list when he was between jobs--from Legion to Adventure--and really wanted to see his interpretation of these two beloved Pinoy heroes...he recalled them vaguely from childhood...and most filipinos know of these characters much in the way many Americans know Superman and Wonder Woman....they carry them on some level in their minds if not their collective hearts. These two characters certainly are the most recognizable of Mars Ravelos creations and have had comics, movies, music, and TV shows devoted to their stories that rival Superman and Wonder Woman here in the USA....On the surface, they are certainly products of creators affected by the comics industry and mythology of their colonizer...but essentially, the characters' mind and hearts are truly pinoy or filipino....
As a filipino-american who grew up on Superman and Wonder Woman, finding Darna and Captain Barbell was like discovering a piece of myself that I felt I had lost....
Thanks Francis for such a beautifully done commission...especially the detail of having the two in space above the Earth....with the Philippines just below them....
I got so many emails about this piece from comics lovers who are fans of Francis's work in the Philippines...so excited to see him draw these characters...

Francis has posted this work on his deviantart:
http://manapul.deviantart.com/art/Captain-Barbell-and-Darna-105373337

and is posted on the Darna Fan website:
http://manapul.deviantart.com/art/Captain-Barbell-and-Darna-105373337