Pilipino FUNNY Komiks Tribute by Three Artists

Back in the '80s and '90s, many Filipino kids ran to their homes clutching in their hands a colorful paper magazine with a familiar masthead of bold red text on a bright yellow background: "Pilipino FUNNY Komiks," it read.

This was a time when phones, tablets, the Internet, streaming, video games, and all the other things that are keeping everyone "busy" these days were non-existent. All people had back then were TVs with limited channels and plenty of time to browse through the adventures of characters like Combatron, Mettalica, Tinay Pinay, Superdog, Superkat, and all other Filipino superheroes. This was a time when children patiently waited for the next comic strips of Larry Alcala's "Bing Bam Bung," Rene Villaroman and Vic Geronimo's "Batute," and Pat Reyes and Vic Geronimo's "Niknok" to drop on the pages of Pilipino FUNNY Komiks.

Old copies of Funny Komiks — Facebook/Gateway Gallery

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Pilipino FUNNY Komiks (a.k.a. Funny Komiks) was first published in full color on June 26, 1978 by Islas Filipinas Publications, Inc., a division of Filipino comics publisher Atlas Publications.

Atlas was helmed by Doña Carmen Roces-Davila, daughter of publishing magnate Don Ramon Roces. Aside from Funny Komiks, Atlas also owned Tagalog Klasiks, Hiwaga Komiks, Espesyal Komiks, and many more. The Roceses also own comic book publishing firm Graphic Arts Services, Inc. (GASI), which founded other major comic titles like Kislap and Pioneer in 1962; and Aliwan and Pinoy Klasiks in 1963. Atlas and GASI monopolized the comics publishing industry for decades. In 1996, half of Atlas was sold to National Bookstore, Inc.; by 2006, Atlas Publishing Co. Inc. officially closed down—two years after Pilipino FUNNY Komiks published its last issue.

Two decades after Pilipino FUNNY Komiks' final bow, Esquire Philippines and three artists pay tribute to the oldest-running local comic book publication for children.

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ILLUSTRATION: Mel Casipit

Mel Khristopher Casipit, Pilipino FUNNY Komiks collector, freelance artist, and part-time teacher

Casipit started reading Funny Komiks at the age of seven, when he would ask his mother to buy a copy every Friday. Unfortunately, he lost most of the copies from those early years. He later rebuilt his collection, which now includes issues from 1998 to 2002.

"During the time when the Internet was not yet popular, comics were our pastime. We couldn’t pause cartoons we watched on TV, but with comics, we could copy the drawings and get inspired by them. When I started creating my own comics, Funny Komiks' storytelling was a huge influence. That is why, in most of my works, I make sure they can also be read by kids," Casipit told us when asked how his art was influenced by the classic comics magazine.

For his rendition, he combined his favorite characters from the different comic strips published in Funny Komiks. At the center is the blue-armored cyborg named Combatron, created by Berlin H. Manalaysay and who first appeared in Funny Komiks in 1992. Other characters are Bardagol from Roni Santiago's "Planet Opdi Eyps," the dynamic duo from Oliver Page's "Tomas en Kulas," Superdog created by writer Christian del Cruz and artist Roni Escauriaga, and Superkat created by cartoonist Leandro S. "L.S." Martinez. At the bottom are three characters from Casipit's own comic strip, "Parekoys," which is about a group of friends who like to tell pun jokes. It has been serialized in the Manila Bulletin since 2018.

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Doing the whole piece was a nostalgic trip for Casipit.

"I am deeply honored to be invited to draw the Funny Komiks tribute art. I really enjoyed creating it. I was so happy that when I posted a preview on my social media, many people reacted and were excited to see the final art. I can’t wait to share the tribute art publicly. I wanted to draw the tribute art traditionally, but since I wanted to finish the piece on time, I went digital," he added.

Casipit, who found his passion for comics and drawing at a very young age, is now working on his second compilation of short comics as well as the latest Sikami book—a comic anthology by Pangasinense comics creators. You can also catch him online through Indie Komiks Podcast, a show that features independent comic creators in the Philippines.

ILLUSTRATION: Drew Borja

Drew Borja, freelance graphic and layout artist

Drew Borja is most famous for "Hunghang Flashbacks," a webcomic series that was first published on Facebook in December 2016. The panels, which drew from everyday awkward moments like responding to a fist bump with a high five, cheesy pickup lines including 'sa puso ko' statements, and even dumb puns, now have almost 300,000 followers online. This was eventually picked up by Summit Books, which published Borja's first book of comic strips in 2017, followed by another volume in 2019.

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And he brought his Hunghang Flashbacks characters in a trip-down-memory-lane type of narrative for his Funny Komiks tribute.

"Super nostalgic! I couldn’t pick which title to pay tribute to, so I settled for the ones I remember the most. It’s so surreal to create the old classics in my modern style. It made me think how today’s youth would receive Pilipino FUNNY Komiks if current artists created their own version of it," he said in an exchange when asked how the experience was of looking back at one of his favorite Filipino comics.

After all, what's a better flashback than basking in the joyful memory of his favorite Funny Komiks stories?

"I was too young to have thought about buying comics with my own money when I found out about Funny Komiks, so I just [went] to my neighbor’s house whenever I [wanted] to read some. I consumed them mindlessly, and I even thought only one guy wrote the whole thing. That was when I saw Sir Larry Alcala’s work in one of our almanacs, and thought it looked super familiar to 'Bing Bam Bung.' I’ve always loved Larry Alcala’s isometric art, finding it at random places, scanning every inch of the drawing, and finding something interesting every time. It’s like a Pinoy 'Where’s Waldo!'" he added.

Borja is thinking of creating new titles and, maybe, even diving into a different genre in his art. Watch for his next creations in future comics conventions.

ILLUSTRATION: Raco Ruiz

Raco Ruiz, content creator and artist

"It's a product of its time. Kung ano 'yung uso noon, there's also an equivalent of that in Funny Komiks. It's like a reflection of the culture of the time," said content creator Raco Ruiz.

Though he never had copies of the old comics, Ruiz knew about Funny Komiks because his teachers back in grade school would use them as references for art classes. He also found bits and pieces of old issues online and immediately recognized the cultural value of their decades-old existence.

"I like how Funny Komiks captured that era. Well, of course, it's exaggerated a bit because it's comedy, but it captured that. Even if it's [about] extraordinary adventures that happen, there's still a lot of everyday life peppered into it. Like the 'Tomas en Kulas' comics, kahit na pusa siya at daga, it's still everyday human adventures they experience. So that's what I like about what Funny Komiks did. It immortalized the lifestyle in that era," he added.

For the tribute, he made his own rendition of the rowdy pair of cat and mouse. It matches Ruiz's own artistic style of anthropomorphized creatures, as evident in his second solo exhibit, Surrealicious, at Secret Fresh in San Juan in 2023.

"Pinoys are so good at making a version. And I think 'Tomas en Kulas' is like a version of Tom and Jerry, right? It's like a version of The Itchy & Scratchy Show. It's a version of Looney Tunes, pero Pinoy. I just really resonated with that kasi when it comes to cartoons, that's what I gravitate towards, more of like the wacky, looney animals. More than kung tao yung bida, or kung robot yung bida. Pag animals talaga, doon ako nag-gravitate, especially anthropomorphized animals, because they're funnier. They can be expressive like humans," Ruiz explained.

Raco Ruiz — Andrea Genota/Esquire Philippines Archives

Further research also led him to believe that Tomas and Kulas aren't necessarily enemies.

"It's like they just have adventures together, but not necessarily as enemies. And I think that's the Pinoy influence na wala ka namang kalaban. Yung mga Pinoy, I know they're angry and passionate sometimes, right? Pero as much as possible, kakaibiganin nila lahat ng tao," he added.

It is this relatability that Ruiz liked about Funny Komiks.

"What I appreciate about Funny Komiks is it's very simple, which is the kind of comics I liked growing up. As a kid trying to draw, you can aspire to do that. A kid could try and draw it and have fun with it. Very relatable siya both visually and narratively," Ruiz ended.

Pilipino FUNNY Komiks' almost three-decade run not only provided a venue for comics creators and illustrators during those years, but also inspired generations of artists who are also now crafting their own panels and stories.

Pilipino FUNNY Komiks: A Tribute to the Comics of our Childhood

Mel Khristopher Casipit, Pilipino FUNNY Komiks collector, freelance artist, and part-time teacher

Drew Borja, freelance graphic and layout artist

Raco Ruiz, content creator and artist