Zuma (comics)
Son of the Aztec serpent god Kukulkan.
Zuma is a Filipino comic book character created by Jim Fernandez in 1974. The character first appeared in the serial Aztec and later headlined the best-selling series Anak ni Zuma, which ran from 1976 to 1985. The success of the comics led to spin-offs, a 1990s reboot, and adaptations in film and television.
Quick Facts
- Publisher
- Graphics Arts Service Inc.
- Debut
- Aztec (1974)
- Creators
- Jim Fernandez (character & story); Ben Maniclang (illustration)
- Also known as
- King of the Snakes
- Homeworld
- Central and South America
- Species
- Demigod
Facts from the source article.
Publication history
Jim Fernandez created Zuma in 1974 for the comics serial Aztec. In 1976, Fernandez wrote a new series titled Anak ni Zuma, illustrated by Ben Maniclang and serialized in Aliwan Komiks by Graphics Arts Service Inc. The series ran until 1985 and became Aliwan's biggest bestseller. A prequel spin-off, Angkan ni Zuma, written by Fernandez and illustrated by Mar T. Santana, ran from 1978 to 1983 and covered Zuma's ancient period. Another spin-off, Zuma-Maria, explored a future descendant, while Dugong Aztec was published simultaneously in Rex Komiks from 1978 to 1979, written by Fernandez with art by Elmer Esquivas. A 1990s reboot appeared in the short-lived magazine Zuma Komiks, also known as Zuma and Other Amazing Stories and Zuma and Other Horror Stories, an anthology of horror written by various writers with illustrations by Clem V. Rivera and later Vic Catan Jr.
Character background
Zuma has green skin, a bald head, and a human-like face with a demonic appearance. His most notable feature is a two-headed snake resting like a lei on his shoulders, which he uses to decapitate enemies with a powerful bite. He is the son of the Aztec serpent god Kukulkan, making him a demigod. After long hibernation, an archaeological expedition unearthed his tomb in an Aztec pyramid, awakening him. He then rampaged through the modern world, slaughtering virgin women and consuming their hearts for strength and vigor. His powers include invulnerability (bullet-proof), control over snakes, and in later versions, the ability to heal people. His weakness is the venom of his daughter Galema, his archenemy, whose mother was a human Zuma took as a bride. Galema was raised by foster parents to be good. Zuma also fathered Dino, a human with a dinosaur head, who initially allied with his father but later abandoned him after falling in love with a human.
In other media
Zuma was adapted into two films by Cine Suerte Inc. The first, Zuma (1985), directed by Jun Raquiza, starred Max Laurel as Zuma and Snooky Serna as Galema. A sequel, Anak ni Zuma (also known as Zuma II: Hell Serpent), released in 1987 and directed by Ben Yalung, featured Max Laurel reprising his role and Jenny Lyn as Galema. In 2013, Zuma appeared in the television series Galema: Anak ni Zuma on ABS-CBN, with Derick Hubalde playing Zuma and Andi Eigenmann as Galema; the series focused on Galema's cursed life inherited from her father.
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