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WIN! WIN!



The National Book Award for Comic Books goes to “Mars Ravelo’s Darna,” edited by Zach Yonzon, published by Mango Comics.

Like any other big super-hero, Darna undergoes reincarnation every now and then. But Mango Comics’ newest avatar for Narda with the magic stone is by far the flashiest and most effective so far. With Boboy Yonzon updating the heroine’s setting and plot, artists Ryan Orosco, Lan Medina and Gilbert Monsanto breathe glossy, four-color plus life to this Filipino komiks icon. But it goes beyond resuscitating Valentina or having Darna flying over modern Metro Manila. It’s about according our heroes the proper respect, giving them five-star treatment and that Mango Comics has certainly given Darna. It is a treatment that also honors the boundless contributions of Mars Ravelo to our collective consciousness. Mango Comics’ considerable efforts have brought Darna back into the hearts and minds of young Filipino readers, to whom she was little more than a figment of dusty nostalgia, and that’s essential. She’s really back. And for Mango Comics, this is just the beginning and we offer our congratulations and our best wishes for your upcoming update of Lastikman. We can’t wait.





The National Book Award for Comic Book goes to “Siglo: Freedom,” edited by Dean Francis Alfar and Vin Simbulan, published by Mango Books in cooperation with Quest Ventures and Kestrel IMC.

Remembrance and celebration can be both rousing and painful. That’s what Siglo: Freedom tells us. This ambitious and thoughtful project is a reflection of what makes us a people, explores where we came from, how we got here and, perhaps, where we are going. It’s a comic book anthology that makes you think—and that’s impressive. Also impressive is the talent behind his project: Gerry Alanguilan, Dean Francis Alfar, Nikki Alfar, Arnold Arre, Jason Banico, Marco Dimaano, Andrew Drilon, Honoel Ibardolaza, Lan Medina, Elbert Or, Vin Simbulan and Carlo Vergara. Inside these black-and-white pages, there are lessons to be learned and truths to be found, all of them in hues of gray as varied as the styles and tones of the different stories. But what is clear is the spirit of aspiration embodied by Siglo: Freedom. Just like the various creators’ hopes for the Filipino people, Siglo: Freedom is an indication of our reaching for that next level of transcendence—and our willingness to give dreams shape and shade.


Congratulations to the komikeros and grafictionists of DARNA and SIGLO for both winning the National Book Awards' Comic Book of the Year!





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