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Apr

23

The Marvelous Adventures of the Amazing Dr. Rizal

Filed Under Dr. Rizal, My Comics | 11 Comments

The Marvelous Adventures of the Amazing Dr. Rizal

This is one of my upcoming projects that I’ll be doing alongside ELMER. It is my first attempt at an all-ages comic strip, one that can be read by both the young and the old. No grit. No blood. No profanity. No nudity. Just all out fun!

This is the culmination of the research I’ve been doing on Jose Rizal for the past several months. The research is still continuing, as I’m striving to get a lot of the details right.

I really have to thank Adam David for the inspiration of this story. You see, Adam sent this email to the Alamat Mailing List back in October 2000:

***

hehehe. well, are you interested on reading a comic book series about
Jose Rizal’s Secret Adventures?

you see, he didn’t die in 1898, because he drank Christ’s Blood from the
San Greal…

and also, find out where Rizal got all his ideas…

and how Rizal manipulated Philippine HIstory into what we read in the
books. he’s immortal, don’t you know?

ah, and it’s going to be called the SECRET ADVENTURES OF THE AMAZING
DOCTOR RIZAL, written by your truly, Adam David. no artist, yet.
dog-gone it, that’s always the problem.

i’m planning on doing it in the belgian BD album format, like TINTIN and
ASTERIX…

er, anyone here interested in drawing it?

–
-your friend, Adam

***

Reading this email sparked something in my imagination. I thought it was fucking brilliant. My mind was instantly filled with idea after idea so much so it made me delirious. I was envious that he thought of it first. It was the title more than anything else that did it for me. I had forgotten that he included “Secret Aventures” in it, as I remembered only the “Amazing Doctor Rizal” and that he didn’t die. I started to imagine Jules Verne, Terry Gilliam, and the Philippines as a technologically advanced nation by the end of the 19th century. And Jose Rizal was a genius, an inventor, an adventurer, surgeon, teacher, chef, scientist, time-traveler, astronomer, astronaut, pilot, sub-mariner, playboy, 100% Filipino and most important of all, HERO.

I most likely won’t be using any references to Jesus Christ, or that he manipulated history books (he will probably manipulate time itself though), he won’t be immortal (not in the physical sense) and that his adventures will be anything BUT secret. The artwork will definitely be something very clean and clear, with no hatchings and it will be in full color.

I was inwardly wincing in pain that it wasn’t ME that was going to do it. I immediately fired off an email to Adam, saying that it was a bloody brilliant idea and that he should pursue it. And if done right, it could become a truly great comic book, one that he will be known and remembered for. I just had to let it go.

Once in a rare while we would correspond and I’d remind him how fantastic his idea was. I don’t remember now how it all came to it, but sometime late last year, we talked about it again, I once again said how amazing an idea it was. By this time, he wasn’t as yet been able to start doing it himself. And just like that, he gave it to me completely, allowing me to do with it as I will.

Holy, holy CRAP! I was ecstatic. After seven long years of thinking about it, seven years of me not losing enthusiasm over it, I am finally able to do it. I’m extremely grateful to Adam for letting me have a go with it. I gotta say, Adam, it’s very much appreciated, and I’m very grateful.

Definitely it cannot be our Rizal, but an alternate one. It also cannot be our Philippines, but an alternate one. It’s an issue that will certainly be tackled through the course of telling the story. But I am trying very hard to be faithful to who the real Jose Rizal is. I cannot do anything that will violate any characteristics that he was known to have, good or bad. I will be celebrating Jose Rizal as a true Filipino hero, in ways we’ve never imagined, but perfectly consistent with who he was a real person and human being.

Comments

11 Responses to “The Marvelous Adventures of the Amazing Dr. Rizal”

  1. Allan on April 24th, 2007 1:35 am

    Hey Jerry, i just noticed that Jose Rizal looks like Tony Stark??. I like the idea of a Tintin style book that would be an interesting read, check out johnny crossbones at evilspacerobot.com i think if you are a Tintin fan you would enjoy it.

  2. David on April 24th, 2007 3:51 am

    You’re right. It’s a bloody brilliant idea. Congratulations on getting the permission to produce this. Jose Rizal and the secret history of the Philippines. The mind blows. Can’t wait.

    Something interesting I noticed though, it’s MARVELous and AMAZING at the same time. hehe

  3. Brilliant. Absolutely Brilliant. « carbon ink on April 24th, 2007 4:05 am

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  4. Rod Samonte on April 24th, 2007 4:49 am

    Gerry,
    This sounds really amazing. Except for the fact that there’s no nudity? Rizal being our most famous playboy, shouldn’t there be some sex. Hehehe. Don’t listen to me. Do with it as you will your other excellent comics. But please, please do it in color just like your beautiful cover illustration above (will that be the cover?). Rod

  5. Gerry Alanguilan on April 24th, 2007 7:31 am

    Thanks guys!

    Rod… that won’t be the cover. Parang pang promo lang. :) I’m currently doing something that will hopefully become the cover or first page of the story.

  6. Jonathan on April 24th, 2007 7:50 am

    Another work of yours to look forward to. It nice to imagine what would Rizal have done if he had not died.

  7. Josel Nicolas on April 24th, 2007 12:32 pm

    Wow. I like it. People here should do a lot more stories like these, where it’s just good old steam punk history exploding twisting fun. =)

  8. Budjette on April 24th, 2007 10:37 pm

    astig!

    exciting!

    when do we get to read the first issue?
    now na! pls! :)

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  10. philippine seo on June 10th, 2008 2:06 pm

    Hahahaha now this is really interesting how about Andres Bonifacio perhaps?

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