Mga Kagila-Gilalas na Alter-Ego (2002)

(Previously unpublished interview with Carl Vergara for a mag that didn’t last very long. Again, for the nth time, apologies and thanks, Carl.)

MGA KAGILA-GILALAS NA ALTER-EGO

By Oliver M. Pulumbarit

How’s this for a long, tongue-twisting comic book title: “Ang Kagilagilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah.” That’s ultratalented creator Carl Vergara’s new project, a 2-issue limited series about the adventures of a local superheroine. But Darna, this ain’t. The mortal in question is a gay hairdresser, Ada, who transforms into a real woman with real womanly… things. Zsazsa Zaturnnah is Vergara’s follow-up to his graphic novel “One Night in Purgatory.”

What inspired you to write about a Darna-like character with a trannie twist?

The idea for Zsazsa Zaturnnah hit me as early as August 2001. It was a time when 'what ifs' were swimming in my head, trying to get a new idea for a new book after One Night In Purgatory. I can't remember exactly what inspired me to play with the Darna mythos, but one of the first ideas was to make the stone larger than a fist. The homosexuality aspect is, I think, a given. My first book featured alternative sexuality, and I wanted to continue this thread in my next book, but exploring another genre.

You’re obviously influenced by Adam Hughes, art-wise. Who are your writing influences? Other art influences?

For comics writing, I guess Chris Claremont during his X-Men run. Then there's a bit of Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison. I've been trying recently to get into the habit of reading fiction, and I found the works of Jeff Noon and Paolo Coelho appealing. Right now, my art influences include Bryan Hitch, Masamune Shiro and Katsuhiro Otomo. But I've also been influenced by Jim Davis (of Garfield, seriously!), Jim Lee, Alan Davis, John Byrne and Brian Bolland.

How is this different, in terms of the creative process, from One Night in Purgatory?

The creative process for One Night... was more difficult to go through than Zsazsa Zaturnnah. While, yes, there were elements of melodrama in One Night... I didn't want the book to be a melodrama in its entirety. There's a fine line I had to tread with that book, and I had to make the characters as well-rounded as possible given that the story happened in a single night. It was also more difficult because it was my first book. I was using for the first time what I know in writing and drawing comics in tandem.

What superpowers do you want to have?

Oh, to teleport would be real fun. You avoid traffic. You save on transportation fare. You can sneak into places where you'd normally need a pass. But the humanitarian side of me would like to be a healer. Not just of physical injuries, but also emotional and mental injuries. There's too much of that going on nowadays.