Zsazsa Zaturnah

Zsazsa Zaturnnah, the star of Carlo Vergara’s (1971–) graphic novel concerning an effeminate gay beautician who overcomes his homophobic upbringing and abuse from a violent relationship, transforming into the scantily clad and curvaceous superheroine Zaturnnah whenever he swallows an alien rock and shouts out her name (which is carved into the stone). This origin clearly refers to that of the original Filipino superheroine, Darna (created, initially as ‘Varga’, in 1947 by Mars Ravelo), who has starred in fourteen films since 1951 and two television series in 1977 and 2005. What Carlo Vergara began in 2002 as a self-published, small print run two-part comic won a National Book Award in 2003 and – when collected as a complete graphic novel – became the nation’s 12th best-selling fiction book of 2005, even featuring in gender-studies courses. In 2006, it was adapted into the first of seven staging’s as a musical and a live action movie.

This work features in Mangasia: Wonderlands of Asian Comics, a Barbican International Enterprises exhibition, curated by Paul Gravett. Mangasia presents a vivid journey through the art of Comics and visual storytelling across Asia. From its historical roots to the most recent digital innovations, the exhibition looks to popular Japanese ‘Manga’ and beyond, highlighting key creators, characters and publications.