Zuma (comics)
Encyclopedia
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
comic book
Komiks
Comics in the Philippines were partially inspired by American mainstream comic strips and comic books during the early 20th century, particularly after World War II, the medium became widespread and popular throughout the country, though its popularity has subsided somewhat with the advent of...
character created by Jim Fernandez
Jim Fernandez
Jim M. Fernandez is a Filipino comic book artist best known for his works on Aztec and Aliwan Komiks. He also popularized the fictional character, Zuma in his novels. Apart from being an editor, illustrator, cartoonist, and writer for Philippine comics, Fernandez was also a certified public...
that has a two headed snake (one head on both ends) that rests on his shoulders.
As told in the Comics, Zuma was a demigod
Demigod
The term "demigod" , meaning "half-god", is commonly used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human; as such, demigods are human-god hybrids...
, and the son of the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
serpent god Kukulkan
Kukulkan
Kukulkan is the name of a Maya snake deity that also serves to designate historical persons. The depiction of the feathered serpent deity is present in other cultures of Mesoamerica. Kukulkan is closely related to the god Q'uq'umatz of the K'iche' Maya and to Quetzalcoatl of the Aztecs...
("Plumed Serpent", "Feathered Serpent"). He had been entombed in a buried Aztec pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
until he was unearthed by an archaeological expedition team. Unleashed into the modern world, Zuma went on a murderous rampage.
Zuma first appeared in the comic series Aztec. The character reached the peak of his popularity in the 1980s with the series Anak ni Zuma (Child of Zuma or Children of Zuma) in Aliwan Komiks. It spawned a spin-off prequel Angkan ni Zuma (Clan of Zuma), chronicling Zuma's adventures in ancient times. Zuma-Maria was a science-fiction tale about his future descendant. In the mid-1990s, Zuma was revived in a short-lived comic book series all his own, Zuma Komiks (Zuma Comics).
There have only been two Philippine Zuma movies to date, Zuma and Anak ni Zuma, both starring actor Max Laurel in the title role. Snooky Serna
Snooky Serna
Snooky Serna is a Filipina film and television actress.-Early life:Being the daughter of actors Von Serna and Mila Ocampo, she started acting early in life via her 1970 landmark debut Wanted: Perfect Mother, where she immediately captured the hearts of Filipino audience as a cute, sweet and...
played Galema, Zuma's daughter, in the first film only; the role was played in the sequel by a lesser-known actress named Jenny Lyn. Max Laurel appeared in other films, but primarily as a character actor.