Lovingly restored and collected, Francisco V. Coching?s masterpiece ?El Indio? is a stunning epic of adventure and romance in any century
THE TALE OF HOW FRANCISCO V. Coching?s ?El Indio: A Graphic Novel? by (Vibal Foundation, Quezon City, 2009, 175 pages) came to be resurrected as a graphic novel is a fascinating story by itself.

Comics creator Gerry Alanguilan, who had devoted himself to the preservation of komiks as an art form, had been dreaming of gathering a serialized komiks story into a single book for a new generation of readers. He had his heart set on ?El Indio,? Coching?s serial which originally ran in Pilipino Komiks in 1953.

When he approached Coching?s family, he thought that ?El Indio? would not be the ideal choice because it was actually a sequel to Coching?s ?Sabas, Ang Barbaro.? But to this surprise, not only did Coching?s family ask him to do ?El Indio,? they even provided him with a complete set of loose sheets of the serial, making its scanning possible.

Alanguilan was overjoyed. ?The artwork is far more accomplished here than in ?Barbaro? and represents more fully Coching?s formidable drawing and storytelling skills,? he writes.

Then, Alanguilan and his assistant Zara Macandili set about restoring the pages; the decision was made to strip away the color, leaving only Coching?s magnificent linework in black and white.

Thus ?El Indio: A Graphic Novel? gathers the entire story for the very first time in a single volume, what Alanguilan describes as ?Francisco Cochings? finest work,? graciously brought to print by the Vibal Foundation, featuring a foreword by Coching?s widow Filomena and an introduction by Alanguilan.

Engrossing

Read today, it is a remarkably engrossing and well-crafted tale of secret identities and the perils of romance, rendered in beautiful detail by a true master of the craft. It is plain to see why readers avidly awaited the next chapter of the 35-part tale two weeks hence; ?El Indio? is irresistible.

After the events of ?Sabas, Ang Barbaro,? the Viscountess Blanquita Basco de Alava had returned to Spain pregnant with the child of the Filipino rebel Sabas, also known as Barbaro. The boy, named Don Fernando, is raised to become a gentleman of amazing skill at being a swordsman and a bullfighter, but is taunted because of his brown skin, called ?Indio.? Blanquita decides to keep the identity of Fernando?s father from him, telling him the father was dead.

But when a former lover of Blanquita confronts the Viscount Fernando with the truth, even Blanquita is forced to reveal that Fernando is indeed the son of the Filipino rebel Sabas. Overwhelmed by the revelations and spurred by the stories of his visiting Filipino friend Antonio Luna, Fernando sets sail for the Philippines, where he hopes to find his notorious father and set things right.

Upon arrival in Manila, Fernando is smitten by the tempestuous beauty Victoria Rivera and meets his rival for her affection, the fair-minded captain of the Guardia Civil, Martin Castillo, who is also secretly the former rebel Sabas, and thus, Fernando?s father.

But Castillo does not realize who Fernando really is and while impressed with the Viscount?s skills, does not trust him. Soon, Fernando joins the band of rebels led by the mysterious Tenyente Tagumpay, and creates the identity of the masked bandit El Indio as he outwits the local Spanish garrison.

All of these elements soon come into dramatic conflict as father and son come into blows not knowing the truth, the affection of Victoria is gained then lost, while the Filipinos struggle under the yoke of their Spanish rulers. This leads to an epic, almost Shakesperean conclusion where everything comes to light under gun smoke and steel. Will Blanquita?s nightmare of her son unknowingly killing his father come true?

Entertaining

What an entertaining, over-the-top tale Coching has written, full of genuine surprises and constant cliffhangers. It would make for an ambitious and impressive teleserye. The old-fashioned, muscular Tagalog charms and Coching?s powerful lines stun. Now here is the opus of a true Filipino komiks master.

It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to enjoy this resurrected epic, and one hopes that ?El Indio? will only be the first of many great Filipino komiks stories to be collected and published for readers who never knew the serialized enchantment they represented. Francisco V. Coching?s ?El Indio? is the perfect work to signal this brilliant new beginning.

Available in leading bookstores.