The “Velasquez Komiks Exhibit: Ponyang Halobaybay’s 90th anniversary and DI-13’s 75th anniversary” at the NCCA will run from June 6 to 30, 2022. This month-long art and pop culture exhibit celebrates 2 komiks characters’ respective anniversaries – Tony Velasquez’s Ponyang Halobaybay’s 90th anniversary and Damy Velasquez’s DI-13’s 75th anniversary. Tony Velasquez is regarded as the “Father of Philippine Komiks,” and Kenkoy’s creator while his younger brother Damy Velasquez is also a komiks pioneer during the Golden Age of Philippine komiks.      

Ponyang Halobaybay, just like Tony Velasquez’s beloved pop icon Kenkoy, first appeared in the pages of Liwayway magazine. Ponyang represented modern, independent and fashionable Pinays in the 1930s-1950s. Damy Velasquez’s DI-13 was the longest-running serial in Pilipino Komiks. The popular detective serial starring the original “Trese” ran from 1947 to 1962, and was revived as an indie komiks title by Damy’s grandson, Damian “Ian” Velasquez III and veteran artist Rico Rival in 2018.      

The Velasquez Komiks Exhibit showcases original komiks artworks – framed original Ponyang, DI-13 and Kenkoy komiks pages, reproductions, pictures as well as vintage komiks memorabilia. The exhibit is curated by The New DI-13 writer Damian Velasquez III and award-winning writer and artist Randy Valiente.

NCCA Gallery Hours are Mondays to Thursdays, 9:00AM – 6:00PM. The NCCA Gallery is located on the Ground Floor, NCCA Building, 633 General Luna St., Intramuros, 1002 Manila. For more information, call – (02) 8527 2205, or email – gallery@ncca.gov.ph.