MANILA, Philippines - Bet you didn’t know that the X-Men character Bishop was created by a Filipino.
If there’s Manny Pacquiao for sports, Lea Salonga for music, then we have Whilce Portacio in the comic book world.
In his 30-year career as illustrator, creator, publisher, producer and studio owner, Whilce has been pushing Filipino characters, injecting Filipino words and images onto the comic book that you’re currently reading. Aside from famously illustrating immortal X-Men covers (depicting a more emotional side of the mutants), he also put a Philippine flag on Colossus’s leather jacket, sketched Regine Velasquez as a reporter in Wetworks for Image Comics and created Grail, the first Philippine-born and Filipino-speaking superhero representing us in that side of the world.
Whilce was the one responsible for opening the doors of several other Pinoy artists to Marvel and DC, and many of the big names now started with him. Many years ago, something happened when he first flew back to meet his fans here — there was that epiphany, a blood connection between brothers that Whilce strongly felt and acted on.
Face to face with Filipinos
“When the Filipino artists first saw me, they realized they looked like me and talked like me,” says Ehilce “And I discovered that wealth of talent that is among us. That’s when I knew how important it was to inspire other artists, to encourage them to go for it.”
As a kid, I was lucky enough to have hung out in the studio where Whilce honed the best Filipino artists doing work for major studios back when nobody else was doing it. Whilce the pioneer is a hard and quiet worker, always holding the Filipino banner high and proud.
He’s back in town for the AsiaPopComicCon and the fans couldn’t be happier. In a Philstar Supreme exclusive, Whilce Portacio chats with us and gives us a special rendition of Bishop in full Philippine color.
Finally the Bishop is home.
Image by Whilce Portacio
exclusive to Philippine Star Supreme
Colorist Raymund Lee
Copyright credits to Marvel and Wizard