Captain Barbell
| Captain Barbell | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Publication information | |
| First appearance | Pinoy Komiks #5 (May 23, 1963) |
| Created by |
Mars Ravelo Jim Fernandez |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Enteng |
| Team affiliations |
Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan Liga ng Katarungan! |
| Notable aliases | Kaptain Barbell; Enteng, Teng-Teng, Teng, Roberto |
| Abilities |
(CB) Barbell grants: Enting/Captain Barbell by vice versa lifting and shouting Captain Barbell
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(CB) Barbell grants:
Enting/Captain Barbell by vice versa lifting and shouting Captain Barbell
Captain Barbell is a fictional Filipino comics superhero, similar to, the American Superman and Captain Marvel or Shazam, created by writer, Mars Ravelo and artist Jim Fernandez. He first appeared in Pinoy Komiks #5 (May 23, 1963). Like Darna, he also had an alter-ego named Tengteng, a thin, weakling and asthmatic person whose only dream was to become strong and muscular. He also appeared in Kampeon Komiks (Champion Comics).
The original version of Captain Barbell depicted him as shirtless because during the more whimsical comics age in the Philippines that occurred in the 1960s (Silver Age), Mars Ravelo based the good Captain's look on circus strongmen, but with the addition of a mask. Since the original Enteng's look was a really thin guy in a tank top (emphasizing his bony features), it was decided that Captain Barbell's "shirtless circus strongman" look could provide a much more dramatic contrast to his mortal persona. Recent comics depicted him wearing a long-sleeved yellow shirt instead of being shirtless.
Ravelo vent out a sort of retaliation on the Captain Marvel character. This time, he admitted doing the spoofing himself, and out came Captain Barbell. He tailor-made the character Tenteng (Captain Barbell’s alter-ego), to Dolphy, who was then a comical skinny actor, as a pun or insult, as opposed to the matinee-idol type Billy Batson (Captain Marvel’s alter-ego). He specifically told illustrator Jim Fernandez about that, and you can see the obvious similarity between Dolphy and Tenteng in Fernandez’ drawings (“Captain Barbell,” Pinoy Komiks, 1963). He even intended the character to have a funny transformation, that Captain Barbell would turn into a skinny bungling superhero (Ravelo, however, later changed that story, which became “Captain Barbell vs. Flash Fifita”). (Un)Fortunately, Captain Barbell became a great hit and Dolphy made his character Tenteng quite a sensation. So, Ravelo changed his mind and continued the legacy of Captain Barbell.
In the original Captain Barbell komiks series (May 23, 1963 – June 18, 1964), and in the first movie, Tenteng was a laughable skinny young man very much maltreated by his four step-brothers, Bruno, Badong, Baldo and Banong. Tenteng’s full name as revealed by Ravelo in an interview was originally Penitente Mumolingot. According to Ravelo’s wife, she didn’t know about the “Mumolingot” surname but told that Tenteng was actually taken from the name of a tall lanky boy who bullied Ravelo as a kid.
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Wikipedia