Valentina (Darna)
| Valentina | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Mango Comics |
| First appearance | Darna (Pinoy Komiks) |
| Created by |
Mars Ravelo (writer) Nestor Redondo (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Place of origin | Manila, Philippines, formerly Tiamat, Nibiru (or Marte) |
| Team affiliations | Braguda, Serpina, Serpent Queens of Tiamat |
| Supporting character of | Kobra |
| Notable aliases | Amor (a pop singer) |
| Abilities |
|
Valentina is a fictional character. A Supervillainess who appeared in the Filipino comic book Darna. She is a snake goddess and one of Darna's greatest enemies. She was originally a bitter, deformed woman born with snakes for hair from ordinary human parents. When she grew up, she killed her parents were and was subsequently taken in by a creature named "KOBRA", a giant serpent with a hag's head. Valentina was soon referred to as "goddess of the snakes" who had a close familiar -- "VIBORA", a loyal serpent.
Valentina is a Serpent Queen similar in appearance to Medusa of Greek Mythology, and as such has the ability to communicate with and control all sorts of serpents. As a result, she can use her snakes/hair to bite regular humans with similar effect to a deadly viper. If they should survive the experience, their strength and toughness increase dramatically but they can be controlled by Valentina in a similar fashion to her serpentine servants. She also has her own fangs (which assumably also contain venom) as well as the ability to change her form. She can either transform herself into a giant snake-like creature or her limbs into one or more snakes. She does not seem to be able to separate any of these snakes.
Darna's first adventure (as Darna) was first serialized in the pages of Pilipino Komiks #77, where she was pitted against the snake goddess Valentina. The komik serial, created by the great Mars Ravelo ran for 28 issues and those issues were vividly and expertly illustrated and executed by Nestor Redondo.
Valentina was introduced in issue no. 2 (THE BIRTH OF VALENTINA) of the comic serial. Since then she appeared in the next issues:
The snake queen Valentina appears as early as the 1940s and has been Darna’s nemesis in every incarnation. Valentina seems based on both the Greek gorgon, Medusa, and the Asian myths of Naga. Valentina’s origin was originally that of a deformed woman who had green snakes for hair (often covered with a brown wig). Her eye color varies usually colored gold or green as well as her skin color which is usually green or flesh.
When her parents were killed by a crowd of superstitious villagers, she escaped and was adopted by a mysterious entity known as Kobra who guided her into becoming “The Serpent Queen.”
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Wikipedia