Heroes and Memories

“A truth is not hard to kill… a lie well told is immortal.” – Mark Twain, “Advice to Youth” (1882)

Some of us dreamed of becoming superheroes in our childhood.  I expect a gay child growing up in the 1970s had twirled himself ad nauseam to transform to Wonder Woman or had swallowed a candy and shouted “Darna!”  A butch gay¹ child might have shouted “Shazam!” or mimicked opening his shirt to reveal the “S” shield on his chest.

Some of us outgrow the phase, realizing we can never be superheroes.  Nevertheless, quite a number of us continue to collect superhero-related merchandise in adulthood like comic books.  Some engage in cosplay.

I still collect comic books.  I do not collect as many titles as I used to, so I just update myself with the latest on my favorite superheroes by surfing the Net for news.  Wikipedia usually provides good basic information, but the glaring errors in relation to a number of superheroes are what got me to writing this.

Let me define a few terms of reference first.

Cover date refers to the date on the cover of the magazine or comic book.  This date is usually, but not always, ahead of the actual release date by 2 months. Wikipedia has a nice explanation for cover date.  Hit the newsstands refers to the actual release date of the magazine or comic book.

I define “copy” in two ways: the good and the bad.  Copy (bad verb) means imitate or rip off.  Copy (good) means is inspired by/from.  I prefer the word “copy” over “rip off” (“rip-off” and “rip off” are so unpalatable).  From this point forward, I will use “copy” to refer to “inspired by/from” and “imitate” or “rip off” (verb) and “rip-off” (noun and adjective) to refer to copy defined in a bad way.

I did not tackle the individual superhero’s powers and “secret origins” in detail, in the hopes that the reader would look them up.

The Varga and Darna articles in Wikipedia and other Web sites now contain information taken from Ernee Lawagan’s interviews with Mars Ravelo in 1985 and 1986.^{2, 3, 4, 5}  Mars Ravelo is the creator of Darna, the Filipino female superhero people usually compare with Wonder Woman.  I prefer to call Wonder Woman and Darna female superheroes, not superheroines, in honor of Hero, one of Aphrodite’s priestesses.  Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and one of Wonder Woman’s patron goddesses.

In the Lawagan interviews, Ravelo claimed that he peddled Varga to several publishers here in the Philippines and in the United States, and told his American friends about his creation.  In the Wikipedia article, Ravelo “brought his superheroine idea as the Philippines’ answer to Superman to various publications both in the Philippines and in the United States but was rejected because publishers kept telling him ‘female superheroes will not sell.’”⁶

Ravelo also said in the Lawagan interviews that William Moulton Marston a.k.a. Charles Moulton, creator of Wonder Woman, must have come to the Philippines and heard of Varga and subsequently ripped off Varga.  Time frame is late 1939.

Ravelo was catapulted to fame in 1947.  Before then, he was in and out of low-paying jobs.  He did have at least one published work prior to 1947.⁷

How did Ravelo peddle his work abroad?  Travel by ship was the primary means of transport at that time.  Philippine Airlines “was founded in 1941^{8, 9} and is the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia.”⁸  Manila International Airport, now known as Ninoy Aquino International Airport,^{10, 11} “was originally a US Air Force base until 1948.”¹⁰

Why would someone with very modest means spend time and money peddling his work abroad when the same opportunities could be found here?  How about money for food and daily living while abroad?

In an article where Rex Ravelo was interviewed about his father Mars Ravelo, Rica Arevalo wrote, “Although Mars was not well-traveled (the farthest trip he had gone was Baguio), he immersed himself into books to widen his experiences.”¹²

Mars Ravelo “brought his superheroine idea... to various publications both in the Philippines and in the United States.”⁶  He brought his idea to various publications in the United States, and yet “the farthest trip he had gone was Baguio.”¹²  Baguio is the summer capital of the Philippines.

In the same interview, Rex said, “Darna was inspired by his mother.  He thinks of his mom as Superman.  It is a misconception that it came from Wonder Woman.  He regarded his mom highly because she raised him singlehandedly.  He made Darna because of her.”¹²

The early Darna articles of Wikipedia (circa 2005) claimed that Wonder Woman was not Ravelo’s chief inspiration (“chief” being the operative word).  I find myself agreeing to this.  I disagree, however, that Wonder Woman is not an inspiration in any way.  It was Wonder Woman’s success in a medium (the comic book) dominated by males that paved the way for Darna and other female superheroes.  Publishers gambled on Varga and Darna because of Wonder Woman’s unprecedented triumph.  Wonder Woman proved that “female superheroes will sell.”  Ravelo looked at Wonder Woman and knew that Varga and Darna would sell.

Current articles do not credit Wonder Woman.  I do not have a problem with that, so long as Wonder Woman is not mentioned at all.

Articles about Darna, whether from Wikipedia or elsewhere, credit Ravelo’s mother as the inspiration for Darna (as a defense from the claim that Darna is a Wonder Woman copy).  I agree that Darna was inspired by Ravelo’s mother 100%.  No contest.  That does not mean that Darna was not inspired by other women or other earlier creations whether female or male.

Darna articles also admit that Captain Marvel is the inspiration for Darna’s transformation from Narda to Darna via shouting.  Billy Batson transforms to Captain Marvel by shouting “Shazam!”  Captain Marvel is now officially called Shazam by DC Comics.

Some people from the Darna camp give me this impression:  It is alright to imitate male but not female superheroes.

How about Ravelo’s mother and the Varga series of illustrations?  Ravelo’s mother and the Varga girl are not superheroes.  Not literally.

Varga, the pin-up girl by Alberto Vargas popularized in Esquire magazine, is credited as an inspiration for Varga,^{6, 13} the female superhero created by Ravelo and Darna’s predecessor.  The name alone is too obvious for comfort.

Alberto Vargas was hired by Esquire in June 1940 by David Smart, the magazine’s publisher.  Vargas “agreed to drop the ‘s’ from Vargas because Smart thought ‘Varga’ sounded more euphonious. The ‘Varga Girl’ was born.”¹⁴  Euphonious means having a pleasant sound.

The first Varga girl was seen in Esquire (cover dated December 1940) which hit the newsstands in October 1940.¹⁵

Captain Marvel first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 cover dated February 1940.  The first issue of Whiz Comics (#2; there is no issue #1) hit the newsstands in early 1940.¹⁶

In “The Lost Works of Mars Ravelo,” Lawagan stated, “And based on his story, the timeline of Varga should be put around 1939 and not 1947.”²

The timeline of Varga is correctly placed at 1947.

As a creator, would you pitch your work without a title or attributes (like shouting to transform)?  The Varga girl first appeared in October 1940 and Captain Marvel in early 1940.  How was Ravelo inspired by these two in 1939 when these two supposed inspirations had not been seen by him?  Mars Ravelo was clairvoyant?

Ravelo admitted in his Lawagan interviews that he had “a few moments of lapses.”²

“Most people cherish their memories, know that they represent their identity, who they are, where they came from…  But I know from my work how much fiction is already in there.  If I’ve learned anything from these decades of working on these problems, it’s this: just because somebody tells you something and they say it with confidence, just because they say it with lots of detail, just because they express emotion when they say it, it doesn’t mean that it really happened.  We can’t reliably distinguish true memories from false memories.  We need independent corroboration.  Such a discovery has made me more tolerant of the everyday memory mistakes that my friends and family members make” (Loftus, 2013, 15:54).

Memories change through time, especially in our twilight years.

Other things of note

The Wikipedia article claims that the Darna portrayed by Nanette Medved “started the accusation that Darna was a Wonder Woman rip-off”⁶ (because Darna deflected bullets with her bracelets in the 1991 movie).  This is grossly untrue.  I acquired my first batch of American comics from National Book Store Avenida in the 1970s.  Even then, people knew – as they know now – that Darna is a copy of Wonder Woman.

Magpakailanman (Forevermore) is a weekly TV show that features real-life stories.  On 26 May 2005,¹⁷ the series featured the life story of Mars Ravelo.  I saw the episode for myself.  Ravelo’s “triggers” or inspirations for his creations were shown.  Angel Locsin was seen swallowing a pill and subsequently shouting “Darna!”  Apparently, the healing power of the pill gave Ravelo the idea to use the stone as Narda’s pill to transform to Darna.  Angel Locsin played the title role in the TV series in 2005.

The Blue Beetle is not very well-known here in the Philippines.  He first appeared in Mystery Men Comics #1 cover dated August 1939.  In Blue Beetle #1 cover dated December 1939, he was given a pill (by Doctor Franz) called vitamin 2x¹⁸ which was a “strength enhancer.”¹⁹

Les Daniels, in his book DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World’s Favorite Comic Book Heroes, also states “vitamins” (46).  Ravelo may have gotten the idea for Darna’s stone from Blue Beetle’s pill.

Amulets with inscriptions, healing and protective powers are common in folklore (whether in Philippine, Indian, ancient Greek, and other cultures).

Darna’s stone is an amulet.  I expect Magpakailanman showing Ravelo inspired by the pill was artistic license exercised by the show’s writer/s.  Ravelo’s being a wide reader does confer the distinct possibility that he had read about and had been inspired by Blue Beetle’s pill.  However, he turned the pill into something distinctly Filipino.

The stone is part of Darna’s mystique and is tied to Philippine folklore – not to modern science.  Divorcing the stone from its mystical – transmogrifying it to a modern medical – inspiration is not in accordance with Darna’s cultural heritage.  In relation to this, making Darna deflect bullets (without showing context for such act) does not help in delineating Darna’s identity.

While writers are granted artistic license in crafting their stories, children believing their father’s memory error is their dutiful and natural license.  A child believes a loving father, no matter his flaws.

Darna’s introduction was very similar to Wonder Woman’s.  Darna was described as having “alindog ni Benus, kisig ni Apollo at lakas ni Samson” (the allure of Venus, bearing of Apollo and strength of Samson). Wonder Woman was described for many years in each comic book issue as “beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, stronger than Hercules and swifter than Mercury.”  It is very hard to ignore this similarity.

In Wonder Woman’s first appearance in All Star Comics #8 cover dated Dec.-Jan. (1941-1942), she was described by creator Marston as “as lovely as Aphrodite – as wise as Athena – with the speed of Mercury and the strength of Hercules.”  The change to “stronger” and “swifter” was made a number of stories after.

All Star Comics #8 hit the newsstands on 21 October 1941.²⁰

Darna is the anagram of Narda (Varga’s and Darna’s mortal form).  However, I can’t help but notice that Diana (Wonder Woman’s human name) and Darna look and sound alike.

Did you know that Superman was inspired by the novel Gladiator by Philip Wylie?  Articles abound – and books can be found quoted – in the Net regarding this issue.

Gerard Jones wrote a book about Superman’s origins in Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book.  On page 346 (third paragraph), Jones wrote “… the timing and the striking similarities that would seem to leave no doubt of Gladiator’s role.”

Wonder Woman first appeared in 1941; Varga in 1947 and Darna in 1950.

To borrow Jones’ words: The timing and the striking similarities leave no doubt of Wonder Woman’s role in the conceptualization and eventual creation of Darna.

Comparison of attributes

Captain Marvel first flew in Whiz Comics #5 (cover dated June 1940).²¹

Superman first flew in the Fleischer cartoons in 1941.  He first flew in the comics officially in 1943, in Action Comics #65 (cover dated October 1943).^{21, 22}  When he first appeared in Action Comics #1, Superman could only leap an eighth of a mile (Daniels 80; Fleisher 313).  His leaping high gave an impression of flight.  Please note that Fleischer (of Superman cartoons) is spelled differently from Fleisher (author of Superman book – see references).

In “Darna: The Filipino Superheroine,” Lawagan wrote that back then (in late 1939) the “superheroine was named Varga”⁴ and “which like Superman… can fly at great speed.”⁴  Clairvoyant much?  Superman did not fly in 1939.  As the saying goes, “A fish is caught by its mouth.”

Varga and Darna have been flying since their first appearance in 1947 and 1950, respectively.

Wonder Woman first flew in Wonder Woman #98 (cover dated May 1958).²³  She just glided by riding wind currents.  Strong winds could affect her flight.

Wonder Woman gained the unbridled power of flight in Wonder Woman #1 (cover dated February 1987) which hit the newsstands in late 1986.  I have been collecting comic books continuously since 1986 (and intermittently since the 1970s).

There was a time when the cover date was ahead of the actual release date by 3 months.  Kindly check “cover date” in Wikipedia for a succinct explanation.

Diana Prince changed to Wonder Woman via super speed just like Superman (in a phone booth – if she wanted to, etc.).  This changed to a lasso twirl in Wonder Woman #212 (cover dated July 1974²⁴).  Diana would twirl her lasso around herself and this would reveal her superhero costume.²⁵

Diana changed to Wonder Woman by spinning in a blinding flash of light in the 1975 TV series.  Lynda Carter, the performer who played Wonder Woman, “has always claimed that the spin was her invention.”²⁵  Carter did claim the spin in an interview.²⁶

Darna of the Philippines

Darna is an original Filipino creation in the sense that she is from the Philippines.  Her templates prove she is not original.  However, she is unique because she is the combination of at least three great superheroes that preceded her (Superman, Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman).  That uniqueness makes her original.

Darna has come a long way.  She has achievements surpassing those of her predecessors, e.g., at least 14 theater-released films to her credit.

Not one of DC’s Big Three (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman) has a movie list this long.  Not yet.

Local filmdom actually beat Hollywood by producing Wonder Woman-inspired films:  Wander Woman Si Ako! (I Am Wander Woman) starring Ma. Theresa Carlson in 1980 and Wonder Dabiana starring Cecile Iñigo in 1978.

Darna has evolved into her own identity and is not subsumed within Wonder Woman studies.  She fits right into women’s studies.

According to Mars Ravelo

“The superheroine’s creater [sic], Mars Ravelo, really admits that it was the prevalence of a colonial mentality among many readers that compelled him to create a comic strip that approximated the stature and powers of the then most popular American heroes, Wonder Woman and Supergirl.  Ravelo says, ‘Naisip ko noon, gayong sikat sina Wonder Woman at Supergirl, bakit hindi ako gumawa ng isang karakter na may mga powers na katulad ng mga ito at ilagay sa situwasyong Pilipino.’ (I thought then that since Wonder Woman and Supergirl were famous, why not create a character with the same powers and place her in the Philippine setting.)”²⁷

Let me remind the reader that Supergirl first appeared in Superman #123 cover dated August 1958²⁸ (8 years after the first appearance of Darna in comics).

Apparently, Ravelo mentioned Supergirl because Supergirl is the actual rip-off of Superman, and Wonder Woman and Darna are inspired variants and not total rip-offs.  For a related narrative, see endnote No. 28.

“Ravelo goes on, ‘Naiisip ko kasi noon since nadito na rin lang yang colonial mentality (I thought then that since colonial mentality is here) why not work around it.  Kaya naman kung mapapansin nin’yo (If you notice) I try to inject certain amount of relevance to Darna’s adventures.  For one thing she talks, thinks, and feels in the vernacular.  She exhibits idiosyncrasies that are distinctly Filipino and she fights characters that are unique to the Filipino milieu.  Besides the kinds of conflict that she gets involved in and the caused [sic] she fights for are those that masses themselves can identify with… I don’t like writing fantasy.  Pero anong magagawa ko (But what can I do)?  I personally would like to write about real, down-to-earth characters and situations.  But the masses just won’t but [sic] that!’”²⁷

Ravelo did create a plethora of “real, down-to-earth characters and situations.”  And, he shone brightly because of these creations.

Incidentally, the first costumed superhero in the Philippines is Ipo-ipo,²⁹ not Varga or Darna.

Ravelo and Philippine culture

“Our memories are constructive.  They’re reconstructive.  Memory works a little bit more like a Wikipedia page: You can go in there and change it, but so can other people.” – Elizabeth Loftus, “How Reliable Is Your Memory?”  (TEDGlobal 2013)

Ravelo admitted appropriating Wonder Woman for Philippine audiences in 1977 and later in 1985 (and 1986) said things differently.  Aging really does a number on one’s memory.  In Ravelo’s “few moments of lapses,” memories and wishful thinking must have overlapped. 

It is not uncommon for people to engage in wishful thinking.  “I wish I made my wizard hero like Harry Potter.”  “I wish I created my female superhero ahead of Wonder Woman.”  And the list goes on.

Wishful thinking entails imagination and fantasy.  Imagination, apart from re/current medical conditions weighing on us, affects our memories.³⁰  These products of imagination, these imaginings and fantasies, actually become part of our memories.  This leads us to conflate our fantasies with reality and relay coincidentally realistic misattributions and confabulations³¹ to people who ask us about our life.

“Yet misattributions in remembering are surprisingly common.  Sometimes we remember events that never happened, misattributing speedy processing of incoming information, or vivid images that spring to mind, to memories of past events that did not occur.  Sometimes we recall correctly what happened, but misattribute it to the wrong time or place.  And at other times misattribution operates in a different direction: we mistakenly credit a spontaneous image or thought to our own imagination, when in reality we are recalling it – without awareness – from something we read or heard.”³²

Memories are “transient constructions and although they may to some degree accurately represent the past they are time-compressed and contain many details that are inferred, consciously and non-consciously, at the time of their construction.  Thus, all memories are to some degree false in the sense that they do not represent past experience literally.  They can, of course, be wholly false but nonetheless be experienced as memories by a rememberer who may be unaware that the source of a memory is not experience but imagination.”³³

Confidence in our false memories is inflated by people, including our relatives, who parrot the unintentional lies.

People confess to crimes they didn’t commit (for a number of reasons like bribery, sacrifice, even memory loss).  Why won’t someone with lapses of memory confess to something that puts her or him in a better light?  He or she won’t be able to tell true from false memories anyhow.

Imagination, on its own, is a writer’s tool.  The creation of scenarios is limited only by a writer’s imagination.  Let us not forget how imaginative comic-book writers are.

Ravelo died in 1988 (not very long after the Lawagan interviews).

Ravelo is the king of Philippine comics, and he has humble beginnings.  He found fame and fortune in 1947.  It took years of patience before he got there.  I do not think much of Ravelo when it comes to superheroes because his superheroes are copies of Western originals (Darna is endearing nevertheless).  However, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge his non-superhero works which, I believe, are very good.

Ravelo created a number of gay-themed stories and characters.  As an openly gay man, these works resonated well with me.  Ravelo’s embryonal (my term for seminal) Jack and Jill was way ahead of its time and clearly distinguished Philippine from Western culture.  His other gay-themed works like Facifica Falayfay and Tubog sa Ginto (Dipped in Gold) – and non-gay non-superhero works – also made their mark, not just with me, but with the Filipino people as well.  They are not exactly politically correct, and therein somehow lies their charm.  The nuances of reality, the slices of Philippine life, would never have been captured in their vivid flavors if Ravelo restricted his creations to political correctness.

Like what he said in 1977, Ravelo created “real, down-to-earth characters and situations” that endeared themselves to the nation.

The lens of history clearly acknowledges Ravelo’s contributions to Philippine culture.  Literary scholars will have a lot to write about in their theses and dissertations for years to come.

Looking back

When I was a child, I did not bother who created or copied which superhero.  I went about my way jumping on our roof, pretending to fly with a bath towel on my back.

I became aware of my homosexuality when I was 20 years old and came out 3 years later.  Memories are forming as I write this, and I now imagine myself jumping on the roof again as an adult shouting “Shazam!” and occasionally “Darna!” when no one is looking.  I expect that for most Filipinos, an adult man shouting “Darna!” must identify himself as a homosexual.

I will continue to look at superheroes and dream a little along the way until my memories fade.  I did notice an odd behavior that I have occasionally exhibited through the years:  I raise a forearm or two when there is a perceived threat as though I am deflecting bullets.  I am aware of the reality that I have no special powers.  I am not an Amazon or a Kryptonian.  I just dream.

Endnotes

¹ manly, not effeminate

² Ernee Lawagan.  “The Lost Works of Mars Ravelo.”  Ernee’s Corner.  Blogspot, 23 Feb. 2012.  Web.  15 July 2016.  <erneelawagan.blogspot.com/2012/02/lost-works-of-mars-ravelo.html>.

³ Ernee Lawagan.  “The Real Story Behind Captain Barbell.”  Ernee’s Corner.  Blogspot, 4 June 2012.  Web.  15 July 2016.  <erneelawagan.blogspot.com/2012/06/real-story-behind-captain-barbell.html>.

⁴ Ernee Lawagan.  “Darna: The Filipino Superheroine.”  Ernee’s Corner.  Blogspot, 15 Feb. 2010.  Web. 15 July 2016.  <erneelawagan.blogspot.com/2010/02/darna-filipino-superheroine.html>.

⁵ Ernee Lawagan.  “The Untold True Beginning of Darna.”  Ernee’s Corner.  Blogspot, 12 May 2017.  Web.  14 May 2017.  <erneelawagan.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-untold-true-beginning-of-darna.html>.

⁶ “Darna.”  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 Feb. 2014.  Web.  1 Feb. 2014.  <en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Darna&oldid=593420846>.  [I compared numerous articles and printed out at least two: one in 2014 (1 February 2014) and another in 2016 (17 July 2016).]

⁷ Dennis Villegas.  “Bemboy: Ravelo’s First Comic Strip, 1939.”  PilipinoKomiks.  Blogspot, 27 Oct. 2006.  Web.  4 Aug. 2016.  <pilipinokomiks.blogspot.com/2006/10/bemboy-ravelos-first-comic-strip-1939.html>.

“Mars Ravelo.”  Komiklopedia.  Wordpress, 31 Dec. 2007.  Web.  4 Aug. 2016.  <komiklopedia.wordpress.com/2007/12/31/mars-ravelo/>.  [The page has become a “Protected Blog.”  Viewers are now required to have a WordPress.com account and permission from the site owner to be able to access.]

⁸ “Philippine Airlines.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 28 July 2016.  Web.  28 July 2016. <en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Philippine_Airlines&oldid=731867004>.

⁹ “History and Milestone.”  Philippine Airlines, n.d.  Web.  4 Aug. 2016.  <www.philippineairlines.com/AboutUs/HistoryAndMilestone>.

¹⁰ “A Brief History of the Agency.”  Manila International Airport Authority, n.d.  Web.  4 Aug. 2016.  <125.60.203.88/miaa/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=39>.

¹¹ “Ninoy Aquino International Airport.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 July 2016.  Web.  16 July 2016.  <en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ninoy_Aquino_International_Airport&oldid=730006462>.

¹² Rica Arevalo.  “Tinapa Literature.”  Lifestyle: Arts and Culture.  Manila Bulletin, 7 Nov. 2016.  Web.  4 Apr. 2017.  <lifestyle.mb.com.ph/2016/11/07/tinapa-literature/>.

¹³ ”Varga (comics).”  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 25 Mar. 2016.  Web.  25 Mar. 2016.  <en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Varga_(comics)&oldid=711879210>.

¹⁴ Carol E. Holstead.  “Vargas, Alberto.”  American National Biography Online, Feb. 2000.  Web.  18 July 2016.  <www.anb.org/articles/17/17-01424.html>.  [As of 25 June 2018, this page can only be viewed partially and can only be accessed fully by subscribers.]

---.  “Vargas, Alberto.”  American National Biography.  Eds. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes.  New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.  Print.

¹⁵ “The Very First Vargas Girl.”  Heritage Auctions, 8 June 2009.  Web.  18 July 2016.  <www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news/the-very-first-vargas-girl-october-1940-drawing-highlights-illustration-art-event-in-dallas.s?releaseId=1691>.

¹⁶ “The First Issue of Whiz Comics Hits the Newsstand.”  The Marvel Family Web, 10 Sep. 2008.  Web.  19 July 2016.  <www.marvelfamily.com/FunFacts/ funfact.aspx?FFID=10>.  [As of 25 June 2018, this Web page is no longer available.  “The resource cannot be found.”]

The publication date of Whiz Comics #2 is contentious.  The issue was not registered with the U.S. Copyright Office where the other issues of Whiz Comics – and American comics in general including Action Comics #1 – were recorded.  Different sources point to two timescales – late 1939 and early 1940.

The publication Catalog of Copyright Entries of the U.S. Copyright Office has many volumes, is easy enough to find and contains registration information concerning Whiz Comics.  Look for the Periodicals volumes and narrow the search by year.  The catalogs can be read online and downloaded for free.

A public record does mention the appearance of Whiz Comics: the lawsuit filed by DC (then National) against Fawcett.

In the case of National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications, the court remarks, "About October 1939, Fawcett... began the work of preparing for the publication of a new monthly magazine, to be entitled 'Whiz Comics' and to sell for the same price as 'Action Comics'.  The first number appeared in January 1940."  See <law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/93/349/1971798/>.

As of 25 June 2018, the United States Copyright Office directs researchers to <cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First> to search for registration records online with the notice “Works registered prior to 1978 may be found only in the Copyright Public Records Reading Room.”

Copies of Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) are still available for viewing and download from Internet Archive <archive.org>.  The CCE collection of Internet Archive may not be as extensive or complete, though.

¹⁷ “Magpakailanman.”  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 June 2016.  Web.  15 June 2016.  <en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Magpakailanman&oldid=725422444>.

“Mars Ravelo.”  Philippine Comics, n.d.  Web. 2 Aug. 2016.  <www.philippinecomics.net/creators/marsravelo/marsravelo.htm>.  [The site no longer contains Ravelo's profile.]

¹⁸ “Blue Beetle (Fox) Vol 1 1.”  DC Database – Wikia, n.d.  Web.  3 Aug. 2016.  <dc.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Beetle_(Fox)_Vol_1_1>.

¹⁹ “Comic Book Drug Reference.”  Polite Dissent, 2006.  Web.  27 July 2016.  <politedissent.com/cbdr_3.html>.

²⁰ “Wonder Woman.”  United States Postal Service.  7 Oct. 2016.  Web.  10 Oct. 2016.  <store.usps.com/store/browse/productDetailSingleSku.jsp?categoryNav=false&navAction=push&navCount=0&atg.multisite.remap=false&categoryId=buy-stamps&productId=S_474104>.  [As of 25 June 2018, this particular page in the USPS site is no longer available.  “No matching product was found.”]

“Happy 70th Birthday Wonder Woman!”  Comic Book Movie, 25 Oct. 2011.  Web.  19 July 2016.  <www.comicbookmovie.com/wonder_woman/happy-70th-birthday-wonder-woman-a48870>.

Wonder Woman’s “birthday” has two dates from different sources – October 25 and October 21.  Comic Book Movie places Wonder Woman’s first appearance on 25 October 1941.  The following sources agree:  <www.worldofsuperheroes.com/2016/03/69884/> [As of 25 June 2018, this site is “Under Construction.”] and <comicvine.gamespot.com/wonder-woman/4005-2048/forums/happy-70th-birthday-wonder-woman-638510/>.

If you ask Google “When is Wonder Woman’s birthday?” the Comic Vine, not the Comic Book Movie, page will be prominently displayed enclosed in a box (and displayed first on the list) as of October 2016.

The United States Postal Service released Wonder Woman stamps in October 2016 – at least one online stamp seller echoed the Postal Service’s tribute to Wonder Woman including the October 21 festivity – and WarnerTV decided to celebrate Wonder Woman’s 75th birthday by scheduling Wonder Woman on 21 October 2016.  Kindly check <www.warnertvasia.com/schedule>.

Catalog of Copyright Entries confirms October 21 as the release date of All Star Comics #8.

²¹ “Who Flew First?  Captain Marvel or Superman?”  The Marvel Family Web, 29 Sep. 2008.  Web.  24 July 2016.  <www.marvelfamily.com/FunFacts/funfact. aspx?FFID=29>.  [As of 25 June 2018, this Web page is no longer available.  “404 (Page Not Found) Error.”]

Outside of comics and visual media, Superman first flew in the radio show The Adventures of Superman which aired in February 1940 onwards.

Superman #10 cover dated May-June 1941 actually showed Superman flying, predating his first official flight in Action Comics #65 cover dated October 1943 by 2 years.

Check out [Jerry Siegel (w), Leo Nowak (a).  “The Invisible Luthor.”]  Superman #10 (May-June 1941), Superman [DC Comics].

²² “Superman (1940s cartoons).”  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 3 July 2016.  Web.  3 July 2016.  <en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Superman_(1940s_cartoons)&oldid=728123195>.

²³ “Wonder Woman Vol 1 98.”  DC Database – Wikia, n.d.  Web.  3 Aug. 2016.  <dc.wikia.com/wiki/Wonder_Woman_Vol_1_98>.

²⁴ “Wonder Woman Vol 1 212.”  DC Database – Wikia, n.d.  Web.  3 Aug. 2016.  <dc.wikia.com/wiki/Wonder_Woman_Vol_1_212>.

²⁵ Tim Hanley.  “The Evolution of the Costume Change.”  Straitened Circumstances.  Wordpress, 27 Nov. 2010.  Web.  28 July 2016.  <thanley.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/the-evolution-of-the-costume-change/>.

²⁶ EW Staff.  “Must List 2005: Lynda Carter.”  Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2005.  Web.  3 Aug. 2016.  <www.ew.com/article/2005/06/17/must-list-2005-lynda-carter>.

²⁷ Bill Davidson.  “Mass Culture.”  TV Times 13-19 Mar. 1977.  Excerpt rpt. in Star For All Seasons.  Web.  20 July 2016.  <starforallseasons.com/tag/ging-1964/>.

²⁸ Blair Marnell.  “Supergirl Origins and Evolutions.”  SuperHeroHype, 26 Oct. 2015.  Web.  20 July 2016.  <www.superherohype.com/features/356735-supergirl-origins-and-evolutions-2#/slide/1>.

“Supergirl.”  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2 June 2016.  Web.  2 June 2016.  <en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Supergirl&oldid=723306128>.

A Supergirl did appear – prior to Darna's first appearance in comics – in 1949 in Superboy #5 cover dated November-December.  This Supergirl is Queen Lucy of Borgonia a.k.a. Lucy Regent, is not Kryptonian and is athletic but not superpowered.  Lucy performed super tricks with the help of Superboy.  She is the first DC Comics character to be called Supergirl.

Check out [Woolfolk, William (w), John Sikela (p), Ed Dobrotka (i).]  "Superboy Meets Supergirl!"  Superboy #5 (Nov.-Dec. 1949), National Comics Publications [DC Comics].

Lois Lane as Superwoman, the predecessor of Supergirl, first appeared in 1943.  Lois Lane as Lois Lane first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938.

Since Mars Ravelo was a Superman fan, it is highly likely he chanced upon Superwoman and Lucy Regent in the 1940s.

The different incarnations of Supergirl, including Lucy Regent and Superwoman (both mentioned in the Supergirl Wikipedia article cited above), could account for Ravelo giving credit to Supergirl as an inspiration for Darna.

²⁹ “Ipo-ipo.”  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 June 2016.  Web.  4 Aug. 2016.  <en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ipo-ipo&oldid=725414957>.

“Ipo-Ipo.”  Komiklopedia.  Wordpress, 4 Sep. 2007.  Web.  4 Aug. 2016.  <komiklopedia.wordpress.com/2007/09/04/ipo-ipo/>.  [The page has become a "Protected Blog."  Viewers are now required to have a WordPress.com account and permission from the site owner to be able to access.]

Dennis Villegas.  “The First Pinoy Komiks Superheroes.”  PilipinoKomiks.  Blogspot, 1 June 2006.  Web. 4 Aug. 2016.  <pilipinokomiks.blogspot.com/2006/06/first-pinoy-komiks-superheroes.html>.

³⁰ Giuliana Mazzoni and Amina Memon.  “Imagination Can Create False Autobiographical Memories.”  Psychological Science.  14.2 (2003): 186-8.

The science of memory is an immensely interesting discipline that I am very fond of.  This Mazzoni-Memon article is just one of the many scientific papers regarding memory.

³¹ Confabulation is honest lying, i.e., lying is not intentional.  Confabulation is when a person fabricates experiences to fill in gaps in her or his memories and honestly believes she or he is telling the truth.  To confabulate means to make up stories.

³² Daniel L. Schacter.  The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.  90-91.

³³ Martin A. Conway and Catherine Loveday.  “Remembering, Imagining, False Memories and Personal Meanings.”  Consciousness and Cognition 33 (2015): 580.

Other references

“Cover date.”  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.  23 July 2015.  Web.  4 Aug.  2016.  <en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cover_date&oldid=672795524>.

Daniels, Les.  DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World’s Favorite Comic Book Heroes.  New York: Bulfinch Press, 1995.  Print.

Darna.  Dir. Joel Lamangan.  Perf. Nanette Medved.  Viva Films, 1991.  Film.

Fleisher, Michael L.  The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume 3:  The Great Superman Book.  New York: Harmony Books, 1978.  Print.

Jones, Gerard.  Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book.  New York: Basic Books, 2004.  Print.

Potter, Greg (w), George Perez (w, p), and Bruce Patterson (i).  “The Princess and the Power!”  Wonder Woman #1 (Feb. 1987), DC Comics.

Loftus, Elizabeth.  “How Reliable Is Your Memory?”  TEDGlobal 2013.  TED: Ideas Worth Spreading, June 2013.  <www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_loftus_the_fiction_of_memory/transcript?language=en>.

Siegel, Jerome (w), Joe Shuster (a).  “Superman!”  Action Comics #1 (June 1938), Detective Comics [DC Comics]: (1/4).  [On page 1, panel 4, the phrase “LEAP ⅛TH OF A MILE” appears in uppercase.]

Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle.  Narr. Liev Schreiber.  Ghost Light Films, New York.  8 Oct. 2013.  Television.

Wander Woman Si Ako!  Dir. Pablo Santiago.  Perf. Ma. Theresa Carlson.  GPS Films, 1980.  Film.  [It’s really “wander,” not “wonder.”]

Wonder Dabiana.  Dir. Artemio Marquez.  Perf. Cecile Iñigo.  Four-N Films, 1978.  Film.

For note no. 16

(not arranged alphabetically)

U.S. Copyright Office.  Catalog of Copyright Entries (Periodicals).  Part 2,  new series.  Vol. 34.  Nos. 1-4, January-December 1939.  Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1940.  [This is the Catalog that directly precedes the one cited below.]

U.S. Copyright Office.  Catalog of Copyright Entries (Periodicals).  Part 2, new series.  Vol. 35.  Nos. 1-4, January-December 1940.  Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1941.  [contains registration information concerning Whiz Comics]

National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications, 93 F. Supp. 349 (S.D.N.Y. 1950).  U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  10 Apr. 1950.  US Law.  Justia, n.d.  Web.  4 Aug. 2016.  <law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/93/349/1971798/>.

United States Copyright Office.  Public catalog.  <cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First>.

Internet Archive.  Digital library.  <archive.org>.

For note no. 20

(not arranged alphabetically)

Jett, Brett.  “Wonder Woman’s Birthday.”  World of Superheroes, 26 Mar. 2016.  Web.  4 Aug. 2016.  <www.worldofsuperheroes.com/2016/03/69884/>.  [As of 25 June 2018, this site is “Under Construction.”]

sky-pirate.  “Happy 70th birthday, Wonder Woman.”  Comic Vine Forums, 25 Oct. 2011.  Web.  19 Jul. 2016.  <comicvine.gamespot.com/wonder-woman/4005-2048/forums/happy-70th-birthday-wonder-woman-638510/>.

Wonder Woman.  Friday, October 21.  SIN GMT+8.  10:00 PM.  Southeast Asia Schedule.  WarnerTV, 2016.  Web.  18 Oct. 2016.  Television program schedule.  <www.warnertvasia.com/schedule>.

U.S. Copyright Office.  Catalog of Copyright Entries (Periodicals).  Part 2, new series.  Vol. 36.  Nos. 1-4, January-December 1941.  Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1942.  397.  [contains registration information concerning All Star Comics #8]

Please note

Unless otherwise noted, Web sites and pages cited in this article are still active as of 25 June 2018.  However, the ones you see now may not be as I saw them.  Many sites and pages, especially blogs, do not keep a copy of each article’s version.  As far as I know, an edited post can not be traced back to its earlier version since all versions have only one Uniform Resource Locator (URL) – unless the poster keeps a copy (by printing on paper, conversion to PDF or any accessible form) of each of her/his revision.  This is not the case with Wikipedia which allows “versioning” and keeps a copy of an article’s edit history.  The Wikipedia URLs noted here will refer you to the text of the articles as I saw them.

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Last updated 13 January 2019